Based on our discussion of remix culture, we will participate in the act of remixing as creativity and commentary. By March 31, students should work in pairs to create a short (no more than 5 minutes) video which offers some sort of commentary (explicit or implied) about media forms. All footage should be “borrowed” from other sources (which should be cited in the credits), and re-edited to convey some different meanings and ideas. Audio can be borrowed and/or self-generated; other images (visual stills, captions, credits, etc.) can either be borrowed or generated. The ultimate goal is to explore how the act of remixing can function as a form of creativity, and how it can offer a critical perspective on some of the issues explored in the course. While you can choose a wide range of sources and topics, you might consider focusing on one source for commentary (like remixing a film to create new meanings) or juxtaposing two different sources. You can see examples from previous semesters here.

As an educational activity offering critical commentary, this is clearly an act of fair use – copyrighted material may be used without permission. If footage is taken from a digitally encrypted form (like DVDs), students should be aware of the DMCA’s anti-circumvention laws – using screen capture or other methods of video transfer are encouraged to avoid breaking this law, even though there is no doubt that the law itself infringes on your fair use rights.

Once the video is completed, it should be uploaded to YouTube and posted to the blog – if students feel that the copyright policies of YouTube contradict their work, uploading videos to Middmedia is another option. Students should post a blog entry discussing their video, their goals, and providing a self-assessment of how well the video achieves their goals. Videos will be screened and discussed in class on March 31.

For proper uploading to YouTube, please follow these settings:

• MPEG4 (Divx, Xvid) format
• 640×480 resolution
• MP3 audio
• Native Framerate

For proper uploading to MiddMedia please reference the middmedia wiki.

Groups:

Hunter / Liya

Hannah / Toren

Guilliame / Patti

Molly / Shane / Mark