Trends

What is Live Cinema?

By Jorge Chávez

December 13, 2011

Thanks to the development of new tools, the rise of “laptop” culture and digital editing programs an explosive interest has emerged in real-time video.  Now more than ever, music concerts are accompanied by visual projections.

The current exploration into new ways of performing live and the new generation of audiovisual programs have resulted in an interesting medium for artists to mix different disciplines such as design, architecture, music, dance, programming and image.

The term “live cinema” aims to define the art of real-time audiovisual creation.  The practice has diverse applications and each artist explores possibilities through different methods.  We are in an exciting time as the search for new audiovisual languages is made more effective by new technologies and the creation of alternative experiences in film as video art.

 The interest in creating real-time audiovisual experiences and mixing audio with images or non-narratives has been around for centuries.  In 1600 magic lanterns became a popular spectacle in cities, followed by a multitude of inventions such as the color organ and audiovisual machines.  In the early twentieth century, the quest for a universal system of color and audio was at the forefront of the contemporary art movement for artists such as Kandinsky, the father of modern art.

Experimental animation pioneers such as Len Lye and Oscar Fishinger engaged in the practice of visual music.  These traditions continue today in the creation of “live cinema performances”.

The context of “live cinema” is ephemeral.  Each performance is usually singular with no repetition and recordings of the performances are often the only evidence that remains of their brief existence.

Jorge Chavez is a Social Marketer for Mijo! Brands in Mexico.  Follow @jorgemijobrands

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