Eugene Jarecki, a documentary filmmaker who’s work includes the 2005 documentary Why We Fight, created this remix after making the connection between the current big bank bailout that fostered record profits and the story in the classic Frank Capra film It’s a Wonderful Life. In the film, community banker George Bailey helps the people of Bedford Falls escape a predatory banker Mr. Potter. With support from top financial analysts and the Huffington Post, the idea grew into this project: Move Your Money.

If enough people who have money in one of the Big Six banks  (JP Morgan/Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley) move it into smaller, more local, more traditional community banks, then collectively we, the people, will have taken a big step toward re-rigging the financial system so it becomes again the productive, stable engine for growth it’s meant to be. — Move Your Money Campaign

Category: short film
Topic Tags: activism, banks, bush, capitalism, corporations, economics, identity correction, obama

Desiree D’Alessandro examines the commodification of natural resources in this remix, addressing the imminent crisis of the worldwide water shortage. Her source footage, which includes tv commercials, new segments and documentary footage, has become a major point of contention with her university, the University of California Santa Barbara. (More on this below)

UCSB declared D’Alessandro’s endeavors in acquiring and utilizing copyrighted source materials for creating remixes an “offense” as it violates the university’s Terms of Services. In order ‘to protect itself and its students’, UCSB considers any sharing of copyrighted material (music, movies, software and books included) a DMCA violation, even if, as in this case, the result is a fair use. The university also added that

appeals leads to serious legal procedures (in the past four years, no one at UCSB has ever filed ‘counter-notice’, the procedure with which people can appeal with a fair-use claim.)

The trend of policing university networks for DMCA violations is worrisome, as it usually urges the school to locate and save all student information related to the case. Thankfully, the University of Wisconsin, MIT and Boston College have refused to turn over student information and be a middle-man for groups like the RIAA who continue to endorse such network management policies.

From this debacle has come new work: D’Alessandro created a short remix that mashes screen shots of UCSB’s DMCA internet ban and scenes from the movie Step Brothers. She says,

Regardless of this incident, I am certain the Political Remix Video genre is moving toward a direction of net-neutrality, open-source access, and the deterioration of copyright restrictions.

Category: short film
Topic Tags: activism, consumerism, environment, News

Public Knowledge has just released their new series of four video interviews called “We Are Creators Too” that focuses on artists who push the boundaries of copyright law. First to be featured was Nina Paley whose Sita Sings the Blues feature film (set to music from the Public Domain) reveals the timelessness of an old Indian folk tale while simultaneously exposing the archaic nature of copyright. Francesca Coppa, fan, academic and keeper of women’s vidding herstory is also featured along with Jonathan and myself.

Public Knowledge is a great resource for remix artists and vidders because they acknowledge that Fair Use is a right, not a privilege. As artist, we can only continue making new work with the hopes that the product and process decreases copyright confusion and encourages the use of new media technologies to sustain media literacy and critical thinking about popular, and proprietary, culture.

Part 4 – Francesca Coppa

Part 3 – Jonathan McIntosh

Part 2 – Elisa Kreisinger

Part 1 – Nina Paley

Category: About Remixing
Topic Tags: activism, copyright, corporations, fair use, REMOVED, rights, television, vidding

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face. Forever.”

The above George Orwell quote accompanies this vid by Lila Futuransky which deals with cinematic depictions of oppression and resistance. She weaves together appropriated footage from three sci-fi films set in a near future London; 28 Days Later, Children of Men and V for Vendetta. These are remixes over the song Rabbit in Your Headlights by the band Unkle. The result is a re-constructed vision of a fear-driven future and also a vision of the resistance.  She particularly challenges the ways in which gender, race and sexuality play out in those futures.

Lila has carefully re-contextualized many of the characters in these films including erasing the male V character (along with his torturing of Evey “for her own good”)  and removes the character of Theo as the white male savor of Kee in shots from Children of Men. The vid also pieces together an inspiring montage of resistance which inserts images of queer relationships in between the shots of street protests and sabotage. For much more detail on the concepts behind the creating of this vid check out lila’s web page for it.

Category: vidding
Topic Tags: activism, gender, government, hollywood, military, race, sexuality, vidding, war

This remix is somewhat unique because it comes to us from a non-profit organization rather than from an individual artist. The speeches, press conferences, news clips and ads of US political figures, both left and right, are edited to make an official event trailer for Power Shift 09 and their lobby day on March 2nd. The video also represents an example of how political remix video is being used to harness real, on-the-ground grassroots action for policy change. It’s exciting to see organizations using appropriated footage in their campaign videos. It wasn’t too long ago when the fear of using such copyrighted material kept most non-profits from making interesting remixed media. Hopefully the fair-use trend will continue and encourage others to transform corporate media into tools of social change.

The Power Shift 09 website says they “will bring 10,000 young people to Washington to hold our elected officials accountable for rebuilding our economy and reclaiming our future through bold climate and clean energy policy”. The organization advocates for green jobs and investments in solar and wind energy rather than the polluting and dangerous options of oil, coal or nuclear. The event is happening from FEB 27th to MAR 2nd. You can also see their other event promos on the Power Shift youtube channel and regester for the event here. I might just have to find my way to DC myself for this one!

Category: political speech
Topic Tags: activism, al gore, energy, environment, government, mccain, obama, ralph nader, schwarzenegger

A video by Elisa Kreisinger that remixes presidential campaign promises over the past few decades and juxtaposes them with footage of people’s movements and protests on the streets.

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Category: short film
Topic Tags: activism, voting

A classic political remix, made entirely by adding only extra subtitles to re-tale the story of Lord of the Rings in the context of neo-liberal free trade.

Although not quite as good, see part 2 at the link below, the sequel is called The Twin Towers and explores post-911 issues within the United States.

http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2004/09/02/twintowers56k.mov

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Category: short film
Topic Tags: activism, capitalism, economics, free-trade, markets, war