There is a method

As of Dec. 1st I will be looking for exciting, creative work and job opportunities. Currently updating CVs, portfolios and tidying up my presence online, making it respectable for new adventures.

My LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/marcoantoniocreative
My website: http://www.marcoantonio.org

A VJ is someone who mixes video live, usually to animate parties and provide moving visuals to whatever music the DJs are making. It can also be used to create backgrounds to musicals or theater, to create 'moods' for parties or chillouts, or... even to make music videoclips 'live', rather than pre-produce them.

I VJ since 1995, when I would play a timeline of a V100 machine directly to a projector as the moving backgrounds to West Side Story (a university musical production). A lot has changed since, and I figured I'd share it. Here's how I do it.

The Footage
You can cut scenes or clips out of movies, download it from YouTube, download free VJ libraries, buy VJ libraries, exchange them with friends, video something yourself or video something on your computer (such as screensavers, for example).

The Internet Archive has a lot of free clips and footage, both specifically for VJs or simply cool vintage public-domain videos. For example: http://www.archive.org/details/ANALOG_RECYCLING_VJ_LOOPS

Resolume.com and other VJ websites also have VJ clips available; some free, some for sale.
To buy: http://www.resolume.com/footage/
Free: http://www.resolume.com/footage/archive.php

You can use online tools to download YouTube videos as .mp4 or .mov files. http://keepvid.com/ or http://www.freecorder.com (for example).

You can also film something, or create animated Flash files. (SWF also works)

Preparing the footage
No matter where the footage comes from, it's a good idea to convert it all to the same format and size. If the size changes, it will show up on your live video feed. If the codec is not accepted by your computer (a mac-only codec on a pc machine, for example) you will also run into trouble. Some other codecs might behave a little weird. ... etc.

I use VirtualDub (http://www.virtualdub.org/) to cut, re-size and / or re-save footage to a standard format. It's free, simple to use, and I can either convert a whole folder or 'slice' a movie to get the clips I want.

Another program I use a lot is Adobe Premiere Pro. It's a fantastic video editing tool. You can place the footage on a track and cut, fade, loop, use effects and prepare the footage exactly how you want it, before exporting it to the right format.

There are many, many free (and paid) tools that will convert footage from one format to another. Sometimes you might have to use a program to convert an mp4 file to a .mov file and a different one to go from .mov to .avi. It's all trial and error, and depends on where you're getting your footage from...

The footage properties
When I prepare the footage, this is what you I aim for:

   640x480 pixels
   3:4 ratio, square pixels (for desktop)
   25 frames per second
   A keyframe per each frame (so it doesn't 'jump' when you scrub the footage back/forth)
   Length between 5 seconds and 7 minutes, depending on the footage.
   30 second clips are pretty good to cut and mix live.
   7-minute clips give you time to breathe.
   Format: AVI (for Windows and Mac)
   Codec: Cinepak

Cinepak is not an ideal codec, but it's supported by PC and Mac and most older machines. It's old and reliable, but the quality of image is not ideal - and doesn't compress very well.

Resolume has its own codec (DXV) which can work very well - specially if you are only going to use Resolume as your VJ software. If you use other softwares, sometimes it's not recognized.

In the end, it's also good for you to go out and try different codecs, read up some forums and decide for yourself - adjusted to the speed of your machine, the software you use and the 'look' you are going for.

Codecs
This is pretty important. It will drive you crazy for a while, until you 'get it'.
Even when a file is encapsulated in a generic form (.avi or .mov), there are thousands of different ways to compress a video file. So and .avi file can be compressed by Xvid, DivX, Cinepak, H264... etc.

Some programs will install codecs in your computer by default (Premiere, VirtualDub, DivX, etc).
Others you can install using the K-lite Codec Pack (http://www.codecguide.com/) and others you will just have to chase down.

Video editing
At this point you can open Premiere to create a music video clip.
Lay down your sound track first; then import your footage, and lay down the video as you see fit.
Export to 1024 x 768 avi (or .mov), codec H264 at 25fps... and you have something you can upload to YouTube.

Software
I recommend Resolume Avenue 3.3 (http://www.resolume.com)
It's easy to use, very comprehensive, and the latest version is very stable, and available for Mac and PC.
I recommend it over other softwares such as Arkaos, AVMixer, Modul8 (for Mac)... and all the other hundreds of lesser known VJ tools that are out there.

Of course, you also need a powerful machine to run it on, with a strong video card that will be able to cope once you plug your machine to the projector. I use a MacBook Pro since my old PC laptop can't handle the latest version of Resolume.

Now, let's say you have your footage neatly saved in individual clips, in well-labeled folders... and you have Resolume installed and ready to go.

... turn on the music, open Resolume... and get VJ'ing!

The HOW-TO:
1. I cut a stainless steel tube into two. The resulting rings became the goggles. In the future I will use PVC cut-outs, since they will not be visible... and PVC is a lot easier to cut than steel!

2. I got two rings from the hardware store (with the blue screw) and a few knobs and bolt heads to use as ornaments later.

3. Some other supplies:
- Leather
- Buckles
- Fur (which I didn't use)

4. This is how the rings fit around the freshly cut steel circles.

5. Now, I made a paper model of the goggle cover (later, I will be using leather)

6. This is the result: the leather cover gets fixed in place by the ring

7. Then... the buckles. Turns out it's quite hard to sew leather! I had originally planned to make the hems out of light cream, thick thread... just as well I didn't. I'm not a very good seamstress... so the dark thread was a good choice.

8. I found some thick red plastic (light gels) and used them as 'glass' for the goggles. I also attached the straps to the goggle covers.

9. I wrapped the covers around the metal rings, and used a buckle with two straps of leather to hold the nose bridge. The goggles are only as strong as its weakest link, and this is it: two superglued bits of leather holding it all together. Will improve on this on version 2.0.

10. ... and superglued the 'ornaments' to the goggle rims. Voila! Prototype 1.0 done! :D

It took me 4 hours to do.
I bought leather for 10eu which will last me another 6-8 goggles, I didn't use the fur at all... I bought some stud-punchers for 4eu which didn't work. The 'ornaments' are too large for my liking - and apparently you can get those (and the rings) in copper, which will look more interesting.
In terms of technique, I will use the ring/rim compression to secure the straps AND the nose bridge, so it all holds much better.
And I won't use anywhere near as much superglue as I have now. I'm still dizzy from the fumes. :)

Will post updates as soon as I tackle version 2.0!

(download)

Click here to download:

Steampunk_Glasses.zip (216 KB)

"Marketers, and designers too, often claim to understand the underlying

idea here: That stories give meaning and value to objects. However,

they often think that this means they can add meaning and value to

object by telling stories about how it was made, or designed, who

created it, what they were thinking about, what the process was, and

all that. This is flawed. The stories that matter do not descend from
object 
creators. They are imposed by object owners."

~ The Object Whisperer: An Interview with Rob Walker http://wp.moma.org/talk_to_me/2010/09/the-object-whisperer-an-interview-with-...

We Love Ad showcaswes the 100 most awarded advertising campaigns of
2010, including our Volvo Blind Preview in the One Show book.

We're chuffed about this. Thanks for the love!

http://www.welovead.com/en/works/details/841BnntD

Picked up from his tweet :)
http://twitter.com/#!/donttrythis
http://twitter.com/#!/donttrythis/status/85768760006418433

Adam Savage, obsessive maker of things. Host of Mythbusters on the
Discovery Channel.
http://www.adamsavage.com