RIP: A Remix Manifesto
I had my reservations about the film upon first starting it because of the montage of various clips stitches together. I did not understand the reasoning behind the unusual comprising, but as the film took a turn for the realities of copyright issues I understood the reasoning behind the numerous ‘mashups.’ I first learned about copyright when trying to upload a fun video of myself on youtube back in 2008. It is not out of the ordinary for a twelve year old to think all music is free of use as long as it is publicly published. However, it was saddening when twelve year old Binsa found out that youtube would mute the video because of copyright issues and even ban it from being viewed in certain countries. If I was not informed about the music issue and if copyright was not and issue – I probably would have been youtube famous already ( but I was discouraged). Yes—I could have made my own music through garage band or live instruments—but, sometimes there’s beauty in taking popular tracks and putting your own twist to it.
Brett Gaylor’s film opened up the legal issues behind copyright and the big time corporations behind the “ownership” for a particular track or movie clip. Gaylor helped show how remixes are important forms of mediums that bring together a vast audience and creators. I believe Girl Talk was a great example to show in the film about the harsh realities behind remixing. It is absurd that individuals like Girl Talk can be fined millions by big name corporations who see creativity in dollar signs.
Gaylor’s commendable act in shedding light to an issue faced by many young adults can hopefully loosen some legal laws. The movie encouraged me to research other cases where individuals were penalized for creating something innovative out of existing tunes.
The Language of New Media
It is safe to establish that nowadays it is difficult to interpret what is reality and what is a creation from the many tools available to us. “Whose vision is it? It is the vision of a computer, a cyborg,… it is a realistic representation of the human vision… (Manovich 8) ” Manovich also writes how modernization has allowed not only different physical locations to meet on a print page but now also on a single electronic screen. For example, I believe the use of green screens has really transformed world of filmmaking. Green screens are the reason I don’t fully engage in any one movies because it all seems like a lie—if the location is a lie might as not believe the actions being depicted on screen. The use of CGI or computer generated imagery is used practically every action movie. Although it does work well with movies such as Avatar—because it highly concentrated by computer generated images—green screens and CGI can make films look low budgeted and authenticity lacking.
However it is unfair to write off the movie industry as fake when practically every image is alter before hitting and audience. Is it okay to say a filter enhances ones artistic expression—or is used to mask ones flaws in a “selfie.” Editing is a powerful tool in itself, and although it is highly regarded in creating new media through Photoshop, it is becoming too commoditized. Anyone access to a computer and/ or a simple application on a phone can create virtual deceptions. In Manovich’s writing he distinguishes between two basic techniques of digital compositing. The first technique creates realities from combining consecutive moments in life. The second technique creates realties from influencing contingent parts from a single image. In other words—through the use of new media one can create and image by using various different sources eventually erasing the borders between the various images. Through the first technique it is difficult to tell what the original image is versus the numerous other sources within the frame. The second technique allows one to become a minimalist and alter certain minute or major parts of the original frame. The beauty of Photoshop is that we can apply either two techniques into our work.
‘Seeing the brick’
In present day there is a wide notion that animation is heavily digital based and that is how the characters come to life. Though there is some truth about influence from the digital world on creating moving objects; animation can be done with simple mundane commodities. Flipbooks were my go to activity because it brought my simples drawings to life. I was able to understand the importance of every picture (or frame) and how they create the illusion of movement. To further test the theory of animation through our own hands it is crucial to learn the role of the thaumatrope. “It is both interesting and instructive to retrace the genealogy of animation and to study some of those crazy that let to contemporary animation techniques.”
A 19th century British innovation that sparked the cartoon world was in wide circulation back then and was popular due to its simplicity. This optic toy can even be recreated at one’s home using cardboard and string. The thaumatrope creates a “bird in a cage” effect by twisting the device and the spinning tricks our eyes into only capturing flashes of the image. I believe the art of viewing animation takes a lot of creativity as well because not every movement is depicted on screen like a live action film—most actions are filled in my our brain due to our past experiences.
The thaumatrope was not the only optic toy circulating in the 19th century—but, it was definitely my favorite because of its simple application. I believe IT professional and animators should base their new innovative programs on this simple toy. The platform used to create art should not be and conundrum –allowing the artist to have as much flexibility as possible. Connecting my compute information class to new media arts I know that the user interface is crucial for a program. Thus, I am glad Adobe premiere is not as complicated as anticipated, however, I am still awaiting a program that models its concept on this simple tool or toy.
Ch.1 Digital Technologies as a Tool
“Digital Technologies as a Tool” thoroughly explains the significance of technology as an effective art form. Christian Paul provided numerous examples of technology as an aesthetic and how it combines well with traditional art forms. For example, artist Lillian Schwartz combined two well known traditional works of art– the Mona Lisa and Leonardo in (1987). By creating the Mona/Leo, she portrayed the two subjects as is while blurring our the original artist’s subjectivity.
In a business sense, technology enhances marketing through various graphic designs. As a future Zicklin student I was naturally pulled towards the idea of graphic design in marketing. “The language of advertising is obviously closely connected to the history of image manipulation…(Paul,35) In advertising one can see a wonderful transition from an art representation to specific branding. “KIDing’s” and Annu Palakunnathu Mathew’s work really stood out to me solely based on their approach/style. KIDing does an excellent job of marketing places such as resorts by an blurring effect. He blurs out the image he is trying to sell and has the brand name stand out in front. This idea imbeds the brand name into one’s mind, while still making the mind think ahead to visualize the blurred image. Mathew has an entirely different approach from KIDing– in terms of placement and focus. Mathew overlays many prints from bollywood movies and makes the visuals sharper and bolder. His style is imitated throughout India –outside the bollywood industry as well. Discovering Mathew was a wonderful surprise–because his motherland is the same state in India as mine. Through the use of technology is work was seen by many and thus– allowing new connections to be made.
Simple thoughts on “The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects”
“The Medium is the Massage” is evident to how Marshall McLuhan and Quentin were way ahead of their time. For example, they stated that the generation gap between the youth and the older generation was because of the lack in understanding new forms of technology between the older generation. McLuhan and Quentin, two middle aged men in the late 1960s, understood how much media took over one’s life without even entering into the 21st century. Although some of the diction in this text was quite obscure the general idea is that different forms of “mediums” have become extensions of human beings themselves.
McLuhan explains how writing is a form of medium that has shaped one from an “acoustic space: boundless, directionless, horizonless, in the dark of the mind..” to world of emotion and sociality. Similarly to writing being an extension of our lives so are everyday commodities such as clothing for our skin and books for our eyes. In the text McLuhan chose interesting thought evoking images to fill the book. Since the text primarily discussed mediums—images were an excellent way to enhance their point.
