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Ahhh yes - I totally forgot the "video wall". I was programming them back in the late 80's and early 90's. If I remember right there were two companies that made software and sophisticated switching devices for these. The one I knew how to program was made by Pic-Block. I remember doing the programming for NASA several years in a row for the booth they had at the annual airshow in Oshkosh. They'd set me up in a huge hanger outside Cleveland with all the equipment ready. Three days later we had a show programmed. The ones I worked on had up to three laser disk players running at the same time for the video feed. Laser disk players were used as they had a very clean feed, would not wear out like tape when played over and over and allowed almost instant access to any point on the disk. The hardware also had a still-store so that you could grab an image and hold it on the monitor, thus having a different scene on each monitor. You could display a single image on each monitor, or multiple images blown up and spread across groups of monitors in any combination. Neat stuff. Regards, John Schroth On 8/7/2012 9:59 AM, Tom Fine wrote: > Hi John: > > Any place that worked with corporate/commercial clients was riding > that wave in those days. You guys in previous posts have cited some of > the miriad corporate and educational presentations that were made over > the years. Plus this stuff was huge with amusement parks and tourist > attactions. > > There was also a whole element of multi-source sound to all of this. > One good example is the 14-channel system Ampex made for Knott's Berry > Farm: > http://www.ilk.org/~ppk/Manuals/Ampex_Case_Histories/Ampex%2014-channel%20AG-300%20case%20history.pdf > > > Also, using mult-track tape to run light cues and even motorized > moving 3-D objects/displays. I'm thinking specifically of the > Cyclorama at Gettysburg and more elaborate museum displays I've seen > over the years. > > There was also a trend in the 80's and 90's to have wall-sized banks > of NTSC TV monitors with different source video elements making up a > large-screen whole, used both by artists and commercial/corporate and > entertainment multimedia. Now how would one preserve THAT sort of > thing? I guess you could do it today as digital picture-within-picture > stuff on mega-displays or projection systems? > > -- Tom Fine > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Schroth" > <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 9:28 AM > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] archiving slide-tape shows (was voca-film > technology) > > >> Tom very nice. I'm impressed with the videos from AAV and that your >> dad was so heavily involved there. He was riding the AV wave back then. >> >> Regards, >> >> John Schroth >> >> On 8/7/2012 7:45 AM, Tom Fine wrote: >>> This is a very interesting YouTube channel. >>> >>> http://www.youtube.com/user/EamesOffice >>> >>> This one seems to be a film of a multi-screen slide/film show. >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob0aSyDUK4A&feature=plcp >>> >>> That's one (primative) way of preserving it as it was presented. >>> >>> I too remember "The New York Experience," I think I was pre-teen >>> when we saw that. >>> >>> My father was involved in a few of these productions. He did sound >>> design and mixing for several of the large-scale things at the >>> 1964-65 World's Fair and also Expo67. I think some of them involved >>> multiple film and still image elements. He also did the sound design >>> and mix for the interactive multimedia Ford's Theatre "historical >>> drama" thing in the 70's (I have an opening night program somewhere >>> but don't recall going to it as a little kid). >>> >>> Here's another YouTube: >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJqutj9Usjw >>> this is a promo film made for the Armstrong Audio-Video complex in >>> Melbourne, Australia, circa 1974. My father designed it, oversaw >>> construction and ran it for the first year. Note the extensive >>> multi-media facilities. This was when color TV was new to Australia, >>> so the facility was state of the art then. Apparently, musician >>> Brian Cadd was popular down under back then. >>> >>> Here's another look at AAV, the video montage from the grand opening >>> gala: >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMwZWLPpcFM >>> this one features heavy use of the Rutt-Etra video synthesizer, >>> which was a new toy back then. >>> By the way, can anyone positively identify the recording console and >>> 24-track tape machine types? That's an Ampex AG-440B 4-track in the >>> small production studio. >>> >>> Back squarely on-topic, AAV was involved in many of the typical >>> mid-70's corporate and entertainment multi-media productions. I >>> think that era was pretty much the heyday of that sort of thing, >>> worldwide. >>> >>> -- Tom Fine >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Schroth" >>> <[log in to unmask]> >>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>> Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 1:21 AM >>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] archiving slide-tape shows (was voca-film >>> technology) >>> >>> >>>> Hi Mike: >>>> >>>> No, Unfortunately the Eastman House is not doing anything regarding >>>> archiving these types of programs. I think for several very >>>> understandable reasons: >>>> >>>> A huge percentage of these programs were proprietary - used for >>>> huge sales meetings and trade shows to release new product lines to >>>> sales people within the company or distributors. Like Apple >>>> releasing the first Macintosh with a program called "Blue Busters" >>>> (a takeoff on Ghost Busters - Apple busting "Big Blue" aka IBM), or >>>> Saab releasing the new (back then) 900 line, titled "Saab 900". >>>> Since many of the really big budget shows were for corporate >>>> presentation, it would be tough to get companies to release these >>>> privately owned programs. >>>> >>>> How many people are really interested in preserving them? I for one >>>> would be, but I'm in the small minority. There is not a lot of >>>> money to be recouped from trying to preserve a multi-image slide >>>> presentation. The funds at many institutions are very tight. When >>>> money does become available it is most often used for preservation >>>> of high-brow or more well-known media that a large percentage or >>>> people can identify with, know