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17. Everything is a Remix Part 2
1 year ago
An exploration of the remix techniques involved in producing films. Part Two of a four-part series.
An additional supplement to this video can be seen here:
goo.gl/gtArc
To support this series please visit everythingisaremix.info/donate/
An additional supplement to this video can be seen here:
goo.gl/gtArc
To support this series please visit everythingisaremix.info/donate/
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| Date | Plays | Likes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | 733K | 7,134 | 227 |
| Feb 24th | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 23rd | 1,426 | 19 | 0 |
| Feb 22nd | 2,452 | 28 | 1 |
| Feb 21st | 3,093 | 36 | 0 |
| Feb 20th | 4,995 | 45 | 1 |
| Feb 19th | 4,560 | 47 | 0 |
| Feb 18th | 5,246 | 45 | 1 |
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Looking forward to Part 3 about innovation. Added this to our channel
vimeo.com/channels/shortoftheweek
-Andrew
shortoftheweek.com/2011/02/07/qa-with-kirby-ferguson-everything-is-a-remix/
btw, the function of this short, "blowing my mind", is totally appropriated from "the matrix", and before that, "weird science", and before that, "groo".
But he's still the worst actor alive. :)
Now you just have to reveal following unknown things for all world people:
1. Earth has a ball shape,
2. spring begins after a winter, then summer - autumn and, you'll not believe, winter again (it is a remix too).
and other ones.
Good luck!
Glad to see people getting schooled.
We're waiting for part 3!!!
Shared this on TISCO:
facebook.com/pages/THIS-IS-SO-CONTEMPORARY/89359248691
DP.
Loved how you pointed out all of the parts of older movies that Star Wars is based off of. Same with Avatar. And the genre "Sorry for colonialism"
I'm always obsessed by existing references when I start a new project and it's so nice to discover that I'm not the only one!!!
Thanks!
Don't know where to buy it, though.
to be fair, he made the first version in 2009
oliverlaric.com/versions.htm
Point is: yes everything IS a remix ore a Version.
it's super tacky to ask for money at the end of it.
Throwin some money your way, and sharing this in next weeks installment, under » "Hollywood Deconstructed: Remixing Simulacra."
Brad
It's great you and many other filmmakers know this stuff. Who cares? First, believe it or not, there are perhaps hundreds of thousands of people, average Janes and Joes, who DON'T know any of this stuff. But they enjoy movies and would enjoy this doc. Second, to those of us who do know much of this, knowing QT lifted all of his work from other classics, and SEEING the scenes side by side are two different things. It's fun an entertaining.
Lastly, 300k+ views in 18 days tells me that either 1) not as many people know this stuff as you claim, or 2) people don't care b/c despite knowing it, Kirby's presentation is entertaining and engaging.
If you were disappointed that he didn't show you anything you didn't already know, then I encourage you to go out and spend countless hours making your own doc revealing something entirely new. Good luck finding it.
2)No, it's not. It's smarmy and boring and way overdone. the whole tone of the clip is "lookie at what I've discovered." And then it turns out that what this guy's discovered something old, short and boring and presented as new, in depth and super interesting.
Your assertion that people are viewing it as proof that it's important shows what a damn revolutionary in thought you are. Kuds, Ron Dawson. Go film something and be important on the internet.
BTW, this video has way fewer views than my favorite video, "laser pointer cat bowling."
"lookie what I've discovered"
--That is the purpose of a video sharing website.
"And then it turns out that what this guy's discovered something old, short and boring and presented as new, in depth and super interesting."
--That is called a remix
"I have no problem acting superior to them."
--That is you still being snobby and arrogant
Congrats, you have stated nothing new from your initial comment, you just remixed it--poorly.
BTW, your favorite video has way fewer views than my favorite video, too.
It is sad that some directors, in some cases, they just copy without innovation. Just because producers want to make easy money?
Would be nice to have a list of movies that are not inspired on other movies, books, or previous works.
