FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Mailing address is on our Home Page. Email is CVMaccess (at) gmail (dot) com
Press Kit is Here (under construction)
About Us - at bottom of Donate and Thanks page
Does CVM accept film/video submissions from artists for CVM's screenings and events?
I am an artist interested in distribution for my DVD. Can I send it to CVM?
Does CVM offer classes or seminars on Visual Music?
I want to research Visual Music for my thesis/article/book, where do I begin?
When will there be an Oskar Fischinger DVD?
When will there be a Jordan Belson DVD?
Can CVM host my event/screening/performance in LA?
Is CVM on Facebook or any social networking sites?
How can I help support Visual Music and the work of CVM?
Does CVM accept film/video submissions from artists for CVM's screenings and events?
Yes. Note, we do not generally program or distribute narrative work or documentaries (other than docs specifically about a visual music artist); we are primarily interested in Visual Music, experimental animation and abstract cinema. Please send your submission on the following formats ONLY: DVD (ntsc or pal). Due to the volume of material received, we are unable to respond with critiques or opinions of work. If you wish your submission returned, please enclosed a stamped self-addressed envelope. Submissions not requested to be returned remain a part of our viewing library, available for onsite viewing by programmers, curators, researchers and scholars. Please don't forget to include full information about your work, including formats available for screening, and your full contact info including snail mail and email. Please send to Center for Visual Music, Attn: Submissions, 453 S. Spring Street, Suite 834, Los Angeles, CA 90013.
Please do not ask us to view your work on YouTube; we are only interested in professional work that can be viewed in higher quality. For submissions for our exhibitions and programming, we prefer dvds.
NOTE: We cannot open large attachments of moving image files sent via email. Do not send attached .wmv or other files; they are deleted and not viewed. Please do not send multiple attachments of text documents about your work via email. Due to volume of material received and virus protection procedures, we are unable to open multiple attachments from those we don't know. Please send documents via snail mail along with your DVD submission, so that we have a hard copy for our library.
I am an artist interested in distribution for my DVD. Can I send it to CVM?
If it is Visual Music or Experimental Animation, we'd like to see it, but we can only offer distribution through our online store to a small percentage of work submitted. Please include a note stating you are interested in distribution. Your DVD must be available in NTSC format, Region-free, and have a running time of at least 30 minutes. We are only interested in seeing final packaged copies of DVDs, please do not submit DVD without packaging. Due to the high volume of submissions received, it may take a little time for us to view your submission. Please enclose a self addressed, stamped envelope if you wish your DVD returned.
Please send to Center for Visual Music, Attn: DVD Distribution, 453 S. Spring Street, Suite 834, Los Angeles, CA 90013.
We're not a film distributor so generally, no, except for our curated film programs, licensing requests, and a few exceptions. Please see our Access and Distribution page for our curated film programs. If you are with an archive requesting an inter-archive loan, please contact us. If you are with a museum requesting films for an exhibition, please read the information required on our Access and Distribution page and then contact us with full details about your request and exhibition. Please note we are not able to rent film prints to individuals. Other licensing requests for Fischinger, Belson and other films should be directed to CVMaccess (at) gmail.com
Does CVM offer classes, seminars or exhibitions of Visual Music?
CVM presents Visual Music seminars, exhibitions and events which include presentations by scholars and artists, and screenings of Visual Music work. These seminars/events are available for booking at your cultural institution or university, and are tailored to your needs (e.g. lectures, half day seminar, full day with film screenings, 1 to 2 hour presentation, or exhibition/event with installations, lectures and performances). Please contact us if you wish to discuss possibilities, fees and booking arrangements. CVM also offers individual presentations and consultations.
I want to research Visual Music for my thesis/article/book, where do I begin?
Our online library is a great place to start with a huge body of information, and our specific Artists Research Pages also (Fischinger, Belson, Bute, Dockum, William Moritz, etc). See our Collections and Archives page for links to these Research pages, descriptions of CVM's Collections, and some of our other online resources from our Collections. Our online store offers research copies of Visual Music on DVD and video. CVM also has a page on our store site recommending key Visual Music books currently in print, plus other DVDs, all available through amazon.com. Our Los Angeles research center and library is open by appointment - please see our Collections page for general information on our materials. Please request an appointment at least two weeks in advance (some materials are in offsite storage and vaults and may need to be retrieved before your visit). Also see our Links and Resources page for links to other reputable organizations which hold collections or archives of Visual Music, plus other distributors, etc. If you can't find what you're looking for, email us at cvmaccess (at) gmail.com
We do not recommend Wikipedia pages for research on visual music as they are very often inaccurate. At best, they are a source for finding leads to the primary resources. As Visual Music has grown increasingly popular over the last few years, so also have the errors online, on numerous sites and blogs. The history of visual music is being re-written online - very inaccurately! Beware. Search out the original sources, don't rely on online resources only. Email us if you need to fact check, or verify the accuracy of certain sites or online materials - we can advise which sites are reputable resources with reliable information. We do not include links on our library or website, to the very best of our knowledge, to sites or blogs disseminating untruthful or highly inaccurate information.
Researchers should note that William Moritz's Fischinger research is housed at Center for Visual Music, along with his original papers, texts and research collection on visual music, collected over many decades. There are a number of errors in Moritz's Fischinger biography, Optical Poetry, completed while he was seriously ill. There are also factual errors in a number of his early texts which you may find on other websites. CVM's library contains annotated versions noting inaccuracies in his texts.
Finally, approx. 80% of the information about the historical visual music films on YouTube is incorrect. YouTube is not a reputable source; often the names of films, dates, and sometimes even the filmmakers are incorrect, and the additional data is usually fiction.
When will there be an Oskar Fischinger DVD?
The first in the series was released May 2006. Please visit our DVD order site. We are currently working on the preservation of films scheduled for the second, future DVD release, and fundraising for this DVD. If you'd like to join the project, please consider making a donation through the link at the bottom of this page.
When will there be a Jordan Belson DVD?
The DVD was released June 1, 2007 - order here. We are working on the second DVD now, including film preservation and fundraising. If you'd like to help support this DVD project, please email cvmaccess (at) gmail.com or consider making a donation to the project. Funding for the preservation of three of the films has been received from The National Film Preservation Foundation.
Please visit our Film Preservation page.
Can CVM host my event/screening/performance in LA?
Not at present, as we do not have a theatre or large screening room in our research center (yet). If you have obtained a venue to present your work in LA and are looking for a partner to present, we may under certain circumstances become involved, please contact us.
Is CVM on Facebook or any social networking sites?
Center for Visual Music has a page on Facebook. We are not at present on any other social networking sites.
How can I help support the work of the Center for Visual Music?
Thank you for asking. You can help support our programs and help preseve and promote Visual Music two ways:
Become a Member of CVM (and collect cool premiums), OR
Make a donation via check ot credit card (secure server). CVM is a non profit 501(c)3, donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed under law. Every amount helps! You can make a general donation, or to a specific project (Preservation, Moritz Library, DVDs or other projects).
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