Ultimate Guide to Annoying A VJ: 10 Simple Steps | VJ Tutorial

Learn 10 of the best ways to annoy your VJ! Guaranteed to work instantly.
Also learn how to NOT do these things, and have a better relationship with your VJ. Includes tips for VJs on how to better deal with these common inconveniences.
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[@SeanBowes]

What are your BEST ways to annoy a VJ? Let us know :)

[@jimkincaidz]

I do a lot of installations along with running the visuals. A somewhat common pain point for me is when the client doesn't communicate their vision well enough. I'll do my best to understand and relay that understanding but when they are unhappy with the final result after all that I'm at a loss. I've managed this better by using estimates outlining what I will provide and require approval before I commit to the event or date. Quickbooks and Zoho Invoices (free) support client approvals

[@benjamincherix8105]

Commenting in his video comments to inform him of an email I've sent over 😅🙏🏼🔥

[@davidr7997]

when youre doing a gig for a venue and the artist get all happy thinking that last minute jpegs texted to you will work,,,

[@SeanBowes]

🤣@@davidr7997

[@malkomalkavian]

Pulling the cable out

[@Shorties252]

One of my big pet peeves when an audience member comes up to try to request a track. And I have to explain that I am the VJ not the DJ, sometimes then they ask me to ask the DJ for them 'Don't you have a way to communicate with them? ', Person, half the time I haven't even met the DJ.

[@SeanBowes]

haha thats a great one! Used to get that all the time. I liked to say "I cant do that, but you can request a color if you want!"

[@Stoney3K]

@@SeanBowesLighting guy here: Yup. "I don't have that track, but here is some blue!"

[@BrendanFitzGerald309]

The airdropped 240p logo's is ridiculously relatable. It grinds my gears

[@SeanBowes]

😂

[@ronaldraygunpew]

Just found your channel. As a VJ about a year in, I appreciate your content!

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks Ronald! Welcome. Drop questions or suggestions in the comments, and good luck out there!

[@cecens98]

I love your content. You're the Godfather of VJING content on KZbin. Keep putting in that good work.

[@SeanBowes]

Appreciate the love! Glad you’re enjoying the content. If there are any topics you want me to cover or questions you have leave a comment and I’ll do my best🤘

[@cecens98]

@@SeanBowes would it be please possible to breakdown how to set up a midi controller and the rest of the equipment for your first gig when you pull up to the small club or private party event. So that everything would be ready to play your visuals. Thanks!

[@SeanBowes]

great idea thank you

[@WarpVisuals]

This has been my last 2 weekends, and its gonna be similar this weekend too, someone is getting this video in an email soon. ❣️🙏

[@SeanBowes]

hahaha send it! these all need to stop

[@HexadecibalVJ]

Preach it my brother in pixels! I do a lot of projection mapping and such and it always kinda amuses me when someone gets all upset about the brightness of the projector. Won't name names but for real some of your favorite producers have maybe not the best understanding of particle physics. No I can't mask you. For one you move, and two that's not how light works. I literally can't. Just don't look right into it. One person, the keyboardist in a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band, who was set up DIRECTLY in the throw of the projector. Over sixty thousand lumens of light just blasting him square in the face from like fifteen feet away. My dude just whips out his sunglasses and doesn't give a fuck. "That's why I bring these" 😎

[@SeanBowes]

Haha I used to get that one all the time too when I was doing more projection gigs. Guy with the shades is a veteran of the game for sure

[@DjChyki]

Great video like always !!!

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks!

[@tghh0214]

Great vid - well said.

[@SeanBowes]

thanks! glad you dig it

[@nicocalavera7962]

For the crowd: we do not charge cell phones. Thnx

[@SeanBowes]

Also not a coat check!

[@WillWeinsoff]

Also for the crowd if you come over and offer a drink to the DJ, and I’m VJing right next to him, and he declines the drink, I’m standing right there, and you can bet no one offered me a drink yet…

[@terryriley6410]

​@@WillWeinsoffYou standing next to the DJ wth?

[@vjchatgpt]

Yeah the hour long mix I understand because there are not the best experienced visual artist. But still really grinds my gears ⚙️

[@SeanBowes]

the gears really do be grindin

[@RealKCray]

Everyone should have Max Drive 10. So worth the $20

[@SeanBowes]

Definitely agree!

[@jimkincaidz]

*$50 but yes!

[@RealKCray]

@@jimkincaidz that’s how long ago I bought it lol😂 inflation

[@jimkincaidz]

@@RealKCray lol dang it!

