That's right boys, we're going Hollywood!

[Jim Bremer]

I was really pleased with the big screen and video work in general at the Louisville symposium. Having said that, it could be better. But more professional videographers will add a lot of cost, as will better equipment.

It's very difficult to have a intimate and more personal demo with the attendance in the 2000 range. There are books and video demos that do a great job of teaching technique. The local chapter experience is also better suited to close personal demos. I for one, would like to see less emphisis on demos and more on accomplished artists discussing their work, and what inspired it. Clay Foster's program on human forms in art was outstanding. Jacque Visery's critique of his own work as well as others was insightful and inspiring. The national symposium is the only place that can happen.

If a better video presentation is desired in the future, the demonstrator will need to think more about how their message comes accross on screen. We blame the guy with the camera, but it's really the presenter who is the problem. Unless the camera man knows what will be happening, it is a real challenge to have the camera in the right place at the right time. When they make a TV show they don't just have people show up and hope it works out. It takes planning. The AAW demonstrator selection process is also in need of review as it has no way of judging how the proposals will be exicuted.

I don't mean any of this as a critisisum. My wife and I though the Louisville experience was fantastic, and everyone involved deserves high praise.

The AAW has reached a cross road in its development. Size and scale brings change, and future presentations will look different. As membership continues to grow, the criteria for demonstrating will require more emphisis on communication skills and technology. Pre-recorded demos with live Q&A will greatly improve the communication and accomodate a greater audience. That's right boys, we're going Hollywood!

 

[Martin Braun]

I've been thinking about that myself. Our local chapter is looking for demos, and I've been thinking about doing one on coring, but my post is custom for my lathe & probably won't fit the chapter's demo lathe. I've been thinking of capturing mpeg's of coring on the home lathe & than that way 1.) I'll be sure nobody but me gets hurt in the demo 😀 2.) Whatever the audience sees will be as good of a close-up as can be provided (I can do it over if it doesn't shoot well the first time). 3.) folks can download the demo later for their themselves 4.) it can provide a couple different corings in a shorter time than if I did it in person (I'm a slow turner) The biggest drawback I see, is that some folks will feel that it is too "canned" and could easily go borrow the coring DVD from the chapter library to get the same thing. It might have more of a feel of a presentation, rather than a demo. My $0.02.

 

[john lucas]

Quite frankly I'm not very excited about "canned" demo's and prefer the live performance but it is probably the wave of the future. Look at all the online university adds and things such as the online woodworking channel. It is definitely a way to reach more people. Of course if you have one camera on the demonstrator and the other 2 mini cams do thier job you can let more people see the demo.
One comment I heard from camera operators was that it was difficult to figure out when to switch to the mini cams because you couldn't see what they were seeing until you switch. Then there was 3 second or so delay before you could see. Don't know if there is a way around this.

 

[Frank Kobilsek]

Jim may be on to something

For the size and quality of the audience Jim has a point. Not too many brand new turners at the symposium. I think some combination of slide show/powerpoint (which with todays technology can include video) and actual demo would have value. Molly Winton did a little slide show first then demo'd what you just saw on the slide show and it communicated her topic very well. Other demostrators passed items around but it look forever to get around if it did. Jim keep talking about this concept, you may get somewhere.
Frank

 

[Mark Mandell]

Maybe. Maybe Not.

Jim, your points are well taken, but what you may not be viewing is the true "base" of the AAW. The Symposium has always had, as its foundation, the sharing of techniques and "secrets." This has been the fundamental "draw" of the gathering rather than the more cerebral and esoteric discussion/lecture formats. Walking around in Louisville and seeing the active turning demos like Mahoney and other "SRO" and spilling out into the hall tells me that things have not changed all that much. Yes, the panels and Clay's lecture were well attended, but they weren't anything near the "packed houses" of the hands-on demoes.

While I agree that local clubs and such may be a more intimate, perhaps even more effective venue for "how to" demonstrations, clubs are limited in their financial resources which will, in turn, limit the ability of most members to see live situations and ask questions of leading turners. The national meeting is thus more efficient in getting more information to more members.

I also think there are a large number, if not a majority of members who approach turning as a "craft" and a hobby. If we were to move the national meeting into a Hollywood-style "professional" discussion/lecture format, I think you'd see attendence drop dramatically. I know it's a yearly challenge for the organizing committee to draw knowledgeable demonstrators and to keep the topics fresh. Just because a person is a fine turner does not mean that they can communicate what they know effectively. Picking demonstrators and content is an ongoing process, so all attendees should fill out those evaluation forms that will help improve things. Your suggestion for some pre-recorded content has merit, but I have to wonder at the production costs, and doubt that it can replace a live & in-person piece of spinning wood in the demo room for either "draw" or effectiveness.

The problems I saw at Louisville were, I think, more a problem of scale and the unprecidented attendence figures. With staff and volunteers, set for 1,200 or 1,300, running twice as fast to meet the demands of 2,400, there was far less time for all concerned to address the problems. They did a great job in the face of huge last-minute issues, but I think the discussions here on the nuts & bolts of how to improve the Symposium will be valuable.

