In a world where every second pulses with potential stories and fleeting moments, the urge to record has become a universal language among content creators. It’s more than just capturing images or sounds; it’s about preserving emotions, memories, and the essence of human experience. In this fifth installment of our WeConnect 2025 China Tour Interview Series, we dive into the hearts and minds of our creators to explore the last time they felt that irresistible pull to document, and what it truly means to have the “must record” urge. Join us as we uncover the stories behind the lenses and the significance of freezing time, one frame at a time.

The Urge to Record

Q: When was the last time you had the urge to must record? Where were you, and what were you doing?

A:

• Simon Cade: I think the last time I wanted to record something immediately was probably when we were watching the Drone show. I was thinking, should I just experience it with my eyes? But I thought, I have to capture this so that I can remember it for a long time.
• Nigel Ian Laxamana: The most memorable moment for me to record last time is now. Like, right now. Because this is a memory for me. I’ve been in the industry for quite some time now. I always look back on every moment because every moment is special to me. It’s part of the human experience. So before we started this interview, I really wanted to get my camera. Because this is a must-record moment with you.
• Chandra Timothy Liow: I’m working on big-scale projects where I prepare a lot of things and have a large crew. And, yeah, it takes a lot of preparations just to press the record button, you know? Like, we probably need to do at least one or two weeks of preparation, and then I can start shooting after that, you know? But I think that natural, organic urge to record was way back one or two years ago. Yeah, that was the last time.
• Landon Bytheway: Hongya Cave. So we were over there filming for our video, and all the lights came on. It’s on a hillside, so you look up and there are all these different layers of lights. I had the camera, and I had to record everything because it was beautiful. You don’t see that in the U.S.
• Chrystopher William: I just recently went to a baby shower, which isn’t, you know, exciting, but it was exciting because there was a lot going on. It was a family experience. So in that instance, I felt like I needed to capture that moment.
• Konstantin Ermakov: So the most recent time I felt the urge to record was when we got to see the recent drone show. I mean, I’ve never seen anything like it before in person, so I just had to take my phone out. I felt like this is a moment that absolutely needs sharing.
• Kirsty Wells: I agree. I saw Danny and Lucas sitting down watching the drone show, so I got a really nice photo of them. I just thought it was such a good moment. It’s such a beautiful photo.
• Lucas: It’s really hard for us to say that because we’re always recording everything. We just want to live life and love things. But I think it was when we went on top of the building. When we just realized, so today is Friday. And I’m on top of the building, 250 meters from the ground. Watching the sunset with a lot of new friends. On Friday. I think it was… I must record that and bring this with me to show my kids one day.
• Danielle: For me, it was yesterday when we were exploring the city and seeing all the new things. And for me, it’s really nice because everything is different for us. So, a little shopping. And a noodle store. Everything is so different. And so amazing. So, it was really nice to record this moment. And to have it to show the world. And also for myself. Especially in Chongqing. There are so many things happening all the time. Everywhere. Yeah. Your mind is blown away. Because you have the tea. The tea spot. We have the big buildings.

The Meaning of Must Record

Q: As a content creator, how would you describe the urge to must record in one sentence? What does it represent?

A:

• Simon Cade: I think for me as a creator, it’s when I notice that I’m experiencing an emotion. That’s my sign to say, “Maybe I can film this, maybe I can record this.” Because I’m trusting that if I have an emotional response, then maybe someone else will too. And usually, when I read the comments on the video, this confirms it for me and helps me realize that it was the right thing to do.
• Nigel Ian Laxamana: Every second, every minute, every hour of every day is always a must-record. Because you will never get it back.
• Chandra Timothy Liow: I think we’re living in a world where everything is happening so fast, and sometimes we can easily forget what’s been happening to us. So, we didn’t know… sometimes we didn’t know what we were doing yesterday, what we were doing last week. So, I think right now we’re in a world where we need to document everything, document… we need to take photos, take videos, record everything. Not just because you want to post immediately or you want to show it to your friends immediately. No. I think our tools, either your phone or your camera, are the important things right now because in the future we’ll have something to look back on. And those moments in this era right now will be easily forgotten if we don’t have that. So, I think that’s… I don’t think that’s one sentence. Yeah, I think that’s it from me.
• Landon Bytheway: It’s instinct as a creative. You see something beautiful, and you can’t help but look at the composition and look at it through the lens of your camera and hit record because you want to share that with other people. And even if you don’t want to share that with other people, again, instinctually, you just can’t help but capture it because you’re going to want to go back and look at that later. So I would call the urge to record just instinct.
• Chrystopher William: I think it represents that whatever you have access to in terms of cameras, you can use that to capture the moment. I think sometimes we kind of complicate the process of creating, but whatever you have, just use it.
• Konstantin Ermakov: For me, it represents memories.
• Kirsty Wells: I have a pretty bad memory, so it’s good to be able to look back and see what you’ve done and how many cool things you’ve experienced in life and just document that and the people you love and people that you’ve had a connection with in your life. You might look back in 20 years and be like, “Oh, I wonder how this guy is doing. I remember we had this lunch and stuff like that.” It’s like remembering connections, experiences, and things that you see. Yeah, I’ve been doing videography for so many years, and it’s so cool to have my journey documented through selfies, vlogs, and behind-the-scenes footage. I think it’s a cool way just to hold on to really great experiences.
• Lucas: Because on that trip, specifically, I was trying to see more with my eyes without using the camera. Because a lot of things were happening in front of my eyes. And I was thinking, I don’t want to just bring this back as an image for me. I want to see that and feel that to help learn from the things. Observe and absorb without losing.
• Danielle: It’s important to record without losing the moment with your eyes. Yeah. Don’t just record on the camera. For me, it’s about feeling the moment and making your scene, your beautiful video, but also having a time to see and be inspired.

Video

Want to see these creators in action and hear more about their experiences firsthand? Check out the interview video at: https://www.instagram.com/hollylandtech/reel/DO8hfGpgXbJ/?hl=en

Note

1. The names of the interviewees are arranged randomly according to the interview order.
2. Not all creators answered all the questions. Due to time constraints, the interview times were quite random.