VJing in Venezuela, something you should know.

[vjrei]

Ok, I moved from New York to Miami and I came back to my country just to spend x-mast with my family and on January I'll be back to Miami.

I have been here already for more than a week and I went to a play in a very good theater and they already had 3 screens and 2 actors only.

To make the story short in the case of my country, the government is creating tied regulations on the media and the advertising agencies are developing departments for "dierect communication" as they call it.

The one who created the music for the play I went is an old hyper-intellectual super well known friend of mine called Migue Angel Noya and he was teling me that the main target for the agencies were the VJs by next year.

He asked me about my experience in the US and and told him I hardy made probably 4 presentations (2 of them Eye Wash) while back in 2003 I had 33 in Venezuela.

The point is that in a country like the US there is are no regulations for sponsors on tv like we actually have around here. I do not know about the other countries of the world.

The other things was that I went to the Kraftwerk concer in Miami with probably 600 people, and on the same day just one of them had a performance in Caracas for 3000+ people, by the way, the VJ used VHSs only.

So, coming back home? I do not think so, my target are rock bands and events for the latin market in Miami. Still in Miami there is a very nasty culture of betraying special between latin americans but let see.

[holly]

Sounds like things were better back home.... Or am I misunderstanding? language barrier?:confused:

[solly]

If I had to choose between Venezuela or Miami. I would go to Venezuela.

[vjrei]

Yes, there are better in a way but still the problem that production companies wants to cut corners, or actually, the latin american in general (specialy in Venezuela) like to cut corners and envy is a big deal, so, the reason I left was because most of the time production companies rather have 6 screen with the sponsor logo in powerpoint rather than hire a professional vj that can do the same thing with better quality.

There is a big deal of jobs to do but the money is not worth it any way, the average VJ make $100 per event. I was the only one who charged $1.500 once around here and it would be the equivalent of charging $7.000 in NY.

But the interesting thing is the use of the visualizations around here. Next year (2005) I am going to see how everything moves because would be an interesting experience to host a VJ from the US down here. As far as I see the Venezuelan school is very related to the Japanese.

Lets see what happen, artistically the media is very dynamic down here but money wise the situation is bad, we can not but dollars because of a government restriction so we have to buy them in the black market at a higher price, there are pros and cons in this issue but for sure I would like to make some good money in Miami and being able to come down here to play for any amount.

[vjrei]

This picture was from a rave party at the Amazon, you can see the rest of them in a web site I made for a friend at www.subsonics.us -> events. There is a flash slide show. My friend of Subsonics lives in Queens but he sells equipment to his partner in Vzla. or something like that, that is why he has those pictures.

[elbows]

Politics plays a huge part in all of this, Vanezeula suffers from "the curse of oil" and this seems to be getting much worse this millenium. Perhaps the turmoil of the last few years is nothing compared to what may come. I certainy hope not, but its becoming possible the next front in the "war on terror" will be Latin America rather than Iran or Syria. Still this should be no surprise as this is partly a rerun of the 1980s, there was a War On Terror then too (how quickly we forget) and that involved various countries in that part of the world too.

Anyway one of the reasons that the government of Venezuela is cracking down on the private media is because of just how large a part those TV stations played in the failed coup. As Chavez's support is very much from the grass roots pretty poor masses, I read that they are moving towards opening up the media to create local stations that represent this large percentage of the population. So it does not surprise me that the more elite capitalist class will be desperately seeking new ways to reach the eye of certain vital target members of the Venezuelan public.

Well whichever side of this you are on, you are on the front lines, so be careful out there!

[DFUNC]

Dude, that Amazonas picture looks beautiful! Look at the fog in the background. I wish I was there.

[Kyle]

As beautiful as it looks I dont agree with using the Amazon as a stomping ground for Rave parties.:mad: That grass looks so green and untouched. Think about the poor elves and pixies!

