References
Highly Recommended
- Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson
- The Ecstasy of Influence, Jonathan Lethem
- Reality Hunger, David Shields
- The Myths of Innovation, Scott Berkun
- Insanely Great, Stephen Levy
- Infringement Nation, John Tehranian
- Reclaiming Fair Use, Patricia Aufderheide & Peter Jaszi
- Patent Failure, James Bessen
Series-wide References
Books
- Cognitive Surplus, Clay Shirky
- Common as Air, Lewis Hyde
- Copyrights and Copywrongs, Siva Vaidhyanathan
- Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky
- Piracy, Adrian Johns
- Pirate’s Dilemma, Matt Mason
- In Praise of Copying, Marcus Boon (also available as a free download)
- The Public Domain, James Boyle (also available as a free download)
- Remix, Lawrence Lessig
- Silent Theft, David Bollier
- The Wealth of Networks, Yochai Benkler
- Origins of Genius, Dean Keith Simonton
- The Act of Creation, Arthur Koestler
- Weaving the Web, Tim Berners-Lee
- Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
- What the Dog Saw, Malcolm Gladwell
- The Gift, Lewis Hyde
Video
- Good Copy, Bad Copy
- RiP: A Remix Manifesto, Brett Gaylor
- Steal This Film 1 & 2
- Can I Get An Amen?, Nate Harrison
- Ressemblance
- Versions, Oliver Laric
- Connections 1, 2 and 3, James Burke
Web
- Variations, Jon Leidecker
- My Sin, My Soul… Whose Lolita?, On the Media
- Homages, Ripoffs and Coincidences
- TechDirt
Episode 1 References
- WhoSampled
- Turn Me On, Dead Man
- SongFacts
- Sound Opinions on Rock Plagiarism
- Hammer of the Gods, Stephen Davis
- The Soft Machines
Episode 2 References
- Kill Bill References Guide
- Kill Bill Reference, Sylvia
- Kill Bill: An Unofficial Casebook, D.K. Holm
- George Lucas Stole Chewbacca, But It’s Okay
- The Making of Star Wars, J.W. Rinzler
- The Secret History of Star Wars, Michael Kaminski
- Star Wars Origins
- Nobrow, John Seabrook
- When Will White People Stop Making Films Like Avatar?
- Avatar = Pocahontas in Space
Episode 3 References
- Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson
- How Breakthroughs Happen, Andrew Hargadon
- The Myths of Innovation, Scott Berkun
- Explaining Creativity, R. Keith Sawyer
- Creativity: Beyond the Myth of Genius, Robert W. Weisberg
- Creating Minds, Howard E. Gardner
- Smart World, Richard Ogle
- Insanely Great, Stephen Levy
- Revolution in the Valley, Andy Hertzfeld
- Apple Confidential 2.0, Owen Linzmayer
- Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons
- Digibarn
- Archive.org
- Triumph of the Nerds (1996 PBS documentary based on Robert X. Cringely’s book Accidental Empires)
- Mini vMac (Mac emulator)
- Cathode (Vintage terminal emulator)
Episode 4 References
- Infringement Nation, John Tehranian
- Reclaiming Fair Use, Patricia Aufderheide & Peter Jaszi
- The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins
- Creative License, Kembrew McLeod & Peter DiCola
- Viral Spiral, David Bollier
- The Patent Crisis and How the Courts Can Solve It, by Dan L. Burk & Mark A. Lemley
- Copyright’s Paradox, Neil Weinstock Netanel
- Against Intellectual Monopoly, Michele Boldrin & David K. Levine
- Cutting Across Media, Kembrew McLeod & Rudolf Kuenzli
- Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson
- FOSS Patents
- Networked Knowledge and Combinatorial Creativity
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Richard Wagner has sound track credits for 642 films. He died in 1883. His themes pop up all over the place in many other scores. One film ‘The New World’ starts with a caption that says ‘Music by James Horner’ who has indeed written some of it elsewhere in the film, but what you are listening to, note for note perfect is the prelude to Das Rheingold by Wagner. Film music is a fertile hunting ground for the remix. Wagner was ahead of his time. Listen to the opening of ‘Der Fliegende Hollander’ (The Flying Dutchman) to hear lots of familiar nautical themes.
