AV News 213 | August 2018
In This Issue 2
Chairman’s Chatter
Howard Bagshaw
3
Editor’ Welcome
Alastair Taylor
4
International AV Festival
Edgar Gibbs
8
More Thoughts on Judging
Richard Brown
11
Happy Birthday Richard
12
RPS AV Advisory Day
Alastair Taylor
17
My Journey to AV-AFIAP
Sheila Giles
20
PAGB Awardees in AV
22
PAGB Awards in PM in AV
24
Around the AV Groups
30
AV Makers South Africa
32
The Letters Page
36
Getting to Grips with PTE9
Tony Collinson
41
Winners in Australia
John Hodgson
42
Sound for AV
Malcolm Imhoff
46
Image quality in AV - TIFFS
Malcolm Imhoff
48
Compositing in Photoshop
Keith Scott
51
IPF Open PH Competition
Lilian Webb
52
Future Events
Chairman Howard Bagshaw
Secretary Alan Tyrer
Editor AV News Alastair Taylor
Judith Kimber
Jeff Morris
magazine @avnews.org.uk
Design Consultant Andrew N Gagg
Subscriptions are open to all at £22 per year including postage. Please contact: David Neal, AV Group Treasurer 16 Fern Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. TN38 0UH 01424 712394 david-neal@talktalk.net
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Chairman's Chatter Howard Bagshaw ARPS, MPAGB It’s a month ago (the lead-time to produce AV News!) and we’re driving back from Italy, simmering in 30+ degree heat! But of course, you’ve also enjoyed this early summer. Our week in Italy was spent in and around Garda, by the side of the lake, enjoying two days of AV competition. If you are interested in the results you will nd them elsewhere, but what intrigued me was that this auspicious FIAP-patronised AV International, one of only two in Italy in the year, generally had an audience of less than 20, 12 of whom were Brits. There were a few more locals for the gala evening which was a new experience for us, it was held in the open, in a small square, the AVs being projected onto the wall of a house opposite. Image quality was dubious, sound, a bit distorted, but ambience - 150%. How I wish British weather would allow us to do this sometimes. The winning entry was again unusual for us as it was a team production with a ‘credits’ list as long as your arm. This is not something we’ve generally tried in the UK, though mention was made of creating a UK group called the ‘Garda12’. The gold medal AV was wonderfully made, using a large number of actors, with a story which made you really think; and even then, not being sure if you’d interpreted it correctly.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 A few weeks earlier we had been to another International, this time held in Capel Curig, the ‘Challenge 321’. What impressed me here was the variety of ideas, all presented in no more than 3 mins 21 secs. It also showed how much the use of a foreign language, even with some subtitling, forms a barrier to understanding and enjoyment. Those which used no narration generally did very well. Something to consider if you plan to enter next year. I know that I bang on about using video and it was interesting to note that in both Internationals, a few AVs made very good use of video. For me, this was particularly effective where the video was blended and overlaid with still images. What was important was that the quality of the video matched that of the still images, with the same colour balance, sharpness and so on. If you’re planning to edit, crop, scale, stabilise and colour grade your video footage, you might be interested in some software called DaVinci ‘Resolve’ produced by a company called BlackMagic. It does everything you could ever want, with a highly speci ed, free version. I will do a write-up in the next issue. Congratulation must go to all those who recently gained awards in the PAGB distinctions; notably our Secretary, Alan, who gained his DPAGB and Alastair, our AV News Editor who gained his CPAGB. There seems to be a considerable interest at present in distinctions, 28 went for their PAGB awards, and to our great pleasure, around 60 turned out for our RPS Advisory day, near Cheltenham. The next opportunity to gain an RPS distinction will be at an assessment to be held (provisionally) on Wednesday, 28th November 2018. I hope that many of the 21 people who showed their work at the Advisory Day will enter for a distinction. If you are still in need of guidance, remember that you can send work to Andy Moore (Distinctions Manager) at the RPS, who will get some written comments about your work. And if you want to just experience a distinctions day and to see the standards, then you can attend as an observer.
Editor’s Welcome Alastair Taylor LRPS
CPAGB
Very few words from me this time. Suf ce to say that we have a very full journal which is great news so thanks and appreciation to our contributors. We already have some exciting ideas for the next edition so watch this space! There is a focus on RPS and PAGB Distinctions in this edition of AV News and as Howard mentioned above, we have a RPS Distinctions Assessment in November. I will see you there (and at the International AV Festival) Contact the editor at: magazine@avnews.org.uk Page 3
AV News 213 | August 2018
MESSAGE FROM FESTIVAL DIRECTOR Edgar Gibbs FRPS, MPAGB, AV-AFIAP “Around the time this edition of AV News is published I will be looking forward to receiving your AV programme. Your AV entries for the Festival can be sent to me from Wednesday 1 August 2018 until Friday 24 August 2018. Please go to www.rps.org/iavf where you will nd a link that will take you to all the information you need, including the entry form and information for entrants. Please read the 'Information for Entrants' document carefully to ensure that your AV programme, completion of the entry form and submission of other documentation fully complies with the Festival rules.” General Data Protection Regulations No doubt you’ve all received communications about the General Data Protection Regulations. Edgar Gibbs commented that: “It reminded me of the concerns raised in 1999/2000 about the Millennium Bug. Nevertheless, just as we survived data concerns at the end of the last century we seemed to have got through the latest onslaught. I was interested to hear the Information Commissioner being interviewed on television about how having a relationship with an organisation can constitute a legitimate interest in receiving information from that organisation, who will obviously need to hold your data to do so. She also said that if a person has expressed an interest verbally, then that's ne, and if you have previously expressed an interest in any way that's also ne. The important thing is your data is protected by the RPS”. The RPS takes the privacy and security of your data seriously. The Society has published a data protection policy to ensure that members and third parties are informed about what data it holds and how it is used. The Society operates within the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) which were introduced on 25 May 2018. Page 4
AV News 213 | August 2018
SOUND FOR THE FESTIVAL On the way back from the RPS AV Group Advisory Day, Edgar was able to call in to ATC, the company that has loaned the Festival those stunning powered speakers used at previous RPS International AV Festivals. He spoke to the Chief Executive of the Company who was delighted to learn how much they were appreciated and the impact they had had on the Festival audience. He con rmed that he would be very pleased to loan them again over the Festival weekend. For more information please www.atcloudspeakers.co.uk
visit:
Ordering Your Sessions Tickets and Meals The web site is up and running for ordering your tickets, for which many thanks must go to Ian Bateman who has made the on line process so straight forward. Please visit www.rps.org/iavf to access the link that will take you to another website where you can order your Festival session tickets, lunches and a place at the Festival Dinner on the Saturday evening. A number of bookings have already been received, so make sure you put the dates in your diary or even better, make a booking. If you prefer to send a booking by post, together with a cheque, a downloadable form is available on the booking website. On receiving it the Director will email you an acknowledgement. However, if you do order on line you’ll get an automatic email acknowledgment, but if this doesn’t appear in your in box, please check your junk or spam email. If it is not there please contact the Director by emailing: director.iavf@virginmedia.com. The well attended and positive feedback received about the RPS AV Group Advisory Day and the numbers of applicants at the PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit in AV at the Wilmslow weekend have both generated additional interest in the Festival. So if you are coming and need to book accommodation, don't leave it too late.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 Medals and Awards The RPS medals and ribbons have been received, as have the FIAP medals, ribbons and Patronage Certi cate.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 Provisional Timetable for the Festival Weekend For those planning to attend the Festival, or just thinking about it we thought it might be helpful for you to have an outline Programme for the two days. All projection sessions will be held at the 1914 Centenary Hall, Dean Close Preparatory School, Lansdown Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 6QS. The Festival Dinner on the Saturday evening will be held, a short walk away, in Edwards Hall, Dean Close School, Hatherley Road, Cheltenham, GL51 6EP. Saturday 22nd September 09:00 Reception 1914 Centenary Hall 09:30 Welcome and introductions 09:45 Projection session ONE 11:15 Tea/Coffee 11:35 Projection session TWO 13:00 Buffet Lunch 14:00 Projection session THREE 15:30 Tea/Coffee 15:50 Projection session FOUR 17:30 Finish 17:45 RPS AV Group AGM 19:30 Festival Dinner
Sunday 23rd September 09:00 Reception 1914 Centenary Hall 09:30 Projection session FIVE 11:20 Tea/Coffee 11:40 Projection session SIX 13:00 Buffet Lunch 14:00 Projection session SEVEN 15:30 Tea/Coffee 16:00 Notices 16:30 Presentation of Awards 17:30 Finish
Keeping You Informed The RPS HQ has been sending out Festival News emails to individuals to keep them up-to-date with the latest information. If you would like to receive, via email, a copy of Festival News, and have not yet received one, please send an email to director.iavf@virginmedia.com and Edgar Gibbs, Festival Director will ensure that you are placed on the distribution list. Linda Gibbs MPAGB AV-AFIAP Publicity and Communications Co-ordinator RPS International AV Festival 2018
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AV News 213 | August 2018
More Thoughts on Judging Richard Brown
FRPS
I’ve followed with interest the various suggestions about marking systems and how they might be applied. Having judged many competitions which have used different marking systems and none at all, perhaps I might throw my hat into the ring. In my view all AV marking systems, however sophisticated they may appear, are fundamentally awed for two reasons. Let’s start with the impetus for using them at all. Their advocates seem to believe that if only judging could be put onto some sort of scienti c basis then the relative merits of any given sequence will be recognised irrespective of the competition it’s entered into and who is judging it. In other words, judging can be made into a more predictable process and that this is fairer to the entrants. This line of thinking exposes the rst problem. Creative endeavour is simply not susceptible to analysis in this way. Teasing out various components of an entry and judging them individually only works if the entries themselves have direct and identical points of comparison to which universally accepted standards can be applied. Hence, judging a dog show can be done successfully like this because the judges are all familiar with the exacting criteria which are laid down by the Kennel Club. Each dog either conforms to its breed’s rules regarding height, build, uf ness of coat, eye colour etc. or it doesn’t. It’s the judges’ job to use their experience to decide how well those standards are met. Their personal views about which dog they like the best don’t come into it. This is not at all the same thing as assessing photography, sound production, idea, emotional effect and so on because these are elements of a production, not criteria. One judge’s interpretation of what constitutes good photography or excellent sound production, or an interesting idea may and often does differ markedly from that of another judge. So we have our rst weakness: judging an AV is a matter of opinion, it’s not something that can be quanti ed. Different judges are going to hold their varying opinions irrespective of any pseudo-scienti c attempt to make it seem otherwise. As we will see, on a practical level these differences are eventually going to subvert any marking system that may be being used.
