AV world Scoop
Editor’s work exposed.
As promised in the last issue, I have at my fingertips a copy of ‘The Secrets of Fontenay’ which the editor has allowed to be put under ‘The spotlight’ Brave man!
If you are brave enough to have your digital work reviewed in these pages send a copy (complete with project file) in a plain brown envelope to ‘In the Spotlight’ care of the Editor Av World.
Actually Peter is not taking a risk by exposing this piece of work to scrutiny, as it is well documented in this journal what a wonderful piece of work I think it is. (He is after all the Editor and could edit out any bits he didn’t like anyway) I would like you to share with me in looking at the secrets of ‘The Secret of Fontenay’
Name – Secret of Fontenay.
Author’s – Peter Coles and Willem van den Berg
Honours – First shown at the RPS International - 2nd in digital section.
Leeds Colour and Music Spectacular - 1st - Ralph smith Trophy.
Wilmslow Digital 2nd.
Geoffrey Round Trophy - Mention de I'Honneur
Selected for" Giovani Crespi" Legnano.
Length – 8min 46sec
Computer programmes used – Pictures to EXE, Photoshop and Cool Edit.
Total fades used –79
File size of slide – Smallest 79kb largest 383kb. The image size used is 1024x768. I don’t know how Peter compresses them but I use Image-ready in Photoshop.
Total Programme size – 23.9 mb
Synopsis –
The story revolves round Fontenay abbey in France where the dialogue expresses a wish to have travelled to the abbey by a different route than being dropped off outside the main gate. Walking you through the abbey Peter starts to ask and then answer many of the questions you might ask yourself wandering around such a spiritual place. Plenty of time is given between the dialogue for you to explore the nooks and crannies of this beautiful old building.
Technical scrutiny –
In the Pictures to EXE programme you are given various options in the customise slide box. Peter nearly always used 500ms in the ‘display slide for’ box. This helps with the flow of the sequence. In the effects duration box the story changes with settings ranging from 1 second up to 9.5 seconds with lots of slides in the 2 to 5 second range. In order to make the work flow and introduce ‘Third Images,’ Peter uses Photoshop extensively. Selections and cloning of one slide are added to another and then faded back to the original. Colour can be added and taken away to add to the feel he wants to portray. Parts of one slide were sometimes in a sequence of five or six slides before disappearing only to reappear later in the sequence tying it all together. The filter effects in Photoshop were put to good use without overdoing it. As far as I could see they were used to concentrate your eye where Peter wants you to look, or to help with the fades.
Artistic scrutiny –
This is where it gets more difficult. How do you express a feeling you had on visiting a place that has had a profound effect on you? You are actually trying to pass on first hand experiences to a wider audience via the AV medium. To my mind this is where this piece of work becomes a masterpiece. Peter starts off by being disappointed at being transported into the past so quickly, but by the sheer timing and pace of the sequence, quickly settles you into a place of peace and tranquillity. How on earth a mixture of Jazz and spiritual chanting on the soundtrack can set the mood for this sequence is beyond me, but it does to breathtaking effect. Text is used to good effect along with breathing space between the dialogue, so important in AV. The only part I don’t like is the transition from outside the abbey to inside. Saying that I’m not sure how else this could be done.
Summary-
Just as I have vision of Monet’s garden from his paintings so I have a vision of the abbey at Fontenay from Peter’s AV. Would I be disappointed if I visited the abbey? Possibly, as I have Peter’s vision of it firmly etched in my mind, complete with Jazz and chanting in the background. We share ‘The secondary vision’ which is one of the most interesting philosophical subjects in the visual arts today. (That is a subject for another article on another day.) This place was obviously special to Peter and he has a created a sequence containing all the elements that make it worthwhile using this medium. He expresses his innermost thoughts, using wonderful imagery and beautiful music. I wonder if pace and timing can be learnt or taught or is it just the feeling within you that makes it right or wrong. What-ever it is students would do well to study this piece for it contains all the elements that, woven together makes for classic AV. It certainly had an effect on the way I saw AV and convinced me that making digital sequences was the path I wished follow.
John Rowell