An installation and performance collaboration between French VJ Le Branchu (Manuel Raynaud of ethnocif collective) and musician Marie Frier. (LES OCCASIONS) is an interesting take on documentary filmmaking, which also shows off some of the unique qualities of the VJX16-4 to great effect.

(LES OCCASIONS) from PIXELS Transversaux on Vimeo.

Vince from Vixid was kind enough to translate the vimeo description into English:

(LES OCCASIONS) installation and live performance by Manuel Reynaud (aka VJ Le Branchu, ethnocif collective) accompanied by Marie Frier who plays accordion and electronic instruments.
With this audiovisual performance, I try to reach a documentary form, to show (some of) our world. During one year, I follow the everyday life of a flea market, this almost autonomous space-time continuum, on the edges of our consumer and waste society. This periodic patch where social diversity still exists, is a favorable place for the documentary movie sensible to “l’être au monde”, as the works of Raymond Depardon or Nicolas Philibert.

This place is also rich in formal beauty, shapes and colors of bric-a-brac, and VJing can handle this diverse visual stimuli. In one year, I formed a large multimedia bank in collaboration with fellows’ cameramen, soundmen, photographers, draftsmen, and musicians. I mix these various media live on a three screen setup, where various looks coexist, from political to enchanted/wonderful one. A dive into our collective memory, of which old artefacts are the holders. A pop up of our childhood where the most valuable treasures hid themselves in the everyday life.

This performance was presented at Le Pôle Transversal, an artist residency which produces public performances and releases these as the DVD series “VisionSonic” (LES OCCASIONS) appears on VisionSonic 2.

Technically, this is a fascinating performance. The core is comprised of 3 synchronized DVDs, which are edited and routed live during the performance. The DVDs include the edited documentary, along with further interviews, additional camera angles etc.

Manuel is also using CDM favorite NLE Vegas as a live performance tool, as well as an interesting combination of hardware to give him lots of options for the show:

There is also a laptop with Vegas video, that is used as a VJ software. There are different types of videos on this laptop:
- close shots (objects exchanges, faces, eyes)
- abstract shots (matters, textures)
- photos
Vegas is used because it can handle AV sequences, and the loops’ length can be easily changed.

There also 2 AV players (hard drive based) and a portable AV player (Archos). They contains rushes of the flea market shooting. They are in “random play” mode, to force the artist to find differents combinations for each performances. They are not used systematically. If the feeling is good during a performance, the performance is extended with a improvisation using these rushes and the laptop (the main DVDs are paused).

Altogether, there is: 3 DVDs players, 1 laptop, 2 multimedia players, 1 portable player, 3 mini cams. Most of these sources are duplicated on different tracks, so as to be available at any time.

There are preview screens on the multimedia players, and the artists knows the DVD by heart, so there are no preview screen connected to the mixer.

This combination of hardware and software gives great mix of capabilities for just about any kind of performance, and we’ve already investigated the possibilities for advanced live video manipulation when given a VJX, multiple screens, and inputs duplicated across multiple tracks.

There is a narrative frame part which is “planned”, in order to tell (almost) the same story each time (which forms the documentary aspect of the performance), with improvised parts.

Lastly, there is an “concrete” electronic and acoustical music / video part, in the middle of the performance. There is a table near the musician, where she plays with an old music box (found in the flea market). The is 3 mini cameras to shoot her interventions.
(This part is not played each time)

Marie Frier, the musician, knows the 3 DVDs very well. She composed a music that she uses for each perfomance (electronic instruments + accordion + music box), but she also improvises. Manuel and Marie are close together during the performance, and they exchange ideas during the performance (via looks and talks)

The photos may look like a “traditional” AV performance, but the combination of this very human subject matter, coupled with the ability to show alternate angles, cuts and extras brings a real intimacy to this performance.