thejump v1.2 - re/mix & memes presentation by: alan hino english 488: multimedia composition,...

TheJUMP v1.2 - Re/mix & MemesTheJUMP v1.2 - Re/mix & Memes

Presentation by: Alan Hino

English 488: Multimedia Composition, Professor Arroyo.

Presentation by: Alan Hino

English 488: Multimedia Composition, Professor Arroyo.

What is TheJUMP?What is TheJUMP?

V1.2, as explained by Justin Hodgson (founding editor of JUMP): “In this issue you will find four video projects, two of which focus on issues facing remix culture and two of which participate in video meme-ing.”

V1.2, as explained by Justin Hodgson (founding editor of JUMP): “In this issue you will find four video projects, two of which focus on issues facing remix culture and two of which participate in video meme-ing.”

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' -- A Video Remix about Remix

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' -- A Video Remix about Remix

Created by Clark Baxtresser & Avni Mehta (University of Michigan).

[Brief description written for the video by the editors of TheJUMP] “This video project was created for Christopher Schmidt's ENG 420: Technology and the Humanities course. The project, loosely defiined, required students to compose an argumentative video essay using found imagery, remix, and screencasting techniques discussed in class.”

Created by Clark Baxtresser & Avni Mehta (University of Michigan).

[Brief description written for the video by the editors of TheJUMP] “This video project was created for Christopher Schmidt's ENG 420: Technology and the Humanities course. The project, loosely defiined, required students to compose an argumentative video essay using found imagery, remix, and screencasting techniques discussed in class.”

Wanna be Startin’ Somethin’ (continued)


The students used a blend of voice-overs, appropriated, or ‘sampled,’ music, and various images to convey the message of how important reproduction is to our society and lives.

“Reproductions allows creativity to flourish, so that science, medicine, art, and literature can evolve.”

“Only through reproduction can something new be created.”

“Criminalizing reproduction hinders the free-flow of ideas.”

The students used a blend of voice-overs, appropriated, or ‘sampled,’ music, and various images to convey the message of how important reproduction is to our society and lives.

“Reproductions allows creativity to flourish, so that science, medicine, art, and literature can evolve.”

“Only through reproduction can something new be created.”

“Criminalizing reproduction hinders the free-flow of ideas.”

Sergio Figueiredo’s review calls for action on the part of the audience (us). He believes that this video starts something and we remix our own interpretation into a creative process that will never be complete.

Sergio Figueiredo’s review calls for action on the part of the audience (us). He believes that this video starts something and we remix our own interpretation into a creative process that will never be complete.





Matt King’s review focuses first on tying in various texts and references before focusing on the impact of the video as an inspiration to create his own MP3 mash-up of various voice overs (of dream sequences), music, and other sources. Unfortunately, my interpretation of his reproduction was probably not what Matt King was looking for when he produced it.

Matt King’s review focuses first on tying in various texts and references before focusing on the impact of the video as an inspiration to create his own MP3 mash-up of various voice overs (of dream sequences), music, and other sources. Unfortunately, my interpretation of his reproduction was probably not what Matt King was looking for when he produced it.



An excerpt from the students’ reflection: Our goal was simply to get people thinking of sampling and remixing as a form of expression in itself, with as much room for creativity as any other so-called “original” idea. The video has an optimistic tone throughout, with a hope for a future in which more and more people feel inspired to create. It is the modern technology of today that can facilitate these creative exchanges, and we hope that this process is not stifled by any law.

An excerpt from the students’ reflection: Our goal was simply to get people thinking of sampling and remixing as a form of expression in itself, with as much room for creativity as any other so-called “original” idea. The video has an optimistic tone throughout, with a hope for a future in which more and more people feel inspired to create. It is the modern technology of today that can facilitate these creative exchanges, and we hope that this process is not stifled by any law.

LP3 - Girl TalkLP3 - Girl TalkCreated by Chris Austin (University of Minnesota).

[Brief Description] “This video was created for Geoffrey Sirc's ENGL 1501: Literature of Public Life course. The project, simply asked students to do some kind of digital project on some ascpect of Public Life.”

Created by Chris Austin (University of Minnesota).

[Brief Description] “This video was created for Geoffrey Sirc's ENGL 1501: Literature of Public Life course. The project, simply asked students to do some kind of digital project on some ascpect of Public Life.”

LP3 - Girl Talk (continued)


Austin squarely focuses his assignment on the life of Gregg Gillis, a biomedical engineer by day, DJ Girl Talk by night, and his sampling or appropriation of popular music.

