The New Act to Follow

05/27/2018 03:21:33 AM

Just this past month, in a middle of the Bruno Mars concert, the said Grammy-award winning recording artist have noticed the potion of his audience seeing their cameras raised instead of just enjoying the live and raw thing. It was an interesting scenery and thought to ponder on for a while. And this, probably, has been a norm nowadays no matter how partly-distracting it may seem for both artists, performers, and organizers.

Obviously, we are living in the era where cellphones have automatically become our companions instead of fellow persons – aside from our very narcissistic selves who likes to take selfies for every single tick of the clock. It's like a valid statement of saying “I was here!” given the nature of a picture to tell such a compelling story without saying a single word. Plus a single 15-second clip can be a potential viral hit as well.

And with the booming of live band scene taking over bars and concert venues here, there, and everywhere, chances are you will see a flock of people in the bar who typically raises up their phones and became instant documentary-makers – or rather, bootleg-makers – at their own respective rights.

In a month time, one of my production friends from the indie scene here in the metro is set to launch and implement a #NoPhonesAllowed movement on their gigs, and it garnered a number of very warm reception from many people and groups.

But somehow, that has given some of us an eyebrow-raising question: should production outfits  set this trend and discourage its patrons from using cellphones for recording during live gigs? I wish I could wholeheartedly disagree with the idea, for I myself has been a mobile photography enthusiast. But a large part of me says a resounding “Yes, why not?”

And...why not? With the only exception to this rule are the organizing, band and media personnel whose responsibility is to make their presence felt all over the interwebs. Yup, leave it to the documentation staff as well.

But don't get me wrong: it was supposed to be a right thing when one is taking either pictures or a few-seconds long video clip of the gig they have just attended. Some can only have that gadget as a tool for spreading the news – be it him or her a fellow fan or part of a media partner. And on hindsight, it also helps the scene to tap a wider market of audience.

However, to record the entire set and be a distracting element in most watchers during the long stretch? Uhm, yeah, that may seem too much already, pal. Besides, I doubt you will actually watch that song-long clip over and over again, especially with a bad microphone your phone has and an ill-framed captured material you got there. Let's face it: not all of these bootleg stuff are eye-candies, especially if they only intend to record shits for their Instagram stories or aim to garner massive likes and shares or retweets.

As both an aficionado and observer, there wasn't a single gig where I have been surrounded by a bunch of people who has their video camcording phones on to the extent that it's hard to make an “excuse me” whenever I have to answer the call of nature or of my thirst for alcohol or iced tea. And as a result, some people aren't really that considerate of everyone who also paid their money to suit up and watch.

I'm no expert but this is probably one thing I learned the most as a mobile and amateur guy in photographing live events. And I mean by having some courtesy and decency to be freaking mindful of everyone. Yes, one should learn to be considerate for the world isn't revolving around you no matter how it seems like one. Which barely means you should know when to stop. We need to be responsible human beings for sometimes, right?

So that said, if you like to take photos and enjoy live music, how about preparing your camera settings already before taking stills for a very seconds? Plus make your ground your default angle for such. If you're at the front, maybe sitting down for a verse-long attempt would be a better thing.

Besides, going there and taking pictures for every goddamn minute can be painful for your part, too. It's better to study the subject first so that you're quite well-equipped on doing such the next time around.

So, either you shoot responsibly, or don't use your phone for such... at all. As much as I support this initiative, it's also best to let people know that some of the best moments in life aren't really meant to be documented. It can spoil the fun for too much, pals.

Author: slickmaster | © 2018 The SlickMaster's Files