Goodbye Old Friend

Update: 4/1/2010, 2nd revision

This is not an April’s fools joke. I’ve been getting a lot of heat from indirect comments about this post. I want to make this absolutely clear this is not a critique on any team in particular. This is a trend that I have noticed over the past few years. I am not stating that artists do not retain the rights to their own work, I am critiquing what we now consider a standard distribution platform. We get invited by competitions, we get asked to film for teams, and people expect to be able to visit our website to download content. This is what I am critiquing.

I am also in no way insinuating that an artist should no longer have a right to their own work. I’ve received this complaint that my post could be misunderstood in this way. I dance with you guys, so why would I argue that what we create isn’t ours? The issue lies in the fact that we share it with the world. I was simply writing my thoughts as to how the concept of ownership in a performed art seems ridiculous because we cannot control the perception of the work in someone’s mind. Art is subjective and perceived.

I listed off the reasons to let everyone know this is why teams have requested their video be taken down. I’m sure any of the reasons listed below can be valid in any given circumstance, however, I was also playing devil’s advocate and voicing what I believe to be the opposing argument.

We don’t perform at these competitions for money, and we don’t make money on That’s Fresh. It’s not like we are distributing something that is taking money out of our pockets. If anything, it generates a larger fan base, and allows you to connect more with dancers around the world. I’m pretty sure anyone knows the difference between a live concert and one that’s video taped. Most people that view these videos either were there or “wish” they were there, but in no way utilize these videos as a true substitute.

All I am trying to say by the last part of my post is, we perform for our friends, family, and ourselves. Let’s not lose that.

I’m tired of playing the role of the bad guy as I get objectified and dehumanized in my work as a videographer while not dancing. I don’t want to be that guy that’s standing in the way of people’s art. This is why I wrote this article, this is why I am stepping down.

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Original post:

First and foremost, thanks to all you Freshmen for keeping us doing what we do here. Without your support, kind words of encouragement, and all the visible download demand, we wouldn’t be doing this today.

I’m writing this as a letter to the dance community. It’s become quite clear the direction of most of the teams on the circuit in terms of the videos that we post up and the work that we put into this. I’m not quite sure why things have changed over the past 5 years, but I still remember there being a time when a decent clip of a team was in high demand by both the public and the team itself. There wasn’t an issue of the video being public, but if anyone has even captured it in a form that wasn’t a shaky handheld taping, one that wasn’t properly leveled off on the mic levels so that people screaming next to the camera men was all that was audible, and horrible picture quality. I was hoping we could bring that change and expectation to the dance scene, but things have definitely taken a turn.

It’s very apparent that all teams now are more concerned with their sets being in the dark and left as a “surprise” for the next competition. Teams want to control their video releases (much like the MPAA and RIAA want to control distribution of content they license). I think there are some inherent issues with this mentality and the whole situation is just extremely ironic.

Here are some reasons that I have heard over the past few years:

1) We are still using this set and will be performing it in the next competition. We don’t want it to grow old in people’s minds. [My rebuttal: if your set is going to grow old after watching it a few times on the internet, then my concern wouldn't be how long it lasts, but you should really look at making your set so entertaining we can watch it 1000 times and not be bored. There are tons of sets that we consider classics from the circuit that every team watches to this day. Make yours one of those.]

2) We don’t want people to bite our choreography. [My rebuttal: Your choreography is based on all the past hip hop pioneer's works. Because you interpret music differently, that doesn't mean you don't have roots in what we all grew up in. It's not an issue of biting, because biters will bite, and biters will be called out, it's an issue of fear. Don't fear imitation as that's the highest form of flattery.]

3) Our set is still a work in progress. [My rebuttal: Then let people see how much progress you guys have made when you perform it again. Then people will realize how much hard work you guys have placed into making your set that much better.]

The best part is, most teams that ask me to take the videos down also ask for theirs in return so they can watch it. I feel horrible about doing this because I’m not here to play favorites, but you guys place me in a position where I must. At the same time, this is a very implicit “thanks for your work, we don’t want others to see it, but we would love the benefits of your time.”

My stance is clear, let the content be with your supporters. Let your fans watch your work and watch as you progress, because they will not judge you on your past, but what you present on the day of the competition.

It’s quite a lengthy entry, but I just need to voice my frustration with the confusion that this has caused. That’s Fresh is being invited to film at the circuit competitions because we do everything for free. That’s right, after every show we drop hundreds of dollars in bandwidth fees, not to mention the equipment we work with soars into the high thousands, and the time and effort we put into packaging these things up for everyone easily runs clients thousands of dollars. All in all, we do this because we love the community. The community has changed, so we’re no longer needed here. Every team has their own videographer now, so I rest my work in their hands. Thank you guys for a good run, but unless mentalities change, Fusion 2010 is our last run here with That’s Fresh.

About this entry

You’re currently reading “Goodbye Old Friend,” an entry on That’s Fresh

Published:
03.30.10 / 11am by enVISEAN
Category:
Events, Technology, That's Fresh, Videos