Friday, November 16, 2012

HitRECord! Should we capture the moment or just enjoy it?

Have you heard of HitRECord? It is an online collaborative production company started by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It is a space where all types of artists can come together to work on stories, music, movies and lots of other things. It has been such a great resource to find and I would have loved to have had an outlet like it when I was younger. It has pushed me to write more, learn how to do really basic sound and video mixing and start looking at the world through a more artistic lens.

From the intro sequence.

This week JGL kicked off a HitRecord Live Show tour in DC. I wasn't sure what to expect but I wanted to support HitRecord so I bought two tickets, grabbed my BFF and went to check it out. It was actually a pretty fun experience with random people getting pulled on stage to make art on the spot, showing off finished products made my the HitRECord community and even a sing along.

We got this picture together.
Although I enjoyed the show, I didn't leave thinking "That was the best thing I have ever been to." But when I got home I uploaded some of my pictures on the site and I started checking out what other people had recorded while there. Someone took a picture I posted and "re-mixed" it meaning they edited it with their own take or contribution. By the time a few days had passed, I started to realize what the show really meant. It was the celebration of a community of artists who are working together, supporting each other and saying that art is valuable and we are all capable of creating it and making something beautiful. HitRECord takes the sometimes lonesome endeavor of being an artist and makes it into something truly community sustained.

JGL talking about starting HitRECord with his brother, Dan.
One thing that my friend mentioned not liking and that I often think about is that when people are busy recording everything at shows, they are no longer experiencing the moment and that somehow cheapens what is happening. What do you think? Is it ok to be recording when you are doing so consciously to make art? Or is it more important to be present? When we are recording and photographing, do we do tend to miss out on the atmosphere and we lose out on the whole picture?

Everyone was encouraged to turn ON all recording devices.

2 comments:

  1. aah, interesting post. lots of people have asked me to film weddings and family events and i don't because of that reason - i want to experience the event and remember it in my memory. if i record it, i am obviously still physically present at the event, but my mind is focused on the camera and getting good shots, making sure my settings are good, etc, so then i don't enjoy the event as much, or even remember it as well. i remember someone asked me if i was going to film fahad's wedding and i said "of course not!"

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    Replies
    1. I am totally with you on weddings! I have about ten pictures from Qasar's wedding. There is something about pictures that also makes things seem better than they were. Sometimes I will go to a place and not be that impressed but when looking at my pictures later, I'll think it was really cool. Maybe thats not a bad thing?

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