RiP! A Remix Manifesto 2008
Distributed by National Film Board of Canada, 1123 Broadway, Suite 307, New York, NY 10010; 800-542-2164
Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin, Kat Baulu, and Germaine Ying Gee Wong
Directed by Brett Gaylor
DVD, color, 86 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Communication, Ethics, Film Studies, Law, Music, Popular Culture, Technology
Date Entered: 11/03/2009
Reviewed by Margaret M. Reed, Riley-Hickingbotham Library, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, ARMash-up – samples from existing media reconstituted into a new creation – isn’t just a passing fad. It’s here for the duration as are the copyright questions it raises.RiP! A Remix Manifesto creatively and clearly sorts out the intellectual property dilemma that divides users and producers.
Inspired by Stanford University Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig and his open source ventures, RiP! A Remix Manifesto examines the struggle between public domain access and private corporate interests. Squarely supporting the rights of users, the filmmaker puts forth a code that, from his perspective, justifies free access to copyrighted works and recognizes users as collaborators, not passive consumers:
- •Culture always builds on the past.
- •The past always tries to control the future.
- •Our future is becoming less free.
- •To build free societies you must limit the control of the past.
Through its own mash-up format, RiP! A Remix Manifesto demonstrates how artists of the past embraced these principles, building on each others’ work to create cultural icons. Side-by-side comparisons of Walt Disney’s work illustrate how Disney borrowed ideas from folklore and transformed them into the beloved animated characters on which he made his fortune. The film makes the same compelling case for present-day artists, showing how remixers like the popular musician Girl Talk takes snippets of others’ music to form something altogether new. Beyond art and media copyright issues, RiP! A Remix Manifesto also questions why society imposes intellectual property barriers on scientific developments that, if otherwise allowed to flow freely, could fast-track medical treatments and cures.
Loaded with familiar images, RiP! A Remix Manifesto challenges viewers to shake up the establishment and support a revamped copyright law that promotes fair use, creativity, and participation among the masses. The filmmaker comes full-circle in his call for artistic freedom, inviting viewers to remix RiP! A Remix Manifesto and share their mash-ups on the Web.
Highly recommended for academic and public libraries, RiP! A Remix Manifesto is an excellent resource for courses in communication, ethics, film, law, and technology.