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Brett Gaylor
Rip: A Remix Manifesto - Music Copyright In The Sampling Age
"It's not my role to be neutral, that's the role of a journalist. I made a manifesto, which is not a balanced statement. It's a call to arms." Brett Gaylor
Rip: A Remix Manifesto is Canadian director Brett Gaylor's 21st
century call to arms. Centered around the sample-based phenomenon that
is Gregg Gillis, know to his legions of fans as Girl Talk, this
documentary tears up both the establishment and movie conventions. From
the White House to the favelas of Brazil and from Disneyland to
Coachella, the film dissects what it truly means to be original and the
level of hypocrisy often executed when punishing both artists and
consumers alike.
Assembled together over a six-year period, Rip also takes audience involvement to a new level through his Open Source Cinema project, which pieces together contributors across the globe, making the film a unique experience and manages to captivate the energy of his subject. Gaylor is currently touring the globe promoting the film, ACCLAIM were lucky enough to hit Brett with a quick Q&A ahead of the film's Melbourne screening.
Assembled together over a six-year period, Rip also takes audience involvement to a new level through his Open Source Cinema project, which pieces together contributors across the globe, making the film a unique experience and manages to captivate the energy of his subject. Gaylor is currently touring the globe promoting the film, ACCLAIM were lucky enough to hit Brett with a quick Q&A ahead of the film's Melbourne screening.
Piracy is a pretty big topic to take on for a 90 minute documentary, what made Greg Gillis (Girl Talk) a good central character for the film?
Precisely because he isn't a copyright crusader - he's simply a musician whose creativity is being criminalized by outdated thinking on copyright. You can also see in his shows the changing relationship between artist and fan in the digital age - at a Girl Talk show, (the crowd) literally leave the audience and come on stage with Gregg, smashing the traditional artist/fan relationship.
What was your background in film making prior to Rip?
I've worked for years in participatory media projects, one of the ones I'm most proud of is homelessnation.org, a website dedicated to helping homeless Canadians use the Internet as a medium of self expression.
In your own words how you describe Open Source cinema and perhaps the extent in which it shaped the film?
Open Source Cinema is a method for filmmakers to collaborate with their audience, and it was instrumental in allowing remixers and contributors to help make the film. People would download raw footage and works in progress, work with them and remix them, and I'd include the final product. The site was also used to collect photographs, raw videos and video blogs for inclusion in the film.
With so many individuals contributing, how hard was it to finally compile all the work to create the film?
It wasn't easy, but it's part of my creative process, so in many ways it takes the same kind of dedication as writing or photography - collaborating doesn't make it less work though, that's for sure!
Has there been much backlash from the antogonists of the film such as Disney and the recording industry, directy in relation to some of the arguments your film puts forward?
Not directly from the specific people (Walt Disney is also dead), but lots of people who take a traditional approach to intellectual property think I'm the devil.
I think blogger Cory Doctorow summarises copyright infringement well when he compares it to masturbation in that "people are starting to admit to it, yeah I do it too." As an artist to what extent do you think that rings true in your own work?
I try to make sure my work isn't masturbation, but I think to that extent that he meant copyright infringement is a widespread practice, I agree with it! As creators as well as "consumers", we're constantly facing situations every day that make us copyright criminals.
The film digs quite deep into following the lawsuits of the innocent victims of the post-Napster shark hunt. Why were so these large companies so intent on hunting down so many individuals?
To make examples out of them, to scare children.
Some critiques of the film have said that the documentary lacks in the sense that they feel the pro-copyright stand point was not voiced or represented. What's your take on this?
It's not my role to be neutral, that's the role of a journalist. I made a manifesto, which is not a balanced statement. It's a call to arms.
Whats the next project you have in mind?
I'm working hard to develop opensourcecinema.org into a functioning and vital resource for filmmakers to create and collaborate with their audiences. We're trying to define and construct new models for business and creativity... because the old ones are dying!
Information about RiP: A Remix Manifesto, where it's screening both here in Australia and worldwide along with developments in the crusade against copyright can be found online at the Remix Manifesto Website.
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Precisely because he isn't a copyright crusader - he's simply a musician whose creativity is being criminalized by outdated thinking on copyright. You can also see in his shows the changing relationship between artist and fan in the digital age - at a Girl Talk show, (the crowd) literally leave the audience and come on stage with Gregg, smashing the traditional artist/fan relationship.
What was your background in film making prior to Rip?
I've worked for years in participatory media projects, one of the ones I'm most proud of is homelessnation.org, a website dedicated to helping homeless Canadians use the Internet as a medium of self expression.
In your own words how you describe Open Source cinema and perhaps the extent in which it shaped the film?
Open Source Cinema is a method for filmmakers to collaborate with their audience, and it was instrumental in allowing remixers and contributors to help make the film. People would download raw footage and works in progress, work with them and remix them, and I'd include the final product. The site was also used to collect photographs, raw videos and video blogs for inclusion in the film.
With so many individuals contributing, how hard was it to finally compile all the work to create the film?
It wasn't easy, but it's part of my creative process, so in many ways it takes the same kind of dedication as writing or photography - collaborating doesn't make it less work though, that's for sure!
Has there been much backlash from the antogonists of the film such as Disney and the recording industry, directy in relation to some of the arguments your film puts forward?
Not directly from the specific people (Walt Disney is also dead), but lots of people who take a traditional approach to intellectual property think I'm the devil.
I think blogger Cory Doctorow summarises copyright infringement well when he compares it to masturbation in that "people are starting to admit to it, yeah I do it too." As an artist to what extent do you think that rings true in your own work?
I try to make sure my work isn't masturbation, but I think to that extent that he meant copyright infringement is a widespread practice, I agree with it! As creators as well as "consumers", we're constantly facing situations every day that make us copyright criminals.
The film digs quite deep into following the lawsuits of the innocent victims of the post-Napster shark hunt. Why were so these large companies so intent on hunting down so many individuals?
To make examples out of them, to scare children.
Some critiques of the film have said that the documentary lacks in the sense that they feel the pro-copyright stand point was not voiced or represented. What's your take on this?
It's not my role to be neutral, that's the role of a journalist. I made a manifesto, which is not a balanced statement. It's a call to arms.
Whats the next project you have in mind?
I'm working hard to develop opensourcecinema.org into a functioning and vital resource for filmmakers to create and collaborate with their audiences. We're trying to define and construct new models for business and creativity... because the old ones are dying!
Information about RiP: A Remix Manifesto, where it's screening both here in Australia and worldwide along with developments in the crusade against copyright can be found online at the Remix Manifesto Website.
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