Should You Collaborate With HitRECord On TV?

What is this thing?

It's the first TV series from "open, collaborative production company" HitRECord, which started as a kind of internet art project in 2005 and evolved into its current form, as a producer of albums, short films, and books starting in 2010; it premieres Saturday at 10 PM ET on Pivot.

Why now?

Now that Pivot has been on the air a few months and is starting to get its feet under it, a little star power beyond the old scripted shows it's leased (i.e. Friday Night Lights), and Meghan McCain's now-cancelled show didn't get it done (though, yes, I know she'll be back on their TakePart Live thing, but still). "What kind of star power?" I'm so glad you asked.

What's its pedigree?

HitRECord was started by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his brother, Dan (who died of a drug overdose in 2010). Now, actor/writer/director Gordon-Levitt adds a new hyphenate to his name: fourth-tier-SD-cable host!

...And?

According to the opening credits of the series pilot (which you can watch in its entirety above), 426 HitRECord followers contributed work to the episode, which takes the form of stories, animation, voice-over narration, video clips, and original music. Fourth-tier cable or no, this is great exposure for a lot of artists who might never otherwise reach this big an audience. And there's going to be more of those opportunities to come for those willing to contribute to the show: Pivot picked it up for a second season before the first episode has even aired.

...But?

If you'll permit me a little personal anecdote: last fall, I was out with Previously.TV contributor Pamela Ribon seeing Battle Of The Year (huge letdown, btw) when we happened to pass this poster in the theatre. Pointing to it, Pam noted, "He's getting a little too smug," and when you look at that face, it's kind of hard to disagree with her assessment. The premise of the series is that he's just an on-the-fly facilitator for the work of the grassrootsy HitRECord collective (see: his handheld self-shot segment bumpers)...and yet when his first main contributor is on Skype with him introducing a story about how her dad helped her see the stars in the night sky despite an ocular condition, he still chooses to cut to himself for a reaction shot. More egregious still, he assigns himself the role of lead singer on the song that closes the episode. "But I don't think I've ever heard him sing in any of his movies...?" No. No, you haven't. I mean, he's not terrible. But as "look at me" moments go, it's pretty cringey.

...So?

Like Raising McCain, the only other piece of Pivot's original programming I've seen, much is made of the DIY aspects, which I assume is based on feedback that executives have received from focus groups about the sorts of things that will interest cord-cutting millennials in traditional TV delivery systems. I'm old, so these elements strike me as more self-conscious than anything else. As for the organizing principle of presenting a range of segments on a theme ("The Number One" is, fittingly, what's on deck in the series premiere): This American Life did it first — not just on the radio, but in its short-lived Showtime series a few years back — and does it better, with a lot more editorial direction, and a lot less cross-cutting and noise. But like I said, this might be a generational preference. Or a Joseph Gordon-Levitt preference. If you're young and he's your jam, this might be too.