Peter Coles

Firstly, I must say I am very much enjoying using v5 #5. One thing I first noticed today, however, was the sound track repeating itself after a Sequence finished. I think I have checked that I ticked all the right boxes, but this feature continues whatever I do. Is this feature part of the 'not-quite-fixing the sound sync'? I get over this 'problem', currently, by prorgaming in an extra long-lasting blank at the end, which gives any viewer at least a bit more time to realise the end has been reached! Peter

I just did now - thanks! I had not spotted that there were two pages!!!! Since writing the bit above and now, I found it was OK on courser mosaics but not on the finer ones. I can use alternates for the time being.

I am having problems with the mosaic transition which has worked perfectly in earlier versions and changed to a fade in #3 & #4 but now in #5 it seems to stick and break up making it totally unsuitable; in the short term I have changed these back to fades but I hope the useful mosaic trasition is OK soon. Peter Coles

Thanks, Keith for your comments. Originally I did not include the butterfly 'jerks'. I tried them as an experiment, following comments from someone whose views I value (CB). This, for me, is an experiment and not necessarily a trend. I will use any way of enhancing the visual effect of the still images I use; if the effect does not enhance then I shall abandon it. We don't move forward by standing still nor do we so by 'fluttering' but if I think back to 2000, I am nowhere near where I was then; some would say that was forward; others well? It's been a joy trying.

Thanks for the comments Good to know you will be at Cirencester - It's a long trip for you from Canada. Not quite as far for me, though, so I'll be very pleased to meet you there. I'm typing up the Provisional Programme tonight ready to be sent out in AV WORLD at the end of the month. I very much appreciate what both of you say with ref to the demos and it is exciting to see the potential of PTE V5 but so much of what I see seems to be more orientated towards technique plus, of course, turning the proverbial pages of the latest picturebook. Not that there is anything wrong with either of these, it's just that I do long to see more Sequences on the site which do more than this; I want to be 'moved', even if the room don't do dat dees days! Peter

Thanks, John & Anita "Somewhat Japanese with a hint of Tibet?" All images taken just outside my back door, actually! Peter

From what Igor has written, I am assuming that this will be so; it is slightly frustrating in the current version to find that the timing vary slightly even from one play to the next, but it is still a very good development of PTE.

The room didn't move for me! Interesting, I suppose, but what did it say, apart from how clever you are? Having already watched your planets, I was aware of that, so what's new? I want much more than technique! Are there Sequences which use these techniques or are they slill yet to be?

I just enjoyed the Sequence. I don't understand how you got all those different rotations. And I won't be doing anything similar, I don't think; but I still enjoyed the Show. I reckon you should send it to a few International Festivals and see what they think of it. Too late now for our RPS International in Cirencester and too late for SuperCircuit but our next one in the UK is the IAC Geoffrey Round International AV Competition in Snowdonia in March 2007. Details of this will be posted on www.avworld.org.uk shortly.

I have just put "Flutterings" on the site and would particularly welcome comments, as this is my first effort using PTE5 #5, having read the excellent tutorial on scrolling, which opened up the whole new series of ways of enhancing the visual aspects of AV. I, personally think there is a big danger that we may over-use new trasitions so that viewers may notice the effects more than the "message". Most of my own work is an attempt to create AV poems (not poems for AV), so that the whole Sequence becomes the poem, rather than just the words. I want the Sequences I make to be better than reality; we get too much of that. I want my work to be more like a dream than a 'normal' film or video may be.

Many thanks for the tutorial. The praise is already writ and I agree with it. For me the new v5 opens up all sorts of possibilities and at the same time far more dangers and pitfalls. Our way of communicating is special and well above film and video which is usually far too near reality for my own comfort. For me OUR way is more like a "dream" than "reality". TS Eliot reminds us that the human mind cannot accept much reality! So thanks again for the tutorial which opened up all sorts of possibilties - I was struggling to cope with version 5 but after this tutorial, I became aware of all the new and exciting visual things that could be done, not just scrolling. So I look forward to the book when it comes out but meanwhile thanks for the key to the whole new dimensions of PTE 5. I do still want the perfection of those timing links, though. They are so important, particularly when trying to interpret music within Sequences. If I can work out how to do it I'll put a Sequence called "Flutterings" up on the site, where I hope a few folk may gather what I'm on about - this "dreams versus reality" business !!! For any who just can't wait that long, it is available for a few days on http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?acti...=peter@3-c.coop

"Music is not synchronized in v5.00 beta #2 yet. So music always starts from beginning." Many thanks. I look forward to when it is synchronised. I thought it must be something I was mis-understanding. Other points taken. Thanks again. Peter@3-c.coop

I have had problems with Preview from a given position - the sound track always goes back to the beginning but the vision plays from the position I choose. Most odd ! This makes editing as slow as when the first versions came out!