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AV News 213 | August 2018
This leads us to the second weakness. Quite often, the results thrown up by following a marking system are not the results that the judges want. This may sound counter-intuitive, but it is a genuine phenomenon which I have witnessed quite a number of times. At a festival I judged at recently, we used a form of marking system to give an initial ranking so that we could start the judging proper with a rough idea of the standing of the entries. It turned out that the sequence which was clearly in the lead at that stage was one that we all agreed we didn’t want to come rst. In fact, in the end it wasn’t even one of the top awards. How can this be? We’re talking about the whole rationale for giving marks. Surely the sequence with the highest score must be the one the judges think is the best. Well, not necessarily. The sequence in question was exceptionally strong in one area of technique which we all appreciated and therefore we had each marked the sequence highly to make sure that got onto the list to be discussed. But when compared side by side with entries that had different qualities it was clearly not the best overall production. The point is that marking individual bits of a sequence in isolation is completely different to judging it as a single entity. Then there is an example which worked in the opposite direction. At another festival, one member of the jury took great exception to the message contained in a particular sequence and deliberately gave it an extremely low mark even though it was clearly an excellent production which the others had scored highly. So much so that in the normal run of things it would not have featured in the serious discussions at all. It was only because the other jurors insisted on having it bumped up that it eventually appeared on the prize list. This highlights the danger of an over-reliance on marking. Giving marks is an individual activity whereas judging is a collective one. Moreover, marking an individual sequence on its own merits is not the same as comparing it to another sequence, which is essentially what judging is. Sometimes these different things turn out to be incompatible. Let’s return to the issue of fairness that I touched on earlier. One of the underlying tenets of marking systems seems to be the desire that all entrants should get a ‘fair crack of the whip’. Very laudable. But what about the lower total score which certain styles of sequence will inevitably receive if marks are simply allocated for different departments and added up.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 More Thoughts on Judging continued ... For example, a fabulously inventive and entertaining music interpretation sequence must in all conscience receive a zero mark for sound production if the soundtrack consists only of a rip from a CD. Hence its fate will be to sit in the ranking table alongside a pretty average documentary which had some greater merit in its soundtrack construction. This hardly seems the acme of fairness to me and is a drawback which a more intuitive method of judging would have immediately avoided. To overcome this sort of issue various complicated compensation mechanisms have been put forward. But the neccessity for these seems to me to demonstrate the essential weakness of the system in the rst place. I’m not dismissing marking systems altogether. As I have indicated, they can be useful in separating the wheat from the chaff at the initial judging stage. But as a method of deciding a prize list they are too in exible and prone to produce erroneous results to be relied upon. In the end, the only judging method which really works is to rely on the judges’ own experience and interpretation of what constitutes a good AV. This is brought to bear in discussion and argument about the relative merits of the entries until a consensus, or at least a compromise, is reached. This can sometimes be tough going for the jury, but I believe that this is the process which is fairest to the authors. Sometimes the audience and some of the entrants don’t agree with the results. I would point out that this is the case irrespective of the judging method which was used. But as Colin Balls has often pointed out, the judges are by de nition always right, whatever anyone else thinks. They are carrying out the task the organisers have asked them to do; to come up with the prize list that they want. In my experience, in doing that job marking systems can be more of a hindrance than an asset.
Happy Birthday Richard! It would be remiss for AV News not to mention Richards “signi cant” birthday on 22 May (age estimations on a post card please! The AV News Editor received the photographs (right) from Malcolm Imhoff and the following message: “Richard got a mention in the last AV News for his “Big Birthday”. Dave Cooke’s daughter Diane has made a rather special cake which older members of the AV world may recognise. It’s all edible but the top is removable and may last a bit longer. All the slides round the bottom are Richard’s actual photographs and there’s even a light from the lens.”
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Happy Birthday Richard!
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AV News 213 | August 2018
RPS Audio Visual Advisory Day Alastair Taylor LRPS
CPAGB
Advisory Days for AV workers considering a distinction are quite a rare occurrence so the opportunity to present work to experienced and awardwinning peers was a well received opportunity by AV workers both experienced and novice. Organised by Martin Fry, over sixty AV enthusiasts turned out to a village hall in Gloucestershire for a day viewing a wide range AV productions. This event proved something of a challenge to arrange with the original date coinciding with the “Beast from the East� extreme weather event. The second event on 29 April 2018 turned out to be late enough in the season to avoid snow (well just about!) Before the day got underway there was a nice surprise for Martin by way of a presentation of a Royal Photographic Society Certi cate of Appreciation for his contribution and commitment as a volunteer for more than 12 years. It was great that RPS President, Robert Albright was there on the day to present the certi cate. All photographs courtesy Edgar Gibbs
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AV News 213 | August 2018 Professional bodies such as the RPS, along with others covering engineering, science and arts credit members on the basis of peer review so the opportunity to have your work reviewed by colleagues (who are often your friends) is as enjoyable as it is daunting. It is certainly not for the faint hearted. Being self-critical is an important skill for us photographers. Richard Brown, Howard Bagshaw and Ian Bateman are well known in the world of AV and between them have high distinctions as well having won many competitions nationally and internationally. On the day, they were joined by a number of RPS AV Committee Members as well as the RPS President Robert Albright who is an accomplished AV Worker himself. Howard explained the process of RPS distinctions and how the assessment works. He reminded us of the wider bodies who offer distinctions such as the PAGB and IAC. The RPS and PAGB assess the body of work in one day whereas IAC and FIAP collect points for competition entries and over time enough points will be accumulated for an award to be made. Howard pointed out that most distinctions consist of three levels similar to LRPS, ARPS and FRPS. Howard pointed out how important it is to gain advice before submitting work for a distinction and how often the lack of advice shows at the point of distinction. Howard suggested that receiving advice has a strong correlation with success at the distinctions event. He made the point that photography is key in terms of sharpness, exposure, composition and pixelation. The same goes for sound. The complex subject of third party images was discussed as well as video and other media. The clear point is that the distinction process is a matter of pass/fail. As Howard put it, don’t submit for ARPS with the off chance that if it not up to standard it might be given LRPS. He made the point that if you took your driving test for a car and failed, you wouldn’t expect to be given a moped licence as a backup! So now I know! My LRPS is the photographic equivalent of a moped licence whilst FRPS must be for a heavy good vehicle! Howard illustrated a successful LRPS submission from Keith Watson for his AV sequences Serenity and Where the sea comes in as a way of illustrating the expected standard. Both of these demonstrated a good level of photography with some well chosen music. Various AV techniques were on show including a variety of dissolves, matching the pace of the AV to the beat of the music. One sequence of bird life on the Farne Islands used the depth of eld in the images to create a space for interesting third images. All of these were good examples. The second sequence used a well-read verse to set the mood experienced “when the sea coms in” There were some lovely dissolves and great photographs. Members of the audience were under no illusion that for LRPS the bar is quite high. I now feel much better about my own LRPS! Page 13
AV News 213 | August 2018 RPS Audio Visual Advisory Day continued ... It would be wrong of me to single out particular items of AV work submitted for advice but if we are to grow and improve, it might be helpful to AV News readers if I highlight some of the Advisory Panel likes and dislikes.
