During my project to have myself filmed during a piano recital and then get the video produced, I've taken time to view other pianists on YouTube from a different perspective.
I've had to learn to communicate with the film editors (before I took over the job). I didn't realize, at first, my responsibility to provide them with the vision of what a solo classical performance should look like. There are many ways to present a performance, but I quickly learned to repeat my new mantra, "Authenticity is everything."
The photo above is 5202 Kapaka Street in Hawaii. I used to enjoy spectacular photos of beaches. But they were never quite what I was looking for. Now that I've preached "authenticity is everything" so much, I've come to realize it's not something I always have in my life. I have to look for it. And if there's one thing I can't stand, it's fakery. So many "spectacular" photographs are retouched and even photoshopped (I'm looking at you, @EarthPics, that they bear little resemblance to reality.
The photo of 5202 Kapaka Street is courtesy of Google Maps. These people aren't really out to create stunning photography. Most of what is there is not even a decent exposure. There are, however, some really great scenes. Everything is on the road, naturally. If you are patient and look for it, you can find things that interest you. Inasmuch as it is a photograph, after all, it more closely resembles to me what is authentic than any of the other retouched products. So now I have grown to search for PC wallpapers only on Google Maps. I tire of the produced images, and even those who make them tire of them so that the moon is the size of Jupiter and sometimes the moon is replaced by Jupiter.
Music videos -- the proverbial MTV type of thing -- are really just subliminal messages. An authentic performance is practically anathema to it. But a classical piano recital is one person sitting down to the grueling task of performing a piece of music in one take, with or without an audience. In fact, I prefer a video of a recording session over an audio-only recording of a live or studio performance. The atmosphere is more intense, you see performers dealing with the immediacy of what they are doing, the flaws, the reactions, the expressions of technicians, the jeans and t-shirts. It's exactly what it looks like.
There's a reason we all love bloopers and behind-the-scenes views of our favorite TV shows and films. We love to see things as they are being made. Authenticity is totally enriching and is everywhere, all around us. We just need to look for it, pay attention to it when we find it, and let it guide us into greater self-discovery.
May 31, 2013
I've had to learn to communicate with the film editors (before I took over the job). I didn't realize, at first, my responsibility to provide them with the vision of what a solo classical performance should look like. There are many ways to present a performance, but I quickly learned to repeat my new mantra, "Authenticity is everything."
The photo above is 5202 Kapaka Street in Hawaii. I used to enjoy spectacular photos of beaches. But they were never quite what I was looking for. Now that I've preached "authenticity is everything" so much, I've come to realize it's not something I always have in my life. I have to look for it. And if there's one thing I can't stand, it's fakery. So many "spectacular" photographs are retouched and even photoshopped (I'm looking at you, @EarthPics, that they bear little resemblance to reality.
The photo of 5202 Kapaka Street is courtesy of Google Maps. These people aren't really out to create stunning photography. Most of what is there is not even a decent exposure. There are, however, some really great scenes. Everything is on the road, naturally. If you are patient and look for it, you can find things that interest you. Inasmuch as it is a photograph, after all, it more closely resembles to me what is authentic than any of the other retouched products. So now I have grown to search for PC wallpapers only on Google Maps. I tire of the produced images, and even those who make them tire of them so that the moon is the size of Jupiter and sometimes the moon is replaced by Jupiter.
Music videos -- the proverbial MTV type of thing -- are really just subliminal messages. An authentic performance is practically anathema to it. But a classical piano recital is one person sitting down to the grueling task of performing a piece of music in one take, with or without an audience. In fact, I prefer a video of a recording session over an audio-only recording of a live or studio performance. The atmosphere is more intense, you see performers dealing with the immediacy of what they are doing, the flaws, the reactions, the expressions of technicians, the jeans and t-shirts. It's exactly what it looks like.
There's a reason we all love bloopers and behind-the-scenes views of our favorite TV shows and films. We love to see things as they are being made. Authenticity is totally enriching and is everywhere, all around us. We just need to look for it, pay attention to it when we find it, and let it guide us into greater self-discovery.
May 31, 2013