VIDEO INSPIRATIONS
Once you start looking for analog video aesthetics in art and music, it's pretty easy to spot. A lot of musical artists love to use the retro feeling of the CRT in their videos. Here are a few of my favorites I found particularly inspiring.
TV - ELOHIM
Ever since I saw elohim live about a year ago, I’ve been obsessed with her aesthetic. I chose this song for my mix because lyrically, it really speaks to me. Elohim’s music and message is very focused around mental health advocacy, and this song just always felt like the perfect wording of what being anxious feels like internally. I had picked the song before even watching the video, but this music video is a great representation of what I like to see with this aesthetic. It’s not overwhelming or overused, but used meaningfully and artistically. It’s a fabulous video.
is it true - tame impala
I feel like Tame Impala has always had a very retro vibe to their music, so this music video that was filmed on a CRT feels like a good fit. I really like the effects they added to this video prior to putting it on the CRT, I think the color selections and dimensions are excellent choices for the medium.
RECORDING
To get recorded video output from Vibrance, I need to record the screen of the CRT TV. I use a DSLR on a tripod at slightly above mid-screen level. I angle the camera down just slightly because I found that things angle will not cut out due to the electron bean. If you record from even a slightly downwards angle, (sometimes the way the electron beam flashes will cut out major parts of the video
Above: Normal recorded frame vs. frame with beam cut out
Left: One of my earlier recording setups. This was using my first prototype and testing external instrument functionalities with an electric bass.
I try to make sure the room is as dark as possible when recording to prevent glare on the screen. I also try to make sure the CRT is the only source of light in the frame (i.e. make sure my computer screen is not in the shot) to keep to focus on the TV and preserve quality.
My most recent recording setup. I got a larger CRT TV, which makes for better video quality. Featuring the final Vibrance interface and a Moog Werkstatt-01 as the external instrument.
EDITING
I edit all CRT footage in Premiere. the biggest thing is to straighten and crop the video, because the raw camera footage is never quite perfect. I also touch up the colors with overall adjustment layers.
I also use Premiere to create effects other than what I can make with the CRT. My favorite is just layering 2 different clips from the CRT and messing around with blend modes to create something entirely new.