UKF FUTURE VISION presents NOAH B x CURSOR
What was the brief and where did it come from?
UKF provided some clear but unrestrictive visual guidelines: "Playing on the idea of
continuity and the infinite possibilities for artists, using repetitive geometric circular
design that almost gives the appearance of an optical illusion, the Future Vision design
and core visual focus will use these visual motifs to align itself with the core value of
the brand, the continuous journey, growth and infinite possibilities."
continuity and the infinite possibilities for artists, using repetitive geometric circular
design that almost gives the appearance of an optical illusion, the Future Vision design
and core visual focus will use these visual motifs to align itself with the core value of
the brand, the continuous journey, growth and infinite possibilities."
I was lucky with the music for this as Noah B's mix took many twists and turns and yet
had a continuous atmospheric moodiness about it, more like something you'd expect
at a gig than an hour of drum-n-bass. Not that there is anything wrong with that! -
But, in keeping with the brief of 'continuity and the infinite' I set out to use just a few
major looks, and focus more on how far I could take each one.
had a continuous atmospheric moodiness about it, more like something you'd expect
at a gig than an hour of drum-n-bass. Not that there is anything wrong with that! -
But, in keeping with the brief of 'continuity and the infinite' I set out to use just a few
major looks, and focus more on how far I could take each one.
What was your vision?
There was an inherent moodiness in the set and that lead the overall look towards
something slightly cosmic but also geometric, perhaps a micro world as much as the
vastness of space. I felt like the scenes I had brought together all had distinct scales to
them, one being quite macroscopic, another seeming more vast and another at more
real-world scale, so I ordered them in that sequence to bring us a to a sense of
conclusion. The structure of music lead the main direction of what happens in the
scenes.
something slightly cosmic but also geometric, perhaps a micro world as much as the
vastness of space. I felt like the scenes I had brought together all had distinct scales to
them, one being quite macroscopic, another seeming more vast and another at more
real-world scale, so I ordered them in that sequence to bring us a to a sense of
conclusion. The structure of music lead the main direction of what happens in the
scenes.
I knew from the outset that I wanted to build and record the entire set in Notch,
working within a real-time environment whilst also benefiting from recorded MIDI
inputs meant I could take my time layering up lots of interactions without loosing
track of a live VJ'd feel. Part of me wanted to be purist about recording the entire
thing in a single take, but actually the fact that it was a recorded real-time project
was something worth taking advantage of. I brought together 4 or 5 Notch scenes I
already had in-progress and expanded on them to fit the atmospheres and energy in
the audio. The Orb that occupies much of the first 25 minutes for example, had around
10 -12 values controlled by MIDI, after finding the patterns I liked for the main
elements such as emitter size, particle simulation speed (via the Time Stretch Node).
working within a real-time environment whilst also benefiting from recorded MIDI
inputs meant I could take my time layering up lots of interactions without loosing
track of a live VJ'd feel. Part of me wanted to be purist about recording the entire
thing in a single take, but actually the fact that it was a recorded real-time project
was something worth taking advantage of. I brought together 4 or 5 Notch scenes I
already had in-progress and expanded on them to fit the atmospheres and energy in
the audio. The Orb that occupies much of the first 25 minutes for example, had around
10 -12 values controlled by MIDI, after finding the patterns I liked for the main
elements such as emitter size, particle simulation speed (via the Time Stretch Node).
What was the workflow?
I worked on the main visuals first and left the DJ layer till last, after making sure each
scene was set up with a few continuous animated values I would jump in and out
different parts of the DJ set and see how manually changing values across the scene
would work with the music. When I found things I liked I'd first connect up the
modifiers I needed with an Envelope modifier at the start of the chain, attach that to a
MIDI Input node and after having a few together keep practicing until I found patterns
I liked. It didn't need to be set in stone, just the right amount of visual change for me to
experiment with.
With the entire set split into 3 sections I then recorded 5-6 takes of each, with each
'take' meaning I recorded the MIDI Input Node values of 2 or 3 inputs at a time. I'd
look for the main patterns and structures in the music first, big hits and changes in
mood, the most noticeable melodies etc. and then progressively move to more sparse
accents.
