Assignment #1: Remix/Mashup

Length: 1 – 3 minutes, tagged with your name/pseudonym/URL at the end

Due Thursday, February 4th at the start of class:

Complete edit ready to critique (played from hard drive is fine)

Due Thursday, February 11th at the start of class:

Revised edit, properly compressed and embedded on class Tumblr

Project statement printed out and ready to turn in

Using only found footage/sound in FCP, create either a remix or a mashup that contains a critique or commentary on the source material.  The goal for this assignment is to explore the power of editing, juxtaposition and metaphor, opportunities presented by fair use exceptions to copyright law, and to participate in a critical engagement with media. No original material may be used.

In approaching to your project, consider which techniques you might employ:

• Détournement: Using the techniques contained in the source material to create a new message in opposition to that of the original
• Identity correction: Using the process of remixing to reimagine and re-create a public figure’s persona
• Compilation: Assembling multiple pieces of footage in sequence as a means to draw connections and parallels between seemingly disparate sources
• Dance remix: Creating audio/visual music from non-musical source material
• Overdubbing:  Blending audio from one (or more) sources with video from another to create juxtaposition and commentary
• Others???

Your video should have two primary aims: 1) Critique/commentary and 2) A sense of development over time. So, the most successful projects will avoid a “one-note” presentation; rather, they will exhibit a narrative, visual, or aesthetic progression over the course of the video, with attention to achieving complexity and depth.

Criteria for evaluation:

• Clarity of critique/commentary
• Attention to editing techniques and principles
• Clear sense of progression and development
• Attention to high quality compression/playback
• Strong sense of unity – all elements serve a purpose in conveying the overall message
• Video meets requirements of Fair Use

Project Statement

In addition to your video, prepare a 1 - 2 page, double spaced paper in which you describe a) the critique you are attempting to convey and b) the techniques you are using to achieve that goal, and c) how your video meets the requirements of Fair Use. Be specific, using examples from your video.  What connections are you attempting to draw?  How?

Comments and Project Critiques

For this assignment, and assignments throughout the course, you will be asked to view and comment upon your classmates’ work on Tumblr outside of class. You do not need to comment on all videos, but you should comment on at least three. This needs to be done by the next class meeting after the due date.

Comments should be constructive, thoughtful, and candid – consider these comments part of the critique process.

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