User:Tranquitas/Multi-image

Multi-image is the now largely obsolete practice and business of using 35mm slides projected by multiple projectors onto one or more screens in synchronization with music. Multi-image productions are also known as multi-image slide presentations, slides shows and diaporamas and are a specific form of multimedia or audio-visual production.

One of the hallmarks of multi-image was the use of the wide screen panorama. Photographic and graphic images were produced so that they were precisely overlapping. The overlapping slides were placed in slide mounts with soft-edge density masks so that when the images were projected the images would blend seamlessly on the screen. By cutting and dissolving between images in the projectors, animation effects were created in panorama format.

Description

Multi-Image presentations were a unique form of communication to audiences of various sizes, to meet a variety of communication and entertainment needs. In general, multi-image can be defined as being:

• Based largely on analog art production, audio production and film-based photographic technologies.
• Multi-disciplinary in terms of the types of skills required to create and stage multi-image presentations.
• Venue driven; multi-image presentations had specific requirements for the spaces they were staged in.

The use of projected photographic images such as lantern slides for entertainment has a longing history, dating back to the early 1800s. In 1908 L. Rank Baum had a traveling show that inlcluded slides, film, and actors describing the land of Oz. Throughout the years improvments in techology took place and applications for slides as a form of entertainment continued to expand. During the 1950s and 1060s slides started to be used with automated audio syncronization and found use in instructional environments.

Multi-Image Business

Multi-image as a business thrived during the 1970 and 1980’s. Multi-image presentations ranged from single projector shows run by an audio cassette, such as in a Caramate projector-viewer[1] to large projected events for business meetings and conventions where multiple shows would be presented and often were rear-projected by as many as 30 projectors. Single projector shows often were duplicated for wider distribution. The larger shows generally were staged as one-time events and frequently were transfered to video. Creating and presenting multi-image productions involved a relativley large number of specialized skills, equipment, and facilities to produce. Largely driven by economic considerations as well as to gain the flexibility to make changes and to present in a wider range of situations, multi-image has almost entirely replaced by video presentations and by readily available computer based technologies such as using laptop computers running PowerPoint and projecting through digital projectors.

During the height of multi-image a number of types of businesses were directly engaged in the industry which employed thousands of specialists that ranged from producers and designers, writers, artists, typesetters, photographers, photo lab technicians, audio technicians, programmers, staging specialists as well as others associated with these disciplines.

A professional organization, The Association for Multi-image International (AMI) was created and had numerous active chapters around the world. The AMI held an annual convention and multi-image competition. Other organizations such as the National Audiovisual Association (NAVA) which held the COMMTEX International trade show and publications such as the Audio visual Communication Review strongly supported the multi-image industry.

Multi-image presentations were produced through a wide range of companies, including:

• Companies that specifically were established as multi-image production companies and could offer full services to clients. Most of these companies have either closed or changed their business model to focus on video or computer based presentations.
• Companies specializing in creating multi-image work where the creation of multi-image consisted of only a portion of the overall work of the company such as ad agencies, marketing, and creative production companies.
• Companies who specialized in one or more of the general disciplines used in the production of multi-image and offered multi-image as a service, such as photographers and photo labs.
• Individual contractors who served as producers, directors, designers or provided other talent needed to create multi-image presentations.

Many large corporations had within their company multi-image production divisions or production units set up to produce multi-image slides and productions for use by those companies. Educational institutions also made extensive use of multi-image.

Another set of companies existed to supply and support the multi-image industry. These included:

• Corporations who manufactured and sold basic equipment used in the production of multi-image, such as 35mm slide projectors, film, slide mounts, soft-edge density masks and other items. The list of suppliers for the multi-image industry was extensive with a number of companies attaining international importance for the products they produced.
• Specialty hardware manufactures for multi-image equipment, which included slide projector stands, slide production cameras used to create precisely pin-registered positioned images, hold large rolls of film and allow for making multiple exposures, and a variety of devices and computers, and software used to synchronize the slide projectors and music.
• Other major types of hardware and materials were used in multi-image production such as photo typesetting machines, film processors, shipping cases, projection screens, audio production and playback equipment, and staging scaffolds and lighting rigs.

Multi-Image presentations were largely venue driven and requiring sufficient space for projection and control over lighting in the projection and view space. Numerous companies provided staging equipment and staff to run the presentations. Hotels, convention centers, and other venues specifically were set up to meet the requirements of the presentations and the audience experience.

Multi-Image Production Technologies

The art and business of multi-image drew from many older existing technologies essentially making it a new form of communications art. <<build out this entire section>> Specialized skills, how images are created for final use, planning

Art and Design

Cel animation, back lighting, pin registered overlays from animation and print, phototypesetting, photography, storyboards, non-linear production, types of tools and materials used, rubylith

Audio Production

Tape, razor edits, rocking and rolling, rights management, sync tracks, voice overs

Printing with Light

masking, cameras, light, compound moves, film, photography, processing, spectrum of equipment

Programming

Masking and slide assembly, light tables, projector timing, programing to the music, equipment

On the Road

Room environment, room lighting, scaffolding and stands, drapes and lights, alignment, show-time, theatric special effects like pyrotechnics, breakaway screens, breakdown and optical transfers

Notiable Multi-Image Names

Companies who Produced Multi-Image

• Caribiner International
• Eyesongs[2][3]
• Image Stream (Los Angles, CA)
• Jack Morton Worldwide[4]
• Jam Handy Organization[5].
• Maritz[6]
• Media Loft
• Metavision [7]
• Multivision Productions[8]
• Photo Synthesis
• Watts Silverstein (Seattle, WA)

Multi-Image Hardware and Supplies

• Arion
• Audio-Visual Labratories (AVL)
• Chief Manufacturing Inc.[9],
• Dataton
• Dicomed[10]
• Double M Industries
• DSC Labs[11]
• Eastman Kodak(projectors)[12]
• Forox
• Hope
• Hostert
• Image Marketing Corp[13]
• Kreonite
• Mangum Sickles
• Marron Carrel
• Oxberry[14]
• Wess Plastics[15]
• Wing-Lynch

Notable Individuals in Multi-Image

• Andre Proulx[16]
• Bob Rowan
• Brien Lee[17]
• Christopher Korody[18]
• David Incencio
• Doug Mesney[19]
• Gar Benedick[20]
• Graham Emonson
• Jack Hollingsworth[21]
• Julien Biere[22]
• Keith Lanpher[23]
• Ken Burke[24]
• Marlyn Kulp
• Roger L. Gordon
• Ted Evans[25]
• Ted Iserman
• Todd Gipstein[26]
• Tony Korody[27]

External links

• Migration Productions