In addition to the initial brief, I wanted to bring the visuals and the DJ together
through the use of some subtle(-ish) post-FX and colour grading. In the end I also
made a customised feathered matte which allowed the visuals to bleed around the
decks and Noah, blending in at the edges. It was interesting to see how the move away
from what is possible in the real world [in-so-far as what you can do to the actual DJ
apart from lighting them] arrived a point that was perhaps more akin to the real thing
through feeling like a singular integrated experience.
scene was set up with a few continuous animated values I would jump in and out
different parts of the DJ set and see how manually changing values across the scene
would work with the music. When I found things I liked I'd first connect up the
modifiers I needed with an Envelope modifier at the start of the chain, attach that to a
MIDI Input node and after having a few together keep practicing until I found patterns
I liked. It didn't need to be set in stone, just the right amount of visual change for me to
experiment with.
With the entire set split into 3 sections I then recorded 5-6 takes of each, with each
'take' meaning I recorded the MIDI Input Node values of 2 or 3 inputs at a time. I'd
look for the main patterns and structures in the music first, big hits and changes in
mood, the most noticeable melodies etc. and then progressively move to more sparse
accents.
In addition to the initial brief, I wanted to bring the visuals and the DJ together
through the use of some subtle(-ish) post-FX and colour grading. In the end I also
made a customised feathered matte which allowed the visuals to bleed around the
decks and Noah, blending in at the edges. It was interesting to see how the move away
from what is possible in the real world [in-so-far as what you can do to the actual DJ
apart from lighting them] arrived a point that was perhaps more akin to the real thing
through feeling like a singular integrated experience.
What were there unique challenges Notch helped you overcome?
Working on complex 3D scenes with 2D Post-FX and the flexibility to apply your own
logical approach to how the scenes are navigated via controllers, all in real-time, is a
complete game changer. Instead of adapting the content to the limits of the VJ
software or the capacity of my CPU and GPU to render out image sequences to disk, I
was able to adapt the software to suit the way I like to make live visuals. There's a
logical approach to how the scenes are navigated via controllers, all in real-time, is a
complete game changer. Instead of adapting the content to the limits of the VJ
software or the capacity of my CPU and GPU to render out image sequences to disk, I
was able to adapt the software to suit the way I like to make live visuals. There's a
great community of Notch Artists, Designers and Developers out there also that are
always offering support if things aren't working as expected.
Also, in any format an hour of recorded motion graphics is a lot to deal with, if I had
taken a pre-rendered approach to the content I would have been dealing with
probably a week or more of just rendering before I could even begin designing the live
set and FX. The ability to take an idea from conception to final delivery, with all the
grading and additional post production included, meant I could spend more time
focussing on the finer details.
always offering support if things aren't working as expected.
Also, in any format an hour of recorded motion graphics is a lot to deal with, if I had
taken a pre-rendered approach to the content I would have been dealing with
probably a week or more of just rendering before I could even begin designing the live
set and FX. The ability to take an idea from conception to final delivery, with all the
grading and additional post production included, meant I could spend more time
focussing on the finer details.
What was the reaction to the finished product?
Yeah really good and I'm chuffed about that, the client ,UKF and the DJ, Noah B were
both really happy and there was some lovely feedback during the live stream. The
visuals themselves will continue to be developed and I'd like to release both a VJ Loops
pack and a set of Notch Blocks for those looking for a more bespoke performance
before the of summer 2022.
both really happy and there was some lovely feedback during the live stream. The
visuals themselves will continue to be developed and I'd like to release both a VJ Loops
pack and a set of Notch Blocks for those looking for a more bespoke performance
before the of summer 2022.
Client: UKF
Creative Direction: UKF and Cursor Video
Music: Noah B
Software: Notch and Premiere Pro
**The questions above were given to me for a showcase on the Notch website, which you can view here.
Click below for a playlist of short clips from the full hour, or choose the bottom video for the full length VJ and DJ set.
