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Re: Visuals in performance
Having dabbled in lights and projections for live music I have to jump
in here. I personally love to go to a show that has a good light show
simply for the fact that it makes for a far more satisfying sensorial
experience (for me at least). I can understand the whole 'let the music
stand on its own' kind of thing and the presence of bad visuals can
certainly be a distraction but I think a good light show with a
performance can take the whole thing to a much higher place.
The strangest experience I've had doing lights involved projecting
abstract films behind a band while they played. Keep in mind, this was
behind the band, they couldn't see this at all. There was one short
segment that dramatically changed the intensity and the quality of the
music (improv) when it came on. We only did this twice so no
statistical accuracy here, but both times, the performance changed
direction and got more intense for the duration of the film (and no the
audience didn't signal any kind of change either). At the end of the
clip, the band changed pace again and moved off in another direction.
It was very odd and very cool.
I think that a good visual presentation of any sort serves to engage
'more' of the audience's attention and this is I think, a good thing.
Sure, they may not be staring at your feet trying to make out what
pedals you're using, or what fret you're playing (sorry non-guitarists),
but I think that they are nonetheless 'engaged' in the performance in
ways that music alone may not match.
And no, I'm not saying I can't or don't enjoy music without anything to
look at. I frequently close my eyes at gigs to check that world out as
well. But, I have eyes that are capable of registering things that my
ears can't and I like to be open to a wider response to music than just
the sound alone. I wonder then, if I start spontaneously hallucinating
during a performance, does this mean I'm part of the "non-auditory
audience" since I had to work the visual thing in :-)
Kevin
jim palmer wrote:
>>>so why don't you just buy the video?
>>>
>>I like improvisation, and I like something real.
>>
>>me too. note: nothing visual required for either...
>>