Well done.
really nicely done – thanks for posting this. best of luck with the next three segments!
Watch The Road Warrior and then listen to Gustav Holst’s Mars: The Bringer of War. Tons of Holst music is lifted for films, but in a good way.
I am considering a donation but was curious if you would implement http://www.kickstarter.com/ to manage your donations , I really support what they do, and I think your project is a perfect fit.
Yes, I think I will do KickStarter, actually.
No seriously, this would be fantastic on KickStarter and even as a DVD if you extended each episode out a little bit
+1 for Kickstarter.
Yes, the illusive 6 sec amen drum beat, found that by accident on youtube on day, very interesting.
Might want to look into Led Zepplin’s knockoff of Louis Jordan riffs from the 50′s. I will research further if you aren’t aware of it already.
My favourite “tribute” (an euphemism for a rip-off
) is this :
Kocka leze dirou (Czech traditional song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP8oJ9VPT1o) -> Vltava/Moldau (Bedrich Smetana, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j8857i4ZTI 1m:00s) -> Hatikva (the national anthem of Israel, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHy29bn4zeE)
Rage Against The Machine’s “Wake Up” samples/remixes/steals the Led Zeppelin rif to Kashmir.
This is an excellent project. The idea of “Everything is a Remix” over “Everyone is just stealing” is such an optimistic way of looking at it. I really like that.
I love the video and look forward to more. If voice samples from other media is on the agenda for future vids, you may want to check out http://s107.net/ -its a good catalog for sources of voice samples in music.
Great, thanks! That’s very handy.
nice work! if you’re interested in theoretical background you might read some of lev manovichs articles on culture understood as remix. e.g. http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2630&Itemid=694
Thanks, I’ll give that a read!
[...] References [...]
best film i’ve seen on the web since your last one – am gonna get you some cash for three fo sho
you didn’t credit Ennio Morricone from QT’s Inglorious at the end there though
http://open.spotify.com/track/6EGUx1fHP2LPGyDREJRdw5
You might want to include a disclaimer page describing how you dealt with all of the copyrighted works featured in your series. I can’t see how fair use would cover it since you’re asking for donations. I assume you at least asked for permission to use the works featured.
Kirby, although I may not fully agree with all your points I think you would appreciate (and enjoy) the parallels between your point of view and the philosophical perspectives put forth by Gian Sarup in his research article titled “Historical Antecedents of Psychology: The Recurrent Issue of Old Wine in New Bottles.”
Its not that I disagree that very little is “traditionally original” anymore, I just feel that even the Indie Films aren’t exempt from this form of recycled ideas. They just lack the funding.
you may also be interested in Jon Leidecker’s extensive audio documentary series about remixed music throughout the 20th Century, created for the Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona:
http://rwm.macba.cat/en/variations_tag/
You might look at:
Catcher in the Rye = Bottle Rocket/Rushmore
Franny & Zooey/Glass family = Royal Tenenbaums
Where did you get the music used at the opening of the episode on Star Wars? I think it’s on the Ghost Dog movie but not on that movie’s soundtrack.
Thanks! Great work!
Another interesting source of material for Avatar (or vice versa if you stretch the circumstantial evidence) is the video game Unreal developed by Digital Extremes in the mid 90s and released in 1998, one year after the release of Titanic and around the time that Cameron is believed to have been developing the treatment for Avatar.
This web page describes some of the overlapping plot elements (scroll down past the first handful to the 2004 entries):
http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/unreal/trivia
Everything is a remix!
And we all agree with that.
