TED.com Inspires

 Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong is the TED video that truly moved me.  The collective effect of his words, his presence, and his experience – and, of course, the music - was very inspiring.

Eric grew up in a small farming town, in high school he wanted to be a rock star, but he did not read music, though he did play around with synthesizers and drum machines.  When he went to college, he was surprised there was no program for rock stars.  He was invited to attend choir, but his high school experience was that only geeks were in the choir.  With friendly persuasion – and the lure of good-looking girls – he agreed to join.

On his first day in choir, the choir began singing “Kyrie” from Requiem by Mozart.   Suddenly, Eric felt as if, after seeing the world in black-and-white, he was now seeing everything in vibrant Technicolor.  He was awestruck by what he heard.  He said by joining choir, he felt he was part of something bigger than himself – and it inspired him to do more.

A couple of years later he was reading and writing music, and he composed a piece as a thank you to the conductor who had opened his ears.  Eric completed his master’s degree at Juilliard and is now a professional classical composer and conductor.

When he saw a YouTube video of a young fan singing one of his pieces, he was struck with an idea: organize a virtual choir of singers from all around the world, recording themselves singing different parts of his piece, “Lux Aurumque.”   

In this TED presentation, Eric showed a portion of the 2,000 voice virtual choir – and it is absolutely stunning!  The harmony and the smoothness and the depth are truly moving and unlike anything I’d ever heard or seen before.

What is so impressive is the way Eric shares this experience – and the actual music and video is just remarkable.  To think those individuals, recording themselves while watching a video of Eric conducting the piece, could sing in such a way and develop such unity, is truly amazing.  I particularly liked the way Eric describes his waking up to see the world in Technicolor; very rich imagery. 

Eric’s passion is, not only the music, but also the use of technology.  He was so surprised at the response this project received, that he started a second project, second project.  He was inspired that people will go to great lengths to join in an event, to have a common bond and to connect with others, and he’s found that they have all developed an esprit de corps amongst themselves.  Very moving piece – definitely worth watching.

Producer's Guild of America

The Producers’ Guild of America is the industry association I am interested in.  Surprisingly, the PGA is not a union, as I’d supposed, but truly an association of those working in the same type of position in the industry: producers and executive producers.   

The PGA is involved in job placement for those seeking producing positions.  They also offer medical and dental benefits, as well as participation in the Motion Picture and Television Industry pension plan.  The PGA also has various discount offerings on car rentals, hotels, amusement parks and various events.  This all comes from joining the guild, with membership of over 4,000.

While the PGA represents producers of motion pictures, television shows and new media productions, they are rather selective on which types of productions are covered.  Productions that count towards producing credits must be created for nationally broadcast television (network or cable) stations, wide-release theatrical productions, direct-to-home video programs or established new media productions.  While one may think this is rather broad, when considering all of the productions not included in the PGA’s criteria, it would seem a large segment of producers are not eligible for membership.  For example, the guild does not recognize commercials, music videos, PSAs, TV pilots, telethons, student films, interstitials and promos, non-domestic films, and short films. 

The PGA is very much involved in legislation, particularly in the realm of enhancing the quality of producers in the industry and who can actually claim credit for being involved in producing responsibilities.  The guild is working with the Department of Justice to obtain a business letter urging studios and companies creating programs to use the “p.g.a.” mark in all productions.  This mark signifies that the producers on the project have met specific requirements, as outlined by the PGA, and that it is not open to simply give such credits to anyone involved in ancillary producer responsibilities.  One example the PGA gave was “The King’s Speech” in which 11 individuals were given producer credit.  The PGA feels this is a bit too much.  But it requires further involvement of the federal government, because without such a business letter, many studios will not use the p.g.a. mark, feeling that it doesn’t add anything to the product.  Such a move by the federal government would help to validate those who are truly fulfilling the duties of producers, and not simply given credit for some unrelated work or reason.  This is good for the industry; it helps to ensure the quality of productions, maintaining the integrity of the producer’s role. (Variety)