In photo harmony work, it is a good idea to group images so that the story or theme develops as the AV progresses. In this type of AV, good quality images are expected as the norm so the wow factor has to come from the interpretation of the music or the third images which emerge throughout the sequence.
Attention to detail is important. For example, things like progress bars which show the length of the AV and mouse cursors which don’t disappear can draw the eye so investigating the software options to avoid these issues is important.
Getting the basics right is important. Mixing vertical and horizontal images is to be avoided. Using images to tell the story is important but the quality of images must be consistently high. Ask the question as to whether all the images are suf ciently sharp and photographically good enough by way of composition, exposure, etc.
The use of black and white images throughout a sequence is often well received and if appropriate some spot colour can be used to highlight a particular point. With monochrome images, the author has an opportunity to increase contrast – sometimes with more impact than for colour images.
Choice of music is important with overly well-known music often putting a thought into the viewer’s head which they associate with that music. Sometime the AV can be time bound by the music and as such it “runs out of steam” with not enough images. Similarly, the music might have to be edited down in length and this can be challenging – especially when it fades out at an inappropriate point.
The idea that “less equals more” has to be remembered with the point made “that just because you have 100 images, you don’t have to use them all” The same goes for transitions and movement to the point that just because the software offers 30 different transition methods and panning facilities, use them with care. The take away point is that you need to choose your images with care and be happy to cull those images which do not measure up.
Travelogue AVs are a common approach. Avoid the risk of regurgitating the guide book and consider grouping different themes and concentrate on these before moving on to a new topic.
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Story telling is an important component of a good AV sequence and in too many occasions, this element is forgotten. Where there is a script this is much easier than for a photo harmony approach where the images and music must tell the story. On the matter of stories, these need to have a beginning, middle and end, or an introduction, body and conclusion. A clever story might keep several themes running in parallel with a sense of intrigue. Keeping the audience guessing is a good, if a dif cult approach to maintain.
With modern microphone technology and editing software, often free, the ability to record a good quality soundtrack has become much easier. All the normal challenges such as recording at too higher level, popping and those dif cult words with an s, p or t can be a challenge.
When making a submission there is merit in showing a selection of your work – especially where this will showcase your different photography skills and experience. Try not to overstay your welcome though. For example, LRPS looks for submission of 8 to 12 minutes and this is for a reason. Don’t feel that you must ll the whole 12 minutes.
The point was made that just because an AV does well in a club competition that doesn’t mean that it will do as well when submitted for an RPS distinction. The point being that there is always a winner in a competition whilst distinctions are about the extent to which the AV reaches an absolute standard.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 RPS Audio Visual Advisory Day continued ...
Very good photography on its own does not always make for a good AV but can be used to convey a story. There is a danger that a very good photographer still might not be successful with an AV distinction and particularly if their work is viewed as a series of standalone images.
Emotion is important and when done well, it conveys a strong message to the audience and often brings that extra factor which gives impact. This will often carry the day even when some of the images or sound track is lacking ne detail.
Thought and effort put into the third image is a good investment. These need to be slow and paced with the music and when done well can really carry the AV.
Care always need to be taken when splicing in extra music or lengthening an AV. Sometimes this destroys the pace and leave the audience disappointed that the AV did not end on a high or at the point they anticipated it would end. It comes back to the old point that Less equals More. Also, beware of false endings.
When illustrating a song, the challenge is in having suf cient variety of photography to t the words. Too often this doesn’t work out and you are left with some padding to do with a lack of suitable images. The opposite challenge is when the music is too long and then faded out. On occasions this leaves the audience wanting more. Splicing the beginning and end is one way of dealing with this. The other is to fade into the music mid way though and then let it run out to the natural end of the music.
An interesting observation is that some workers might consider applying straight for ARPS and if their work is good enough this not an unrealistic idea. The danger is that if too much good quality work is submitted for LRPS, the uplift required to a subsequent ARPS might be too higher leap. The moral of the story is that it’s is sensible to take advice on what you should submit at LRPS to avoid making things more dif cult when you go for ARPS. Ian Bateman commented: “It was very encouraging to see so many people in the audience at the Advisory Day - it shows that there is renewed interest in Multimedia Distinctions after some initial confusion over how AV would t in. Hopefully we will see some successful applications at future assessments” Thanks must be extended to Martin Fry and the Advisory Panel for an excellent day. The next RPS Audio Visual Distinctions Assessment day is 24 November 2018 so hopefully there will be a good number of applications. Page 16
AV News 213 | August 2018
My Journey to AV-AFIAP Sheila Giles AV-AFIAP The idea – Julie England in 2011 I discovered the genre of Audio Visual in 2006, when I was looking for a creative way to present some photos of a trip to Uganda to track mountain gorillas, tree-climbing lions and other wildlife. By 2009 I had made a few AVs that had won awards: Arthur’s Secret won the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union AV trophy, a ribbon at the AV National competition, a FIAP bronze medal in Adelaide, Australia, and Salon acceptances in Romania and Poland. I submitted it, together with an exotic wildlife AV about Madagascar, called A World of their Own for the DPAGB Distinction and was successful. I was delighted to have won all the above accolades, then Julie England suggested that my next target should be AV-AFIAP. She already had that distinction and outlined what I needed to do to achieve it. The moving goalposts I made a note of the requirements listed on the FIAP website and started trying to enter overseas AV competitions which had FIAP accreditation. There are very few such competitions per year, and at that time, none in the UK. I found AV News was a vital tool in nding competitions, saving many hours trawling through the FIAP lists of single-image print and slide/PDI competitions. I continued producing AVs, winning accolades and medals with sequences such as Blackburn Diva.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 My Journey to AV-AFIAP continued ... FIAP requires a diversity of sequences and a variety of event salons in differing countries. This was before the easy use of wetransfer.com and caused me a number of headaches posting CDs around the world and trying to pay entry fees via my online bank account. All the international bank and account codes worked to different formulas and numbers of digits, which my UK account simply would not recognise. Several phone calls, often international ones, were required to sort out glitches. Fees to Romania couldn’t be transmitted by bank transfer, so I had to learn extremely fast how to use Western Union and nd an outlet with a working transfer system, in order to meet an entry deadline! I remember some frantic driving around Southport to several shops and a travel agent, all but one of whose systems were down. By 2013 I had accrued the requisite number of acceptances of different sequences – or so I thought! I re-checked the FIAP requirements via the PAGB’s appropriate web-page, but was really disappointed to discover that the requirements had changed! I now had to nd 12 acceptances with 10 different AVs, at 6 different salons in at least 4 different countries. This meant producing more AVs and accredited – many were not!
nding new salons that were FIAP
The search for FIAP accredited AV salons A small number of new salons appeared, but not all of them were FIAP accredited, so I targeted those with AV entries, with unpredictable results. Some titles that had won awards already failed to be accepted, whilst other untried AVs fared much better. Personal issues prevented me from producing any new work for a couple of years, but by early 2017 I decided to have a try at applying to FIAP. I discovered that: Page 18
I had just missed the deadline for 2017 submissions There was a serious discrepancy between the requirements listed on the relevant PAGB webpage and the FIAP website.
AV News 213 | August 2018 FIAP stated that I would need at least 5 different sequences, whilst the PAGB said I needed 10…….at that point I had 9 different sequences accepted. HELP!! An email to Dave Coates, the PAGB’s FIAP Liaison Of cer, con rmed that the FIAP requirement was the correct number so the PAGB webpage had a serious typo. I would therefore be able to proceed later in 2017. The application process The date to begin submissions is late October, prior to full submission the following March. I acquired all the latest documents but had one further obstacle to overcome. All my awards were for Sheila Davies, but in April 2017 I had happily remarried and was now Sheila Giles. Would this create a big problem? Fortunately it didn’t and I submitted a list of all the AVs I wanted to be recognised and received my application package and a dossier of helpful advice from Dave Coates. Before it could be sent to FIAP I had to pay a fee, and acquire a certi cate from the FIAP Audio-Visual Service – by sending a spreadsheet of all my relevant acceptances and awards to Lorenzo di Francesco, FIAP’s Director of Audio Visual Service. Thank goodness for email! Nevertheless there was a delay, because 2 of my acceptances in Romania in 2009 could not be veri ed by FIAP Patronage Service nor by the salon organisers in Bucovinia, so they could not be included in the nal total. Fortunately I still had more than enough to meet all the criteria……… after paying another fee, in part for a FIAP Life certi cate, in March my nal application was sent to FIAP by Dave Coates and on 22nd May 2018 I received a letter con rming that my application had been successful. HOORAY!!!!! The following day my certi cate arrived, with a letter informing me that I was now entitled to use the letters AV-AFIAP after my name. I soon discovered that I was the only UK recipient of this distinction in 2018. I took the certi cate to the PAGB Distinctions in AV event at Wilmslow Guild, where Gordon Jenkins was kind enough to present it to me of cially. In a room full of experienced photographers, nobody had a camera, so my own mobile phone had to be used to record the presentation. It had indeed been a journey to get to AV-AFIAP, via Australia, Romania, Poland, France and Switzerland. Not forgetting the destinations of the AVs, from Singapore, Zambia, Madagascar, Kenya, Uganda, Borneo, Komodo, Alaska, and a number of UK destinations too. Many thanks to everyone who encouraged me and helped me en route!