This whole project is based on something that was described for the king Salomon at the book of Ecclesiastes in moments of depression. We can find things like:
“The thing that hath been, it {is that} which shall be; and that which is done {is} that which shall be done: and {there is} no new {thing} under the sun.
Is there {any} thing whereof it may be said, See, this {is} new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.”
Im not criticizing this project. Im an enthusiast by the way.
Just bringing a new reference, if you didnt knew yet.
Thanks
Great update. You might want to talk to Dr. Henry Jenkins, now at USC. His main focus has been “participatory culture” such as fan-interaction with materials (e.g. fan fic), but I am sure he would be interested in your work. Perhaps he could direct you to some research funding sources?
His blog:
http://www.henryjenkins.org
He, nice video, you forgot a major one from led zeppelin , when the levee breaks and “coldplay: in my place”
it is hard to keep the 2 apart I would say. cant wait to see the rest of the videos.
Hi Kirby
amazing job indeed, we’re approaching a project where i would love to have your talent or at least opinion…when you can contact me
thanks
http://media.fukung.net/images/23657/acce06e552615f20d54fb00627ea5c77.jpg
I love your work. I think your dealing with many topics I teach every day in my Semitics Classes. Thank your very much for sharing this videos and all the work that are behind. Of course I will donate.
Iván Islas.
From Mexico City.
Some of this material could be useful
nice job man
From Mexico City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vlVe892rUE
Thanks Joseph!
I’ve got the reference you need to say that Daft Punk – Around The World bassline is based in Chic – Good Times.
Write to me.
Thanks a lot!
My partener and I are working arround that idea for some months, and now all makes sense…
Great work… thanks for all the references…
And hughs from Spain.
What do you all people try to prove by saying everything is a remix? Even all that you say and think has been already thought and said before!
It seems you dont add anything positive to life.
Instead of showing everything is a copy, try to be original and create something new of your own! Probably youll find it imposible! Thats beacuse our learning method is based is repeating, not thinking and creating!
Bring solutions to life, not just, lets rub the problem on people faces!
first let me say good job on the series, you delivered well researched material in a simple and effect manner and in my opinion without slant. As a filmmaker i appreciate the confirmation of things I already know mixed with the visual references (some of which i had never seen) I find the haters on your vimeo page are so busy trying to sound intelligent and build a case against your videos that they completely miss the point! I didn’t really think about contributing to your project (outside of reposting) but after reading some of the comments I’ve decided I have to support the series a little more. As a creative person I’m constantly trying to dig within for originality, always exploring to do something different, but I’ve find it impossible to not be influenced, therefore inspired by other people ideas and art. Now having worked with some of the most creative people in the film industry, I realized and can confirm that even some of the most creative thinkers not only are inspired but are constantly searching for material to influence their thought process. It is human nature to replicate. I’m not sure you can complete the awesome process of telling that story in 4 parts.
I would encourage you to make it a ongoing series and continue to help inspire people to understand that process, respect it and utilize it to evolve in their craft. Good work Kirby, Life is a Remix!
You gunna do a bit on the Kimba Vs Symba, Lion King vs Kimba spin up, its an obvious one but a good one right?
I really enjoyed the videos and i have a little tip:
Check out this guy: http://www.youtube.com/user/wwwebomaninfo
He dedicates his whole life and career to sampling and remixing. I think that you might enjoy his work.
He started a new project http://www.wikivideo.info, it’s in Dutch but it’s not that hard t understand the essence of it
.
Thanks for the hard work and im looking forward the new stuff.
Greetz from Holland!
Great work. I am slightly confused about your book links however. Most seem on topic to your work but I don’t see how the two Gladwell books are related. His books in a way are remixes; he writes his own interpretation of certain social phenomena, but I don’t think they deal with remixing directly.
check out this website that compares songs that sound alike. I think it might be useful to you. http://www.thatsongsoundslike.com
What is the classical piece that starts up near the Newton quote in the second video?
[...] approfondimenti, sul sito ufficiale trovate la lista dei film utilizzati e di letture consigliate. Di seguito i primi due [...]
