VJ (video performance artist)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A VJ is a performance artist who performs moving visual art (namely video) on large displays, often at concerts, nightclubs and music festivals. The term originates from a parallel with DJs, although most VJs nowadays have more in common with musicians than with DJs.
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[edit] VJing definitions
As a new artform VJing has many evolving definitions - the following quotes are some examples of how VJs are being defined.
"A VJ manipulates video in much the same way that a DJ mixes records. The techniques and equipment vary but the basic principles remain the same (e.g. selecting, cross fading, scratching, cutting and sampling a rhythm). Some VJs concentrate on just visuals, mixing and manipulating video or film, to create stunning projections. The Light Surgeons are a notable example of this sort of VJ crew, and similar work can be seen in many dance clubs. Other VJs use both sound and vision, mixing audiovisual samples to create whole collages or AV sets. Good examples of this are the artists Coldcut, Addictive TV and Hexstatic, the first having developed AV mixing software that can create tracks where what you see is what you hear." - VJS.net 2002 [1] "What is VJing? It means improvising with visuals, specifically those rendered via projected light. The expression originally referred to the Video Jockey (as a counterpart to the disk jockey), but its more accurately Visuals Jockey - a general descriptor that encompasses older, non-video avocations such as 'running the lightshow'" - The VJ Book, [2] "VJs have become an essential part of the clubbing experience. They provide the projected visuals within the club environment that accompany the DJ, mixing and scratching video in a similar way to how DJs cut up records. Almost all major clubs now have someone on hand to provide visuals to go with the music." -BBC OneMusic - VJ: Starting Out [3]
[edit] Technology
Often using a vision mixer, VJs blend and superimpose various video sources into a live motion composition. In recent years, electronic musical instrument makers have begun to make specialty equipment for VJing. The evolution of computers has allowed for VJ-specific programs to be produced and has allowed for easier accessibility to the art form (see List of VJ Software).
[edit] Hardware
VJing developed initially by performers (mis)using existing video hardware and this tradition lives on with many VJs using a wide range of hardware products sourced from the broadcast TV industry and the home editing markets, as well as newer equipment designed specifically for VJs.
VJ hardware can be split into categories -
- Source hardware generates a video picture which can be manipulated by the VJ, eg Video Cameras and Video Synthesizers.
- Playback hardware plays back an existing video stream from disk or tape based storage mediums, eg VHS tape players and DVD players.
- Mixing hardware allows the combining of multiple streams of video eg a Video Mixer
- Effects hardware allows the adding of special effects to the video stream, eg Colour Correction units
- Output hardware is for displaying the video signal, eg Video projector, LED wall, Plasma Screen.
[edit] History
During the 1960s and '70s a number of video synthesizers were developed often as home electronics projects by backyard inventors, although a few notable exceptions such as the "CEL Electronics Chromascope" were commercially developed and sold for use in the developing nightclub scene. (http://www.eyetrap.net/hardware/chromascope.html)
In the 1980s the development of relatively cheap transistor and integrated circuit technology allowed the development of digital video effects hardware at a price point within the reach of individual VJs and nightclub owners.
The Fairlight Computer Video Instrument (CVI), first produced in 1983, was revolutionary in this area, allowing complex digital effects to be applied in real time to video sources. The CVI became popular amongst television and music video producers and features in a number of music videos from the period.
By the 1990s, advancements in computing had brought video processing to the desktop computer. Early desktop editing systems such as the Amiga Video Toaster were quickly put to use by VJs seeking to create visuals for the emerging rave scene, whilst software developers began to develop systems specifically designed for live visuals such as O'Wonder's Bitbopper(http://www.owonder.com/about/history.htm).
The first known software created for VJs was Vujak - written for the Mac by EBN artist Brian Kane for use by the video art group he was part of - Emergency Broadcast Network.
Broadcasters by this point had become interested and a TV series on the UK's Channel 4 called Transambient, produced by UK artists Addictive TV put the art of the VJ on national television for the first time. A similar series called Two-Step soon also appeared on German channel VIVA.
The first commercially available and heavily produced VJ software was Motion Dive from Japanese company Digital Stage. By the late 90s there were several PC based VJing software available, including generative visuals programs such as Aesitis and Advanced Visualization Studio, as well as video clip players such as Arkaos and VJamm. These new software products meant that VJs were now regularly taking computers to gigs.
The 90s also saw the development of a number of digital video mixers such as the Panasonic WJ-MX50 and WJ-AVE5. Although these mixers were designed for home video editing and low budget TV production, they were quickly adopted by VJs as the core component of their performance setups. Initially, video mixers were used to mix pre-prepared video material from VHSplayers and live camera sources, and later to add the new computer software outputs into their mix.
