http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ-hPNrKdZI
This remix is called "Head of the State," and it is performed by the Obama impersonator Baracka Flocka Flame. It is a remix of a song titled "hard in the Paint" by rapper Waka Flocka Flames.
The remix I chose clearly demonstrates what Lessig said on page 42, "If the twentieth century made culture generally accessible, the twenty-first will make it universally accessible." It mostly exemplifies this quote because of how I was able to obtain it. There are more and more social media sites that focus on video and sound that we are able to access everyday. Sites such as Youtube, Vimeo and others are making it possible for people to get past copyright laws because people are able to take any video and "remix" it to create whatever they want it to be like. Even if they dont use the original video at all people are able to create there own visions and put their remixed video on these social media sites that literally anyone with internet access can listen to. This is just the beginning for what these sites are becoming. Sites like these take away a huge part of the RO culture that large companies attempt to create.
I know this may contradict a part what I just said I could not help but realize how true this remix makes Lessigs statement on page 49, "And the RO culture that digital technologies will support will provide lots of new ways for content producers to make money." Video's like these help these content producers to make money because of what these sites are for them. In a way sites like Youtube are the new age MTV for a lot of people. The ability to create channels on these sites gives these companies reason to still produce music videos. Yes I do know that MTV does have other channels that directly focus on music but the original MTV has become something that many of us have come to call "reality TV," something I myself am not very fond of. These sites have made it possible for content producers to make money from advertisements, massive view counts and keeping people coming back for more just because they know its there. Another reason that my video exemplifies this so much is because the artist from the real video actually contacted Baracka Flocka Flame and they have now worked together to create other videos. The use this awesome character making people, including myself, watch it over and over again which is exactly what these content consumers want. Its an unclassified RW culture that they can still make money from.
The last idea that I see in my video that Lessig points out is when he is talking about the Bush and Blair video. The quote in particular is on page 74, "And no one can escape its mimetic effect. This video is a virus; once it enters your brain you can't think about Bush and Blair in the same way again." I think my remix video does the same thing to Obama's social image. Yes, everyone knows this video is not really Obama. But Young Americans who dont know much about Obama moat likely see Obama in a different light after watching this video of a man impersonating him. The fact that it is a entertaining remix strengthens the possibility that a lot of people are going to see it, Just under 5 million people plus the amount of people who have watched the copies of it that are on Youtube as well. The Youtube RW culture as we know it has a new market for videos like these and there is no telling the impact that they could have on some people and their view on the real people that they depict.
I'm intrigued by this form of remix because it doesn't do what may remixes do: use cut ups from the original. Instead this example has the same background music but with different lyrics and of course "Obama." This changes the centralized point, and focuses on how we see Obama as a president who is African American. It also touches on ideas of what is a good remix especially since I like the remix better than the original. Good example; it got me thinking!
ReplyDeleteYou went with the same approach with your response as I did with explaining in how you obtained it. I believe that with sharing on the internet it has allowed everyone to have the power to be heard and entertain people.
ReplyDeleteA remix like this is one that we should discuss in class because the remix is intended to be a remix of popular culture, and more specifically, politics. I like your example also because it isn't just about the remix itself, it also has to due with the video.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the market for remix is a really smart point, and really connects with why he spends such a huge part of the book talking about value and economies. Good post, great connections.
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