Turn to page 21 for a photograph of Sheila receiving her AV-AFIAP Page 19
AV News 213 | August 2018
PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit in AV
CPAGB-AV Awards Back L to R - Alastair Taylor, Peter Budd, Gordon Jenkins (PAGB President), Steve Kirkby & Keith Watson. Front L to R - Colin Birch, Roger Gage, Chris Bate & David Gibbins. (Brian Rogers and Richard Ramsey were successful but unable to attend the assessment day) Below: An attentive audience and diligent assessment panel
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AV News 213 | August 2018 DPAGB-AV Awards (Pictured right) Back L to R - Alan Tyrer, James Hamill. Front L to R - Judith Kimber with Gordon Jenkins (PAGB President) (Peter Allen and Chris Carroll-Davies were successful but unable to attend the assessment day)
AV-AFIAP Award (Pictured left) Congratulations to Sheila Giles AVFIAP
The Services to PAGB Award (Pictured Right) Awarded to Jill Bunting and John Smith for their contribution to PAGB. See picture on page 19 overleaf.
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AV News 213 | August 2018
PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit in Audio Visual Judith Kimber LIPF DPAGB The motto of the Wilmslow Guild is “Learning for pleasure”, a tting theme for the very pro table weekend we spent there in late May at the PAGB’s Awards for Photographic Merit in Audio Visual. Well cared for and well organised by the members of the Guild’s own AV Group and the Great Northern Festival AV Group, we made new friends, were delighted to see old ones again, gained an insight into how these awards function, and experienced some truly memorable audio visual work. The rst event of the weekend was the Friday evening advisory session, a helpful combination of instruction, demonstration and advice. Jill Bunting’s presentation on “What makes a good AV?” was thought-provoking – particularly for those of us whose sequences were to be adjudicated over the next two days. Examples of successful and unsuccessful sequences at the PAGB’s various distinction levels (Credit, Distinction and Masters) were shown. Our panel of adjudicators for the weekend, Howard Bagshaw, Ian Bateman, Richard Speirs, Howard Tate and chairman Robert Albright led discussion on these sequences and answered questions from the audience. Finally, we watched sequences from potential distinction applicants, and the panel advised on whether they were likely to be successful. On Saturday, the work of the 19 CPAGB applicants (one or more sequences, eight to ten minutes in total) was shown, followed by nine DPABG applications (two or more sequences, ten to fteen minutes) on Sunday. Awards chairman Rod Wheelans led us through the process, with plenty of humour to lighten our inevitable nerves. Rod emphasised the fact that these awards are for photographic merit, and that the quality of our photography would play a vital role in the fate of our applications. I’m sure I wasn’t the only candidate who started counting up the truly good images in their AVs and imagining disaster ahead not getting further than the ngers of one hand! Each applicant’s full presentation was followed by brief comments from members of the panel. These were primarily for the bene t of their colleagues but obviously of compelling interest to the audience too. Sometimes it seemed clear from these comments whether the application would succeed or not; sometimes we anticipated lively discussion later amongst the panel members. Meanwhile, fellow applicants and distinguished visiting colleagues made their own assessments, with carefully annotated programmes visible all around the hall. Page 22
AV News 213 | August 2018 My previous experience of distinction applications has been in print panels, in a format where success or lack of it was announced immediately after each presentation. The PAGB system kept us on tenterhooks, with the results announced at the end of each day. In the end, ten of the Credit and ve of the Distinction submissions were accepted. Elation ensued for those who’d been successful, and, of course, disappointment for those who hadn’t. But one of the nice things about a distinction, as opposed to a competition, is that it’s a standard towards which you can work – and continue to work, and try again if necessary. I would hope that everyone came away from the weekend motivated to work towards the next level, or to make a fresh attempt at the current one. I know that I left the Guild full of new ideas for the project I’m currently working on, aware of some issues in my work that I can improve, and feeling encouraged that I’m making a small but worthwhile contribution to the work of such a positive and friendly community.
Pictured below John Smith and Jill Bunting receive a special award for Services to the PAGB. Congratulations from AV News to Jill and John for their contribution
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Around the AV GROUPS RPS Great Yorkshire AV Day - Sunday 15th April 2018 Dave Ferguson LRPS I’ve been a member of the RPS AV Group for sometime and just recently rejoined my local camera club which had just started a new AV section. I’ve always been enthusiastic about AV having used a pair of Kodak Carousels to make my rst ever AV sequence many years ago at college but was still to really fully dip my toes into the world of modern AV today. It was one of those rare weekends that I actually found myself completely free. I thought to myself “there must be some event on that I can head to !” As if some being from above had been listening, up on my social media timeline pops the RPS Great Yorkshire AV Day. So a quick email to the host Bryan Stubbs and my place was booked. A 3 and a half hour journey from Falkirk to Leeds was maybe a bit much for a Sunday morning so after a rather enjoyable overnight stay in Bradford on the Saturday I made the short 20 minute drive to the venue, Leeds Trinity University. I have to say from the minute I walked in the door I was greeted so warmly I felt as if I was some long lost family member that had suddenly made a reunion and was instantly put at ease in new company. Cup of tea in hand I sat chatting with some of the local Leeds AV group and introduced myself to the Northern AV Group members from Snods Edge. Contacts made it was off into the very impressive lecture theatre where Bryan Stubbs welcomed everyone to the meeting and especially mentioned me, again making me feel among friends. The morning session was a chance to view a selection of members’ recent AV sequences. I was so impressed by the standard of work being shown and the constructive criticism and praise given to the producers of the AVs. Personally I have to say all the AV sequences produced were excellent however I have to give special mentions to Brenda Stone and Madge Gibson who opened my eyes to how truly magni cent a well thought out and put together AV sequence can be. Only slightly more impressive was the fact that Keith Scott told us all exactly what time the morning session would nish at and when I looked at my watch was less than 10 seconds from his timings.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 The afternoon was given over to a presentation by Howard Bagshaw who showed some of his AV sequences and talked about the “Evolution of AV” especially the use of video and new technology to get those more unusual shots and angles by using GoPro style action cameras and drones. I think a few audience members were thankful that due to the drone’s smart technology Howard was unable to demonstrate his ying techniques indoors because of the proximity to Leeds/Bradford Airport. We were a little bit more reassured when he showed us some of the fantastic footage he has managed to achieve with his drone on the large screen and realised we wouldn’t worry about having to duck had he been allowed to get the drone airborne. What an enjoyable day ! Thank you Bryan and everyone in Leeds for making me feel so welcome. This was my rst RPS AV event and certainly won’t be the last. I’m already looking at future events and how I can now instigate a “free weekend” for myself. Hopefully with my own sequences in hand to get some hints and tips. The day went so fast and it was a shame to say my goodbyes and head up the road to Scotland, ideas for my own sequences already formulating in my head. If you haven’t visited an AV day yet then you are missing out on a fantastic, friendly and informative day.
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AV News 213 | August 2018
International Challenge 321 - June 10 th 2018. Carol Bennett Sunday 10th June 2018 and in the quiet Community Centre at Capel Curig fourteen willing volunteers sat down to judge 87 entries for this year’s International Challenge 321 Competition. As always the event ran like clockwork due entirely to all the preparation and hard work put in behind the scenes by Jill Bunting with additional help from Marion Waine and John Smith, with John Rowell fronting the event. It is quite amazing the multitude of ideas and techniques that can be created with a blank canvas and no more than three minutes twenty one seconds! We were transported around the world, sometimes gently and calmly, other times startled by the reality and horror of a story unfolding. Some sequences technically inspiring others simple, short and humorous. With the U.K. judges work completed the task of combining the scores, and creating spreadsheets in the safe hands of Jill. She liaised with the German organisers and the nal combined results from the nine Countries participating can be found at www.challenge321.org/ Having spent the day watching 87 different approaches and ideas for a sequence surely none of us there will be short of ideas again? Watch this space.
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Leeds AV Group - Inaugural Workshop and Showcase Day Adrian White May 12th, a pleasant Spring Day, saw the rst of the new Showcase Events to be held in Trinity University’s well-equipped auditorium by this longestablished group. The show was preceded by a morning workshop in which 16 attendees of varying skill levels in photography and AV joined a two-and-a -half-hour workshop ably led by Tony Collinson, supported by Bryan Stubbs and Adrian White.
