FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Mailing address is on our Home Page. Email is CVMaccess (at) gmail (dot) com
To make a research appointment, please visit this page
Sign up for our Newsletter, or email us at list (at) centerforvisualmusic dot org
Online clips (Fischinger, Belson, other artists) can be streamed at our VOD channel
Excerpts from other films are on our vimeo channel at no charge, these are excerpts only
About Us - at bottom of page
Press Kit is Here (under construction)
Does CVM accept film/video submissions from artists for CVM's screenings and events?
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 another Oskar Fischinger DVD?
Can CVM host my event/screening/performance in LA?
Is CVM on Facebook or other 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. We are primarily interested in Visual Music, experimental animation and abstract cinema. Note, we do not generally program narrative work or documentaries (other than docs specifically about a visual music artist). Please send your submission on the following formats: url to online clip, to email address at top of this page. Due to the volume of work received, it may take some time for us to view your work. Or submit on DVD or usb stick. Due to the volume of material received, we are unable to respond with opinions. Submissions remain a part of our viewing library, available for onsite viewing only 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, PO Box 39527, Los Angeles, CA 90039.
NOTE: We cannot open large attachments of files sent via email. Do not send attached video 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, we can't open multiple attachments from those we don't know. If you have numerous documents, please send via snail mail, so we may have a hard copy for our library.
We're not a traditional film distributor so we can only provide occasional print rentals, and our curated film programs (Fischinger, Belson, Bute, etc.). Please see our Access and Distribution page and the Print Rentals page. If you are with an archive requesting a loan, please contact us at cvmaccess (at) gmail (dot) com. If you are with a museum requesting films for an exhibition, please read the information required on our Access and Distribution page and then email us with full details about your request and exhibition. Please note we are not able to rent film prints to individuals.
Does CVM offer classes, seminars or exhibitions of Visual Music?
CVM presents Visual Music seminars, lectures, 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, Hy Hirsh, etc). See our Artists pages and Collections and Archives page for links to various Research pages, descriptions of CVM's Collections, and our other online resources. Our online store offers research copies of Visual Music on DVD, and books and ephemera. 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
CVM has an online Video on Demand channel where you can stream rare films from our archive for a dollar or two. We also have excerpts of some films on vimeo at no charge.
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, and especially beware Wikipedia. Search out the original sources, don't rely on online resources. We have also constructed a Research Errata page regarding common VM errors and recently published errors. We do not include links on our library or website, to the 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.
Much of the information about 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 often fiction. The version of Fischinger's An Optical Poem on youtube is very faded, missing the yellows and oranges, and does not reflect the colors of the actual film.
When will there be another Oskar Fischinger DVD?
We released the second Fischinger DVD, Oskar Fischinger: Visual Music. Full details and order info are HERE.
Please visit our Film Preservation page.
Can CVM host my event/screening/performance in LA?
Not at present, we do not have a theatre or screening room in our offices.
Is CVM on Facebook or any social media sites?
Center for Visual Music has a page on Facebook. We are also involved, along with the Fischinger Trust, with the Oskar Fischinger Facebook page. On Twitter, we are @CtrVisualMusic
We have a vimeo channel of selected material from our archive (in progress, seeking LA volunteers!)
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 or 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, Digitization of the archives, Moritz Library, DVDs or other projects).
Join our Mailing List: list (at) centerforvisualmusic (dot) org