Remix (Photo credit: Goamick)
WHAT MIGHT REMIXED PROGRAMMING OR ARTS PARTICIPATION LOOK/SOUND/FEEL LIKE?
AND WHAT PLACE WOULD AESTHETICS HAVE IN SUCH REMIXING?
This is the question your group should address in the essay, taking the perspective of arts and culture workers dedicated to imaginative recombinations of arts programming practices. In order to focus your discussion, draw on a particular example of an art form, event, or experience to remix; you may choose from examples already posted to our course Diigo group, discussed in class, or that someone in the group has familiarity/experience with. Given the brevity of this assignment, your essay should clearly:
A. describe the subject of your remix as it exists now; be brief, as this is primarily background information.
B. articulate the elements that will go into your remix, from the original/extant programming as well as other sources/influences/material you imaging including. This segment is about the “stuff” you’ll remix.
C. discuss the process for remixing you propose from an arts/culture worker point of view, paying particular attention to how programming transforms through your remix. This segment is about the “structure” of your remix.
D. pose questions about or suggestions exploring the ways in which aesthetics might figure into your remixed arts programming. Be sure to fold in elements of class discussions (live or via comments, resources, etc), and keep in mind that this section of your essay can be somewhat exploratory and reflective.
Do draw on writings and other resources that we have examined in class in order to contextualize and illustrate your comments. There is no set number of sources we want you to reference, and since this is an essay it should demonstrate a logical argument toward a goal that represents your group’s collective thinking; it needn’t be laden with outside citations, but should address relevant ones as needed.
ESSAY RUBRIC:
* clearly identify/describe programming example = 3pts
* articulate elements of your remix (the ‘source material’)= 5pts
* discuss the remixing process & transformation of programming= 5pts
* pose reflection on the place of aesthetics= 4.5pts
* correct spelling/grammar/editing= 2.5pts
Remixing the Movie Going Experience
Introduction
Going to see a film on the big screen can be a powerful experience. In a recent blog post, writer Nakata Gunawardene points out, “There is a whole sociology of movie going and movie watching–many of us go to the cinema not just for the personal sensory experience of a celluloid dream, but also for the shared experience of it.” From Harry Potter to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, certain movies encourage participation in cultural communities that extend beyond the theater itself. Yet these movies represent exceptions to the general rule of homogenous content, high prices, and passive consumption. The movie-going experience, which at the turn of the last century was imbued with magic, participation, and extended learning experiences, is in desperate need of a twenty first century remix.
Historical of Cinematic Participation
As early as the 1890s, penny arcades and vaudeville houses across the nation began showing “moving pictures” that attracted large audiences. In big cities, immigrants learned English phrases by studying and repeating the subtitles of silent films, and moviegoers boisterously carried on dialogues with the heroes and villains on the screen (Griffin and Mayer, 1970: 19). Richard Butsch notes, “Reformers, such as Jane Addams in Chicago and Michael Davis in New York, remarked how working-class immigrants turned these commercial spaces for movies into social clubs for their own needs” (Butsch 2001: 107). Often, audience participation involved spontaneously remixing films on the spot. Moviegoers who wanted a different soundtrack, for example, heckled the pianists that played during silent movies until they gave in to the audience’s particular musical tastes (Butsch 2001: 110).
In the 1930s, the adoption of centralized management policies, the decline of independent theaters, and the advent of “talkies” led to “a norm of silence” that completely changed the movie-going experience (Butsch 2001: 111-116). No longer could community members vocally and spontaneously debate the merits of each film, interact with live musicians, or heckle on-screen characters. In recent decades, as Brett Gaylor points out in RiP! A Remix Manifesto, the corporate media industry has continued to champion the passive consumption of standardized forms of entertainment such as high-priced Hollywood blockbusters. Yet some moviegoers, venue owners, and filmmakers have challenged the passive cinematic experience. From theaters that encourage the use of social media during movies to films that incorporate live musicians, a variety of participatory formats are beginning to emerge.
Our project offers concrete ideas about how to remix the movie-going experience in ways that encourage audience participation and extended learning experiences while helping to build communities around shared interests.