[@040981ale]

Incredible video, tutorial for producers!

[@SeanBowes]

thanks!

[@zantaafio]

And be aware that if you leave the fog machine on all night, there will be... fog in the room - you know, that opaque thing through which light doesn't travel. (then pay me and let me go home, I don't need to stay until 7am if no one can see the screen)

[@SeanBowes]

🤣 love it

[@wlow_music]

So helpful thank you, i wanna create visuals for myself but i wanna make sure to do it right!

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks for watching! Glad you found it helpful

[@jihadnasrallah1240]

Bro had enough lol hahaha

[@SeanBowes]

Driving me nuts lol

[@juicewon]

preach!

[@SeanBowes]

🙌

[@MikeEstacio]

Sean Bowes doing god’s work here. I’m starting to get more and more logos formatted as PDF. Also when I make content for artists with their logo baked into it, I usually draw a square in the center of the frame with my guides and use that as my “title safe” area. The majority of upstage walls don’t usually go smaller than a square so this helps logos from being cropped on about 90% of stage setups.

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks Mike! Great tips for the safe area. I find that usually works too if its gotta be on top. PDF is also annoying, I usually open those up in Illustrator and save a transparent PNG real quick.

[@pro-storm4951]

I ask DJ's to keep all their content on a separate thumb drive MP4/DXV3/PNGs as well as get them to email them all through since i don't always have access to internet on the road or event site.

[@SeanBowes]

Definitely. Always good to have options for format and delivery method.

[@razyelPKTM]

one milion % true

[@WillWeinsoff]

I may make this my orientation video for all future clients lol.

[@SeanBowes]

LOL i approve

[@Andyanddiana467]

Last minute content that I have to DOWNLOAD myself, that isn't formatted properly - ugh.

[@SeanBowes]

Every time lol

[@gnarland]

The backseat driver is the worstttttttt

[@SeanBowes]

Definitely. Tell em to watch a Sean Bowes video and learn to VJ themselves lol

[@Stoney3K]

My pet peeve: Sending DRM protected content. The fact that it plays on YOUR system doesn't mean it runs fine on the show rig. Number 2: Sending content in wacky aspect ratios and then complaining that the stuff doesn't fit on the entire screen.

[@SeanBowes]

Truth!

[@ataberkycl]

I was at a gig last summer and the singer’s manager gave me a 10 hours loop of a 30 seconds video clip 🤦🤦

[@SeanBowes]

10 Hours is insanity LOL definitely win the longest loop award for that one

[@ks0484]

Some managers are just dumb 😂😂😂😂

[@luigigallo6435]

can u make some tutorial on resolume wire?

[@izcorn2396]

if you can't format your hard drive on a mac, is there an alternative for the windows macdrive you talked about ?

[@SeanBowes]

Mac should be able to read windows NTFS drives just fine if you have a relatively recent OS, it just cant write to them. Programs like NTFS For Mac allow writing to NTFS drives.

[@jimkincaidz]

Nailed it! 😂

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks Jim, glad you liked it haha

[@jimkincaidz]

@@SeanBowes I literally just dealt with this on Saturday night. The 3 hr event starts and 15 minutes in somebody says "can I email you a video to add?" Luckily it was Dropbox and a reasonable size and format. Also, Alley's rebuild is lightning fast so that's making these situations much more tolerable

[@SeanBowes]

Every time! lol. Way to roll with it and make it work. Part of the job, but its fun to commiserate sometimes haha

[@jimkincaidz]

I just emailed Resolume with the feature request for Alley on mobile just for this lol

[@ataberkycl]

@@jimkincaidz it would be awesome

[@tomuncommon4282]

Just learning about all this and it's really helpful. Do VJs prefer MP4 or DXV3? What's the ideal length for a VJ clip?

[@SeanBowes]

Great questions. Different file types have their pros and cons. DXV3 is great if they use resolume. But the files can be large. Mp4 files are small and can be converted to dxv, but can have compression artifacts and don’t support alpha transparency. ProRes or hap are other alternatives. They are high quality and can be converted or used by lots of common software, and can support alpha, but can also be large file sizes. Length also varies. Depends on what bpm you’re animating for. Most people who make stock content tend to make it at 120bpm because that converts easily to seconds and is slower than most music so it can be sped up as needed. I like to make clips in musical lengths. 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 seconds or beats at 120bpm unless I’m making it for something specific

[@ZunayedSabbirAhmed]

haha nice humorous video this time. i totally get what makes you so mad that you had to make a video on it, haha. industry and dealing is little common, but more different in our geographic location. but yes, somehow every country has some artist, who carries low res yet long videos with logo baked, and send manager right before hitting stage. cz "its that simple" 😠....

