Great Yorkshire AV Day: A Grand Day Out

A report from David Whenham with photographs from John Smith

The RPS Great Yorkshire AV Day organised by the Leeds AV Group is always well worth attending and the event on 7th April was no exception. The tried and tested format of attendees sequences in the morning and a guest speaker after lunch proved a winner again and all of us who attended were treated to a fascinating, some might say eclectic, range of subjects and styles. I’ve attended a few of these now over the last couple of years and always come away from the day inspired and with my head buzzing with ideas.

We saw 15 attendee sequences in total which ranged from an old analogue sequence that had been digitised recently to a fully animated piece. The journey was via travelogues, abstracts and some lovely photo harmony sequences.

Humorous sequences always go down well and we saw some good examples including one narrated purely from a dog’s perspective. An inventive GCHQ spoof featuring well known faces from the national AV scene raised a smile as did a lovely piece of Christmas fun with a surprise twist at the end.

One of the most interesting parts of the morning for me is always the comments made on each piece after it has been shown. For the newcomer to AV this is a chance to listen, learn and also consider some opposing points of view. Padley Gorge in Autumn generated a lot of discussion, some of it contradictory, and as always the author is free to consider or ignore the advice as they see t. I’m always encouraged by the generous spirit in which feedback is given with positive observations always offered to balance any constructive criticism. I’d recommend anyone interested in creating an AV sequence to take the time to attend one of these sessions.

After the usual excellent buffet lunch we were treated to another dozen or so sequences this time from guest speaker Alan Tyrer (pictured right) who is also a regular attendee at these AV Days. Perched on a stool a la Dave Allen (that dates me!) his dry sense of humour and self-deprecating style were well appreciated by the audience.

Mention must also be made of Bev “I’m not your mother” Tyrer , Alan’s (longsuffering) wife, who works on many of the sequences with Alan. Alan creates AVs for pleasure and this pleasure was evident in the variety of sequences we saw. Someone had suggested having his notes on his phone might help to prompt him as he gave his talk but his amusing struggles with the technology really set the tone for an entertaining and fun-lled afternoon. I won’t single out one sequence to mention but through the entire afternoon one theme was ever present as an undercurrent to Alan’s presentation – just get out there and do it!

So, my advice to anyone looking for an entertaining and immensely enjoyable day out is to look no further than the RPS Great Yorkshire AV Day. If you have an interest in AV or aspirations to produce your own then it is a wonderful chance to gain some inspiration, see some rst class sequences and discuss the merits or otherwise with a group of knowledgeable and friendly folk.

Twere a Grand Day Out indeed!

Below: Master of Ceremonies Bryan Stubbs and an appreciative audience

ANDREW GAGG FRPS writes on