VJ hardware can be split into categories -
- * Source hardware generates a video picture which can be manipulated by the VJ, e.g. video cameras and Video Synthesizers.
- * Playback hardware plays back an existing video stream from disk or tape based storage mediums, e.g. VHS tape players and DVD players.
- * Mixing hardware allows the combining of multiple streams of video e.g. a Video Mixer or a computer utilizing VJ software.
- * Effects hardware allows the adding of special effects to the video stream, e.g. Colour Correction units
- * Output hardware is for displaying the video signal, e.g. Video projector, LED display, or Plasma Screen.
There are many types of software a VJ may use in their work, traditional NLE production tools such as Adobe Premiere, After Effects, and Apple's Final Cut Pro are used to create content for VJ shows. Specialist performance software is used by VJs to playback and manipulate video in realtime.
VJ performance software is highly diverse, many applications are developed by VJs themselves specifically to suit their own performance style. Graphical programming environments such as Max/MSP/Jitter, vvvv, Isadora and Pure Data have developed to facilitate rapid development of such custom software without needing years of coding experience.
Small companies producing dedicated VJ software such as Modul8, Resolume, VJamm, FLxER, VDMX, Livid CellDNA, Grand VJ/ArKaos and CL Studio Live give VJs a sophisticated interface for realtime processing of multiple layers of video clips combined with live camera inputs, giving VJs a complete off the shelf solution so they can simply load in the content and perform.
An opensource video effects plugin architecture called Freeframe[27] has been developed to allow sharing of realtime video effects plugins between VJ softwares.
The energy behind the growing practice of audiovisual performance is intriguing; what is it that sparks the passions for creators and theorists working within this art form? The diversity of the concepts, techniques, and aesthetic qualities is remarkable, suggesting that this practice is not rooted in any one particular mindset, but instead, emerges from a wide range of trajectories that are converging within a contemporary form of media based performance art. However, live video mixing performances certainly address a hunger for immersive and synaesthetic sensory experiences where aural and visual elements work together to create a whole that is something beyond the sum of the parts. To experience the live performance of a talented VJ (or live cinema artist, if you prefer) alongside the talent of an innovative sound artist is a treat indeed; the senses are enveloped and the mind is tantalized into a world being spun into existence on the spot. Perhaps it is this feeling of immediacy and immersion that is so rewarding for performers and audiences alike. Perhaps it is the intense bombardment of the senses that does it. Or perhaps it is the richness of the dialogue between technology, spatial architecture, and human expression that speaks to us so powerfully. At any rate, I am pleased to present to you a carefully selected sampling of a few of the brightest creators and theorists working within live audiovisual performance today. Some of these artists define themselves as VJs and some do not, but they are united with their passionate innovation, critical thinking, and attention to detail. I have been impressed and moved by the work within this issue, and I am delighted to be able to share some of the fruit of their labours with you.
Interactivity is a critical theme within this specific form of audiovisual performance. Ryan Stec's article discusses the role of the synaesthetic experience for audience members and how it relates to the question of performativity within technologically-driven audiovisual performance. Connected to this is Michael Betancourt's examination of the fine line between consumption and engagement on the part of audience members and how it relates to the problem of "wallpaper" visualizations vs. fine art practice. Tim Jaeger's article places the VJ at the forefront of new media innovation, suggesting that much of the unique reward in this field of performance is within the "realtime feedback" cycle between audiences and the performing artists.
However, the social and the historical dimensions of live audiovisual performance are also interactive, as VJs engage in dialogue not only with audiences, but also with history, technology, and other creators. Lara Houston's in-depth study of the work of Gilbert Simondon and the practices of VJs draws intriguing lines of thought through to understanding how relations with technology inform, and are informed by, collectivity and individuation. The history of audiovisual performance technologies is examined in Ziv Lazar's article, which also looks at how both club culture and the avant-garde have developed distinctly different veins of live video mixing performance, further problematizing the term "VJ". Xárene Eskander's examination the role of technology as a tool for social change references the radical urban politics of the Situationist International group and draws parallels to the deterritorializing guerilla activities of the San Francisco Bay area "Video RIOT!" events. Describing another scene is Ana Carvalho's writing on the "VJ Theory" project and website, which is a node of contemporary intellectual discourse surrounding the VJ and other forms of realtime interaction.
Several of the videos in this issue work with concepts of spatial, social, and technological architectures. Kero and Neubau present a hypnotizing de/reconstruction of vehicular industrial design, relating mechanical architectures to the organic. Defasten's contribution is an intimate scape of interior life within a seductive postmodern realm of order, disorder, and fragmentation. Glitchy and dark, Frances Theberge suggests a space of technological indeterminacy and perceptual meltdown. The collaboration between VJ Pillow and VJ Madamoiselle abstracts the cityscape of Hong Kong with crisp vibrancy and a distinct sense of place. Speaking to distinct place with contested histories, we find the work of Mo Selle and her expressions on the 1963 Singapore Riots, as well as Jackson 2bear's video-turntablism piece on the problematic representations of First Nations people in popular culture. These two pieces, in particular, are significant in demonstrating the re-visioning of political discourse that can be further enabled by VJing technologies.
