Welcome to Remixing the Species. Through remixing video we are investigating the ties that bind all humans together. Inspired by footage our groupmember Cris filmed on a trip to Burma, we collected archival footage that related in some way to tribes. We wanted to tap into an existing tribe to help us with this project: remixers. We created zip files containing snippets of the clips we found so you can download, then explore and interpret the theme “My Tribe” through remixing.
Use the links above to find information about remixing, different resources, Cris’s Burma story and for a complete list of all our zips and their contents. You can also check out the My Tribe website for information about the project, read our blogs and see our group on Pool. If you do make a remix, join Remix the Species on Pool and upload your video there so we can see it! Pool is also a great place to find extra footage, sounds and inspiration!
We really believe that remixing is a great way to explore the idea of a tribe a little bit differently. Juxtaposing, reworking and reconfiguring found footage against each other creates different meanings - the possibilities are endless!
Steps taken to remix footage:
1. Downloaded ZIP files watched and got inspired
2. Downloaded a soundtrack that I liked : try websites such as http://www.pdinfo.com/
3. Imported files into iMovie
4.Arranged Clips in a fashion that suited the music I had chose.
5. Added simple iMovie Effects (The effects I used where Mirror, N-Square, Fast/Slow/Reverse
6. Exported and Uploaded!
This is a Mel-O-Toons cartoon of Noah’s Ark. Apparently a few different biblical tales and other classic stories were created in this style in the sixties and are now in the public domain. I liked the aesthetic of this cartoon - I suppose all the Mel-O-Toons have a similar style - and well it was just one of the scenes at the beginning that got to me, with a bunch of guys with spears. Very tribal. Of course the story of Noah’s Ark itself is about preserving different tribes of animals (no I’m not clutching at straws!). Again the inclusion of this cartoon was really all about my desire to have some cartoon footage in our remixes.
Archive.org has a lot of cool old cartoons. Remarkably, some of them are even in the commons! Hooray! Found this old Felix the Cat one that, if I’m honest, barely relates to the my tribe theme. I just liked the cute little hot dogs hopping off the stand about 2.30 in. It only runs for about four and a half minutes so do check it out. It’s also interesting to see a silent cartoon…
I love the cinematic and optimistic post-war themes in early American advertisements. This is an advertisement for General Motors which plays on the desire to ascend and go ‘To New Horizons’. Watch these for the excellent narration - you just don’t hear accents like that any more!
This video celebrates the advances that the human race has made. It’s saying “look what we’ve done! and hey! look what is going to come in the future!”. After the Second World War, the idea was to generate as much optimistic propaganda as possible, so families could get back on track and just continue with their merry lives. I know that’s a simplification of events, but as far as I can tell, most people just wanted things to be simple again. This video speaks volumes about the human race as a progressive tribe, always striving to better itself and to push boundaries of invention.
This clip was chosen primarily because I liked the way the girls looked in their dresses. They’re probably about 16-18, at their high school prom. This is a promotional video for Coke, but I just really liked the excitement and joy that the video captures. I suppose in some way it’s exploiting the happiness of the girls to promote their product, but it’s not unusual to do that these days. I figured that the movement of their skirts while dancing would look really effective in a remix, cause it was visually interesting - the swishing and swaying etc. I also think it captures a really important moment in teenage years. It is a bit cliched that so much rests on a prom - we see this in American teen movies today - but in some ways it’s true and it’s a milestone in your teenage years. Coming to the end of high school, in some cases leaving behind your friends, is the first step away from a tribe you’ve just always known, always had access to. From here on in, you have to find your own tribes.
Once again it’s daredevil John “Jammie” Reynolds, seen here clambering up a building in an unusual (and maybe unintentional) multiple exposure circa 1917
Doing research on archive.org to find suitable mashup material. Want to use this propaganda video for the DDR, but I don’t think the license is right…
Rip!: a remix manifesto, pretty cool viewing for the remix curious..