Didn't know where a lot of the "inspiration" from Star Wars came from.
on a side not: in my opinion Avatar IS a remix/re-interpretation of pocahontas & ferngully
Keep them coming!
BTW: you have a nice voice, did you ever work in a radio station?
Was wondering from whence you draw your deep-cut references, like the old war films? Are those films you recognized from seeing them yourself, or are you drawing on an existing cinephile community? Or maybe I just need to look at the Star Wars Wikipedia page....But I bet lots of your viewers would be interested in hearing more about your process.
Looking forward to Part 3.
So then can we deduce that the work for Kirby was in:
-reading all the old interviews and promotional materials,
-then tracking down those films,
-screening them all with acute knowledge of the individual shots of Star Wars,
-finding the associated clips from the originals,
-and then lining up clips in split-screen so the similarities are so visually obvious to the viewer?
I'm trying to get a sense of the effort needed to produce a video essay like this, and the skills required: I think it can sometimes not be obvious how much work is involved, and how skillful it really is to make the case using the evidence so clearly. That takes a researcher's determination and an editor's deft hand (and possibly a fan's devotion).
I think Kirby Ferguson's thesis is too simplistic. If one looks hard enough, one can connect the dots and surmise that every scene,shot or story is taken or influenced from some other sources. It's like conspiracy theorists always thinking that everything that happens is a conspiracy. One can easily bend the information to fit their message.
I do agree on Kirby's view that "Creation requires influence. Everything we make is a remix of existing creations, our lives and the lives of others". But why the effort to say that this is a bad thing. It is not like this has just happened this decade. It's been happening since the dawn of time. Not only in cinema but from art to literature to cooking to politics.
One should look at "remixing" more like innovation. In fact remixing IS just another term for innovation. Taking the best things and practices that work or you like and making it your own, improving on them and from it creating something new. That's how human beings have progressed. Of course for every great film there's a hundred that's average to awful.
But to Kirby's defence, the editing is very good and this is just part 2 of a 4 part series. So I don't know what his final message is. But so far it's just comes off to me as much ado about nothing.
Do you mean to tell me that Led Zeppelin stole riffs from blues recordings and rap artists borrow beats from one another? Shocking! Star Wars was influenced by Joseph Campbell and Kurosawa? No!!!
IN OTHER SHOCKING REVELATIONS: Water is wet! Peanut butter and jelly go well together!
You're just regurgitating statements that have been published 100s of times (is your video a remix?). When you got to the part about Star Wars and its foundation in the works of Joseph Campbell I literally rolled my eyes (I've read that fact over 50 times). It's like your trying to say "by the way the sky is blue" as some sort of profound statement. I'm not trying to sound like an elitist but you're basically just taking what you learned in media history 101 and "remixing" it into a video.
I wouldn't have so much of a problem with it if you weren't asking for money. It actually pissed me off that you have the nerve to ask for donations to complete your video essay on "remixing" (stealing or borrowing ideas) yet your video provided absolutely no original information or insight. Why would you need donations to complete a video that is essentially an edited composite of copy written material (which can be done on a $40 piece of software)? ALL of your examples and facts have been published multiple times in other forms. It's so ironic that it seems like some kind of "meta" joke.
Yes, the video is a remix and it's about remix. You'd think a genius like you would find that incredibly, boringly obvious.
I actually was looking forward to viewing your work as it was recommended to me by a personal friend who found your remix series “interesting”. I'm not above admitting that the shorts are fairly well edited, composed and narrated. Unfortunately, you seem to believe that you are making some kind of grand and innovative statement (in FOUR parts!). You've basically taken well publicized comments regarding the re-cyclical nature of media and repackaged them as your own. You're like a child that has learned some arbitrary fact in school and passes it on as radical information. “Mommy! Mommy! Did you know that George Washington was the first president? That's very good Kirby. You're so smart.”
If you want to waste your time reprocessing familiar material and promoting it as ingenuous notification then go right ahead. I just don't understand why you feel that you have the right to request donations for this uninformative and pedantic work (especially in light of the fact that your apparent budget was about $50).
btw, this is your page, why not just delete these windbag comments?
btw, i loved your video SOLAR PRISON. Best guffaw i've had all day.