The Aesthetics of Movie-Going
When looking at the classes responses to the question “What are the aesthetics of our time?”, a few common themes surfaced; repetition, ‘everything and the kitchen sink’, and technology. All of these aesthetics have factored into why chose to remix the movie theater experience. Though some might not realize it, repetition is a comfort to everyone. Seeing the same people every day, listening to the same music, or eating the same thing for dinner every Tuesday creates a sense of security and comfort. Going to the movies is a similar familiar activity. Through remixing the experience of going to the movies or watching old favorites, we hope to make people discover new ideas, definitions, and passions for the art form of cinema as well as connecting people in the community.
Our generation has developed increasingly impressive multitasking skills; this in turn has lowered our attention spans. This is where the idea of ‘everything and the kitchen sink’ comes in. For entertainment outlets such as music, TV, and movies to hold and keep a customer’s attention, the approach of jamming as many ideas into the content is consistently taken. Look at all of Girl Talk’s songs. The beat and lyrics are used from songs most people know (repetition) and are constantly changing (everything and the kitchen sink). Our remixed movie theater experience was inspired by this. To combine a few of our favorite technological experiences like Twitter or live music to the movie going experience plays right into our ADD society as well as combining various elements to hold our attention.
Technology and the way we use it has altered every aspect of our society today. In a world of digitized images and conversations via text message, many people are completely content to live in their technological bubble. For a majority of the people in our generation, it is much easier to connect with strangers via the internet then talk to people face to face. The internet allows people to be anonymous; a blank slate in which we can be whomever we chose to be. Technology has allowed us to be connected with each other constantly as well as isolate ourselves at the same time. Through our remixed movie theaters we hope to use a combination of technology and face-to-face interactions to connect people in the community with similar interests.
Participatory Movie Theaters: Case Studies
There are a few independently owned movie theaters in the nation that strive to provide programing with different kinds of movie going experiences than the ones major cineplexs offer. Theaters such as the Hollywood Theater (http://hollywoodtheatre.org/ ) in Portland and the Coolidge Corner Theater (http://Coolidge.org ) in Boston make the movie going environment more personal, creative and engaging.
One such way the Hollywood Theater does this is through one of its programs called Filmusik ( http://filmusik.com/ ); a part of Hollywood Theater that finds artists working in film, voice acting, musical composition and sound design to create new recordings and concerts for films. This past weekend Filmusik presented their interpretation of Turkish Star Wars (which is itself an amazing remix) where six voice actors, seven musicians and six sound effects people from Portland performed live dialogue and sound for the movie. Filmusik has also brought in bands outside of Portland to do live soundtracks for silent movies such as Bent Knee and Subterranean Howl for Metropolis, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and West of Zanzibar. Not only does Filmusik do these performances in the main theater at Hollywood, but in the summer they also put on free ‘Movies In The Park’ performances. One of the movies they have done in the past is Plan 9 From Outer Space ( http://vimeo.com/45941005 ).
This kind of engagement, watching a movie while being accompanied with live performers, is a very different experience. It’s so much more visceral and the movie can be engaged in new ways. For the performers, they are taking this product and laying over their own interpretation of the movie. Essentially they are giving it a new context and life. Even if it is something you have seen a thousand times, the movie is no longer as familiar and new kinds of associations can be made. The audience gets to critique and appreciate how the group approaches their work by not only talking amongst themselves but cheering out loud for a particular part they have enjoyed. It’s a different kind of engagement and one that brings out individuals who are either a fan of the movie, a fan of live performance or both.
The Coolidge Corner Theater has some programming where the audience involvement is different as well. Science On Screen shows classic, cult and documentary films that are introduced by prominent individuals in the fields of science, technology and medicine. Elements from the movie are used to bring up topics on current advances in technology, scientific theories or research. Off The Couch is hosted by the Boston Psychoanalytic Society where a current movies’ plot, characters and director are looked under a psychological lens.
Both of these programs provide a space for discussion that is not afforded in a cineplex environment. Normally if one goes to a conglomerate movie theater, you are pressured to get out of your seat as quickly as possible to make room for the new patrons that they have. One is left with no opportunities for discourse with the other patrons. Science On Screen and Off The Couch encourages people to stay, to talk with each other and with the professional hosts to bring up new concepts associated with the movie. No longer is it just a singular cinematic experience of watching a movie. The viewer becomes more empowered and understands the movie differently than they did before because of the setting Coolidge Corner provides.
