video

almost there, almost albatross

July 17, 2017

Friends, I hope this update finds you well!

Where am I, where are we? Well, in all honesty, I’m on a summer vacation on the croatian seaside. It’s really lovely out here – a lot of sun, lots of swimming in the (very warm and clear) sea, staying in the house very close to the beach but still near the tiny forest with many birds – kinda overwhelmingly idilic. And … I have brought work with me. That’s not a very smart move, but I really wanted to finish the Albatross project – the EP and the video. And it goes hand in hand with a really strong desire of mine to pick up on speed via patronage using Patreon. Thus, my days are a mixture of swimming time with our dog in the mornings and evenings – when the sun is not scorchingly hot, then cooking tasty veggies, sometimes mussels and fish for friends and family, and sifting through video material, corresponding via email with my little helpers like an illustrator from Pittsburg, a designer from Zagreb and a mastering engineer from Ljubljana, and, uh, writing Patreon updates. :)

So, developments since last week:

Masters are done! Igor (good friend and awesome sound engineer and producer also known as BeatMyth) has uploaded finished mastered tracks and they sound great! At least on my poor old hi-fi here and a phone sound-box. I will be uploading them to Bandcamp tonight and he will prepare the CD-master which will go in duplication into a small run of about 50 CDRs.

I’m also at the end of (remote) creative process with the illustrator who is working on cover art. Our Kamizdat designer Tina Ivezić is ready (also in her summer [working] residency on the, yes, you guessed it, Croatian seaside!) to transform the illustration into finished design for the webcover and CD packaging.

I think the packaging if the CDR will be something special. It’s basicaly a simple wrap of the CD into a piece of a harder paper, but it’s done in a slightly more clever and rarely-seen way. Just wait for it.

And then the video, oh, the video! I’m so slow with getting it done, but it’s getting there. It’s getting there! I’m now on the crossroads to decide to edit it onto a faster, uptempo, longer and repetitive track (that was the idea until now), or on top of a shorter, but emotional and more dynamic one (seems like a better idea now). And this has to be finished very soon. It will be finished soon! Keep fingers crossed for me. :) You can see a short excerpt with very raw editing here above!

Until next week, which will be final update before the release and quite surely packed with some early access goodies!

Thank you for your support, friends & patrons!

BTW you do know that you can login into Patreon and like and comment on these updates? And you do know that you can also be notified and like and comment via Patreon mobile app without logins, do you?

jpeg-LS glitching with FFmpeg

October 26, 2016

In an older version of FFmpeg it was possible to glitch the image with JPEG-LS codec. Newer versions of FFmpeg don’t work anymore in this way, so one must download an old version and compile it (keep it local) – here 2.0.7 is used.

This script takes a video file as an argument, extracts frames, glitches them, and gathers frames back into a video file.

#!/bin/bash

# jpeg-LS glitcher by nova@deviator.si http://deviator.si

# check existence of input argument
# the $# variable will tell you the
# number of input arguments the script was passed. 
if [ $# -eq 0 ]
  then
    echo "Error. No arguments supplied. Please define a video"
    exit 1
fi

# does the movie file actually exist?
if [ ! -f $1 ]; then
    echo "Error. File not found!"
    exit 1
fi

# get this session's "ID"
SID=`date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S`

# jpegls glitch needs an older ffmpeg 
FFMPEG=/home/random/src/ffmpeg/ffmpeg-2.0.7/ffmpeg

# create folder for this session
DIR=jpegls_$SID
echo "+++ creating folder $DIR ..."
mkdir $DIR

# create tmp folder
echo "+++ creating folder $DIR/tmp/ ..."
mkdir $DIR/tmp/

echo "+++ extracting all frames as images..."
echo
echo "----------------------------------------------------------"
echo
ffmpeg -loglevel 16 -i $1 $DIR/tmp/frame%5d.jpg

echo 
echo "----------------------------------------------------------"
echo "+++ processing each image..."

for i in $DIR/tmp/*.jpg
do
    
    echo "processing $i "
    $FFMPEG -loglevel 16 -i $i -pred 80 -c:v jpegls $i.jpgls.jpg
    ffmpeg -loglevel 16 -i $i.jpgls.jpg -c:v png $i.png
    
done

echo
echo "----------------------------------------------------------"
echo "+++ putting frames back into a movie ... "
ffmpeg -loglevel 16 -i $DIR/tmp/frame%5d.jpg.png $DIR/$SID.$1

echo
echo "+++ removing temporary folder ..."
rm -rf $DIR/tmp/

echo "\n--- end of the program. "