The contention of Fair Use, and other legal ambiguousness surrounding the issue of appropriation has led to the removal of Girl talk’s albums from sites such as eMusic and Itunes.

Four Rules of Fair Use: 1) Purpose and Character [allow use of copyrighted material for criticism or educational purposes], 2) Nature of the Copyrighted work [prevent private ownership of work that belongs to the general public, such as facts and ideas], 3) Amount and Substantiality [how much of the original music is used and in what context it is being used], and 4) Effects on the work’s value [evaluate if the infringement hurt the copyright owner’s market]. These are simply speculative, because Girl Talk has not been brought before a court.

Preventing artists like Girl Talk to continue their work, would be preventing the growth of Mashup, and an entire genre of music.

Austin squarely focuses his assignment on the life of Gregg Gillis, a biomedical engineer by day, DJ Girl Talk by night, and his sampling or appropriation of popular music.

The contention of Fair Use, and other legal ambiguousness surrounding the issue of appropriation has led to the removal of Girl talk’s albums from sites such as eMusic and Itunes.

Four Rules of Fair Use: 1) Purpose and Character [allow use of copyrighted material for criticism or educational purposes], 2) Nature of the Copyrighted work [prevent private ownership of work that belongs to the general public, such as facts and ideas], 3) Amount and Substantiality [how much of the original music is used and in what context it is being used], and 4) Effects on the work’s value [evaluate if the infringement hurt the copyright owner’s market]. These are simply speculative, because Girl Talk has not been brought before a court.

Preventing artists like Girl Talk to continue their work, would be preventing the growth of Mashup, and an entire genre of music.



Anthony Collamati’s response to Austin’s video goes further than just complementing him or questioning his motives. Collamati, for the most part, agrees with Austin on how what Girl Talk is doing is nothing new, and censoring it will only do harm. Collamati seems to embrace the fact that Girl Talk admits that what he is doing has been done before, but he will make it new anyways. His response is definitely positive for what Austin is trying to say and what Girl Talk is attempting to do.

Anthony Collamati’s response to Austin’s video goes further than just complementing him or questioning his motives. Collamati, for the most part, agrees with Austin on how what Girl Talk is doing is nothing new, and censoring it will only do harm. Collamati seems to embrace the fact that Girl Talk admits that what he is doing has been done before, but he will make it new anyways. His response is definitely positive for what Austin is trying to say and what Girl Talk is attempting to do.



Amanda K. Booher’s response focuses more on references and how they tie into what Austin has said or what Girl Talk has done. She praises Austin’s ingenuity and his ability to use remixing to his advantage. She seems to hit home the fact that Austin promotes what Girl Talk has done, but with the appropriate amount of giving credit where credit is due.

Amanda K. Booher’s response focuses more on references and how they tie into what Austin has said or what Girl Talk has done. She praises Austin’s ingenuity and his ability to use remixing to his advantage. She seems to hit home the fact that Austin promotes what Girl Talk has done, but with the appropriate amount of giving credit where credit is due.



An excerpt from the student’s reflection: Passionate about music and modern art, Girl Talk seemed like the natural choice for a topic. To me, it is depressing to witness a discipline that is traditionally considered to promote creative growth stifling a wonderful new genre of music. Sure. I understand how Girl Talk’s work can be considered stealing, but I cannot help but question the motives of the original artists. Are they upset that Girl Talk is changing the context of their work or is it all coming down to money and royalties? I wanted to use this project as a means to vocalize my opinion on the subject and emphasize the significance of the mash-up genre through Greg Gillis’s story.

An excerpt from the student’s reflection: Passionate about music and modern art, Girl Talk seemed like the natural choice for a topic. To me, it is depressing to witness a discipline that is traditionally considered to promote creative growth stifling a wonderful new genre of music. Sure. I understand how Girl Talk’s work can be considered stealing, but I cannot help but question the motives of the original artists. Are they upset that Girl Talk is changing the context of their work or is it all coming down to money and royalties? I wanted to use this project as a means to vocalize my opinion on the subject and emphasize the significance of the mash-up genre through Greg Gillis’s story.

The One Contagious Kindness

The One Contagious Kindness

Created by Christopher Cullen (Rowan University).

[Brief Description] “This video project was created for Bill Wolff's Writing, Research, and Technology course. The project, loosely defined, considers the importance or value of individuals. It asks students to ask 25 - 30 people one question and to have them narrow their possible responses down to one answer.