In 1998, Roland / Edirol released the V5 Video Canvas, which was a hybrid device featuring solid state storage of still images combined with a basic video mixer. The V5 marked an important transition point, where large music corporations saw an emerging market for video performance hardware. The products that followed the V5 have become the mainstay of VJ hardware setups. [4]
In 2001, Roland / Edirol released the V4 Video mixer, which was arguably the first video mixer designed specifically for VJ use. It features MIDI control to enable integration with digital music equipment, and quickly became adopted as the standard VJ mixer. The V4's popularity lead other music companies (notably Korg and Pioneer) to develop hardware designed specifically for VJs.
In 2004, Roland - and it's video subsidiary Edirol - released the CG-8, their first visual synthesiser. In 2005 they teamed up with Japanese software company Digital Stage to release a hardware controller for the Motion Dive VJ software.
Today's VJs have a wide choice of off the shelf hardware products, covering every aspect of visuals performance, including video sample playback (Korg Kaptivator), real-time video effects (Korg Entrancer), scratchable DVD players (Pioneer DVJ-X1) and 3D visual generation (Edirol CG8).
[edit] VJ events
In recent years VJing's popularity has allowed for more Visual Art specific events to be organised.
AVIT [1] is one of the largest VJ events, held approximately once a year in the UK, Germany and North America. There have also been smaller events held in Latin America, along with an AVIT Retreat in Colorado. AVIT's objectives are:
- To increase public participation in VJing
- To facilitate the development and skills base of existing VJ's
- To raise the profile of live video performance as an art form
- To capitalise on the networked community of VJCentral.com or FullScreenMusic.com
Optronica - the visual music festival created by artists Addictive TV, inaugurated in Summer 2005 at the National Film Theatre and London IMAX cinema, London, Optronica is a high profile international event focusing on audiovisual artists, visual music and the VJ art.
TheVJs [2] - the Window for audiovisual arts and visual performers at the coast of Lima, Perù, started in 2005.
CIMATICS - Brussels International Festival for Live Audiovisual Art & VJing, first held in 2003, focuses on live audiovisual performance and VJing. The festival aims to promote innovative and outstanding productions, as well as to gather recent artistic and technical developments in order to present it to a general public.
VISUAL SENSATIONS - VJ Contest.
Regional events - there are regular regional meetups of VJs as well. VAX Sessions in the Catalonian region of Spain, Video Salon in San Francisco, Lava Sessions in Los Angeles, AV Social in London, VJ School in Bristol,Plug n Play Melbourne in Melbourne, Plug n Play Perth in Perth, Western Australia, Plug n Play Sydney in Sydney and Mapping Festival in Geneva.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ VJs.net LTD: About, accessed September 02, 2006
- ^ The VJ Book: Inspirations and Practical Advice for Live Visual Performance, Paul Spinrad, Feral House,U.S., ISBN 1-932595-09-0 ,2005
- ^ BBC OneMusic - VJ: Starting Out, accessed August 18, 2006
- ^ Sound on Sound - The History of Roland, accessed August 18, 2006
[edit] External links
- FullScreenMusic.com - An online resource for VJs for sharing loops, footage and demo visuals.
- SOURCE visuals label - A label producing a series of DVD's with VJ videoclips. Titles from a variety of artists.
- Corebounce - Publications regarding software for live visual performance.
- Etnia Brasillis - The most known VJ collective in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
- VJCentral.com - The internet's most popular VJ community and actively promotes the scene via its forums and community.
- VJTV - On-Line Series Featuring VJs & Visual Artists.
- LeCollagiste VJ - Weblog video Computer graphics expert, focus on the culture of the VJING, video information and high tech.
- PIXnMIX - Channel4's VJ education project.
- Hart Snider's - Hart Snider's MA Thesis Project on Scratch Video and VJ culture.
- SOLU - aka Mia Makela's MA Thesis Project on the evolution of Live Cinema and VJing.
- azart - Chris Masuy, aka azart, AV experimentalist, Digital Satellite and cultural hacker.
- OPTICAL-ENGINEERS.AT - Great Live Visuals from Austria.
- ARNOLFINI - Video performance, experimental works, visual collective knwoledge and research.
- vj-book.com - Standard for all people interested in VJing.
- splatterbit - A VJ from Florianópolis - Brasil.
- PiXeL-OveR visualteam - Veejing and spectacular installations (Spain).
- Tito .kidvisual. - Live visuals from Spain.
- food4veejays.com - Cheap dvd content.