#!/bin/bash

# jpeg-LS glitcher by nova@deviator.si http://deviator.si

# check existence of input argument

# the $# variable will tell you the

# number of input arguments the script was passed.

if [ $# -eq 0 ]

then

echo "Error. No arguments supplied. Please define a video"

exit 1

# does the movie file actually exist?

if [ ! -f $1 ]; then

echo "Error. File not found!"

exit 1

# get this session's "ID"

SID=`date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S`

# jpegls glitch needs an older ffmpeg

FFMPEG=/home/random/src/ffmpeg/ffmpeg-2.0.7/ffmpeg

# create folder for this session

DIR=jpegls_$SID

echo "+++ creating folder $DIR ..."

mkdir $DIR

# create tmp folder

echo "+++ creating folder $DIR/tmp/ ..."

mkdir $DIR/tmp/

echo "+++ extracting all frames as images..."

echo

echo "----------------------------------------------------------"

echo

ffmpeg -loglevel 16 -i $1 $DIR/tmp/frame%5d.jpg

echo

echo "----------------------------------------------------------"

echo "+++ processing each image..."

for i in $DIR/tmp/*.jpg

echo "processing $i "

$FFMPEG -loglevel 16 -i $i -pred 80 -c:v jpegls $i.jpgls.jpg

ffmpeg -loglevel 16 -i $i.jpgls.jpg -c:v png $i.png

done

echo

echo "----------------------------------------------------------"

echo "+++ putting frames back into a movie ... "

ffmpeg -loglevel 16 -i $DIR/tmp/frame%5d.jpg.png $DIR/$SID.$1

echo

echo "+++ removing temporary folder ..."

rm -rf $DIR/tmp/

echo "\n--- end of the program. "

The Making of Turns Me On video and EP

September 7, 2016

The writing below used to be a synopsis for a some kind of vlog progress report about how the Turns Me On video was made. To be honest, I recorded the talk but didn’t like it, but since it actually detailed in a brief way the process I converted it into a blog post.

The idea of this post is to give a peek at the behind the scenes ideas and mechanics that lead to the way the Turns Me On video turned out.

At the initial brainstorming the basic problem in that early stage seemed to be this question: does a video for a track about sexual excitement really needs hypersexualized images of women in any way? I really wanted to turn this stereotype on its head somehow and first had the idea to go to clothes shops with a friend, a young male actor, and take skirts, high heels, sexy tights and other women’s clothes, go to changing rooms and have another friend shoot him trying things on. But I was already getting late with finishing the main track, not to mention I wanted to make remixes and so on. So the video was on hold all this time as I was working on music and I felt I need a more flexible plan. And, you know, the need for flexibilty usually translates into kinda do-it-yourself quick guerilla work. At least with me.

Continue reading →

Turns Me On EP

August 7, 2016

The intro does not leave you hanging: here comes an electro beat, lined with a relentless bassline and supported by a mix-up of samples from a well-known house track and a rhythmic litany by a male voice.

The title track has no refrain, no breakdown, just two long verses that keep on going and going. At first, the lyrics seem to be about those almost “stereotypically sexy” female adornments. The assumption that they are exclaimed with possible sexual aims is soon affirmed, but the lyrics of the second part of the track subverts the arousing into other daily phenomena not so typical of sexual hints.

My desire to talk about a fairly contemporary state of male sexuality – some kind of media programming of a “reptilian” part of the male brain to be sexually triggered with an image – is not so new. Subjective history takes me back to the solo performance called “fiberoptikal” where I wrote a song with verses: “frozen little images / are blocking my sight / making me uptight / they’re like bondage rope”, referring to the sexualized images of female body, including arousing erotic lingerie, specific body parts and their shapes, nail polish, makeup, high heels, specific body poses and movements etc. It was further developed in the performance “Frozen Images” by Wanda & Nova deViator (with Maja Delak), but didn’t make it onto our debut album “Pacification”, so only those that attended the “Frozen Images” concert performance(s) might know about it.

On the other hand, Emanat institute started to develop a new type of feminist and movement-centered burlesque performance. Informed by remix+edit appropriations via electronic dance music and contemporary technological development it was called “Image Snatchers”, a techno-burlesque. In autumn 2014 a workshop with the great performer Ursula Martinez took place, thanks to collaboration with the Ljubljana’s festival City of Women, where the seeds of another take on ‘programming of the male mind’ were planted: a burlesque number called “Turns Me On”. While researching for that piece I subjectively gravitated to a bit of personal history, a popular early house track with a moaning female voice, in my current view another example of voiced embodiment of hyper-sexualized desire, sonic enactment of submission and objectification, in a retrospect a metaphor of manipulation for profit and greed by white male capitalist.

