Pink Performance Video Experiments: Blender Video Textures and Runway ML

 I missed the part of the Low Residency where Alex Schady invited everyone to make costumes out of pick card and stuff (I don't really know what stuff, it was pink). Various people then filmed everyone as they put them on and marched around, and Alex invited everyone to experiment with the footage. I wasn't really sure what to do with it, and I was worried about the amount of time it might taken when I am already struggling with the compulsion to make projects and also the need to write the research paper... However, I asked JK if I should 'just play' and he said something like 'absolutely' and somehow that freed me up to mess around.

I tried (and am finishing off) a couple of experiments. Firstly I tried some experiments with putting video into Blender scenes - this was a sort inspired in a typically Tathos-contrarian way by Alex's suggestion to put the video behind a real physical scene. Instead of putting the scene in the video, I put the video in the scene.... I tried putting some footage of poor Catherine onto a giant 'billboard':

It was a bit 'meh', but the way the light from the billboard illuminated the scene inspired me to try lighting up a scene using a moving billboard - this time floating from a derigable (sp?!):

The sequence ended up being quite long, so I'm still rendering it - a derrigible makes one pass to give you better visibility on what it is, then one passes next to the windows, filling the room with moving light.

I also tried a sequence where I reflect the video in a 'silvered' mask of my own shocked face:

Obviously this was inspired by the play of light from the video, plus the experiments I did before with a silvered version of my face.

Secondly I used something called Runway Video Editor to edit video sequences using ML prompts to change the background - this was less successful but still fun:

The Blender video experiments were really interesting and definitely helped me to overcome my worries about video. It got me really thinking about light and how to play with it. Unfortunately it also helped to highlight (yet again) how puny my laptop is for doing 3d work, but I feel a stubborn desire to work with the tool destiny has given me, not rush out and splash the cash that Carolyn and I worked so hard to save.