#brookem

BROOKE DAVIS in every episode One Tree Hill: ↪ 2.08 "Truth, Bitter Truth"   

“While keen to use mixed-media methods and new technologies, [e-waste artists] understand full well the risk as much as the potential that cleaves to gadgetry.”

The Spreadable Media reading mentioned that commercial content is still widely shared online. Much of spreadable media is user generated but there are still plenty of mainstream media clips that make the rounds. This reminded me of this clip from Newsroom that got a lot of attention. 

“It is a kind of smallpox-soaked blanket theory of media circulation, in which people become unknowing carriers of powerful and contagious ideas which they bring back to their homes and work place, infecting their friends and family.” 

Did you all know they actually give a Grammy for remix artists? They have been since 1998! I think remixing is a bit more commonplace than I had assumed. Girl Talk definitely isn’t the only artist remixing music and getting away with it. All remix artists must be extremely careful not to violate copyright law. This fellow was nominated for remixing “Berlin by Overnight.”

A Ted talk that, like the Remix Manifesto film we watched, breaks down how artists “share” tunes. It mostly focuses on Bob Dylan and the folk music genre. He also discusses how the iPhone is a “remix” of other technologies. The iPhone, and other Apple products, have developed by borrowing ideas and aesthetics. Everything is a remix!     

This video takes us through how JJ Abrams “remixed” the newest Star Wars film. It’s interesting that Star Wars happens to be the movie that he analyzes because the Star Wars franchise was one of the first to have their trailers remixed by fans. The reading “The Coolest Way to Watch Movie Trailers in the World” by Keith Johnston describes how Star Wars released the Episode I trailer online, through Quicktime, and it was the most “anticipated two minutes of film ever.” According to Johnston, 450 Star Wars fans per second downloaded the trailer, over 200,000 in 48 hours (this is big for 1998). The excitement around the trailer and the additional behind the scenes footage lead to fans remixing the trailers and finding hints to the upcoming movie that could only be discovered after multiple, in-depth, viewings. 

As the debate was finishing up last night, I noticed this commercial for Adidas. The song that plays in the commercial makes commentary about going against the grain and creating your own future (an echo of sentiments from Apple’s famous 1984 Macintosh commercial). Though, what caught my eye was the use of young girls using selfie sticks to represent what we supposedly shouldn’t become. I’m a fan of Adidas apparel, but this is a poor representation of selfie stick users AND young women. As we have read and learned about recently in class, a selfie can be a form of artistic expression or an assistant in defining our identity. It’s unfortunate that Adidas had to present the notion that taking selfies is a shameful, conforming, act. The commercial also features individuals using virtual reality goggles and passengers on a train mindlessly staring at their phones. Adidas repeatedly uses technology as a representation of conventionality. The actors avoid these fates and create their own paths.