While risking consequences of copyright infringement and a fall to a bootleg obscurity the reference to French Kiss by legendary Lil’ Louis is kept in the clear ear-view – on purpose. It should come as obvious within the context explained above, that this is a quotation, a reference to ponder about and critically reflect the contemporary exploitation of our bodies via frozen, arrested two-dimensional (sound-)images which make us turned on, to which we masturbate, to which we may climax.

Dedicated to all who suffer from erectile dysfunction.

video

playlist

stream/download at Bandcamp:
<a href="http://novadeviator.bandcamp.com/album/turns-me-on-ep">Turns Me On EP by Nova deViator</a>

credits

released August 15, 2016

written, produced and mixed by Nova deViator
vocals by Crucial Pink
mastering by Fred Miller
media & technical support: Radio Študent, Ljubljana

financial support by Emanat Institute and Patreon supporters patreon.com/novadeviator

Thanks to The Feminalz – the legendary Image Snatchers troupe, Emanat, Klub Gromka and Ursula Martinez

Shout-out to Renoise, Processing, SuperCollider, Ardour and Linux Audio communities

available also via Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon, Rdio, Deezer, Tidal, Microsoft Groove, MediaNet

soundcloud

local data

Turns Me On (Image Snatchers' Original Kiss)

Turns Me On (Maithuna Remix)

Turns Me On (Dark Playground Remix)

Turns Me On (Electro Instrumental Edit)

timelapse aka speeding up with ffmpeg

May 9, 2016

These days I’m recording my work in the studio using a timelapse function in my Panasonic TM700 HD camera. So it happened that I forgot to turn on the the function (needs to be turned on everytime you start recording) which usually records one frame every 10 seconds, so I ended up with a “normal” recording and wanted to convert that to what camera usually does. Ffmpeg to the rescue! To do some frame manipulation a video filter “setpts” is what one needs. Gathering knowledge online with help of two pages:

http://blog.grio.com/2012/01/fast-and-slow-motion-video-with-ffmpeg.html
https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/How to speed up / slow down a video

So, supposedly, the right way to change video speed using ffmpeg is by adjusting the “presentation time stamp” (PTS). This adjusts frames’ metadata related to how long each is displayed—exactly what you want.

this is the crucial piece of code that needs to be passed to ffmpeg:
-filter:v "setpts=2.0*PTS"

Or a more practical example using fraction – if original framerate is 25 frames per second I only need evert 250th one:
$ ffmpeg -i INPUTFILE.mkv -filter:v "setpts=(1/250)*PTS" OUTPUTFILE.mkv

My final conversion was from full-HD .mts to 720p .webm and to mp4:
$ ffmpeg -i INPUT.mts -filter:v "setpts=(1/250)*PTS" -s 1280x720 -c:v libvpx -crf 5 -b:v 8M -an OUTPUT.webm $ ffmpeg -i INPUT.mts -filter:v "setpts=(1/250)*PTS" -s 1280x720 -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 10 -an OUTPUT.mp4

studio video diary timelapse 8. May, 2016

May 9, 2016

A simple timelapse from yesterday’s work. It didn’t went smoothly, so you can see some Renoise audio work (Turns Me On alternative dub edit) but also other posting, mobile checking and typing stuff. What’s nice is the attached wide-angle lens which comes from an old DV cam and is taped on my Panasonic TM700 HD cam.

Sally Golding and Spatial: Breaching Transmissions

March 11, 2016

Processing: slice and blend

July 13, 2015

Here’s a little sketch in Processing that does the following: loads an image, takes a horizontal and vertical 1px slice, multiplies each slice into an image off-screen, and blends the two images together and displays the original and blended one side by side. Each frame this is calculated dynamicaly, the slices are determined by the position of the mouse.

Note: the image must be in the folder where your sketch is saved and it must be in dimension of 300×300 pixels.

I still need to test this in a fullHD/1080p situation. I wonder if the CPU can take it at 60 frames per second. I actually suspect not. So many pixels and not on the GPU.

