CTRL ALT SHIFT – VJ Documentary
I just stumbled across this really cool short documentary on VJ-ing.
It’s interesting to me that the origins of "VJ-ing" in it’s purest form come from an underground culture, birthed in the club/rave scene back in the 90s. And here we are years later applying the same art-form to our worship experiences. And after watching this and seeing what other VJs are doing, i don’t even feel like a VJ. and i’m definitely not European.
Here’s an excerpt from Create Digital Motion , where i found this video:
"Michael Faulkner of D-FUSE says the most interesting thing in this video: it’s when technology becomes redundant that it’s accepted as art. Photography gets invented, and suddenly painting – a business and a craft for centuries – is “high art.” (Don’t ask, incidentally, about what late 19th Century art critics and salon organizers thought was great painting. It was utterly dreadful.)
Ctrl Alt Shift is a 10-minute documentary, pointed out by Resolume developer Bart on their forums , featuring live visualists and audiovisualists. It has a number of things going for it: a terrific artist lineup, asking the tough, obvious questions about why fundamentally we do this stuff, and an editing style that makes projection, live-style edits, and eye candy animation part of the documentary object. It’s a tasty treat to watch if you know the artists, and even if the chatter in this video is the sort of thing you discuss over beers and V4s with your mates, it could be an ideal video to pass along to your friends who don’t yet entirely get what this whole thing is about."
my curiosity is how can you use the more interactive software to live mix video like a “true” vj as compared to triggering clips in a worship environment??? It’s so experimental and subjective a thing. Still i want to. Probably not church anytime soon… Now I live mix clips and stills in worship, in the flow, start from a pre-production pov and come prepared to be flexible. — The projection mapping outdoors on a building is TOO cool. TOO COOL. Did I say TOO cool.
Dan Burke on July 11, 2009
it can totally be used, but it’s a much more creative approach, which means you have more options…. worship environments tend to lean to more of a “less is more” approach…so you have to be careful when approaching worship when VJ-ing when you have a bunch of cool tricks in your bag.
Most of these “options” and features and effects in these other VJ apps are geared more for techno/house/trance music that is dominant in the club/rave scene.
VJ-ing is like singing/playing a harmony to the melody of the music during worship…it should compliment it. So most of these effects in these apps are really irrelevant to the worship environment CURRENTLY, b/c of the nature of the style of music in our worship houses today.
That’s not to say that they can’t be used…. New Life Church uses Modul8 by Resolume when Desperation Band plays….there are a few effects (not found in worship software or apps like PVP) that are of great creative use.
you’re right in that it’s very experimental. Just be careful when experimenting too much during worship. there’s a balance in pushing the envelope creatively and making the experience more about yourself and the technology.
Knowing your audience is also key….what may be cool and experimental and creative to you and a select few of others, MAY be very distracting and weird to the majority of the congregation.
As long as you know what you’re doing and you’ve prepared, i’d say go for it. Just remember that VJ-ing in worship is a worship leading position, so as long as that’s the priority and the heart of the whole matter, i think some really cool things can spring up…and God just might reward and bless your courage in stepping out.
admin on July 12, 2009