Another element that is unique to Science On Screen and Off The Couch is that a sense of community forms as a result of the discussion. The issues and points talked about are unique to that situation and makes it special for all who participate. One doesn’t necessarily have to say anything, but by just being there that individual is being immersed by the ideas and views of numerous other people who have all just seen the same imagery. The associations of that movie will be forever changed by being in that communal setting.
Our Idea for Programming and How It Transforms The Experience
Audience participation is what we would really want to encourage with this remix. Going to the movies has become so expensive. So expensive in fact, that most people would rather wait until the movie comes out for rental. “Going to the movies” used to be this big outing. It also used to be the only way that people saw movies. We think that in order to “remix” and revive the movie going experience we need to encourage audience participation and hop on board the social media train. Our thought is to have a twitter feed of sorts, that audience members could text their comments to. This would appear on the same screen as the movie. This could even go as far as being anonymous or the feed could show which seat the person is texting from.
As for what movies we would show, we thought we could try showing remakes of movies, marathons like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Or show the contrast of female characters by showing Twilight and The Hunger Games on a split screen at the same time. Another idea is to have bands come play live music for movies or have sing-alongs. We also thought about hosting book clubs and then screening the movies based on those books. There are endless possibilities. The focus would be the community and the social opportunity that this would present. It would give the opportunity for a person of the general public to be in “The Academy” of sorts by providing a place for discussion, creative expression and critique of film.
This would transform the traditional movie going experience. It would transform it in a way that would allow the viewer to react out loud and react to other people’s reactions at the same time. A person could gain a different perspective on their favorite movie or give others a new perspective. This would be a whole different level of socializing, in which “going to the movies” is a platform for discourse instead of a place to sit still and be quiet. It puts viewer in the roll of authority and makes the experience unique every time you see a movie this way. We think this kind of unique experience would keep people coming back.
… and yay Obama!
Great topic! Definitely something everyone can relate to—even with the “norm of silence,” whether other people in the theatre are laughing/crying/flinching contributes so much to the moviegoing experience. I think for every person there are times when we want that obligatory silence, and times when we want to be able to talk to our neighbor or shout at the screen, and laugh at what other people are shouting at the screen.
I wonder, how do commercial remixes like MST3K and Rifftrax fit into this picture?
Group C2, I like the focus on remixing an exhibit, especially as a way to make Object Stories more broadly accessible. I’d love to see what conversations would develop if visitors could have conversations about each others’ objects and build up shared stories, and how that could be turned into a stage piece.
Oops, there’s a subtitle in our essay that’s missing a word. It’s supposed to read “Historical Background of Cinematic Participation.” Glad I noticed that!
Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam a.k.a. Turkish Star Wars: A New Hope Of A Remix
Dunyayi Durtaran Adam is one amazing remix. You should go to Filmusik’s website to check out the trailer of their interpretation of Turkish Star Wars. Not only did the origional filmmaker Çetin İnanç use Star Wars footage but he sourced a lot of other materials to make the film. Since I saw it as a live performance, I didn’t get to hear the original audio but wonder if I would have recognized some of the elements used. Here is the list of sourced material that was remixed to create their narrative:
•Film footage from Star Wars IV, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and The Magic Sword
•An Egyptian Pyramid and Hieroglyphic Documentary
•News footage of American and Russian space rocket launches
•Soundtracks from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Moonraker, Flash Gordon, Battlestar Galactica, Silent Running, Ben-Hur, Moses and Planet of the Apes
•Old Islamic Turkish temples and caves
This might be fun to do with other older movies that don’t have copyright laws attached to them. Taking them apart, remixing them and adding new footage to them to create new works would be a great film festival to show or highlighting a new interpretation every month before a new feature so that regular patrons would see the evoution of the series over a period of time. The source material wouldn’t be a lot to choose from, but I think the limitations would actually start to create some interesting works. The exercise today demonstrated the diversity of approaches everyone had to the four images we gave to work with. Thanks again for a great class!
Everything is remix, because new ideas are innovations of existing ones. Take anything, add your bit and come up with something new and the remix is your new idea. Lawrence Lessig (2005) arges that every general level of all culture can be understood in terms of remix, where someone creates a cultural product by mixing meaningful elements together and then someone else comes along and remixes this cultural artfact to create yet another artefact. Therefore, at anytime when we discuss or comment on a film, we are remixing our OWN life with the original authored film and end up with a new product, CRITICISM.