I have now downloaded v5 Beta and the preview works OK. However, each time I try and start from a given point, the soundtrack is not synchonised but starts from the beginning each time. Sound and vision now seem unconnected. So, I now long for a couple of backwards steps in order that I can get on producing Sequences with few problems through new technical "improvements". I expect I will grow to appreciate them all when I have worked out how they work!!!!!!!!!! Meanwhile any help would be more than welcome. peter@3-c.coop

During the last few days I have had a problem with pre-view - I just cannot get this to work. Similarly trying to start the programme from any image is not working either. I'm having to start at the beginning each time I want to review what I have made or modified. Help! I think this started when I downloaded 4.46. Windows XP (in case this makes any difference) Peter Coles peter@3-c.coop

Thanks, Ian. However, it is still not clear to me what the point of all the "secrecy" was: Aldbourne was the only event I found advertised before Feb 25th, but Canada, it seems, judged their event on the 17th and published their results. I think the results of Aldbourne were available before the 25th. I am also a bit confused as to why the "official" site for 321 puts up results later than "unofficial" sources. Still, all this organiasation is a remarkable achievement.

It does seem odd that Ian indicates that the results are being kept "secret" when most of them were already there on the atelierdiaporama site. Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa and Uruguay have still to declare at the time of writing this. The Canadian Jury pronounced their results on the 17th February before the Aldbourne event took place. I thought that the Aldbourne event was the only one before the 25th Feb, as indicated in the published programme of events, but apparently not. I do recall one French diaporamist saying "Well there won't be many British entries, as they only make long boring ones about historical folk" ! This event must be the first held outside the UK (or Australia) where there have been more entries from the UK than France! There are quite a few significant anomolies already amongst those available on the site; there were two juries in different parts of Belgium; one had 8 Brits in the first 10 - the other had just 2 !! Standing the top half dozen from these two vents side by side seems weird! It appears more like a "Eurovision Song Contest"! With so many British entries, maybe next time we should try to arrange for there to be at least another couple of UK juries.

However short the Sequences are (average 2 minutes?) it must be a very difficult task keeping all 92 ideas in mind whilst making judgements. I'd like to learn from those taking part in this assessment how they found the task and what difficulties they had (if any). Maybe they found it straightforward. I was certainly pleased to find how many Sequences were entered from folk in the UK - proably the highest number ever to a Festival conceived and organised outside the UK.

Entries are now all in and programmed. There are 47 of them. The Event itself takes place in The National Museum of Photography Film and Television, Bradford, West Yorkshire on the 25th and 26th March. Any intending to come to the event should contact Stuart Clark on on 01132 862547 or 0112 869668. The event is 2.00pm - 8.00pm on the 25th and 10.00am - 5.00pm on the 26th. Those with Sequences being shown get free entry to that day. For all others it's £5 per day. Further details and a full programme will be placed on www.avworld.org

I enjoyed watching this Sequence; very relaxing and some beautiful images. Patrick is featured in our next issue of AV WORLD and when this Issue (No37) is about to be released, Patrick's article will appear on AV WORLD's web site www.avworld.org. Details of our magazine are on that site and any wishing to subscribe to it should do so through Ron Davies, 15, Ladybridge Avenue, Worsley, Manchester M28 3BP or contact him through rondavies@exiledmind.co.uk

Just about one week left to enter the RPS/IAC Geoffrey Round International AV Competition to be held at The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford, West Yorkshire UK 25th 26th March 2006. For details see www.avworld.org Any problems in getting your entry in on time please contact Peter Coles through peter@3-c.coop

Is there a hand-held computer that will play PTE Sequences? If not which is the smallest bit of equipment which will play them?

With some Sequences it would be nice to be told how long they were at the end and then we could all exclaim, "Really!"

Like LumenLux, I was impressed by the images but I wanted to know more of your thoughts as they progressed through the Sequence. Only at the very end did a glimmer of them emerge and what you said (wrote) was so important! I wanted more of this and I also wanted to HEAR it from you amongst all that impressive music. I didn't want a running commentary jut a few thoughts about what you rated important during your wanderings. In fact what I wanted to hear was similar to my feeling from Lumenlux's "It's not about the fish". I have been trying to get his thoughts expressed in the same way as he is now asking you to express yours! Interesteing - very intertesting !!! One other thing distracted me from your superb images, the continuously changing format. I suppose I get so used to seeing a 1024 x 768 filling up of the screen, that I find any change from it without apparent reason, disturbing. Maybe I need to get more used to this and then just concentrate on absorbing the beauty of what you are saying through your individual images. Thanks anyway; I enjoyed what you showed me.