Do you like the term VJ?

[sleepytom]

after the huge torrent of the "what's a vj?" thread i thought that its worth asking people if they actually like the term?

[syzygy]

I prefer to be listed as

"Visuals: SyZyGy"
"Live Visuals: SyZyGy"
"Video Installation: SyZyGy"

or similar, as that relects what I do better than 'VJ'. I think of what I do as closer to being a video equivilent of being a member of a live band than to being a DJ mixing records.

Lots of people have lots of different ideas about what a VJ is, from a presenter on MTV, through to people doing similar things to me so I find it's safest just to say "I make the stuff on the big projector screen"

SyZyGy

[Anyone]

I think the term VJ is strait and to the point

no use having 16 words to mean the same thing...
(that thing being : the person doing the visuals)

but hey, that's just my opinion...

NE1

[brain]

actually, i don't like the term.

if you use just the shortcut "VJ", still most people don`t know what that means. and if you use the long desc "VideoJockey", this sounds just silly.

i mean, i don't do things on the back of horses :)

it seems like here in germany by now the work is often announced on flyers and stuff as "visuals: ..." this of course isn't correct either, because maybe there are other people who do lights and decoration, which is visual as well.

maybe more correct is to be announced as: "video:...", but this may lead to confusion as well, because some people may think it's the release of some new videoclip...

if people ask me what to put on a flyer, it's: "moving images: eyetrap.net"

but that seems not to be the final solution...

bye, brain

[fluchtpunkt]

Originally posted by syzygy
I think of what I do as closer to being a video equivilent of being a member of a live band than to being a DJ mixing records.
SyZyGy

i agree.
...or a (electronic) live audio performance.

still i think 'vj' is ok. it's short. it's understood (at least here). it associates what i do with a party environment (vj <-> dj).
i also use: (live) visuals / (live) video performance / video installation, if more space is available & in the given context respectively.

[wellREDman]

yet another circular arguement that went all round the houses on eyecandy has resurfaced here,

i think that any arguement about what we call ourselves is a moot point because the name is far too firmly entrenched in popular culture now, the few non vidiots that do know what we do will almost certainly know and use the term vj. in fact in the last year i have noticed a marked change in peoples reactions when i say Im a vj, from "oh " as in "what the fuck are you talking about", to "oh" as in " I think ive heard of that but i dont exactly know for sure so I'll just pretend i do"

in my experience there are sometimes that you just have to accept that kicking against an oncoming wave is just gonna get you wet.
for the record i dont like VJ either, mainly cos it can be misheard as DJ,
i prefer Visualista, or Secret Sauces's truly excellent "photonflinger".
but I'm resigned to being a humble vj

[hamageddon]

i still consider myself being a [vju:]sican
responding to music like a musican but with visuals, trying to catch the different levels of a composition with different layers. methinks the vj-term is too close related to the videopresenters on MTViva
thus provoking misunderstandings

[Anyone]

Originally posted by brain
actually, i don't like the term.

i mean, i don't do things on the back of horses :)



no that's a horse jockey, silly !

a video jockey rides on the back of (you guessed it) Video !

:p NE1

[Anyone]

having said that, you dont often see on big event flyers: "VJing by..."

more likely to see: "Visuals by..."

or similar

but you dont see : "DJing by..." when you're talking about DJs, probably because the names carry themselves and they dont need any explanation.

One day soon we will see that for VJs too. At least that's what I try to do with the Vectors flyers: I just put all the artists names one after the other, without saying who does what.

let the punters figure it out... they usually do !
(maybe they're smarter than we think)

NE1

[robotfunk]

I actually am not too happy with it for several reasons.

1) It gets confused with MTV style jocks by general audience.
2) It doesn't cover what I do. It may for a lot of people but I don't really consider myself a VJ. My performances have visual elements and I do a lot of VJ related stuff but I do shitloads more: produce music / visuals , program code , design , DJ, organize events etc etc. Been doing all these things a long time (10-16 years) and the emphasis keeps shifting between them.

Yet I don't have a better term at hand for what I do or for what vj's do so I guess it helps people understand what a vj does, as in .. like what a dj does, but with visuals. I'm not gonna start a mission against the term until I think of/ come across something better to use.

[many2]

I like the term VJ as it clearly express the link between my work and the electronic music scene, VJ and DJ being similar terms.

