Resolution 1, Technological Research and Installation/Presentation Ideas

As Ive said prior to this I wanted to keep this piece functional as a music video however my real interest in presenting it is to find a way to install the video to kale an audio visual experience and atmosphere when the viewers see and listens to it. However I need to research into ways that this might be possible through the technology and space available and also if so what skills do I need to learn and adapt. I began finding examples of others artist who had done interesting installation and presentation like this and how they had done this (re-visiting some previous artists as well):

Ben Stokes

I came across the artist, filmmaker and man of many talents Ben Stokes when I was looking into the live visuals for musician DJ Shadow. He is the man responsible for the amazing visuals which I witnessed live and loved. Here some images and video of the live shows he created for DJ Shadows performances:

Shadowsphere, Border Crossing from Ben Stokes on Vimeo.

The visuals created in this type of perforce he does are all projected onto the backdrops and the stage which is how he manages to make the images so seamlessly flow across screens and objects combine everything together. Also regarding the bottom image it shows a mesh screen up which then has images on it infant if the DJ. This was again done with a projector that was based on the stage pointing upwards towards the audience to create this image on the mesh. However what is more inserting is that the projectors he uses are so strong that not only does it project in front of the stage but this same image is projected above the audience when it hits the roof. This makes it even more exciting because the performer and the audience is surrounded. I know that he uses projectors, backdrops and mesh screens to create this effect but I don't know how specifically you could make it all match up so well but then I found work of his based on buildings like this:

I have come across this technique before in research and know that the way films are projected so carefully onto buildings is due to process of light mapping or projection mapping. This is a process I have never tried before but have found inspiration from before because projections on such a scale like this I find to be very effective. Ben Stokes skills in light mapping are extraordinary and would explain how he is able so effectively to create immersive and experimental visuals for indoor shows as well.

Light/Projection Mapping

This has led me to now look into light mapping as a process but also at some more art pieces created using light mapping. Here are some other pieces I find inspirational and exciting:

Projection on the Bridge - Immersive Surfaces - As Above, So Below from Light Harvest Studio - Ryan Uzi on Vimeo.


Projections on the New Museum from Light Harvest Studio - Ryan Uzi on Vimeo.

Both these peices were created by the Light Harvest Studio which is a studio I had heard of before who have done a lot of work worldwide. Above are two of my favourites. I love the first one because of how dramatic it was but then I liked how fun the second one was. The first one mainly relies on visual effects creating the imagery in post however I want like action shots which are manipulated which is much more like the content ninth second video. I feel like they are both extremely successful though because they use the space in such a playful experimental way and that is what makes it immersive. Also whats really cool is that they also do live music performance visuals which is where this whole idea started from for me. One of my favourite music performance pieces is this one below because it again surrounds the whole space but uses it to its advantage in an exciting way. I also like the collaging between Animation and Live Action which works well:

Live Video Sculpture: Sierpinski from Light Harvest Studio - Ryan Uzi on Vimeo.

The actual process of Light/Projection Mapping is a tricky one which Ive never given much thought to before but heres what I have found out about this technical process:

• Projection mapping can also be called video mapping and spatial augmented reality and it refers to the idea of using projection technology to turn any objects or environments into projection surfaces for their content.
• Firstly you need to choose what your projecting on and once you have you would use the appropriate software to map the corners of your video piece to the corners of the surface.
• You can take different approaches to this such as mapping the entire scene in 3D then attempt to mask the video onto the original framework/surface. Or you could use opacity templates to mask out the elements and shapes of the building where the projections will be moving to help the effect.
• Another important factor is working out where best to put the projector in relation to the surface you are projecting on for the best result. Co-ordinates will be defined for 3D mapping using the XYZ orientation to set projectors up accordingly for the required results.
• Once your projector and video surface have been set up it usually then requires twerking once actually in the space either by tweaking the video slightly or the position of the projector to the surface.
• For massive projections onto building like some Ive looked at it would require very large projectors with 20,000 lumens or more. However for smaller projections like the indoor shows Ive seen a 2200 lumen projector would work effectively.
• Software that can be used for video mapping includes: MadMapper, Qlab, Troixatronix's Isadora, FacadeSignage and VPT 6.0. These programmes are all downloadable for use in projectors.
• There are other programmes however that can still be used to basically Map such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, Blender and Blam.
• There are four categories in projection mapping which I found out. These come from wikipedia and they are:

1. VJ'ing or VeeJay-ing (video Jockeying) used where live events are augmented by (often interactive to music) projections which are fully dynamic, controlled live, and consist of pre-programmed videos and combinations of effects and effect overlays.
2. Theatrical: where projections are preset and scenes are "cued" on demand, usually in a set order, in conjunction with dance or onstage performance, often interactive.
3. Static/Interactive: where a display is set up and loops or interacts with the environment and viewers via programming.
4. Video: where a generally long segmented show is present as a single fluid video that is not interactive and plays from beginning to end.

This type of technology sounds very hard to master and all requires a lot of specialist equipment and software so my next task is to find out if the university has this available to me and if not will I be able to fund it myself. If I can my piece will probably fit into category 4 of projection mapping being a video which plays from start to end however it will loop because there is an order I want for the visual journey and it needs to play alone without me controlling it. If it is not possible to Projection map either due to lack of resources or skills then I want to still use projection onto surfaces to create effects but this effects can be created physically by either using mesh hung in a space like Ben Stokes has or weather it be distorting the video deliberately by having it projected onto non flat exciting surfaces. I feel like this is something which will need to be tested and experimented with within a crew once initial planning has taken place.

I have found this tutorial which I have watched which actually gives a much more simplistic breakdown of how to projection map so this method and style is always a possibility:

This research has really help me fall in love with the craft of projection and Mapping which I had never though much into before and I feel like it will become a large part of how this video work will be presented and therefore experienced by the viewers.