Those attending were offered sessions covering image taking and editing for AV, aspects of sound and recording, the construction of a sequence, and a rst look at some of the newer options available in Pictures to Exe. The three course leaders used a common set of images, royalty free music, sound effects and video to explore the issues that attendees had requested to be covered in a questionnaire they completed prior to attending. Tony and his team were able to respond to questions raised and show practically how to tackle issues surrounding the use of Photoshop/Lightroom, and Audacity as well as Pictures to Exe. The attendees reported nding the morning a great success and were provided with a disc of support material assembled by Tony. Several indicated an interest in joining the group as either full or associate members.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 Leeds AV Group - Inaugural Workshop and Showcase Day continued ... After lunch those attending the workshop were joined by the audience for the Showcase bringing the total attendance to over 100. After being welcomed by the president, audience members were presented with a show of 18 sequences produced by AV Group members during the year. These covered a wide range from documentary through animation to humour and included several produced by members new to the group. Many in the audience reported being most impressed by the enormous screen and high-quality sound system in the auditorium. At the end of the show audience members were asked to vote for their three favourite sequences and two clear winners emerged. Brenda Stone received the Mary Holmes trophy for the overall audience vote with her very well told account of Mrs Heelis, a lady more famous under another name. Brian Edwards won the Geoff Holmes’ trophy for members with less experience in AV, for his very humorous sequence, My Medication. Although a long day, it was clear to that this had been a most worthwhile enterprise. The large attendance for both the training course and the show and the most positive reactions to what had been offered not only justi ed the work involved but marked it out as a resounding success. It is hoped to repeat this package in future years and the Leeds AV Group is always ready to welcome new members, in either associate or full categories. There is no doubt that the facilities at Trinity University allow AV shows to be presented to their very best advantage and we hope to be able to continue to offer access to these facilities to all our members. Contact details are available on our web site www.leedsavgroup.co.uk
In Search of a Birthday celebration- without Christina! Lilian Webb Straight off the plane on 30th May, and 8 days after his 60th, Richard was whisked off to the opening of a photographic exhibition in the National Botanic Gardens. The following day, Alan Lyons and myself brought Richard to yet another place where they make alcohol - this time a distillery in Co. Carlow, followed by lunch in Visual Arts Centre and a trip to Carlow Museum. Later, Alan's wife, Philomena, joined us for a meal and of course his 1st Irish birthday cake! On 1st June, an early start brought us to Waterford to visit the Malthouses, Frank being a previous chairman of the Irish Photographic Federation's AV Group committee. Next stop was a tour of the Ormond Castle in Carrick-on- Suir before joining Yvonne Acheson (whom we stayed with) and Harry & Dolores for a meal at Bunratty, Co. Clare and his 2nd birthday cake on Irish soil! Page 28
AV News 213 | August 2018 The ve of us ventured to Terra Nova garden on the Saturday, where many photos were taken and a grand picnic was shared. Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend, Yvonne, Richard and I spent a glorious day on Innisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands and Richard paddled in the Atlantic Ocean! Bank Holiday Monday saw us at St. Mary's Cathedral and the Hunt Museum and Tuesday on the way back to Naas from Shannon, we had a cruise on Lough Derg at Killaloe. On his nal full day, 12 of us met up for lunch - all AV folk from the East Leinster area and a group photo was taken. We nished the day with a tour of Castletown House in Celbridge and the evening with his last pint of Guinness on Irish soil until October! Then on his way on 7th June back to Birmingham in order to recover before a trip to Lake Garda! I forgot to say that he only returned from Paris a couple of days before he landed in Dublin - so in case he got confused as to what country he was in, Big Ted and an Irish ag greeted him along with myself. I can't guarantee if we are all alive and well - he'll have the same birthday celebrations at the next big "O" birthday. But there are not many adopted Irish men who get such a long birthday celebration celebrated in 11 counties!
Richard celebrating a signi cant birthday “Irish Style� Photographs courtesy Lillian Webb
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AV News 213 | August 2018
AV Makers South Africa Competition Emotion 2018 Competition Timetable 1st October 2018 Registration opens on the website 1st November 2018 Registration closes 16th December 2018, (or soon after) Results announced and emailed to authors on the same day 15th January 2019, (at the latest), Awards posted Meet the international jury for our “Emotion” theme AV competition Alia Naughton AV-AAPS (Australia) Alia is an award-winning photographer specialising in travel photography, Audio Visual making, and Photo books. Her journey started as an 11-year-old, when she photographed the un nished Gladesville Bridge and Sydney Opera House in NSW, Australia, while on a school excursion. Fast forward to today, Alia’s photographs have been published in the Australian Photography magazine and she has won numerous awards, the biggest being the inaugural winner of the Sydney Morning Herald Big Picture competition in 2014, out of 2,500 entries. Alia joined the Australia Photographic Society in 2004 and is now Chair of the APS Audio Visual Division. She has also been a member of the Castle Hill RSL Photography Club in NSW, Australia since 2003, and teaches, through a series of workshops, members of her photography club, how to make Audio Visuals. Judith Kimber LIPF DPAGB-AV (Northern Ireland) Judith is a ne art photographer from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her work deals with themes of heritage, beauty and decay, the elegance and grittiness of Belfast itself and the romance and history of the Northern Ireland landscape. Her travels in Europe and the United States have also been a rich source of visual ideas. Her educational background is in music and psychology, and she works full-time as a teacher. Page 30
AV News 213 | August 2018 She is a relative newcomer to the art of AV and has found it an inspiring medium in which to work. She particularly enjoys composing her own music and loves the opportunities AV work provides for combining stories, images and sound to communicate in a powerful way. Ron Davies FRPS FIPF EFIAP FACI(M) (Wales) Ron won the IAC (Institute of Amateur Cinematographers) Geoffrey Round Trophy when it was a National event and then the IAC Peter Coles competition when it was an International event. These successes along with having won 12 International Grand Prix, the most by any UK competitor, plus over 160 other International prizes led to his gaining the award of FACI(M), a Master Fellowship of the IAC. Ron has judged International festivals as far a eld as Australia and Argentina together with having chaired the RPS International twice and been a jury member at European competitions in Belgium, France and Italy as well as serving on author’s juries in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Romania. Ron has been the Chairman of the RPS National AV championships and served on the RPS AV Group Committee for many years and was the North West Area Organiser with Colin Balls. He also served on the RPS Distinctions Panel for the allotted 8 years and been a jury member at BIAFF (British International Amateur Film Festival) for the same number of years. JP Petit EFIAP (France) Jean Paul has been passionate about AV since 1975 and has made, with varying fortunes, about thirty sequences. He shared this passion with French readers by writing two educational books on Audio Visuals ("AV - An art, a hobby, a passion" and "Create your digital AVs"). He is also an Audio Visual animator with "Objective Image", an association which regularly organises training courses and projection evenings like «The Trophee de Paris». He is interested in the projected image in all its forms. He visits a lot of exhibitions of contemporary art to watch a lot of very interesting video work, in terms of creativity. He says that being a jury member is not the most comfortable place. As much as the exercise of the analysis of a work can be exciting, the obligation to classify and compare can be ungrateful and dif cult. He is particularly sensitive to originality and creativity. He likes to be held in suspense from the beginning to the end of an AV sequence. For full details visit: https://sites.google.com/site/avmakerssouthafrica/home Page 31
AV News 213 | August 2018
Dear Editor AV not Video How pleased I was to read Raymond Hughes letter 'Vive La Difference' in AV News issue 212. I agree with Raymond's statements regarding AV and I have also written articles in defence of what we term 'Traditional AV'. I do use pan/ zoom/rotate, where appropriate, in some AVs, therefore, I could be accused of blurring the boundaries but all my images and sequences are derived from stills. I have never used video and don't intend to. There is a difference. Whilst attending a recent AV competition I had entered I was disappointed in the judges awarding 2nd place to what was ostensibly a video presentation, although it did contain some stills presumably to adhere to the AV status rules. This is not the rst time in recent years I have witnessed what is mainly a video feature in an AV awards list. AV is a different art form from video and the old argument that video use is progression does not hold favour with me. My position is that if a person wants to use mainly video then join a video club don't try and hijack someone else's pleasure. Why are some unable to differentiate between AV and Video? As Raymond also states even some members of the RPS appear not to fully understand the concept of Audio Visual and I feel this blurring between Video and Audio Visual is sidelining AV. Will AV competition committees and judges ever be brave enough to exclude mainly video entries pretending to be AV sequences? Why is there not a laid down limitation on video usage within an AV? I am certainly reviewing my continued support of AV competition entry and possibly AV Group membership if video continues to be accepted without some limitation as the whole point of AV being a unique art form will be lost and there will be little point in being a member of a group that has lost its way and its identity. Brian Harvey ARPS
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AV News 213 | August 2018 Dear Editor Viva La Similarities. The mark of a good Editor – publish one or two potentially controversial letters that make people think and, if they have strong views, they often respond - and you are ensured that the next few issues will not be short of content!! I have seriously tried to resist but, as a fully paid up member of the GOMS {Grumpy old Men’s Society), the resistance was futile. Recent issues have seen letters for and against the inclusion of video or animation in sequences, suggestions on how juries should score using the ABC or 123 systems, the inclusion or otherwise of archive and/or third-party images and if so what percentage should these take up in the overall length or number of images in a sequence. All have valid arguments – however maybe not the use of the normalised, weighted, averaged, unbiased, absolute or relative marking system! I have never been any good at maths and, despite reading through all of the articles at least two or three times over, I gave up and decided it might make more sense if I took up beer and wine judging before starting to read! So where do I stand you ask? Well my personal view is that I make sequences not to please judges or assessors but solely for the viewer (or if the music choice is exceptionally good – the listener!) We create sequences (or lms or video) to communicate, inform, entertain, challenge - to create a mood, be that humorous, scary, thought provoking, educative, happy or maybe sad. If this mood is established and sustained throughout then we have succeeded but if we introduce any distractions then the sequence fails and the A’s become C’s ….. or of course the 9’s become 2’s. So, what might be classed as a distraction? There are of course the obvious ones - poor image quality, problem sound tracks, etc, etc and these are brought out in the talk that Jill often does when we are running a full day workshop. I totally agree with Raymond Hughes’s point in the last issue that ‘Video should not be included just because it can be’ however, if something in life is expected to move and it doesn’t - would this be perceived as a distraction?