Throughout these productions I have been forced to question you're education. I wonder if you skipped History class or fell asleep in English or failed Math or Science , because if you hadn't you would have realized that there is a pattern to all of life. Everything follows a pattern. All of matter is made up of atoms, mathematical equations govern the universe, every story follows the Hero's Journey, and history repeats itself. These are universal truths. I can't decide which I feel stronger for you: abhorrence or pity.
All of this, no doubt, is due to some incompetence or venture to touch on some kind of "original" idea, yet in this sad attempt, you have failed miserably and fallen, rather, under the same title you demonize: a "remix." Not only do you stretch the word beyond it's actual meaning (perhaps from a lack of understanding) but you wave it with a bourgeois, self-righteous ignorance that would make any literate human vomit.
You're "unoriginal" film on "unoriginal" films is the most idiotic oxymoron I have ever had the displeasure of seeing. I would be amused beyond belief to see you attempt an entirely "original" production using zero influence from the outside world. It could be you're Walden Pond... oh, but that would be a "remix" of Emerson.
In the end, the reason why you're video is so revolting is because I fearfully ask myself, "where will they stop?" And so I ask you, where will you stop? You could call this a fallacious argument, but the fact that you've made the claims you have already is clear proof of your illogicality and naivety to not only the principles of life, but the principles of film making and music as well.
I can only hope that you will save what little dignity is left to your name and remove this God-awful video and it's counterpart from the internet.
If you agree or disagree on something, tell us why. But just to slam someone's opinion just because you don't agree with them without any explanation, that's just weak.
The fact that Kirby is asking for money to finish his commentary for a subject that is very obvious to anyone who knows their history or has common sense and the way he presents his message like he's the first one who had this insight - Michael Moore like, comes off as pretentious and charlatanistic. That's what BearGryllz and me included find diagreeable on Kirby's thesis.
Though if this was just a video about what movies or sources influenced a certain movie and nothing more, I think it's an awesome video, over reaching but a well edited video nonetheless. Though I do find that when trying to find and connect where a movie got it's influences without the director confirming it, one can mistake coincidences into actual influences. In the end only the filmmakers know the truth.
Interesting post.
I didn't have the same reaction you did, and as a result, am having a hard time relating to this point of view.
BearGryllz is obviously pissed off about this but after reading the post, it seems the biggest gripe comes from the assumption that Kirby is calling these films crap because they are derived from, or influenced by existing material.
Personally, I didn't get that at all.
In fact, there seemed to be a deep appreciation for all of these films and stories and I felt he was simply pointing the sources out... Retracing the family tree or ideas.
The simple fact that stories, music and art in nearly every form comes from a place of influence was already obvious to me and is common knowledge among writers artists and philosophers.
From what I gathered, all he was saying is that there are really a limited amount of stories and very rarely is there a "brand new" idea.
Carl Jung, Plato, Aristotle and many others have commented on this archetypal model for centuries.
In every way, this project in and of itself is a remix.
So, yeah, I didn't have the same revolting reaction you did, but you're obviously well-read and not just trolling so I figured I would engage.
Javier, I have been an actor for over half of my life. I began analyzing actors in films to understand their technique, form, traits. As one delves into the film industry (and I'm sure it's the same with any other) you begin to understand the entire process that goes into such an enormous project. As I became parts of more and more productions I found techniques and tricks that I liked, I began developing opinions. Granted, I'm no filmmaker, but I understand nearly every process to filmmaking (excluding makeup, more extreme stunts, CGI, other editing stuff, etc.). As I see it, although it may not have been the primary intention, Mr. Ferguson directly attacks every form of storytelling, with this Mr. Ferguson is attacking me, my friends, and everyone else who works their asses off to bring you the magic of cinema.
The only major issue I have with this video is the tone. If it was just an innocent film for all the twits out there who didn't already know it, that would be fine. But the manner in which Mr. Ferguson presents his argument which infuriates me.