[@SeanBowes]

haha yeah just having some fun with this one. Glad some of them are relatable!

[@mcdaniels6188]

If I've never met you, and it's not obvious who you are relative to the show, introduce yourself so I know you have the authority to ask me to make changes.

[@SeanBowes]

Great point. So many people just run up on you in front of house making demands without making it clear that they have the credentials to do so. Take a beat to introduce yourself, what you need, and why

[@ks0484]

you don't want to know how many people ask if I want to play a song they want to hear.... what is the DJ for then 😂😂😂😂

[@SeanBowes]

Definitely have a whole list for the audience as well. I am not the DJ I am not the lighting guy Also not the sound guy I am not the coat check either I am not a phone charging station Don’t put your drink there

[@carebea35re]

Hey Sean just a quick question, any tips on how to approach house lighting guys? It's always awkward pulling up with bands sometimes and them not making the house light guy aware Im going to be doing a vj set with a projector so when I ask to dim the lights or have them turned off in some cases they get really annoyed. thanks so much for doing what you do I've really learned a lot from all of your vids

[@SeanBowes]

If you don’t have one already, some sort of advance document is helpful. Let’s the venue know ahead of time all of your technical needs, personnel, and plans for the show so they can be prepared and know what to expect or flag any issues early. Hopefully that helps avoid surprising them with your presence As far as approaching them in person, I’m also super awkward lol. But generally being kind and understanding of small issues helps. House gigs can get monotonous and they have to deal with a lot of attitudes, so being easygoing makes everyone’s life a little easier.

[@carebea35re]

@@SeanBowes Thanks so much!

[@Stoney3K]

There's also some responsibility for the tour and stage managers on that one. If you're doing a VJ set and it's not prepped on the rider, meaning you just plug in at the last time, then the local tech crew should handle that through the stage management. Unless you're in the front of house with them, in that case it's usually not difficult to just chat with the guys as they're standing right next to you.

[@TheClearMediaContent]

SPACE FOR YOUR GEAR, WATER, SHADE, AND A RESTROOM? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? It's staggering that this needs to be asked for. Tell 'em Sean!

[@SeanBowes]

This generation is so entitled. Back in my day we VJed uphill both ways with our eyes closed by candlelight!! And we were happy for the opportunity!

[@juancarlosruiz3423]

Brother, I have this problem. When I close the session and disconnect the midi and reconnect and open the session it doesn't work anymore, I forget to map everything again. And that I press shift and drum again but it doesn't work. Do I have to always remap?

[@SeanBowes]

No it should save your midi mapping. Check my latest video about Transferring Compositions. In that video I show where the midi mapping file should save, and how to save them inside the Shortcuts panel of resolume. If you are unable to save that file, you should contact Resolume support for help.

[@Andyanddiana467]

Google doc and drive links are worse - I need permission to access the file....and then the client won't answer the requests...

[@SeanBowes]

That is one drawback to Drive. When any of these links are not shared properly it can be a hassle!

[@marcosamarilla4787]

la del contenido jajajajajajaa

[@SeanBowes]

thanks!

[@vjpussycat]

i feel like the vj is often not appreciated or respected as their audio counterparts. i get that ppl are coming to show for the music and the visual is seen as a perk if noticed at all. i’ve mostly worked with live bands, who are the ones that hire me, so it is something i’ve noticed from either venue staff and/or the audience, that the vj is secondary to the event, despite the fact i work close with the artist and am often considered part of the band. the other fact, we often work harder than the band, at least in my case depending on band/event

[@SeanBowes]

It is unfortunate. We are so often forgotton or neglected and yet we provide such a significant part of the show in many cases. I think this is changing over time, but there is still work to do. A lot of it is from lack of understanding of what we are actually doing from others, and lack of advocacy on our own parts.

[@vjpussycat]

100% @@SeanBowes

[@FranDJ999]

As small VJ and light technician I am, well... I can just confirm most of this list happen for real basically all weeks for me😂 I think I received just 1 time a right PNG with alpha in the last 6 months 🥲

[@SeanBowes]

oof. yeah they are all far too common. hopefully a little lighthearted complaining can provide some education and make it a little better for us all over time. At the very least we can laugh about the pain for a bit haha