VJ DONKIE MODUL8 2.6 BETA TEST, PLAY, VJING from vjdonkie on Vimeo.
Never heard of this person before but quite obvious are two things: First that he did not waste any time and was probably the first person to upload a video that used the new beta and the second is that he has a special affection for the modul8 interface.
RED MARS live Video /// For Noise Festival from Renaud Baur on Vimeo.
Renaud Baur (aka KRMT) of Geek Connection are as I have written before, is one of my favorite VJ’s in Geneva. The Geek Connection are always creating things that are humorous and energetic. And the duo appear to be making strides doing various projects in and around Geneva.
The For Noise festival around Laussane is sort of a nod to punk rock but mostly it is known for receiving torrential rains every year. Luckily for the Geek Connection the Jura mountains decided forego its clouds of torrential downpours upon this years edition and allowed for a illuminated out door projection installation with those famous transparent screens that are the signature of Le Zoo, Mapping Festival, Exyzt, Legoman etc.
Here is another one of KRMT that was quite pleasing with the Zoo as a canvas.
VJ KRMT : Showreel from Renaud Baur on Vimeo.
Not too long ago I got myself into work with this easy to use and not too expensive material.
There are several variations. Some stronger then others, some thicker and more durable. You might also want to make sure that they are non-flammable. Despite restrictions on people smoking in venues you just can never be too careful.
Photo credit: Ilan Katin via flickr
I returned to Geneva for a few days to VJ for a Drum & Bass party at the KAB in Usine along with my colleagues Sigma6. At the same time I was also helping with the curatorial selection process for the Mapping Festival. So it was very much a weekend for live visual endeavors.
As I may have mentioned in previous posts the Usine/KAB/Zoo in Geneva is one of my favorite places to VJ. One of the main reasons being that the people who operate this venue understand the value of having projections in their parties. A prime example of this is the motivation of organizers in creating setups that, in small increments, depart from the usual one screen approach. The results are satisfying to everyone involved. For this particular party the technical point man was Fred who designed these half circle screens that framed the DJ’s of the evening nicely. Eric of Sigma6 was kind enough to send me a diagram of the setup so I could get an idea of what it looked like before I arrived.
Photo credit: Ilan Katin via flickr
Photo credit: Ilan Katin via flickr
The video setup for this was a bit tricky. Projections were also repeated, encircling above the dance floor. This meant that the mask used to fit the projections onto the stage had to be applied to the composition separately from the source computer (the computer where the actual live compositions in modul8 were being created). For this Sigma6 commandeered a Mac Pro rigged for 3 outputs using the Advanced Output where the mask, a custom still image file, was set in place. Out from our laptops, into a V8, from the V8 into a analog to DV converter, FireWire into the Mac Pro. The live feed was set a layer and the matrix transform was applied so that the image was repeated in each of the three output clips. That only the top half of the output was displayed on the half circles on the stage was not really a disadvantage because the images were repeated above and around the dance floor. This meant that when using a circular image/loop I did not have to make any adjustments to my composition so that it would create a ‘halo’ behind the DJ.
Photo credit: Francois Moncarey via flickr
Photo credit: Ilan Katin via flickr
Photo credit: Francois Moncarey via flickr
Fun did not stop there. Sigma6 brought in their own lighting, a series of light yellow incandescent lights were placed on the edge of the DJ table. With the help of a custom application created by Sigma6 was used to analyze the audio coming from the sound board and this controlled the incandescent lighting. The result was the visualists were able to compliment the lighting system already in place and the transformation of a Drum & Bass night that was immersive and exciting.
Berlin based Pfadfinderei, heavy duty vj crew have been leading the pack in terms of sheer scale for projects regularly perfomring with modesektor. If the bump and grind of the club scene is your regular haunt and you just must see some action on your desktop or you have no idea what this is all about here is a really heavy dosage of a full on night at the club with all the elements in place. Nicely edited. Lots of pulsing and jumping. I am also a big fan of the fact that the Pfad crew are situated right in front of the DJ and that they receive a prominently displayed credit. That must have been quite a night.
Parallax VJ showreel One from Parallax VJs on Vimeo.
After a few email volleys with Parallax VJ’s they kindly sent me a vimeo link to there interesting meshing of video materials. Ok… so there is no mapping or fancy hardware connected to dogs. This is a really nice mix of some found materials that is engaging enough for me to want to watch the whole thing through.