[...] References [...]
Great work. I wonder if you go into the interpersonal realm much. I would like to see more exploration of how large scale mimicry in art and commerce (as discussed in your film) is related to the mimicry that happens informally among people. Interpersonal mimicry is important in creating the experiences of belonging (the opposite of alienation), empathy, understanding, community, etc.
You may get into the importance of mimicry in language acquisition and also in the formation of narratives (both personal and cultural) and identity.
If you’re not adverse to some academic mumbo jumbo, you may look into the sociology of social interaction, conversation analysis, dramaturgical role theory, etc.
Here’s an article:
Where is the love? The social aspects of mimicry.
Rick van Baaren
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences; Aug2009, Vol. 364 Issue 1528, p2381-2389, 9p
“One striking characteristic of human social interactions is unconscious mimicry; people have a tendency to take over each other’s posture, mannerisms and behaviours without awareness. Our goal is to make the case that unconscious mimicry plays an important role in human social interaction and to show that mimicry is closely related to and moderated by our connectedness to others.”
Note also that interpersonal mimicry is specifically taught to sales people, therapists, and professional communicators in addition to actors and artists.
In non-violent conflict resolution, for example, a basic technique is for a moderator to help each side re-state the other side’s position in order to help create deeper understanding and even help develop compassion (suffering together).
http://www.cnvc.org
It might be a little outside the scope of your project, but the book The Cultural Life of Intellectual Properties by Coombe is excellent:
“Rosemary J. Coombe brings an illuminating ethnographic approach to an analysis of authorship and the role law plays in shaping the various meanings that animate these protected properties in the public sphere”
“Coombe examines these issues and dismantles the legal assumption that the meaning and value of a text or image is produced exclusively by an individual author or that authorship has a single point of origin.”
For more on the history and future of the concept of authorship, check out
The Construction of Authorship
edited by Woodmansee
I agree with the earlier poster who stated that this would be a fascinating continuing video series. You’re doing an amazing job so far, and this topic really goes down some fascinating avenues when you start following out the various theoretical tangents. It’s a fascinating topic and entry into a whole range of mind-bending, paradox changing thinking, history, etc.
Keep up the good work.
http://aims.muohio.edu/2009/10/27/remix-culture-remix-writing/
Remix Culture, Remix Writing
Author: Jim Porter
Introduces COMPILATIO, which may or may not be an up-and-coming “old-school” concept.
Wikipedia has some good opinions (entries) on imitation and rhetoric
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitatio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitation_(art)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimesis
Perhaps one could find a rhetorician to describe the shift in ancient Greek thought from imitating nature to imitating previous authors.
And of course the shift to the Romantic era notion of non-imitative(?), individualistic creativity.
Wildsang Blues: Coming from a long line of Musician/Composers – Actually “remixing” is remixing, and “composing is composing”. “Collecting material” involves taking the “music written by other people” and using it for your own purpose, which is not an original concept, but a secondary thought.
Please understand, am not tryin’ to dis’ anybody, but the vibe is already created – a tremendous amt of work has been done- if you start a remix with stevie’s “Superstition”, VS Bonnie’s “You can’t make me love you”, depending on which you choose you’re gonna end up with a very different song. That work must be recognized and acknowledged.
Composing is also different in that there is often an element of actual creation – that of actually “Birthing” a song or melody that didn’t exist before. Not “collecting”, not “combining”, not “transforming” but creating. That’s why there is only one Mozart, only one Miles Davis, only one Muddy Waters.
I agree with you and did state this for years that a dj who uses different songs and samples to recreate a new track or version should be recognized as an artist and acknowledged for this work. Why should this dj ask for any authorisation to use existing material?
But I don’t agree that composing is not a ‘remix’. Even Mozart uses pieces of existing notes in his work. He did not invent the notes for one thing and the inspiration comes from music in his mind which came there because of certain influences during his early years. I still recognize Mozart as an unique artists, but he could do it because of what was already there and he combine it to new things.
