My entire gallery show in Portland crashed because I used the wrong file format for my animated pieces.

4 comments

4 Comments

the_logan1mo agoProlific Poster

Heard about a similar thing at a digital art fair last year. The artist had all their files in a weird codec that the venue's media player couldn't read. They had to run out and buy a last minute laptop to play them off of. Always test on the actual hardware they'll be using.

cameron5381mo ago

Honestly that "always test on the actual hardware" rule from @the_logan can be a real trap. It sets up this idea that artists have endless time and access to the exact venue setup weeks in advance, which is almost never true. Sometimes you just have to work with the files you have and trust that a standard format will play. Buying a last minute laptop is a panic move, but constantly trying to match unknown hardware just makes the creative process impossible. The real fix is for venues to have better, more flexible tech on their end.

elizabethg1820d agoTop Commenter

Ugh, YES. Had to scramble before a show once because the venue's projectors couldn't handle my animation files. Spent the whole day converting everything instead of focusing on the actual set. Venues really need to catch up with the tech side of things.

elizabeth90020d ago

The @the_logan advice would mean spending half your budget on rental gear before even making anything.

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