Assignment 2 Remix

Assignment 2 – RIP Remix, Copyright/Copyleft
In Class:

Short lecture: art/media in a technological age; remix, appropriation, authorship.
Group brainstorm: everyday remix (memes, mashups, edits, fan work).=
Screen key segments of Everything Is a Remix and RiP!: A Remix Manifesto.
Quick reflections: what counts as “original”?
Discussion: originality, fair use, Creative Commons, ownership, and where AI fits.
Intro to AI ethics (data/labor, bias, surveillance, deepfakes, environmental impact).

Key Concepts from Class:

Copyright:
- Legal ownership of creative work/ideas
- Often very restrictive; can limit creative reuse and remixing
Copyleft:
- Creators choose to give permission for others to use their work
- You can set different levels of permission, for example:
  - “Anyone can use my material as long as it’s non-commercial”
  - “Anyone can use it in any way they like”
- This is about controlling the license of your work in a more open way.
IP (Intellectual Property):
- A key term for creative and legal discussions
- Refers to ownership rights over creative ideas and works
Lawyers and enforcement:
- Many lawyers and rights holders aggressively enforce copyright
- Leads to:
  - YouTube content strikes
  - Takedowns and demonetization
  - Conflicts between “what seems fair” and what’s legally enforced

Fair use (in the U.S.):

You can use portions of copyrighted work when:
- Critiquing
- Commenting
- Teaching
- Research, etc.
Example:
- A YouTuber called Professor of Rock:
  - Uses short 4-second clips of songs to stay (hopefully) within fair use
  - Raises questions about whether this is enough to meaningfully critique music
    Big Idea: Your Creative Freedom (Rock Garden vs. Jigsaw Puzzle)

Jigsaw puzzle metaphor:

There is one correct answer
You follow the picture on the box
You assemble pieces until it matches the cover

Rock garden / garden metaphor:

You place things (tomatoes, potatoes, rocks) wherever you like
There is no single right answer
Many valid configurations and creative choices
This class is like a media garden:
- You’re not being pushed toward one “correct” outcome
- You experiment, arrange, and remix media freely
- Your assignment is to build your own composition, not recreate a fixed original

REMIX Assignment
Assignment Due Feb 4 2026

Create a page on your website called "copyright/copyleft"
Read the wikipedia page about this documentary.
Watch the full video in the link below.
In your notes take down bullet point s of good ideas from the documentary for your notes to post in your bibliography on this project.

For next class:

Create a video remix that:
- Is between 1 and 2 minutes long (not less than 1 minute, not more than 2 minutes)
- Includes both visuals and audio
- Can be about anything you’d like
- Can function as a statement piece (expressing an idea, opinion, or feeling)

You will receive very little specific guidance:

You choose what to grab
You choose how to put it together
This is another iteration of what you did this week—same kind of creative process.

The Documentary: “Rip: Remix”

Produced in 2008(!)
Focuses on how restrictive copyright is in the United States
Shows how strict copyright can negatively affect culture and creativity

Unique feature:

The director put all the clips online
You can download them and make your own version of the documentary
It’s like an open-source documentary
- There is the director’s cut
- But you are allowed to take the clips and use them however you like
Come in with:
- A 1–2 minute remix video (visuals + audio)
- Inspired by the ideas in “Rip: Remix” and the lecture on copyright/copyleft
- In the Next class:
  - You’ll show your video as part of our podcasting series
  - On camera you'll explain your choices and process

Pinterest Boards to Explore for Your Remix/Mashup

https://www.pinterest.com/102shu/demtech-copyright-creative-commons/
https://www.pinterest.com/102shu/md-copyright/
Look also at the videos below!

RiP!: A Remix Manifesto is a 2008 open-source documentary film about "the changing concept of copyright"[1][2] directed by Brett Gaylor.[3]
Created over a period of six years, the documentary film features the collaborative remix work of hundreds of people who have contributed to the Open Source Cinema website, helping to create the "world's first open source documentary" as Gaylor put it. The project's working title was Basement Tapes,[4] (referring to the album of the same name) but it was renamed RiP!: A Remix Manifesto prior to theatrical release. Gaylor encourages more people to create their own remixes from this movie,[5] using media available from the Open Source Cinema website, or other websites like YouTube, Flickr, Hulu, or MySpace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RiP!:_A_Remix_Manifesto

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RiP!: A Remix Manifesto

Directed by Brett Gaylor
Written by Brett Gaylor
Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin, Kat Baulu, Germaine Ying Gee Wong
Starring Girl Talk
Lawrence Lessig
Cory Doctorow
Gilberto Gil
Cinematography Mark Ellam
Edited by Brett Gaylor
Tony Asimakopoulos
Music by Olivier Alary
Production
companies National Film Board of Canada
EyeSteelFilm
Distributed by Documentary
Canal D
B-Side Entertainment
Release date