about, and would be interested in >>>> helping to support, or paying money to see, or is viewed by people >>>> as a more valuable or important asset. >>>> >>>> How do you recreate a multi-image program digitally and project it >>>> with the same effect, the look would really not be the same. Also, >>>> part of the wonder of watching a multi-image slide presentation is >>>> watching all those projectors firing away, hearing the clicking of >>>> the advancing slides and just shaking your head thinking how mad it >>>> was that it even worked. >>>> >>>> The few programs of note that would be worth taking a stab at >>>> resurrecting and preserving are in rough shape. I've talked to many >>>> of the old "well known" producers and owners of the past large >>>> production companies. The few shows they have kept are stored in >>>> garages and old warehouses. Mothballed away because they were so >>>> significant at the time and cost so much to produce that the people >>>> who produced them, loved them, and could not see throwing them out. >>>> But in most cases they did not store them properly. Fading and mold >>>> would be just a couple of the issues facing poorly stored slides. >>>> >>>> Richard mentions "The New York Experience". I remember seeing this >>>> program with my dad, then going back to see the projectors all >>>> firing away and watched in wonder. My dad was with Kodak for 35 >>>> years in the motion picture/audiovisual division and worked with >>>> people who produced such programs. Also Richard mentioned some >>>> great presentations used at National Parks. Kodak also produced >>>> many widescreen multi-image programs that were glorious wonders of >>>> photography and took you all over the world. These were used as >>>> promotional image pieces and toured the globe helping to promote >>>> Kodak. Donna Lawrence productions produced an amazing 360 degree >>>> slide presentation that ran as a fixed display for the Kentucky >>>> Derby at Churchill Downs. There was even a 24 projector show that >>>> ran as a fixed display on the Queen Elizabeth II (I have one of the >>>> slide projectors taken from the ship before the Cunard line retired >>>> her). All of these are noteworthy and would be worth preservation, >>>> but they were either fixed displays or touring displays. Even if a >>>> working copy was available, the slides got to a point of being so >>>> faded that they would be hard to bring back to their former >>>> full-color glory without a lot of work. And I wonder how many >>>> surviving audio tapes used to run the programs would have been in >>>> even decent shape. >>>> >>>> AMI - the Association for Multi-Image, which I was a member of for >>>> many years before it went defunct, had a national competition every >>>> year. Shows from all over the world were submitted. Any shows that >>>> won awards had Ariel Image transfers made of them to share with >>>> anyone in the AMI community who wanted to rent them out. This would >>>> be worth investigating to see who were the leaders of the >>>> organization prior to closing up shop, and who had the tape masters >>>> of the shows. Could they be had and if so, make arrangements to get >>>> them converted to digital format. At least the stories and the >>>> content could be saved. Several years back at my 25th reunion, >>>> there was talk of doing just that, but everyone got busy and >>>> nothing became of it. I'd still think I'd like to pursue this and >>>> should. I'm glad this posting came about so that I can again put >>>> this up a front burner. >>>> >>>> As a side note, many of these shows could be classified as moving >>>> image presentations. Many times we used a fat back that held a >>>> large roll of 35mm slide film on a Nikon 35mm still camera with a >>>> motor drive, to shoot moving image sequences. When you cycle these >>>> sequences these through 15 or more slide projectors - the likeness >>>> of motion picture film movement is close, with a different effect, >>>> but still amazing (and much cheaper than hiring a film crew and the >>>> equipment). >>>> >>>> I have a collection of these shows that I will post on Vimeo >>>> sometime in the next week or so for anyone that is interested. They >>>> were originally mastered on 1", then dubbed down to 3/4"-U. Copies >>>> were made and sent out on 3/4"-U dubs. I quickly copied these to >>>> VHS whenever they came in - so the quality is far from perfect, but >>>> it gives you at least an idea of how neat these shows really were. >>>> >>>> Kind Regards, >>>> >>>> John Schroth >>>> Media Transfer Service, LLC >>>> >>>> On 8/6/2012 1:39 PM, Michael Biel wrote: >>>>> From: John Schroth <[log in to unmask]> >>>>> >>>>>> I majored in Multi-image slide presentation at RIT over 25 years >>>>>> ago. >>>>>> They had a core-curriculum in Multi-Image slide production, the >>>>>> only one >>>>>> like it in country at the time. >>>>> Wow! In this thread we have really hit on a nearly forgotten >>>>> format for >>>>> archiving, and your info and expertise is valuable. Is Eastman House >>>>> doing anything on this? I think this topic is worthy of an ARSC >>>>> Conference presentation -- not sure if the Moving Image organizations >>>>> are interested in these non-moving image presentations. I >>>>> remember the >>>>> ones I've seen being very impressive -- but every time a movie was >>>>> inserted, the combination of the noticeably lower resolution and the >>>>> disruption of looking at lengthy-held still images reduced the >>>>> effect. >>>>> These programs could be reproduced with the superior HDTV >>>>> projection now >>>>> available, using multiple projectors and screens of course. There >>>>> should be an effort to do it NOW while we still have people like you >>>>> that remember the equipment and programming so it can be converted to >>>>> computer controlling. >>>>> >>>>> Mike Biel [log in to unmask] >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> ----- >>>>> No virus found in this message. >>>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >>>>> Version: 2012.0.2196 / Virus Database: 2437/5181 - Release Date: >>>>> 08/06/12 >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> ----- >>> No virus found in this message. >>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >>> Version: 2012.0.2196 / Virus Database: 2437/5181 - Release Date: >>> 08/06/12 >>> >>> >> > > > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2012.0.2196 / Virus Database: 2437/5183 - Release Date: 08/07/12 > >