Rip! A Remix Manifesto

While looking for this poster I found Unseen Films

Ever think about what our culture will be like in 100 years? Will it be something we never dreamed of, something so new and original we couldn't even predict it in some kind of Epcot ride?  Or will it be a tired, reconstituted, cannibalized mess? Rip! A Remix Manifesto explains beautifully how our culture continues to evolve and rejuvenate. The main point is that we depend on the past to form the future, and that's the way it's always been whether your parents want to admit it or not.

Directed in 2009 by Brett Gaylor, Rip! explains how the current issues over ownership of our culture (copyright laws) is promoting stagnation. But the big to do over the laws is also causing a wave of rebellion that will be a sure fire way to keep the creative juices flowing. By following Napster, Girl Talk, Air Pirates, and many more artists involved in music and or video, we see how they are misunderstood as thieves and hacks.   

Shot from Rip! A Remix Manifesto

For me, this film was great because I got to see how Girl Talk makes his music. His concerts look like a religious ceremony where the religion is about worshiping the structure of modern songs, and understanding their harmony... and dancing like a mother.

Also the graphics in this documentary are excellent! They simultaneously present facts and entertain. There are several scenes where a point is powerfully made with artful video time lines.  Rip!'s plot has a lot to do with modern music file sharing, but it also makes it's point about the pattern of recycling culture throughout history by presenting examples from decades ago.  While The Rolling Stones sue the pants off of The Verve for sampling their song, you see that the Stones actually weren't being very original themselves.
This documentary goes at the top of my favorites. The things that are said are extremely important for all of us to hear as a society. If you ever wanted to do something creative, watch Rip! A Remix Manifesto.