Random Forays: The any time, any where, video era

Video and photo dumps are hugely in fashion these days; one post from young influencers or a random photo dump induces even more traction from their followers than their carefully crafted posts.

Life is a series of reels, is it not? We’re anyway reeling under some kind of pressure at most times, if not capitulating under it. Uncomfortable jokes apart, reels of the sixty-second variety that can be uploaded on social media all day long, are actually what life’s capsules have been reduced to.

The current tendency to record just about every human activity, barring one or two obvious exceptions, is actually likely to be a boon for generations in future. (Shutterstoc.k)

The current tendency to record just about every human activity, barring one or two obvious exceptions, is actually likely to be a boon for generations in future. From kitchen chores to washing clothes, from mundane desk work to board meetings, almost every conceivable human act is the subject of videos being dumped onto the vast global digital cloud space.

Such video dumps and indeed photo dumps are hugely in fashion these days. One post from young influencers or a random photo dump induces even more traction from their followers than their carefully crafted posts.

Yet, despite the inherently flippant nature of a casually-recorded amateurish snapshot of anyone’s moments, such videos are actually archiving the tides of our times for posterity. The digital era is here to stay and access on demand facilities are not going anywhere. Hence an ardent history researcher who’s at it even a thousand years from now might just find that video footage of Bunty’s or Babli’s birthday bashes provide more valuable insights into today’s culture than any other media available to him or her about our era.

The art of shooting videos is also fast becoming a universally scalable art. House keepers and security guards are usually even more adept at clicking pictures and filming domestic videos than their sahibs or memsahibs. At times their frames are invaded by the corner of a finger or are generally askew by 20° from the acceptable angles, but they mostly get the job done.

The memsahibs and even the sahibs are very finicky about their appearances though. Many a picture or video has been deleted from everywhere (but from Google’s snoopy databases) simply because the chief protagonist was not looking his or her best.

Life itself does not offer a rewind facility or a retake, does it? But our screen-savvy masses are able to edit, prune, crop, morph or even doctor videos and images at the drop of a hat. Everyone except Yours Truly also seems to be adept at adding lilting music as per the prevailing mood to all sorts of video shots (or shorts!)

Videography did of course become much more an integral part of our lives when we all became “shooting stars” during the pandemic-induced extended global lockdowns. All their camera-shyness vanished out of the window when teachers, doctors, bureaucrats and lawyers et al were forced to become “actors” on screen by the demands of present times.

The master of satire, late Mr Jaspal Bhatti, had wittily credited his camera team for “camera jerks” in his renowned “Flop Show”. Many a real life camera person, not accustomed to the finer nuances of the art, may be susceptible to such jerks all the time. It is another matter that the real “jerk” could well be the one on screen at times!

A touching aspect of this video boom is the ability of mankind to record flawless voices and expressions of the oldest generation, which does not have as much time left as others on this planet. Children and grandchildren of such beloved elderly ones can be sure that their dearest mammas or grandpas would keep smiling at them from their video collection for all times to come.

The tendency to record a frail person who’s losing the battle of life on a hospital bed may not represent everyone’s preferred memory later, but their happier days are a welcome addition to posterity.

The fact remains that our own minds and hearts can probably recall the smiling loving expression of a dear departed one even better than technology can. But then, the sheer clarity and exactitude that the digital era offers is also unmatched.

The irrepressible world of video footage is indeed here to stay. No one will ever unravel the humongous immensity of it, but then who’s complaining?