How far to go for VJing...

[vjrei]

I just came to back to Miami from Venezuela (my home country)... I did more VJ performance down there than the ones I did during the entire year in the US... well, I did 4 while I was here.

But that is not the point but it has to be considered for the reflection I am doing right now.

I am realizing there are different factors to make a city more suitable place for VJing and Caracas is one of them. There are parties and events every where every single week end and sponsors are very into showing their brand names with the latest trends. But I think the main reason is that the public is exited about innovation.

To make a comparison, in the US people are souronded by technology all the time and something as a VJ is just another name between the hundreds of things you find in the market. Back home is something very vanguardist, we actually enjoy more technology just because we do not have that much accest to it.

That is one of a few variables I can tell but I just wish I could make anough money down thare to support myself as a VJ, but that is not even the main problem, the problem is the Venezuelan culture. I really like to be here in the US because I just have to be concern about working, not about being shot in the way to the airport in the time I was there.

I am actually studiing how I can deal with the best of both worlds. The creative atmosphere down there is incredible, Venezuela is such inspiring place just because everything have to be done! what ever you do is new.

Let see, I have been here in Miami for 4 days and I may still homesick some how from the creative point of view.

[WordVirus23]

I'd still rather own *another* v4 than a car.

[asterix]

Thats an interesting comment.
I've found that playing to a much more 'undersaturated' market is always more rewarding. Else its a 'been there done that' market.

However - just out of interest. Some 'larger' cities in Australia have a relatively low amount of VJ content in the 'larger' mainstream music environment.

[WordVirus23]

...playing for mostly house & trance music [elec. music in general] will definitely sequester you to a certian degree. sadly, there isn't much of a "scene" where I'm at, altho, San Francisco is swarming with out of work graphic artists and VJs are abundant there. I've gigged in Oakland even, but to meet up with VJs, I've generally had to travel about 1/2 way across the US.[colorado&chicago]

which is why we diversify, incorporating camera(ppl)s, corporate gigs, models/dancers/actors, the more the merrier... gigging with live bands is much more fun (generally)... most DJs are freaking BORING to watch (there are exceptions) which is why we're there, right? :)

in picking my niche, I saw that there was a large gap in the entertainment industry, where there were people wanting/needing to see their name, or logo, or guests' name, etc big and lit up... I'd been doing trippy graphics and using as interactive as a program as I could find for ages, so why not take the graphic arts that's in my blood and mix it with the passion for scaring pixels? these people have helped shape my style (commercially acceptable is always nice.... means you/your product/service appeals to enough people to warrant its (re)use; and have also become friends.

I've also found I'm almost never lacking for a ride to/from a gig... no matter where it's at. ...it helps to be able to carry your gear on your lap/baggage comp.

..mid-week day off...
..james...

"been there, *seen* that"

keep your sets fresh and that shouldn't be a problem... the only problem is that you should fill a HD every year or so with content.... not sampled, created.

Originally posted by asterix
Thats an interesting comment.
I've found that playing to a much more 'undersaturated' market is always more rewarding. Else its a 'been there done that' market.

However - just out of interest. Some 'larger' cities in Australia have a relatively low amount of VJ content in the 'larger' mainstream music environment.

[twiki]

I whent from london up 2 newcastle 2 do a gig just for fun larst friday. it was fun but the train jurny wasent, nor was spelping on the flor at the promoters flat.

but it all when well and was fun even if it did cost me alot to do it (i did it for free just for fun).
Id go a long way if it was going to be fun.

speking of witch i must go and get milk.

[YEYE]

well i really want to head to south american music conference....

so if anyone is going hopefully well see you there...

[vjMediUm]

any contacts for that south america confrence?

[vjrei]

Originally posted by YEYE
well i really want to head to south american music conference....

so if anyone is going hopefully well see you there...

Wow, I wouldn't wanted to... doing visuals for regeton, merengue, salsa, bachata and those kinds of music?

I do not see a conference happening any time soon. But the diodorant AXE is going to be doing a event in the amazon, I am looking forward to work there.

[YEYE]

what? are y talking about, is dance music,, they had it in argentina and the next one is in bogota i think..
no bachata or regetton ,, even though i had to do visuals to all of that ill do visuals to salso and opera if you let me...

1

read and learn rei
http://www.intuitivemusic.com/content/view/1073/142/

[akira_k]

Originally posted by vjrei
Wow, I wouldn't wanted to... doing visuals for regeton, merengue, salsa, bachata and those kinds of music?
You like to talk out of your arse, don't you?

Get informed:
http://www.samc.net/

Maybe you only got 4 gigs in one year because you are not up to scratch in the competitive US market, with so much availability of really good VJs. People know teh drill and probably get bored of run-of-the-mill stuff so you got to get your shit together to stand out. How about thinking it that way?


To anyone else, forget about visuals having any sort of importance in the Southamerican Music Conference. Dunno how the Miami Music Conference is about visuals, but this one, well... the "VJ/s" played stuff like Underworld's Everything Everything, so you get the idea... :rolleyes.

[xiayu]

Yes, I agree. It's not that there's plenty of work here in the US, it's that there's too many aspiring artists. And a lot of them do nothing but plagiarize. An innovative artist shouldn't really have too much problem finding work. My company was most successful when we were excited to work with this, new to us, medium of video. I've gone rather downhill as of late because I no longer feel inspired an motivated, and along with that trend I've found it harder and harder to find work. Anyways that's way off topic, I need to simply get my shit together if I want to keep on doing this for a living. Moral is that in this line of work you can't just be doing the same thing over an over again like you would in a ordinary mundane job. You have to inovate.

[xiayu]

Originally posted by akira_k
like Underworld's Everything Everything.

You mean cowgirl?

[akira_k]

Originally posted by xiayu
You mean cowgirl?

No, I mean the Underworld DVD named Everything Everything (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004YZGT/qid=1112567425/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-1536297-8157403?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846)

[YEYE]

yeah but i think,, you have to make it notice..... if im in the south american, you have to make those people remember what they saw.. ..

give it a little time your creative will come back growling...

akira are you going to be there,, its in may in buenos aires right...

[akira_k]

Probably not, and it is unlikely that the SAMC wil be held here in May, since the previous one was advertised months before and we haven't heard a thing yet.

[ThoR]

October 14th-15th

check this (http://www.samc.net/home.php?language=en) link ;)

[akira_k]

Here I am posting a little update on the whole SAMC thing, if you are interested, this is a good read.

http://www.vjforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=13286