Creating a 3 min 21 sec AV

[11pete34]

This Audio Visual was created last year when I heard about the Internationale 321 competition. I was too late to enter so apart from a few showings to a local photography and AV group has been un-played for most of this year. The idea came to me very quickly but the photography took several weeks and then quite a lot of time putting it all together. I hope you like it as this type of AV is to me what the medium is really about. Be honest with your comments else I wont know how to make a better one next time.

Thank you, Peter Hayward

Daffodils -zip.zip

[Ken Cox]

PETER

very nice collection - I have never seen so many in one place

but

you are going to have to do some work on your voice if you are going to narrate - your voice is too soft and low -- there was thread a bit back where we gave tips to Mick Porter - you might have a look at it

ken

[fh1805]

Peter,

The only problem with the voice-over is the mix level. You need to lower the volume of the music more, so that your voice stands out above it. If you mixed the soundtrack in an external sound editor such as Audacity, I recommend setting about 18-20dB of difference between the level of the voice and the level of the music.

In the passage near the beginning where you were talking about the flowers slowly opening, you had a mix of all yellow "daffodil" types and yellow and white "narcissus" types. I think, for a competition entry, this would be better done with all the same type. If a judge can see a way in which the sequence could have been improved, technically or artistically, it will not get top marks.

regards,

Peter

[snapcam]

Hello Peter

Had a look at your 321 sequence and the ingredients of a very pleasant A.V are there.

If you don't mind I might suggest a few pointers.

It is important to retain your audience's attention and this is done by varying the dissolves making some long and some snappy also fading perhaps from a long shot into close up all keep the viewer interested. Sometimes a constant pace of dissolve just does not do this.

The mixing of formats should also be avoided as it tends to jar as the sequence progresses.

You have attempted the very difficult exercise of providing a voiceover and I admire you for doing so .It certainly adds to a sequence. You will get it better with practice. Microphone use takes practice.

Finally,for me personally I would not use the yellow background. It suggests daffodils but tends to distract from the images. Try it again with black. But at the end of the day its your show and if you want yellow so be it.

I hope you don't find my comments too critical they are meant to encourage.

Snapcam

[David Porter]

Hi Peter,

As a novice narrator (as mentioned by Ken),I thoroughly enjoyed your show. The comment above are all worth taking on board and I found the comments I got very useful. The art is to get the timing of the music, the photos and the narration all to harmonize. Not an easy thing to achieve and very time consuming. I look forward to seeing more of your work as we could do with more of this type on show on the Forum.