It seems though that it's better if you get your name on the flyer without the VJ prefix : you'll get a much better chance to be cited in the press if you are just listed there with the DJ lineup, as a performer. On my last show's flyer Cinetik and Many-2 were presented as a "Live fusion concept", and we got our names cited in more articles than ever before. The only problem is that in half of those articles we were mistaken for DJs...

Many-2

[BrainStove]

Bah!! Just simple... I?m just an "Uncle it" on this underground scene, but as visuals & VJing matter *"I?m a VIEWSICIAN"* same as Hamageddon and Robotfunk are too :)
Yeah pals don?t fear to take the Viewsicians flag for your good, Hehehe

[ToddGraft]

I used to be a "VISICIAN" but everyone mistook me for a doctor

[unjulation]

personaly i dont mind what it's label is, i've been caled worst in my time, but i find vj a usefull name cos its easier to to explain to the unlightend, ie:- say "i'm a visual dj" and they know exactly what i do at parties, mix visuals, they might (not) know all that is involved with every thing that i do but they understand, beter then anything else i've come across and i dont sound like a pretesious tw*t when talking to my grany :)

[bigloose]

I don't really care but when I say Vj many people just understand Dj as they are not used enough to this word.
Just need to say it loud more often lol

[ToddGraft]

especially with LOUD MUSIC! V!!!J!!!!
shouting VIDEO!!!! after always helps

[jdat]

well I personnaly always get the same reaction .... including from djs or at least *wannabes*


what's a vj ? the thing you see on mtv?


MTV is mentionned each and every time someone asks what a vj is :mad:


I think it'll take time for people to understand what this is all about, and before that time comes, I think we'll just be obligated to stick with the term : VJ

[MoRpH]

I don't mind it, I used to get all arty and picky about the term too. Thankfully these days ppl are starting to recognise the term and what we do...... also I like it cause I'm moving in a Skratch/Turntablist direction with my video so I don't mind the DJ comparison.

[KillingFrenzy]

I got listed as
"Optical Torment by KillingFrenzy" once for a pirate theme "Benefit to fight Scurvy."
I prefer "visuals", but I'm not going to argue about it. Rarely do I get listed as a VJ.
But then again, I've never even liked DJ that much, because I still associate it with chattermouths on the radio.

No matter what, I still have to give people the short FAQ version of what I do.

[burstingfist]

If I am a VJ (video jockey) then the bartenders at pubs should be called BJs (Beer Jockeys). On that cimatics.com site, the VJ acronym stands for Visual Jammer. I guess everyone "jockeys" something in their lives...

[vjpixylight]

hhah
well,
jockeying from the position that I have been having to live with(having it attached to the name)....

I prefer the term Media Jock or MJ...yea, I know he sighs, ...another confusing acronym...just when the term VJ is getting somewhere...

...but, I think that this term, "Media" can cover the whole gamut of the many diverse ways that we all do our thing...

oh yea baby...let it roll...

[Anyone]

Originally posted by burstingfist
If I am a VJ (video jockey) then the bartenders at pubs should be called BJs (Beer Jockeys). On that cimatics.com site, the VJ acronym stands for Visual Jammer. I guess everyone "jockeys" something in their lives...

FYI, Vjs in japan is pronounced "BUIJAY",
because they have a hard time pronuncing V,
same as R and L...

buijay ne1nu

[slike]

i think in europe (where MTV/Viva is based), VJ is not a good term (because of misunderstanding because of the "Viva-Vjs" ...) ...
but i dont give a fck on it !

but i think there are a lot of people out there who dont know what a "VJ" is ... Visuals are a better description for what we do.

And a VideoJockey is not the same than a DiscJockey - we have "self-made-content" AND we mixing it ... thats a live-act and a Jockey ... but that should belongs to another thread ...

hmmm .... Visual Artist is a Term i would like ... it describes best what we are doin as a "VJ" ... i just wrote my thoughts ...

[riesso]

yes i do agree with slike...the ppl often think you made your trainee @ viva or MTV....you call you a VJ !!!

Visual Artist is good...but not so easy to become a REAL ONE !!!

Therefor you have to take a few years of experience i think...

[rhythmicimaging]

VJ seems the logical choice for a title to what we are and what we do.

Basically we do with video clips what DJ's do with Disc's(vinyl etc).

It justs suits the scene where we play our sets, its easier for promoters/clubbers to connect and associate with.