[past] Intro to Video Feedback with Cameras

MARCH-APRIL 2024

With Paloma Kop

PLEASE NOTE:

This is an online-only course with four meetings. Each session lasts about two hours. Individual sessions will be recorded and archived for later use, though this course is intended to be taken as a communal, real-time experience. Archived sessions are best used as a reference, not as replacement for live instruction.

Tickets

$150.00Add to cart

Please review all of the info before registering 🙂

NOTE: You must provide your own composite video equipment for this course, which you should obtain before the first class session. See below for details and contact us if you have any questions.

Schedule

Tuesdays 6:30-8:30pm – EASTERN USA TIME
(10:30pm-12:30am GMT)

March 12 – 6:30-8:30pm EDT
March 19 – 6:30-8:30pm EDT
March 26 – 6:30-8:30pm EDT
April 2 – 6:30-8:30pm EDT

MATERIALS

Students in this course must have their own materials in order to participate fully. A document containing the full details on what you’ll need, and where to find it, will be sent out to everyone who registers.

Materials needed:

A computer with a web browser installed
A microphone and a webcam so we can hear/see you in the virtual classroom
At least 1 video camera with composite output
At least 1 television/screen with composite input (this can be a CRT or LCD monitor)
Cables (and converters if needed) so that you can plug your camera into your screen

Optional but helpful:

Analog video processors, or analog video mixers with effects
Prisms, crystals, mirrors, or other reflective/refractive surfaces
An additional video camera, or a smartphone with a decent camera, for rescanning your output
Tripods and/or other things to position your camera(s), such as magic arms, gimball heads, and other repositionable mounts

Description

In this course, students will learn to create real-time visuals using camera feedback, and create recordings of the patterns they generate. We will each develop our own unique setup for generating video feedback patterns by pointing a video camera at a screen. While this method is simple at heart, it’s also very sensitive to small changes in conditions, and there are many factors that affect the resulting images, such as:

the position of the camera in relation to the screen
to the amount of ambient light in the room
the settings on both the camera and the screen
the specific model/type of both camera and screen

We will be working specifically with cameras and screens that support composite video, an analog video signal requiring just one simple cable (usually with either a yellow RCA or BNC connector).

Some prior experience in working with analog video signals is recommended for those who take this course, since you will need to provide and operate your own equipment. In an online course, there is a limit to how much tech support we can provide. However, there will be opportunities for troubleshooting guidance and Q&A during each class session.

Due to the nature of this medium, the resulting visual patterns we create will vary. Each student will have a chance to show their own setup and results so that we can all learn from each others’ experimentation!

About the Teacher

I’m Paloma Kop, a multimedia artist who has been working with video since 2008. I have worked extensively with video feedback in my own practice, as well as leading many in-person workshops through Phase Space and Phase Shift. This will be my first time teaching a class on this subject online, and I hope that it will help make this information more accessible to people in more areas where I haven’t taught in person.