Nothing like a big wave to show you where the boat has leaks so you can fix them before the next big one hits.

 

[Jim Bremer]

Three rules of presenting

Mark, Frank, John, and Martin,
Good feedback, let's play out this debate. Let me take off my wood turning hat and put on my business hat and make an analogy from that perspective. I make my living as the head of Creative Services group in a corporate setting. I'm a trained meeting facilitator, and part of my job is teaching creative people to present their work to our clients.

There are three steps to a good presentation.
Â¥First tell them what you're going to tell them
Â¥Then Tell them
Â¥and tell them what you told them

In other words, have an agenda, follow it, and end by summarizing it.
Did you ever feel overwhelmed with information at a Demo? You try to take notes, but then you miss what's going on. I've been to three symposiums and I have yet to leave a demo with a hand out. Part of learning is repetition of information, and the ability to review it. We have the technology to put every demo on video and post it on this site. Would'nt it be great to watch it again and pick up the finer points? We're not talking about a lot of money here.

If people are turned-off by a demo in a room of a hundred people and think demos should be more intimate, consider this. How many more hotel meeting rooms would the AAW have to rent to make that possible for a symposium the scale of Louisville. And it would probably cost more than renting more video equipment.

And don't give me this non-sense about limiting attendance. What are we going to do? Have a lottery? First come first serve? Have a committee decide who can come. We pay to be members of this organization. Denying attendance is the equivalent of cheating people out of their money. These are growing pains, and their are more ahead as this organization matures. I say bring it on. More is more!

 

[Mr. Don]

Gripes

Well...nobody is perfect!!! One hell of a lot of people went to one hell of a lot of work to pull this whole thing off!!!! Why don't all you nit-pickers and whiners volunteer for the next one??? For such an immense gathering, I think we should be standing and applauding!!!! Just my thoughts............

 

[john lucas]

Don Sorry if we sound like we are complaining. I really enjoyed the symposium and so did my friends who went with me. I want to applaud all worked to make it success. I think they did fine. I also volunteered to run a camera a couple of times and have volunteered for some task at every symposium I've attended.
That doesn't mean we can't talk about ways to improve the symposium. Fortunately most of the "problems" we are discussing were relatively minor and sometimes they get blown out of context. Still I think discussing possible solutions is a good thing. I just hope that none of the people who actually worked to put on the symposium take this as a negative thing. We want to help and sometimes the only way we can help is to discuss different ways to look at the symposium. Attendance will grow I think and we need to look at what's happening and try to find ways to improve it now before it gets out of hand.
Again I want to say thanks to all who worked at the symposium (and I know some worked really hard). I thought you did a great job.

 

[RonW]

Well...nobody is perfect!!! One hell of a lot of people went to one hell of a lot of work to pull this whole thing off!!!! Why don't all you nit-pickers and whiners volunteer for the next one??? For such an immense gathering, I think we should be standing and applauding!!!! Just my thoughts............

I do agree with the standing and applauding part of your message, but the rest is off target. I did not volunteer to help but I did spend my money to register for the symposium, paid 100 bucks a night for 4 nights in the hotel, flew to Louisville at cost of $350 bucks, spent money on meals, spent lots of money in vendor area, and paid my annual dues. Don't you think that qualifies me to comment on how to make future symposiums better?

Ron Wilson

 

[Mark Mandell]

Volunteering

I put in time in the IG. I also contribute a fair amount of time to the AAW in other areas. I did not, however, volunteer to be a demo cameraman because I knew that an hour's primer would not be enough to allow me to work stuff well enough to make the show worthwhile for attendees.

I do think Jim's points speak beyond what can be remedied by volunteering. Effective demonstrations and panel discussions require a lot of preparation and careful planning, and even some rehearsal and critique. Clay Foster's segment of the "Appropriations" panel came across far better because he had taken the time to write out his remarks beforehand. All too often, people placed in these situations tend to cobble stuff together at the last minute, relying on their personal knowledge of the subject to carry them through.

The problem perhaps becomes one of logistics. How can the AAW "audition" demonstrators to raise the quality of the "show?" There is now a notice to all on the website to submit proposals for demonstrations at next year's Symposium. They are due in August. In determining who will be accepted, will the AAW be able to send committee/Board members out to each applicant to actually view a sample of the proposed demo? I don't think so. Should we require prospective demonstrators to submit a full-length video of their presentation? How many can or will take the time to "produce" such things? I'll predict none. Should we have the selected demonstrators report to the venue a week or so early for rehearsals? Does anyone think that's going to happen? Reeeely? 😉

The Symposium on this scale will improve with experience. Let's be patient enough to allow that the happen and help where we can.

m

 

[Jeff Jilg]

There are generally ~100 applicants for demonstrators. That's a lot. Each committee member reviews each application. There are 5 or 6 committee members usually. That's a lot of review time.

Usually by the time a demonstrator gets to the point of submitting an application, they are at least known in their region. And often they are known nationally.

I only had the opportunity to attend 3 sessions and I attended each of the panels. I agree that Clay Foster's presentation was well done. He had done his prep, done some rehearsal, and it was insightful. I only wish there had been more attendees to that particularly well done panel.