The Modern Magic Lantern

THE MODERN MAGIC LANTERN.

An ‘AV’ [audio-visual] show used to consist of a presentation involving two slide-projectors linked to a tape recorder. The object was to achieve a music track or commentary - or both - synchronised to a slide sequence.

Since digital cameras, projectors and appropriate software have become readily available; the scope for delivering stunning AV presentations has expanded exponentially.

Audio-Visual is one of the special-interest groups of the Royal Photographic Society and Keith Scott ARPS is chairman of the AV Group.

On his visit to the Scunthorpe Camera Club recently, Keith brought a selection of the audio-visual entries in this year’s RPS national competition.

There was a wide range of themes and the entries ranged in length between five and twenty minutes.

Starting on a humorous theme, Keith showed a sequence developed by a lady member, Valerie, of the pleasures and pitfalls of winemaking!

Valerie delivered her ‘voice-over’ in the first person singular and showed the different flowers and berries she used to make her wines. The image of each berry or flower was followed by the sound of wine being poured into a glass and her commentary on the colour, bouquet and flavour.

As wine followed wine, every one being sampled, Valerie’s descriptions of the wine became increasingly bizarre and uncertain.

This was a very skilfully prepared series of images and a clever development of the humorous script.

The next sequence was a documentary on the history of the games of billiards and snooker with the development of the tables and the associated equipment. This was far from being a dry-as-dust documentary. The commentary about the early history was illustrated by good quality reproductions of early engravings showing that in those days the cues looked more like hockey sticks and were rested over the player’s shoulder when addressing the ball. The images throughout were of outstanding quality and the commentary was leavened with interesting anecdotes.

Being a Welshman, Ron Davies ARPS had put together a soulful and touching sequence titled “Exiled Mind”, showing the mountains and valleys of Wales, the music being the beautiful singing of Welsh male-voice choirs, and with the commentary being spoken by Ron in a very authentic Welsh accent as he didn’t learn to speak English until he was 12 years old. The fluttering of flower petals and leaves falling, accompanied by poetry written by the author were quite touching,

The first sequence produced by Keith himself was very dramatic and powerful; his presentation left his audience in no doubt about his anger at the unnecessary slaughter of many thousands of livestock during the foot and mouth epidemic in 2002 and how it affected the tourist industry in one of his favourite walking places – Lakeland. The images of giant funeral pyres of burning animals were quite shocking and strongly supported Keith’s view that the campaign had been a bureaucratic bungle.

By contrast, Keith’s next presentation was a comic ‘tongue-in-cheek’ sequence entitled “Dreaming”. The commentary was that of a working class chap who had dreams of acquiring a ‘small place in the country’ when he retired. When the time came to show off his new residence his description and mundane comments were appropriate for a small country cottage needing attention - but the images were of a stately country mansion with extensive Italian gardens. As he toured the lavishly furnished staircases, rooms and galleries full of statues and paintings his promises that he would be changing the wallpaper and slapping some emulsion on the ceilings had the audience in stitches!

Although there was a very wide variety of subjects and treatments in Keith’s programme every entry demonstrated the highest standards of visual and sound quality.

In his vote of thanks President John West, who has known Keith for many years, said how Keith always presents his work superbly, always well documented, and delivered with Keith’s happy personality showing through.