What is AV?
Audio Visual presentations, or “sequences”, can range from interpreting music, poetry or song, to stories and documentaries on subjects as varied as nature, travel and tourism, topical issues or historical events. They can be humorous, educational, campaigning, inspiring or eccentric. AV is much more than "pictures to music"! AV at its best has the power to touch people’s hearts, communicate feelings and emotions, and to change people’s lives.
If you have a computer and a digital camera then with some software and a little know-how, you could create your own AVs. Why not come to a meeting and see what Digital AVs can look like? New members, whether beginners or experienced photographers, are always welcome.
For many years, this was achieved by linking two slide projectors together so that as the image from one of them faded out, the second projector faded in. A tape deck provided the soundtrack, and also controlled the rate at which the projectors operated.
Now, however, the slide projectors have been replaced by a digital projector, and inexpensive computer software is used to produce Audio Visual programmes from digital photographs in a fraction of the time it took to produce them with slides and tape!
Increasingly, AV practitioners are incorporating movie clips and animation techniques into their presentations. However, the best Audio Visuals are still the ones where excellence in photography, skill in the use of sound, and flair in the production, all come together in harmony to create a production which is greater than the sum of its parts.
There is a large community of enthusiasts in Britain with strong links to similar groups in Europe and worldwide, where it is often referred to as "Diaporama". It is a very creative art form, especially when the projected images change, blend together or “dissolve” producing a magical transformation.