Three of the works fall under a more abstract category, teasing the senses and creating an unfixed, yet distinctive psychological space. kelleY boleN and Jake Hardy (aka Holzkopf) present a live recording of a collaborative improvisation with layers of unusually animated and textured materials and a sense of playful interaction between the images and the sound. Visually, Leeane Berger's acid-toned, crunchy squares are highly mechanical looking, but the delicate flickering transformations move at a speed that is both fast and slow at once, as the motion details are caused by the live processing of sounds she performs on a circuit bent children's toy guitar. The video by VJzoo, ChrisM and Fenris is a delightful, tongue-in-cheek journey through their masterful processing of vintage 1980s Fairlight gear, led by none other than a banana. These pieces provide a small glimpse into the diversity of practices in abstract, improvised audiovisual performance.
I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude to all of the artists and writers who have shared their work with us for this issue of vague terrain. What an amazing group of people! It has been exhilarating and inspiring to connect with all of these talented creators. I hope that some of my enthusiasm is infectious, as I am highly passionate about both audiovisual performance and the potential for new technologies to further enable the establishment and strengthening of translocal networks. My sincerest gratitude and respect also goes out to Greg J. Smith and Neil Wiernik. Without their support, patience, and hard work, none of this could have happened. – C.G., March 2008
Some video examples:
Collage aesthetic By Mo Selle
Animation aesthetic by NeBau
Techie aesthetic by Defasten
text from TJaegger with some interesting notes:
Realtime Feedback
The VJ picks up where motion graphics designers, video artists, filmmakers, and even animators leave off. All of these disciplines are very subject to time, labor, and honing a final product to present to a client (or dealer). Once it's done, it can be copied ad infinitum via the internet, but that still doesn't leave us fulfilled for that other kind of social interaction we have that warehouse party/rave culture introduced: a vibrant social interaction fueled by media, drugs, and other stimuli that provide an external sense of belonging - a tribe, a necessary function in an increasingly socially-divisive world where things that function as 'tribes' are backwards looking fundamentalist religious groups, and institutionally-sanctioned clubs without a free-floating amorphous element. The point being to be/to get together, to see one another, and to see what will happen. Part of the lure of club culture for VJs was the ability to develop a realtime feedback of what works and what doesn't by watching people's interactions with your work (something that's extremely difficult to do in a gallery setting). A VJ can see what images, sequences, and rhythms are having a positive effect on the crowd. Because it is possible to shift gears mid-performance, the VJ can automatically adjust to the audience's realtime feedback of his/her work.
Rapid Prototyping
The 21st century VJ can rapidly prototype works of art using various software. Back in the 1970s, Ted Nelson wrote that "movies and books, music and even architecture have for all of us been part of important emotional moments. The same is going to happen with the new media. To work at a highly responsive computer display screen, for instance, can be deeply exciting, like flying an airplane through a canyon, or talking to somebody brilliant. That is as it should be...In the design of our future media and systems, we should not shrink from this emotional aspect as a legitimate part of our fantic design." (New Media Reader) Software like Max/Msp/Jitter, VDMX, and Motiondive allow for quickly articulating concepts, stringing images, videos, and filters together and watching what happens. In fact, VJ Michael Parenti comments on this new trend:
I regularly use VDMX and GRID2 now as production tools - both for their immediacy, and flexiblity. I just can't be bothered to wait while something renders, or to look at a frame by frame preview. I used to spend time dialing in the parameters in AE, but now I just create different stuff inside of VDMX and xport it with the dvr, working with a sound file on loop to drive the fx while i tweak them in real time until it looks how I want. Then I take those xports into GRID2 and arrange them around in the cells, and play with the sequence of things, which images flow well into each other. In the end, after I have done this I have a pretty good idea about how I will finish up a piece and jam through it really quickly in Final Cut Pro. You can literally churn out an interesting 4 minute piece for a music video or a presentation in one day like this, which looks like you spent weeks on. (vidvox website)
These are some of the characteristic trademarks of VJ performance, and increasingly other art, culture, and even business and marketing, in the early 21st century. This article was originally written in 2004. Since that time, Web 2.0 has exploded, YouTube is commonplace, and books like Wikinomics talk about share-culture and UGC (user-generated content) as real viable business models. The point isn't to celebrate (that's already being done by new, fast-growing Web 2.0 companies that are being bought out for hundreds of millions of dollars), but to keep advancing trends, keep new ideas flowing, and remain at the forefront of both business and culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment