Baylor Talcott Final Project
Idea: For this project, I want to create a set of visuals for a song and project them onto three people.
The visuals would correlate and interact as the music progresses. The visuals would change as the song
progresses. I would then project this onto a complex surface to add a three-dimensional feel to the visuals.
Music and video editing have been a passion of mine, and the visuals have always been a
large part of why festivals and other aspects of EDM have grown. The reason behind doing this
project would offer a chance for people who are stuck inside from COVID and act as a section of a
virtual conference. The reason I chose to project it on the people instead of a wall is due to COVID-19. The festivals, concerts, and other events are completely dictated by the people who attend them. Without the people, there would be no following, therefore, no festivals or concerts. The musicians do it for the people, so why not make the people the main attention for the project?
The visuals would correlate and interact as the music progresses. The visuals would change as the song
progresses. I would then project this onto a complex surface to add a three-dimensional feel to the visuals.
Music and video editing have been a passion of mine, and the visuals have always been a
large part of why festivals and other aspects of EDM have grown. The reason behind doing this
project would offer a chance for people who are stuck inside from COVID and act as a section of a
virtual conference. The reason I chose to project it on the people instead of a wall is due to COVID-19. The festivals, concerts, and other events are completely dictated by the people who attend them. Without the people, there would be no following, therefore, no festivals or concerts. The musicians do it for the people, so why not make the people the main attention for the project?
Renderings:
These 3-D renderings show how I plan to set up the concert. Each person will stand in the room and the visuals will be projected onto them.
Visuals:
For the actual content being projected, I went into Photoshop and extracted the logo from the cover of the song that I was choosing to use. Scream Saver by Subtronics has a unique logo that adds to the trippy rave effect I was going for.
After that, I then uploaded that into Resolume Arena and added numerous effects and practiced syncing the BPM of the song to the visuals using the link feature of both Arena and Ableton. The videos below are some examples of the visuals shown in the final projection.
Planning:
Due to the COVID-19 stay at home orders, I had to improvise with the equipment and resources available to me. I was able to plan out the mapping prior to the final projection. I had the sleeves and chest mapped so that when the people came it would be easier. I set up the projector in my room and proceeded to map.
The projector was set up on a chair in my room and was pointed at the shirt. Both sleeves and the chest are mapped using bezier curves on the mask layer so that only the sleeves are covered.
This is a screenshot of the final projection map from Arena that I used as a template for each of the three people for the project.
Final Project:
Once I had all three people lined up properly in the room, I had to map each of them individually so that the projection covered only the shirts.
After it was all said and done, I was pretty happy with the final results except for the fact I filmed it vertically.
In the wake of COVID-19, hundreds of concerts, festivals, and other musical events have been canceled to ensure people’s safety throughout this pandemic. This has a drastic negative effect on not only the musicians and artists who lose money from not preforming, but also on their fans who are willing to spend hundreds of dollars to see their favorite artists live. The inspiration behind my final project came from these canceled events around the country and the musicians who are behind them. Festivals and concerts of all types provide people who attend them with an outlet and an escape from reality especially when the reality is so dim as it was weeks ago. The artist who inspired me and who I wanted showcase is, Jesse Kardon better known as Subtronics. He believes that music has the power to bring people together and offer them an alternate reality where they can experience emotions they can’t get in the real world. In the height of a pandemic, a person can put on a pair of headphones and get lost within an album. Even if only for a few minutes, it can provide them with the needed escape. This was my intention for my final project. Kardon uses many different effects in his visuals that show a “trippy” style to the artwork. Each album created by Kardon is similar to a melting alien. He then adapts each album cover based upon the songs within. I wanted to mimic a set that Kardon puts on for a few of my friends and myself an escape from self-isolation and offer a few minutes where they could be free to do what they please with music. The at-home “rave” was their opportunity to listen to the music we all enjoy and relive the moments we’ve experienced at concerts since we don’t know when the next concert will be. I chose to create the visuals for the song because I enjoy the creative process. The song, while chaotic, does have a narrative, and I tried to create visuals that would match the narrative.
