VJ Show Impression
In this VJ set for the live performance of the song “The Set Up” from 1980, the VJ uses short flashing sequences that alternate between a person and a vampire, visually echoing the song’s underlying tension and sense of entrapment introduced earlier. As the music gradually becomes darker and more vampiric, the Vampire in the VJ set seems to be getting closer to the human, increasing the sense of imminent danger, as if the “set up” is reaching its inevitable conclusion.
The choice of colors for the sequences is made deliberately: black and white to create that old-school vampire movie style, a cold blue tone for the vampire sequences, and sometimes yellow/orange or red for the sequences that include the human, creating a visual contrast that reinforces the narrative. This hints at the coldness of the vampiric creature, that it is undead, and in contrast, the human’s body is flowing with warm blood, making the image resemble a heat camera, further intensifying the sense of vulnerability and exposure introduced in the song’s atmosphere.
In combination with the music and light show (also without), this VJ set tells a story, going through the exposition, a climax and finally the resolution, seamlessly translating the sonic narrative into a visual one. This is the kind of artistic expression that I aim to go for as well, where sound and image are not separate elements but parts of one cohesive storytelling system. Therefore, the evening was highly inspiring and moreover, it made it seem so much more tangible and accessible, bridging the gap between conceptual idea and practical execution. I already had these ideas to make VJ sets with typical movie structures in mind within the production process, but now it is no longer just an idea in my head, but a concrete direction for future work. I know that it is achievable and that the idea can tell a good story at a music event.
After the show, I was so inspired that I went up to the VJ and had a talk with him about his performance that night. He was extremely kind and eager to show me his tools that he used and recommended me some software and websites for VJs. This also gives me a positive feeling for VJing as the community is very open and shares tools, software and many visuals for others to use and have fun with.
As Markus Zimmermann always said in class: go and meet your heroes.