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AV News 213 | August 2018 Nature and sport are a couple of subjects that are extremely dif cult to convey with still images. Then, take a voiceover – we decide to initially show that person on screen but their lips aren’t moving – an obvious distraction. Yes, in the past we have found ingenious ways to get around this and Raymond’s one-sided conversation technique in ‘To What End’ when he was going through the village was a brilliant example. Others have brie y showed the person who is about to talk and then moved swiftly on to show what they were talking about or by showing the person that they were talking to, attentively listening. How much more natural would it be to now seamlessly include a tiny bit of video at this point? Equally in a video, if the camera moves when we are looking at a still object such as a painting – then that is a distraction. Look at any television programme and you will nd that the camera is almost always stationary and usually mounted on a tripod to ensure that it remains so. Dissolving moving video over more video is extremely distracting hence the invariable use of the ‘snap’ change. In both video and AV if you notice the change – then I would respectfully suggest that it is a distraction and breaks the mood you have created. Audio Visual grew out photographic clubs with the images produced on slide lm and the addition of a tape soundtrack. Because of this we have traditionally been more aligned to the Royal Photographic Society or the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain but understandably within both organisations the visuals are deemed to be more important than the sound or the production. The IAC on the other hand appreciates both the sound, production and pictures ……. but annoyingly, if those pictures are still – then it is an AV and not a ‘proper lm’ and so tends to fail. I am sure that no one is suggesting that we all up sticks and join the IAC although a good majority of AV producers are already fully paid up members to enable them to obtain all the necessary audio licences that have been negotiated in the past. Peter Coles was a great advocate of bringing the two groups closer together by celebrating what we had in common.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 He actively promoted the IAC’s ‘Geoffrey Round Audio Visual Competition’, now renamed the ‘IAC Peter Coles AV Competition’ in his memory and which is held each year in Capel Curig. This is a traditional International AV competition with a selection of the winning sequences being shown at the IAC’s premier event – the British International Amateur Film Festival. Jill and I have been the technical team who have, over the past few years, been along to present the show and we have seen its popularity grow from a short session in a mini theatre to the Friday evening show in the main theatre. The attendees marvel at how AV can tell a story in less than 12 minutes when they have to show things in ‘real’ time. Our AV Judges have slowly come to accept some necessary movement within todays sequences although that has taken a great many years – Jill’s Colour Thief was rst shown in 2007 and was well ‘before it’s time’. It did however receive an IAC award and it is the only AV that is retained within their animation archive. We have found that the Video Judges even today are not that tolerant and if they spot lots of still images, even if the subject matter is of necessity still, they tend to mark it down. We are trying to wear this prejudice down – call it a sort of missionary work!! I have entered AV into BIAFF recently with some success but, partly because of the way they have played, a number of failures. Mind you, thinking about it, I have had a much greater number of failures entering AV in to AV competitions! With falling numbers attending major events if competition judges in both groups operated the ‘if it needs to move – move, if it doesn’t - don’t’ rule then maybe there might be a chance that there could be some joint competitions in the future. Well Alastair – that should have lled your postbag up for anther few issues – Viva La Similarities. John Smith APAGB CPAGB
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Getting To Grips With PTE 9 Tony Collinson LRPS DPAGB Overcoming a Recent Problem with PTE and NVIDIA Graphics Cards Over the past month or so a problem has arisen for users of PTE 8 & 9 on Windows 10 Laptops with dual NVIDIA and integrated Intel graphics cards. This has been caused by the April Microsoft Windows 10 update. It would appear that there is some con ict between the update and the NVIDIA drivers. In order to overcome this present problem Igor has released the following information of the PTE Forum: “Description of the problem: PicturesToExe, and executable shows don't work, error message appears. This problem occurs on laptops with dual NVIDIA graphics and updated version of Windows 10 (April 2018 update). PicturesToExe 8 and 9 are affected. Solution: Install the updated version of PicturesToExe 9.0.18 or install the updated previous version PicturesToExe 8.0.23 Alternate solutions: If you need to run old versions or old executable shows on a laptop with NVIDIA graphics and Windows 10 (April 2018): A.
Select a shortcut with PicturesToExe, or select an EXE le with a slideshow. Click right mouse button to show the context menu > Run with graphics processor > choose "Integrated graphics" (or Intel graphics). Intel video card will work correctly.
B.
B. Or connect an external monitor as a primary display to your laptop. PicturesToExe will work correctly.
P.S. I bring our apologies for this unpleasant problem! We tend to think that there is a bug in NVIDIA drivers under updated Windows 10, because that error occurs when PicturesToExe tries to initialise graphical mode of DirectX. In the updated version we masked the error message to provide the correct work of PicturesToExe. Also I sent a report to NVIDIA with a description of this problem and we hope that it will be xed in future updates.� Desktop computers and Laptops with Radeon graphics cards are not affected. The discussions on this problem can be found at: https://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/topic/20594-problem-with-windows10-feature-update/
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Key Frames and Simple Animation In this AV-News article, we are going to look at introducing Key Frames and some simple Animation. All animation is triggered by the use of Key Frames whether simple or complex and in Fig 1 (below) an image, with a duration of 12 seconds, has been opened in O&A and a title created.
Figure 1
Rather than have the title appear on the image immediately it dissolves onto the screen we are going to use Key Frames to allow it to zoom and gently fade in. With the title selected PTE has already introduced a Key Frame. This is the small blue rectangle showing at the beginning of the O&A Timeline below the image. By selecting the Animation Tab on the right hand side of the screen all the Animation features available can be seen and are highlighted with a ticked box. The “Pan” and “Zoom” features show (px) and (%) respectively to the right of the ticked boxes and these can be changed between “Percentage”, “Pixels” and “Original Points (pt)” by Left Clicking and selecting from the drop down menu. The title in this case has been “Zoomed” to 28% (text default is usually 15%) and positioned 915 pixels from the left hand end of the image in the “X” axis and 560 pixels from the top of the image in the “Y” axis to show how it will appear an on the screen following the introduction of our animation.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 Getting to Grips with PTE9 continued ... We are now ready to introduce additional Key Frames. Right Clicking into the original Key Frame and selecting one of the following options, “Add Key Frame” or “Clone Key Frame” can do this. There is also the option to “Delete Key Frame” if required. I would suggest the “Clone Key Frame” option is the most useful as I seldom, if ever, use the “Add Key Frame” option. (Hotkey ALT+INS). This will introduce a second Key Frame close to the original and they can then be dragged into their respective positions.
Figure 2
In Fig 2 (Above) the Key Frames have been positioned at 2.5 seconds and 6 seconds respectively. These times can be accurately set if required by typing in the “Key Frame Time” section at the bottom of the Animations tab. Fig 3 (Right Top) and Fig 4 (Right Bottom) show the changes made under each Key Frame. With the rst Key Frame selected the “Zoom” has been set to 15% (Note! The X & Y positions are automatically reset as these refer to the left side and top side of the text bounding box) and the “Opacity” has been set to 0. With the second Key Frame selected the “Zoom” has been set to 28% and the “Opacity” to 100. If you nd that when you carry out this exercise the time at the beginning of the O&A Timeline is not 0.00 the go to the tools tab at the bottom right of the screen and deselect “Show Global Time of Key Frames”. This is a personal choice but I nd it helps. It can also be changed in “Preferences” under the “Editor” tab as can the width of the Key Frames (Main window menu Settings>Preferences>Editor Tab). Page 38
AV News 213 | August 2018 Panning In order to pan across the screen the image needs to be larger than 1920px x 1080px (assuming the chosen Aspect Ratio is 16:9 and images have been resized to 1920px x 1080px) and the temptation to zoom in on an image of this size should be avoided. When “Zooming, Panning or Rotating” a larger crop size should be used when processing. Fig 5 (Overleaf)) shows an image sized at 2560px x 1440px (Note! (px) now selected in Zoom settings) that will be panned across the screen from left to right.
