Meeting at Snods Edge March 18th 2023

On Saturday 18th March 2023 the Northern Audio Visual Group returned to the Hall in SnodsEdge. The meeting was attended by an enthusiastic audience of 25 who heard two of our own members give two enlightening presentations.

The first presentation, Pixels, Myths and Magic, by Jim McCormack DPAGB/AV, described the origins of the 72 pixels per inch, for images, and why that resolution is probably not the best for modern day monitors and AV’s. Manufacturers no longer produce screens to 72 ppi and are now made to a much higher resolution. Reducing the image resolution from 300 ppi as used by modern day cameras to say 96 ppi will reduce the size of an image that is more manageable for
AV programmes.

Space does not allow for a full description here. However, https://www.photoshopessentials.com/essentials/the-72-ppi-web-resolution-myth/ explains the why’s and wherefore’s very well.

Jim also described and demonstrated how to use the Content Aware Tool in Photoshop to tidy up images of unwanted blemishes or objects.

At the end of the first presentation there was a short tea break before the showing of five members sequences.

The following sequences for both the morning and afternoon sessions were reviewed by Richard Speirs DPAGB, APAGB, BPE2, from Morton Photographic Society, who gave constructive comments in a most amiable way.

The first, Jamnagar, by Harry and Kath Gilbert transported the audience to the city of Jamnagar located on the western coast of India. The wonderful commentary blended with appropriate background music and excellent images gave a broad feel for the area in both the city and countryside.

Secondly La Gomera by Ross Bowyer, showed this island, the third smallest of the Canary Islands at its very best. Lovely pictures of flowers and the inclusion of a short video demonstrating the whistling language, left the viewer with the desire to visit the island themselves.

Next was The Ice Trail by Lynn Flounders. Competent photography and an excellent choice of background music, blended with a well spoken commentary captured the fascinating event of ice sculpturing. The viewer was taken through the sequence of transforming a block of ice into a work of art along with the tools used by the artists.

The fourth sequence of the morning titled The Seasons, by Pat Johnston was a very enjoyable evocation of the seasons and a pleasure to see where Pat had wandered over a 12 month period.
The sequence included variations of image fades and timings which fitted in well with the tempo of the music.

The final sequence for the morning session by Ian Gregory was Donna Nook, a nature reserve on the coast of Lincolnshire where grey seals go every year to give birth to their pups. This short AV showed nature in the raw with excellent photography throughout with some beautifully sharp images and well handled lighting.

Following an excellent lunch the afternoon session began with Ron Henry’s presentation “Sounds Good”. Ron explained how sound production and editing can benefit from the use of a sound editing programme such as Audacity.

During the presentation the audience where shown how to use Audacity to improve the quality of sound recordings by removing back ground noise and using the various effects within the programme.

 

A short tea break followed before the last six of the members sequences were shown.

The first, Sheffield Sub, presented by Ray McMillan, was an amusing presentation of a reunion event of the Sheffield University Ten Pin Bowling Club. There were some clever animations of the club members who would recognise themselves at a reunion.

This was followed by Trees in February by Val Johnston. A different approach to an AV as the competent script was made more interesting in that we were listening to the trees talking about themselves. Lovely pictures of trees, in February, and early spring flowers.

Andrew Nicoll presented “Whitely Bay Waves” which recorded the power of the sea over a period of two days in December either side of high and low tide. The choice of music suited the rough seas and the images depicted the stormy weather extremely well with superb pictures of gulls seemingly enjoying the turbulent conditions.

Railway Romance by David Niman was an excellent sequence about railways from a different aspect, linking memorable music with memorable locomotives in such an effective way. The quality of the commentary and soundtrack was exemplary with good balance between the two.

Le Nid’ d’Aigle by John Harbron, who unfortunately was unable to attend the meeting, was another excellent piece of scripting and commentary which took us on the Mont Blanc Tramway.
Lovely photography throughout with sound recordings of the train journey including the excited voices of the passengers above the creaking of the carriages. The ending was well thought out and effective with the tram emerging from a dark tunnel into bright sunlight at its destination.

Finally Peter Reynolds showed his sequence The Lort Burn which took us on a fascinating journey into the history of Newcastle with a clear commentary and appropriate music track. The Lort Burn once flowed through the centre of Newcastle and was used as an open sewer until it was put underground in 1696.

The meeting was closed by the Chairperson, Val Johnston, who thanked Richard Speirs for his thoughtful and constructive comments about the sequences and also for those attending and the members who presented their sequences.

Val also thanked the Secretary, David Niman, along with other committee members Kath and Harry Gilbert and Ian Gregory helped by by other members attending did a wonderful job in the background washing up serving teas and generally tidying up afterwards ensured that the day ran smoothly and was enjoyed by all those in attendance.

Many thanks to Val and Pat Johnston Johnston for organising a well planned and executed day that was enjoyed by everyone who attended.