As for the physical projection, I wanted to key in on the art aspect of the project as a whole. By projecting the visuals onto the people themselves, it created two statements that I wanted to emphasize. First, was that the people are the reason that the style of music and really why any music is popular. Without fans, there would be no music following, and artists wouldn’t be courageous enough to take risks that they are now. An artist would observe someone else failing and lose all inspiration. However, if they see, even a tiny amount of, success from another artist, then it may just be enough to give them the inspiration they are looking for. Success comes from personal accomplishments and people’s reactions. If the demographic you’re creating music for loves it, then they will keep listening. The second point I wanted to emphasize was that the visuals make up fifty percent of the concert. Music can as good as ever, but the difference people have going to a concert is first-hand experience hearing it from the artist. EDM differs from most other styles of concerts due to the lack of a band. The stage presence has to come from somewhere other than the artist. This is where the visuals take place. They add an extra dimension to the music almost bringing the music to life as it dances along.
Aforementioned, music has the ability to bring people away from reality and offer them an escape. This concept is really seen in most entertainment and art pieces and is, what I believe, the best thing a piece of artwork can do for the viewer. Authors, musicians, artists, and others create masterpieces that alter our view of reality or the norm. From this altered reality, we, the audience, can live vicariously through their work and in their version of reality. This concept is what can be seen while at and EDM festival. The festival is nothing more than the musician’s and artists’ perception of an altered reality where they have control. This was my plan for our final project. While COVID-19 prohibited many of the potential capabilities, I still tried to create an altered reality where we can escape from the pandemic. The music I chose to create the visuals for was chosen because of the visual potential they offer. Scream Saver by Subtronics has an album cover with original artwork that has an already trippy feel to it. I wanted to highlight this piece by making it the main focal point of the visuals. In addition, the beat drops and other rise and falls within the melody are steep and dramatic only improving the overall feel of losing yourself within my version of reality. Overall, the final project was an outlet for me to get a taste of what visual creation is like. It allowed me to see how artists use the narrative within their music to create the visuals and bring the music to life.
Precedent Images
As for the physical projection, I wanted to key in on the art aspect of the project as a whole. By projecting the visuals onto the people themselves, it created two statements that I wanted to emphasize. First, was that the people are the reason that the style of music and really why any music is popular. Without fans, there would be no music following, and artists wouldn’t be courageous enough to take risks that they are now. An artist would observe someone else failing and lose all inspiration. However, if they see, even a tiny amount of, success from another artist, then it may just be enough to give them the inspiration they are looking for. Success comes from personal accomplishments and people’s reactions. If the demographic you’re creating music for loves it, then they will keep listening. The second point I wanted to emphasize was that the visuals make up fifty percent of the concert. Music can as good as ever, but the difference people have going to a concert is first-hand experience hearing it from the artist. EDM differs from most other styles of concerts due to the lack of a band. The stage presence has to come from somewhere other than the artist. This is where the visuals take place. They add an extra dimension to the music almost bringing the music to life as it dances along.
Aforementioned, music has the ability to bring people away from reality and offer them an escape. This concept is really seen in most entertainment and art pieces and is, what I believe, the best thing a piece of artwork can do for the viewer. Authors, musicians, artists, and others create masterpieces that alter our view of reality or the norm. From this altered reality, we, the audience, can live vicariously through their work and in their version of reality. This concept is what can be seen while at and EDM festival. The festival is nothing more than the musician’s and artists’ perception of an altered reality where they have control. This was my plan for our final project. While COVID-19 prohibited many of the potential capabilities, I still tried to create an altered reality where we can escape from the pandemic. The music I chose to create the visuals for was chosen because of the visual potential they offer. Scream Saver by Subtronics has an album cover with original artwork that has an already trippy feel to it. I wanted to highlight this piece by making it the main focal point of the visuals. In addition, the beat drops and other rise and falls within the melody are steep and dramatic only improving the overall feel of losing yourself within my version of reality. Overall, the final project was an outlet for me to get a taste of what visual creation is like. It allowed me to see how artists use the narrative within their music to create the visuals and bring the music to life.
Precedent Images
Comments
Post a Comment