My point is, the first and second paragraph have likenesses, no?
Steve Jobs actually has a fantastic quote that I was surprised I didn’t see in your video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU
That is great, thanks.
The documentary “Zeitgeist” shows very interesting “religion remixes” that have influenced the evolution of our society… Check it out…
Religion remixes is a great topic, but sorry, Zeitgeist botches it. Most of what’s in that video is simply not true.
You’re courageous to take on such a huge topic! If you followed up on all of the relevant stuff people are suggesting, you’d be at this the rest of your life and never finish. Splendid job, by the way. (Who are the two women shown just after the Green Day/Clash photos?)
This project is a beutiful idea! About the Eddison thing! If remember right he stole the invention from Tesla and just took patent on it! Tesla didn’t really care. He does mention in is memoars that he thinks that Edison smells bad and don’t have any taste.
Your list of references just made my dissertation easier (and much more interesting). You just earned a donation.
[...] reinvented, reimagined, end reused. Hit up the website to learn more and also take a look at the references page which has an excellent essay about who Chewbacca is a stolen [...]
Very interesting work. I was wondering why the Chinese people, who’s copying nature is amongst their culture, did not invent many new things the last century. If creation is something made of copying, combine and rearranging, what are they missing?
Hello, Just a quick question: at the end of episode 1 there is a reference to Dr. House, but I can’t find it, could you help me with that?
I find your work really amazing
I find this TED talk, I think you can find it interesting:
http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strangling_creativity.html
[...] The references: http://www.everythingisaremix.info/references/ [...]
[...] The references: http://www.everythingisaremix.info/references/ [...]
After I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new articles are added- checkbox and after this each time a comment is added I recieve four emails with the same comment. Can there be any method for you to remove me from that service? Thanks!
[...] from songs to television to movies to much much more! On his site he has a fantastic list of references that you can check out. Parts 1, 2, and 3 have already been completed. The tentative release date [...]
[...] References [...]
Kirby, A very well done video. Just watched part 4. I am concerned that you or your viewers are mixing up the idea of “ideas” with the expression of those ideas. People work hard to create those expressions of ideas. To take/copy them without permission is not right. Though I do not agree with the extent of current copyright protections, I do think there needs to be serious protections for expressions of ideas. I am an illustrator. If my work is used without my permission, I go hungry. People are of course free to make their own images or remix those they have permission for. But it they are using my images and copying or mimicking the content without other sources for its creation, that is wrong.
I have to ask you, did you get permission for all those video clips you used, without which your presentation would be a hollow shell of what it is? You used lots of big time movie clips to make your point. People spent a lot of money and time to make those. Should they not receive compensation for those efforts? It is copyright that protects their investment.
[...] il progetto, vi rimandiamo al sito ufficiale. Sempre sullo stesso sito, vi segnaliamo la sezione References che raccoglie una serie di riferimenti bibliografici di grande interesse che sono stati usati a [...]
Mimesis , Poesis , Praxis
as Aristotle said in his wonderful book Poetics.
Mimesis , Copy , or mime others
Poesis , Transfer, your own mark
Praxis , Combine , Produce it
Kirby did an amazing work , I loved it but I wish he would have at least said one line about Aristotle.
[...] References | Everything Is a Remix In Praise of Copying , Marcus Boon (also available as a free download ) [...]
[...] References | Everything Is a Remix Copyrights and Copywrongs , Siva Vaidhyanathan [...]
[...] go beyond blogs and articles to delve deep into some serious reading, check out Kirby Ferguson’s reference list for his “Everything is a Remix” series. It contains a treasure trove of books from The Myths of [...]
Love everything you’ve done here. Will be teaching a course on the Culture of Remix next year and will be referencing (and sacking) your material. There are a few posts that might interest you in my Future Art Now site. (www.futureartnow.org)
THANK YOU!