Last night was my first attempt at live-mixing videos for latin night at a local dance club. My brother had asked me to create high energy mood videos in “light-show-fashion” style, to accompany a room full of spanish artists and club goers. He teamed up with a local bar and threw a huge party/concert in honor of his debut CD release, La Herencia de la Familia Real.
I spent the week gathering clips that I thought would fit the mood element he was looking for, a bit more texture and beat-based than the cinematic stuff I’m used to using, but fun to experiment with. The show ran smooth once evening came, but I had some stressful setbacks along the way. From this moment on, I will always make sure I do a dry-run before the day of my show. I had prepared for gathering all of my equipment, but I did not prepare for the unforeseen issues that can occur. In short, I blew a fuse on my video mixer yesterday afternoon and my program would not output to full screen without the mixer!
I remedied the problem by downloading an entirely different program, which didn’t require my mixer to use. I wish it didn’t have to come to that, as programs are pretty costly, but I didn’t want to let Chris down, and I wanted to keep my word of being able to project visuals live for his show.
From this one event, I’ve now accumulated a whole new lot of toys:
-Universal projector ceiling mount
-35 feet of VGA cable
-10 feet of VGA extension cable
-60 feet of black gaffer tape
-Arkaos GrandVJ software
I don’t even want to think about the cost of all of this. I’m just going to look at it as an investment towards running more smoothly in the future. My mixer should still be under warrantee, so I need to deal with that today.
All in all, the show was fun. I ran video for 2 hours, for over 500 people, but unfortunate for me, half the time 35 guys were on stage covering the screen. However, in the end, I was able to keep my promise, and had fun with the experience. Having never VJ’d a dance club before, and having never used this new program before that afternoon, this was all an experiment for me. I’m happy it went as well as it did.
Photos & video from the show to come! Thanks to my very supportive family, and all who made the night a success for my brother. I heard it was a sold out show and I’m really proud that I was a part of it. Every show is definitely an experience in and of itself.
Here is a snapshot of the crowd & stage energy at the party Sunday night
I’m quite proud to say that my younger brother, Chris, has followed his dream in pursuit of a music career and is succeeding in ways that could never have been predicted. Not only has he developed an entire recording studio in my parent’s basement and learned to speak fluent spanish, but he has a number of clients that he records daily for his independent business, Potent Productions. This coming Sunday night he is having a CD release party for his debut album, La Herencia de la Familia Real.
This album was produced as a collaboration of various musicians, and has created quite an impressive first piece. I was recruited to design the album, a complicated 6-panel fold out, which I had no idea how to approach when I first began. The style of music is new to me as a designer – a mix of reggaeton, spanish lyrics & techno beats. As a result I hooked him up with a David Apuzzo Photography to take a professional mix of high contrast photos and textured backgrounds that I could use to put the design together.
Recently, with the help of Jeff Schram of SchramDesign, I was able to put up a splash page for my brother to sell the album.
This Sunday, December 28th I’ll be performing live visual projections for his release party at the Thirsty Turtle in Stamford, CT. That means that this week I’m collecting ideas and brainstorming, what on earth it means to project for “high energy, spanish, club music“. That was the direction I got from Chris. I have no idea what I’m doing yet, but I’m excited to explore it and see what happens when I do.
Dec 22, 2008 |
Inspiration,
travel
Simultaneous shot taken by Holly & Jeff
I’ve just recently returned from an excursion down south, where I spent a week in Austin, Texas. This was my second visit there this year, and it is quickly becoming a favorite little oasis-getaway of creativity, music, healthy fresh foods, mental clarity, clean air and cheap booze!
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Here is my collection of favorite spots & eateries in Austin:
Bodicelli’s – Best italian food I’ve had in years, mixed with live outdoor music & beer garden.
Bouldin Creek Cafe – Muraled space with fresh healthy vegetarian dishes & board games
Vivo – Tex-mex all the way!
The Continental Club – Good music all night, every night.
Saxon Pub – Great divey bar with fantastic rock shows.
Zilker Park – Gorgeous place for hikes, kayaks, lush trees..
Jo’s Cafe – My favorite coffee spot hangout on congress.
San Jose Hotel – Hands down favorite hotel. Classy, cool and very well designed.
Uncommon Objects – Super funky collection of antiques & thrifty goodness.
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This time while I was there, I schemed some ideas for future work-living potential in the area. Austin is absolutely beautiful in the winter. 75 degrees and eternally summer. I’m not used to being able to walk outside without getting in my car, and have access to tons of great shops, cafes, music and life right out the door. The idea of living seasonally struck me during both visits there this year and I’d like to try and put this into action come 2010. Ideally I would love to spend a year (or more, depending how it goes) living a few months at a time in different locations. My aim is to work on a variety of projects throughout the US and if possible, even a few outside the US.
These are a few of the places I’m considering living seasonally:
Austin TX
Portland OR
Boulder CO
Northern California
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Brussels, Belgium
Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver, Canada
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2008 has really put me in a place of stability. I’ve worked really hard over the last 2 years to pay off my college & car loan debt, and to invest in a collection of video equipment to get myself off the ground as someone who can work independently.
2009 holds a lot of that same potential and I’m really excited. As I am approaching the new year, I am beyond thrilled to say that I am one pay check away from owning my car and being completely debt-free. My living expenses have gotten more affordable with the help of a really sweet house-mate, and my work situation is quite liveable for the time being. Going into 2009, and my third year of corporate video editing as my day job, I’ve earned 5 weeks of paid vacation. I’m going to use this time wisely to save money for traveling and the future of wherever I’m headed. I want to spend a few weeks of that vacation traveling around Europe and more importantly, putting energy into a documentary project that I’ve always wanted to complete.
I never thought these ideas would come into fruition, but the possibilities are proving to be possible afterall, and I can’t wait to see where I can go…