At the beginning of the project, I thought I would be done with the video within a few hours...I mean, it was only one minute clip. A few hours turned into days. Finding ideal clips for my video was a difficult task. I now see what Duchamp meant by the "act of selection being a form of inspiration as original and significant as any other." In the article, Fair Use by Negitivland, I find it intriguing how many times the words "stealing" and "theft" are referenced. I think the statement "most artists know that stealing is not only OK, but desirable even crucial to creative evolution," is a very bold statement. I prefer the idea of appropriation or "remixing" as explained by Lawrence Lessig in "Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy."
In two articles, one by Lawrence Lessig and another "Measuring Fair Use: The Four Factors," it is clear that the idea of "fair use" is a very vague concept, which can only be settled in the courts. Without any clear boundaries, I found myself worrying greatly about the possibility of my work going against copyright laws. On one hand it is said that "stealing is required for creative evolution" and on the other hand you can end up in court, spending ridiculous amounts of money on a lawyer for doing this very thing. I am very confused.
Using Final Cut Pro to edit the found clips was a quite hard, but the most difficult thing for me was learning to use Garageband. I am happy with the final outcome, but from now on I will not be critical of other videos. My video serves as a critique of food waste and draws awareness to the famine in Somalia.
The lines are blurry and fair use in any given project might be an easy argument for some and more difficult for others. Your project takes the form of a public service announcement in the end; however, the opening remixes feel more so like an opinion or a specific point of view on a social issue.
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