Figure 3
The image has been Zoomed down in size (2520px x 1417.5px) and positioned vertically on the screen so that the horizon is roughly on the third and the small boat at the bottom of the image is fully on the screen (Y setting = -263.75) and the left hand edge of the image positioned on the extreme left of the viewing area (X setting = 0). The rst Key Frame “X” position has been set at 0.00 seconds on the O&A Timeline to ensure the image is moving as it begins to appear on the screen. The second Key Frame has been positioned at end of the transition into the next image, again to ensure movement continues until the next image is fully on the screen. The “Y” position setting remains the same, but the “X” position setting has been set to 600 (not shown on Fig 5 as rst Key Frame selected) to give the image a gentle movement across the screen. The sizing of the image can be adjusted in O&A by zooming up or down but should not be zoomed larger than it’s original size. This can be veri ed by selecting the Pixels setting (px) for the “Zoom”. As can be seen in Fig 5 in our example the (px) shows the size of the image is less than 2560px x 1440px and will therefore not suffer any degradation from over zooming. The positioning and sizing of the image to give a gentle pan will often be a case of trial and error.
Figure 4 Page 39
AV News 213 | August 2018 Getting to Grips with PTE9 continued ...
Figure 5
Zooming As discussed above if an image is to be zoomed, then it should be cropped such that it is not enlarged beyond full size. Anything beyond this can cause degradation. An image can be Zoomed In or Zoomed Out and the Key Frames set with the required image sizes as required. If we were to use the same 2560px x 1440px image it is by default set to “Fit” the screen. The default size within PTE for a 16:9 Format is 1920px x 1080px and when we go to O&A we will see that the Zoom size shown in pixels is 1920px x 1080px even though the image is 2560px x 1440px. If we have (%) selected it will be shown as 100%. This is a little confusing but if we want to see by what percentage we can Zoom the image then there is a feature at right of the Zoom settings which shows (100%) left clicking on this will give the options of 100% or Original Size. By selecting Original Size this will Zoom the to it’s Original Size and show in the maximum. Size and show in the maximum percentage Zoom that should not be exceeded. This is also extremely useful if we use an image smaller than 1920px x 1080px. Animation should always be used judiciously as many a slide show has been spoilt by overdoing these features.
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Winners in Australia
Champion sequence in the APS Autumn National - Confession
Champion sequence in the Adelaide AV National - The Sound of Silence Page 41
AV News 213 | August 2018
Sound for AV: Making your own recordings What you need and how to do it - Part One Malcolm Imhoff FRPS FACI(M) In the last issue we thought about using commercial recordings. In this article I shall be looking at how to go about doing your own recordings, voiceovers and sound effects, and what you need to do it. First of all I would strongly recommend that you do not try recording straight onto your computer. Computers are very noisy environments, they have noisy fans and complex electronics that may interfere with your sounds. What you need is a way of recording sounds away from your computer, and which you can subsequently import. Some people still use cassette recorders, minidisc recorders, or hard disc recorders, but most AV workers now use a portable hand-held digital recorder. The beauty of these is that you can record not only voices, but also use them to record ambient sounds and sound effects. There are many digital recorders available and you can nd information on the main manufacturers on the East Midlands AV Group website: (www.emavg.org.uk/section656493.html).
Fig 1
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For many years I have used a Sony PCM-D50 [FIG.1Left]. The build quality of this is superb, the sound quality is excellent, and it's very easy to use as both recording and playback are controlled by sensibly-sized knurled wheels on each side. Unfortunately this model (and the cheaper but very good PCM-D10) have been discontinued but you can nd good secondhand ones on eBay and I see that Amazon are still selling the PCM-D100, but that will set you back over ÂŁ500!
AV News 213 | August 2018 I also have a Tascam DR-40 [FIG.2 Right]. Tascam make a number of machines but this one has the big advantage of 4-channel recording which means you can record the same sound in stereo twice, with one pair of tracks at a lower level. FIG.2 shows a recording being made in "Dual Mode" where the bottom stereo pair is 12dB below the top pair.. So if you don't know how loud the loudest sounds are going to be, for example if you are trying to record a rainstorm and there's a sudden clap of thunder, you can pretty much guarantee you will have usable material which you can mix and match. Zoom is another make popular with AV workers, and if you are offered a second hand Nagra snap it up. An almost essential accessory is a "Dougal", a furry windshield that sits over the built-in mics and cuts down any wind noise. Mine is made by Gutmann [FIG.3 Right], about ÂŁ24 on eBay, which certainly gets you noticed [FIG.4 Below Left]. The most well-known manufacturer is Rycote and their "Windjammers" [FIG.5 Below Right] are sold to t speci c models and are priced accordingly.
FIG 4
FIG 2
FIG 3
FIG 5
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AV News 213 | August 2018 Sound for AV: Making your own recordings continued... Some of the things to look out for in choosing a digital recorder are:
Does it feel solid or plasticky?
Does it record in WAV format? If it only records in a compressed MP3 format it is probably a glori ed dictation machine.
Can the recording level be controlled and how easy is it to set and adjust the recording level? Some machines only have an Automatic Gain Control.
Can you see the screen in daylight?
Are the recording, levels, playback controls easy to use?
What sort of batteries does it use? AA batteries are easy to obtain anywhere. Rechargeable batteries need recharging, don't last as long, and often die without warning.
Is memory just on board or can you add a removable memory card?
What sampling rates are offered? 44.1 kHz is "CD" standard and is perfectly adequate for most purposes as it captures the frequencies audible by the human ear, but you might want to go for a machine that is capable of recording at 48 kHz or even 96 kHz if you intend doing a lot of processing of your audio.
Bit Rate. Just as with your camera where your bog standard JPEGs are 8-bit, whereas RAW les may be 12, 14 or 16 bit, i.e. containing much more information, audio les may offer 8, 16 or 24-bit rates. I would recommend always recording at the highest quality possible.
Can you plug in an external microphone (very important)?
Fig 6
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For recording ambient sounds and sound effects you could probably get away with using the built-in mics, and I have had good results recording organ music in church. But for many purposes, and de nitely for recording voices, you must purchase a good quality external microphone. As with many things, you get what you pay for, so throw away the cheap dictation mic that maybe came with your computer [FIG.6 Left] and buy something decent.
AV News 213 | August 2018 Without a doubt, the best bit of AV gear I have ever bought is my AKG C1000s [FIG.7 Right] which cost over £100 over twenty years ago. Now it's strange, but photographers who will willingly pay £500 for a lens will blanch at the thought of paying more Fig 7 than a few quid for a microphone, yet just as the lens is arguably the most important part of your camera, the choice of microphone outweighs the technical speci cation of your recorder. I see that you can still get the latest version of the C1000s on Amazon but the price has rocketed to £113! Rode is another good make.
Fig 8
Other very useful accessories are a mic stand, and a "pop shield" [FIG.8 Left]. You can pick up a oor-standing mic stand with boom, or a desktop stand like the one in the picture for under £10. The pop shield is invaluable for avoiding excessive sibilance in some people's voices. For years I used a kitchen splatter guard but the real thing is easier to manage. OK, having got your gear you need to use it ef ciently, and practice makes perfect. Your rst choice is do you record your own voice or use someone else? Most of us, me included, hate the sound of our own voice when we hear it back, but for a travelogue or a very personal AV (which many of mine are) it's almost essential to do it yourself.
For a documentary with a narrator it might be better to choose someone with a "broadcast quality" voice that comes over well on a recording. Friends and family can be roped in but if you're not entirely happy with the end result it can be embarrassing. Your local theatre company might be a good source, or you may know someone at work or at church who is used to public speaking and projecting their voice. I know quite a few AV workers have used Fiverr. Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelance services of many sorts, but the ones we are interested in are those offering to do a voiceover (https://www. verr.com/ categories/music-audio/voice-overs). You can search for a male or female, age range, a particular accent or language, and even whether you like the look of them from their mugshot. It's called "Fiverr" as the basic price is $5, but that would just be for a short advertising slogan of a few seconds. Page 45
AV News 213 | August 2018 Sound for AV: Making your own recordings continued... Most voiceover artists charge according to the length. You send them your script and they will record and send you an MP3 or WAV le. That is the main drawback. Because they are doing it remotely you can't direct them so you rely a lot on their interpretation of your words. The turn round time is usually pretty quick and I found that the one I chose was quite willing to re-record parts of it again. There is of course another alternative and that is not to use a "narrator" at all but to use what's called "actuality", recording a person talking about their life, their work, or whatever it is they are passionate about, with no audible interruptions from an interviewer. One of my all-time favourite AVs is "Sarah" by Peter Coles which you can see and hear on Peter's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/avpeter) (along with another 125 of his AVs!). "Sarah" is 16th from the end. "Eric" by Malcolm & Jenny Gee is another memorable sequence in this vein. In my own "Watch Where You're Putting Your Feet" it's just Wainwright reminiscing about his life and what it's like to be alone on the fells at sunrise, and for my AV "Soul Music" it has to be just me. I think it is the power of the human voice which is the signi cant factor.
