RegularJOE, a.k.a Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a.k.a Tommy from 3rd Rock From the Sun has what will probably become one of my favourite websites, www.hitrecord.org. Remember a little while back when I was talking about that cool Johnny Cash video that I saw on AUX TV that turned out to be this huge collaborative effort created over the glorious interweb? Well, hitRECord takes this sort of stuff to another level. In fact, it’s been taking it to another level since 2005 when RegularJOE launched hitRECord. Essentially, the website is a virtual (but professional) production company that allows members to post their work—whether it’s video, audio, image, written word, whatever—and allow other members within the hitRECord community to remix it by adding new elements. And then that remixed work can be re-remixed, which can be re-remixed, and so on, and so on, to infinity and beyond!
Then, if a work (or “record,” as an uploaded work is called) has that little special something that could make some real moolah, RegularJOE uses his connects within the mainstream media industry and promos it. If the record makes money, he takes a 50% cut for the business, and the other 50% gets split up amongst contributors. Pretty neat-o, if you ask me.
“Morgan M. Morgansen’s Date with Destiny,” one of the short films created through hitRECord was even presented at the Sundance Film Festival. Take a peek-a-roo:
Now, I have always claimed to have very little in the way of creative juices. As I get older, I’m finding that some juice has started a spurtin’, but I certainly don’t have the kind of technical know-how to be able to edit someone’s video, or add my own musical track to an animation or anything. But what’s awesome is that there are so many people out there who DO have this know-how, AND have creative juices comin’ out of all orifices (yick. Sorry for any unfortunate visuals). So, when I see a site like this, and I see how the more mainstream media is picking up collabs like the Cash video, I can’t help but be so incredibly impressed and amazed by human invention: invention of the computer, of software, of the Internet, of artistic works, I could go on and on all day. And hitRECord is just another example of our ability as humans to do amazing things with one another: to make art, potentially thousands of miles apart. As Oprah is wont to say, this truly is a miracle.
Sublurbanite
