EDIT: due to the campus being closed, the assignment is due March 21, the week after spring break. Please bring work in progress to class on March 7 so we can give you feedback, you can test the projector, and have studio time.
- Due March 7
- See weekly assignments for details
- Create live effects to perform with a song of your choice
- Use your webcam and/or video files as input
- Runs fullscreen on the projector
We've made animations and interactive projects, but another common application of creative coding is live visuals for musicians, dancers, and TV broadcast. For this project, you'll pick a song, create live effects in p5.js that will be projected at large scale... and you'll perform live for us! We'll look at camera input and video files as a way to get interesting textures, how to cue scenes, and how to use MIDI controllers to trigger things.
The goal of this project will be to create engaging visuals that work well with the song you've chosen. Think about how shape, color, texture, and imagery (especially if you're using video) tie in to the music, but you'll also need to think about these through time, much like an animation! How might your visuals change throughout the song? Can you create moments of surprise? How do your visuals start and end?
We'll create prototypes, rehearse with the projector, look at code for video and webcam input, and perform live for the class.
Live visuals and performing with code could easily be a full semester class. If you're interested in going further, you might want to check out these other tools which are built specifically for this purpose:
- Max/MSP/Jitter: flowchart-like programming; Prof. Mario Diaz de Leon teaches a whole class on this!
- Touch Designer: also flowchart-like; very popular and powerful
- SuperCollider: part of the "live coding" scene, where you generate sound (and sometimes images) using code you write live in front of the audience