Image quality in AV - TIFFs Malcolm Imhoff FRPS FACI(M) OK, so you're happy taking JPEGs on your camera. As we mentioned in Hints & Tips #14 JPEGs are a "lossy" format and information has already been discarded when the image is saved on your memory card. Now, you open this image in Photoshop or whatever image processing software you use, and make some changes, even if only to crop it to the size you need for projection, and maybe a touch of sharpening. But when you save it again (hopefully in a different folder so you don't overwrite the original) the image is compressed further and more information is thrown away. Do this once and you may not see any difference, but after a few times the image will be progressively degraded. What's the answer?
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Well, I suggest that after downloading your JPEGs to your computer, the rst thing you should do is immediately duplicate and convert them all to TIFF les in a separate folder (the next article will show you a quick and easy way of doing this). Why? Because TIFFs (even if you select the compressed format LZW to save a bit of space on your hard drive) are a "lossless" format. Which means that you can manipulate the images as many times as you like and keep resaving them but there is no loss of quality. You could of course save the JPEG as a Photoshop (PSD) le if you use Photoshop. The resulting le size is pretty much the same as the TIFF. Once you have nished processing your image, the last step should be to crop or resize it to the resolution needed for projection, say 1920x1080, and maybe apply a touch of sharpening. Then, and only then, save it as a JPEG using the "Save For Web" function which I dealt with in AV News February 2016's Hints & Tips #5.
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AV News 213 | August 2018
Compositing in Photoshop Keith Scott FRPS Occasionally I’ve had requests for information or help with Photoshop issues, but rarely have I been asked to produce a Photoshop article on a speci c subject. However the following question was received in an email from a reader which instigated this article. Quote “Have you ever done an article on how to build up a layer of pictures in Photoshop. I attach an example from one of mine. The lady on the right has been put on top of the rest of the picture with her background erased away. To end up with her superimposed” Unquote. I’m not including the reader’s image because it doesn’t belong to me but no doubt you understand the request. Not too sure about a ‘layer of pictures’ but I’m happy to write about making a picture of layers. This is generally referred to as ‘compositing’, which may include layers containing parts from different images or layers from the same original image but with different effects applied. There is nothing new about photographic compositing, I was doing this over fty years ago with prints and slides, albeit with much more dif culty. In the 1960’s it was rather demanding, time consuming, and more prone to failure. It was dif cult enough using 5 x 4 inch and 6 x 6 cm negatives but on 35mm lm it was high precision artwork. Those old techniques often required the making of soft or hard edged negative or positive masks, sometimes made from conventional negative copy lm and at other times very high contrast ‘Kodalith lm’ processed in highly active ‘Lith’ developers and xers. Also required was a bottle of red ‘Liquid Opaque’ and a set of very ne Kolinsky Sable brushes of various sizes from 00 upwards and of course a high powered magnifying glass and light table. Everything had to be precisely aligned using pin register punches and pin register negative and slide holders. Oh how times have changed. All those old dif cult darkroom processes can now be undertaken in daylight using a computer, software such as Photoshop, and a graphics tablet with pen or a mouse and mat. Furthermore this can now be done in as many convenient steps as required without having to worry about knocking off for supper thereby allowing the specialist developers to ‘go off’, once mixed some of those obnoxious chemicals had very short usable lives.
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AV News 213 | August 2018 Strangely enough in spite of the darkness, smell, wet processing, and considerable amount of time required I actually enjoyed darkroom work, it was a great mix of skill, craftsmanship, and artistry. I will however be the rst to admit that results using modern digital techniques are much easier and quicker, totally predictable and any error can be reversed with no loss to the original image. There are nonetheless some basic requirements of compositing that remain unchanged, but these tend to be aesthetic considerations together with common sense i.e. size, shape, scale, and perspective of elements, together with matching direction / angle of lighting and colour temperature. If you don’t get all of those right then the nal image will simply look wrong. On the left is a very simple example composite of four separate elements i.e. portrait of the Home Guard, two different skies one above the other at different levels of opacity, and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Both the Home Guard and aircraft were taken at the same event (RAF Waddington Air Show ) albeit at slightly different times of the same day, probably around twenty minutes apart. Both skies came from my large collection of sky images, probably taken in the Lake District sometime within the past fteen years. Whenever I see an interesting sky I take a photograph to add to my collection, it’s then led with a descriptive title in one of seven sky categories. The original shot (right) of the Home Guard was light on density, had a rather messy background, and also, an uninteresting sky. Due to the layout of the event it was impossible to isolate the man from his surroundings. See Because I always work nondestructively the original background layer was copied (C+J) before its unwanted background was masked, not erased, an important point to note when considering the concept of “non-destructive” editing. Page 49
AV News 213 | August 2018 Strangely enough in spite of the darkness, smell, wet processing, and considerable amount of time required I actually enjoyed darkroom work, it was a great mix of skill, craftsmanship, and artistry. I will however be the rst to admit that results using modern digital techniques are much easier and quicker, totally predictable and any error can be reversed with no loss to the original image. There are nonetheless some basic requirements of compositing that remain unchanged, but these tend to be aesthetic considerations together with common sense i.e. size, shape, scale, and perspective of elements, together with matching direction / angle of lighting and colour temperature. If you don’t get all of those right then the nal image will simply look wrong. On the left is a very simple example composite of four separate elements i.e. portrait of the Home Guard, two different skies one above the other at different levels of opacity, and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Both the Home Guard and aircraft were taken at the same event (RAF Waddington Air Show ) albeit at slightly different times of the same day, probably around twenty minutes apart. Both skies came from my large collection of sky images, probably taken in the Lake District sometime within the past fteen years. Whenever I see an interesting sky I take a photograph to add to my collection, it’s then led with a descriptive title in one of seven sky categories. The original shot (right) of the Home Guard was light on density, had a rather messy background, and also, an uninteresting sky. Due to the layout of the event it was impossible to isolate the man from his surroundings. See Because I always work nondestructively the original background layer was copied (C+J) before its unwanted background was masked, not erased, an important point to note when considering the concept of “non-destructive” editing. Page 49
AV News 213 | August 2018 Photoshop Compositing continued... Erasing is a destructive process that is not recommended. If the composite is saved as a Photoshop native .psd le or TIFF le then masking can be further edited at any time in the future to remove or return detail simply by painting on the mask with either black or white. Version by version Photoshop has systematically improved its selection and mask tools, certainly to a level whereby third party selection and masking software such as Vertus Fluid Mask or Topaz Remask is rarely required. In the past it wasn’t unusual to resort to such software programs for dif cult selections, but now the Photoshop ‘Select and Mask’ tool works incredibly well and simpli es the selection of very ne detail such as hair or the eecy edges of material. Note; the Photoshop shortcut keys for ‘Select and Mask’ should be Alt+Ctrl+R, however for some reason on my system this does not work, but if I use Ctrl+Alt+R then it does work! A clipped ‘curves’ adjustment layer was used to improve the saturation, the Home Guard was moved left in the frame to leave useable space for the aircraft and also to improve composition. Two different skies were placed beneath the Home Guard layer, the bottom sky at 100 per cent opacity whilst the top sky was set to 63 per cent opacity, thereby effectively blending two skies into a different and more appropriate third sky. Look at the nal image to see the overall effect.. A similar effect could have been achieved using the powerful ‘Blend If’ function within the ‘Blending Options’ but in this instance it was much quicker to achieve the desired effect by simply changing the opacity of the top sky. ‘Blend If’ is a very useful tool in the replacement of poor skies, it can frequently replace a sky behind a complex foreground without any need to select or mask. This technique is more appropriate to its own article which we may cover in the future. The two skies used are shown here at 100% opacity simply for magazine printing purposes.
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AV News 213 | August 2018
FUTURE EVENTS September 2018
November 2 018
22-23 September RPS 23rd International AV Festival Contact: Edgar Gibbs www.rps.org/iavf
4 November Worcestershire AV Group AV Day www.worcestershireavgroup.co.uk/
October 2018 6 October IAC CEMRIAC AV Competition at Smethwick 19-21 October Irish Photographic Federation AV Championships and Photo Harmony Competition www.irishphoto.ie
19 November RPS Great Yorkshire AV Day Leeds Trinity University www.leedsavgroup.co.uk/index.html 28 November (Provisional) RPS Distinctions Assessment http://rps.org/distinctions 30 November to 2 December Great Northern AV Festival http://www.av-group.org.uk/ gnfestival/web2/index.html
The RPS AV Group Committee Chairman
Howard Bagshaw howard.bagshaw@ntlworld.com
01889 881503
Vice Chairman Edgar Gibbs
edgar.gibbs@ntlworld.com
02920 564850
Secretary
Alan Tyrer
abtyrer@gmail.com
01472 504882
Treasurer
David Neal
david-neal@talktalk.net
01424 712394
Martin Fry
frycorner@btinternet.com
01452 857964
Andrew Gagg
gagg@gaggf2s.com
01905 748515
Alastair Taylor
alast.taylor@gmail.com
07989 737760
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