[vjTranceKoder]

what if it was a hippie rave? I'm sure all those love-loving hippies would be "kind" to the earth. I myself would love to party there-I can't promise to "keep off the grass" though;)

[Kyle]

Originally posted by vjTranceKoder
"keep off the grass"

LMAO I would probably be tripping over some vines myself. *nudge *nudge Lotsa jungle out there

[holly]

Ahh nature, damnit..... Couldn't they put a skyscraper or a disco there? With a nice glass wall to protect me from the humidity...? Seems kinda slanty -- Or was that the 2 whiskeys I had for breakfast?

Hey Rei, next time you go back get some Baraka footage for us, 'kay?

[vjrei]

elbows you are so right in everything.

The only thing is that Chavez gave one of the best oil platform (where the Orinoco river met the ocean) to our friend Bush so... most of the conflicts between the US and Venezuela are going to be pretty much a theater.

What amazes me was the price of the gas... to fill up the tank of my old Toyota Corolla costed me $ EIGHTY CENTS! Ok, again... $0.80 for the entire tank, not the gallon, THE TANK! Venezuela is the only country in the world were gas is cheaper than water, but I went to a place to get a strowberry shake and it cost me $1.10 in the exchange rate.

That party was produced in a club or something, that is about 2 hours south from here by plane, be sure everything was very clean after. But what called my attention was to imagine all the drunk/hi people walking on a side down the hill, for sure ending up in a river or something.

About Baraka footage? Caracas looks a bit more like Irk right now and of course I am geting footage of that every day, now that I have been in the US for so long my view of my own country has changed, this place is so unrealistic!:scared:

[elbows]

Well I wish I was right about everything lol, but really I only know a few things about Venezuela and the recent situation. I cannot possibly really understand, its quite hard to try to get a real idea about a country, especially when I can only speak English so my sources are limited.

Anyway I always long for greater understanding, in what way do you now see your country as unrealistic?

[fluchtpunkt]

Originally posted by elbows
I certainy hope not, but its becoming possible the next front in the "war on terror" will be Latin America rather than Iran or Syria.

certainly and unfortunately things can always get worse (...and in that sense i agree with you). .......but isn't there an ugly (tens of thousands of dead every year) and old albeigh little noticed 'war on terror' with massive US involvement going on right now in colombia?


edited to add:
now that I have been in the US for so long my view of my own country has changed
i know exactly what you mean. espero que sea una cosa buena para vos. es dificil quitar su patria, es dificil y nunca se podra verla con los mismos ojos que antes - pero es asi porque se apprende tanto nuevo.
suerte.

[vjrei]

Originally posted by elbows
Anyway I always long for greater understanding, in what way do you now see your country as unrealistic?

Because this thing is out of this world, for example we had this huge statu of Christofer Colombus on a side of the main high way in Caracas and one day the people loyal to the government tear the statu down and brought it with ropes tides to a truck the theater where the president was giving a speech. They wrote on spray Columbus Genocide and then they said "Colombus was the first one in bringing the first C4 explosive to America". Of course no one went to jail after that.

Then the way of driving around here, just imagine that we do not have high way patrol at all so, no one pay attention to speed limits or traffic rules, it is 100% anarchy. The polution is so bad because there are no controls at all.

And I haven' even started about the culture.

A year ago there was a riot between the opposition and the poeple loyal to the government, they were (well I was there) throwing bottles and rocks to each other until some one caem up with a soccer ball and both sides stopped and started to play soccer in the middle of the highway!!! they made two teams and spent the entire day playing just like that!!! that is something so unreal.

We do not have drinking age, we do but... who cares, all the kids are drinking every were and the funny thing is that we do not have that many accidents by alcohol.

I have no clue how my country support itself but some how it dows, it is sinking big time but I have no clue where we are going to end up.

[solly]

I guess you get used to it. You can notice all the changes when you leave and come back. It has lots of problems and faults but it works, people find ways to come around. It also depends on how more comfortable you feel. People leaving their country to find fortune in another country generally get disapointed. Like an Equatorian woman that came to Spain said. Aqui se viene para sufrir.