/*
 * code by nova@deviator.si
 */

PImage slices1;
PGraphics slices2;
PGraphics slices3;

void setup () {
  size(600, 300);

  // load an image (should be inside the sketch forlder)
  slices1 = loadImage("storr1.jpg"); 
  slices2 = createGraphics(300, 300);
  slices3 = createGraphics(300, 300);  
}

void draw() {

  // get mouse data
  int my = constrain(mouseY, 0, 299);
  int mx = constrain(mouseX, 0, 299);

  // get slices from original image and draw two images off-screen
  slices1.loadPixels();
  for (int x = 0; x < 300; x++) {

    // get color/pixels data
    color cx = slices1.pixels[my * 300 + x];
    color cy = slices1.pixels[x * 300 + mx];

    // draw first image of slices off-screen
    slices2.beginDraw();
    slices2.stroke(cx);
    slices2.line(x, 0, x, 300);
    slices2.endDraw();

    // draw second image of slices off-screen
    slices3.beginDraw();
    slices3.stroke(cy);
    slices3.line(0, x, 300, x);
    slices3.endDraw();
  }
  slices1.updatePixels();

  // display original image
  image(slices1, 0, 0); 

  // draw transparent lines where the slices are taken
  stroke(255, 30); 
  line(mx,0,mx,300);
  stroke(255, 30);
  line(0, my, 300, my);

  // blend the hor+ver images and display
  // see http://processing.org/reference/blend_.html
  // for more ways how to blend two images
  slices3.blend(slices2, 0, 0, 300, 300, 0, 0, 300, 300, OVERLAY);	
  image(slices3, 300,0);
	
}

* code by nova@deviator.si

PImage slices1;

PGraphics slices2;

PGraphics slices3;

void setup () {

size(600, 300);

// load an image (should be inside the sketch forlder)

slices1 = loadImage("storr1.jpg");

slices2 = createGraphics(300, 300);

slices3 = createGraphics(300, 300);

}

void draw() {

// get mouse data

int my = constrain(mouseY, 0, 299);

int mx = constrain(mouseX, 0, 299);

// get slices from original image and draw two images off-screen

slices1.loadPixels();

for (int x = 0; x < 300; x++) {

// get color/pixels data

color cx = slices1.pixels[my * 300 + x];

color cy = slices1.pixels[x * 300 + mx];

// draw first image of slices off-screen

slices2.beginDraw();

slices2.stroke(cx);

slices2.line(x, 0, x, 300);

slices2.endDraw();

// draw second image of slices off-screen

slices3.beginDraw();

slices3.stroke(cy);

slices3.line(0, x, 300, x);

slices3.endDraw();

}

slices1.updatePixels();

// display original image

image(slices1, 0, 0);

// draw transparent lines where the slices are taken

stroke(255, 30);

line(mx,0,mx,300);

stroke(255, 30);

line(0, my, 300, my);

// blend the hor+ver images and display

// see http://processing.org/reference/blend_.html

// for more ways how to blend two images

slices3.blend(slices2, 0, 0, 300, 300, 0, 0, 300, 300, OVERLAY);

image(slices3, 300,0);

}

Metal processing sketch, 140610

June 10, 2014

Current state of Processing sketch for my AV performance “Interface fractures II: Metal”

Continue reading →

avconv: replace audio

January 30, 2014

How to easily replace (faulty/wrong) audio in an video file without re-encoding the whole video? Using “copy” codec for video and -map option to use new audio:

avconv -i VIDEOwithAUDIO.mp4 -i AUDIO.wav \
       -c:v copy -map 0:0 -map 1:0 \
       -c:a libvo_aacenc -b:a 320k -ar 48000 -async 48000 \
       VIDEOwithNEWaudio.mp4

avconv -i VIDEOwithAUDIO.mp4 -i AUDIO.wav \

-c:v copy -map 0:0 -map 1:0 \

-c:a libvo_aacenc -b:a 320k -ar 48000 -async 48000 \

VIDEOwithNEWaudio.mp4

Holly Herndon – Chorus [Official Video] on Vimeo

January 24, 2014

Holly Herndon – Chorus [Official Video] on Vimeo on Vimeo

via Holly Herndon – Chorus [Official Video] on Vimeo.

resistance VJ

January 25, 2012

fast-building a VJ tool in Pure Data & GEM.

sound, noise, music & new media

video

almost there, almost albatross

jpeg-LS glitching with FFmpeg

The Making of Turns Me On video and EP

Turns Me On EP

video

playlist

credits

soundcloud

local data

timelapse aka speeding up with ffmpeg

studio video diary timelapse 8. May, 2016

Sally Golding and Spatial: Breaching Transmissions

Processing: slice and blend

Metal processing sketch, 140610

avconv: replace audio

Holly Herndon – Chorus [Official Video] on Vimeo

resistance VJ

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