Created by Christopher Cullen (Rowan University).

[Brief Description] “This video project was created for Bill Wolff's Writing, Research, and Technology course. The project, loosely defined, considers the importance or value of individuals. It asks students to ask 25 - 30 people one question and to have them narrow their possible responses down to one answer.

The One Contagious Kindness (continued)The One Contagious Kindness (continued)

Cullen was assigned to ask a number of students a question and he asked “What is one random deed / act of kindness that would be contagious?”

He then spliced all of their responses together with upbeat and light music in the background. Responses ranged from free hugs, conversing with strangers, smiling, letting people in traffic, etc.

“The answer is our future”

Cullen was assigned to ask a number of students a question and he asked “What is one random deed / act of kindness that would be contagious?”

He then spliced all of their responses together with upbeat and light music in the background. Responses ranged from free hugs, conversing with strangers, smiling, letting people in traffic, etc.

“The answer is our future”


Joshua Hilst’s response to Cullen’s video was part explanation, part history lesson, and part analysis. Hilst relies upon an explanation by Ulmer of inductive, deductive, and conductive logic [and subsequently what it has to do with the video]. The rest of his response is to further elaborate the premise of Cullen’s work and go over the different means of a contagious kindness in a variety of different acts.

Joshua Hilst’s response to Cullen’s video was part explanation, part history lesson, and part analysis. Hilst relies upon an explanation by Ulmer of inductive, deductive, and conductive logic [and subsequently what it has to do with the video]. The rest of his response is to further elaborate the premise of Cullen’s work and go over the different means of a contagious kindness in a variety of different acts.


Jasmine Mulliken, on the other hand, chose to respond with a video flipping the question on its head. She posed to question of “What acts of kindness do people want to receive?” Her answers were, not surprisingly, incredibly different from what people were offering, ranging from lavish wealth, a hug (qualified), body parts, a tank of gas, providing acts of kindness for their mother, etc. This was spliced with facts written in text to support whatever the person responded with. She even went so far as to use responses from Facebook. The most striking part of her video was the use of the statistics about the Christmas wish-lists, stating that a car (or accessories), clothing, a TV (most notably HDTVs), and a computer / new smart phone came before Family and Friends.

Jasmine Mulliken, on the other hand, chose to respond with a video flipping the question on its head. She posed to question of “What acts of kindness do people want to receive?” Her answers were, not surprisingly, incredibly different from what people were offering, ranging from lavish wealth, a hug (qualified), body parts, a tank of gas, providing acts of kindness for their mother, etc. This was spliced with facts written in text to support whatever the person responded with. She even went so far as to use responses from Facebook. The most striking part of her video was the use of the statistics about the Christmas wish-lists, stating that a car (or accessories), clothing, a TV (most notably HDTVs), and a computer / new smart phone came before Family and Friends.


An excerpt from the student’s reflection: This process led to my discovery that though the definitions of text may vary, the relative formula for organizing and delivering a message does not- at least not in this instance and for this project. But perhaps what affects me the most is a serendipitous realization. Upon reflecting on this endeavor, I realize that my personal and positive interaction with nearly 60 strangers; having them tap into their goodness and encouraging them to act upon it; to share it; is itself, a contagious act of kindness.

An excerpt from the student’s reflection: This process led to my discovery that though the definitions of text may vary, the relative formula for organizing and delivering a message does not- at least not in this instance and for this project. But perhaps what affects me the most is a serendipitous realization. Upon reflecting on this endeavor, I realize that my personal and positive interaction with nearly 60 strangers; having them tap into their goodness and encouraging them to act upon it; to share it; is itself, a contagious act of kindness.

Hitler Finds Out About the Downfall Parodies

Hitler Finds Out About the Downfall Parodies

Created by Michael Pfister (Rowan University)

[Brief Description] “This video remix project was created for Bill Wolff's Writing, Research, and Technology course. The project asked students to engage Internet meme culture by remixing the Hitler Downfall meme scene with their own subtitles.”

Created by Michael Pfister (Rowan University)

[Brief Description] “This video remix project was created for Bill Wolff's Writing, Research, and Technology course. The project asked students to engage Internet meme culture by remixing the Hitler Downfall meme scene with their own subtitles.”

Hitler Finds Out About the Downfall Parodies (continued)


Pfister’s remix of a classic meme shows Hitler being outraged by the fact that “Steiner” has made his own remix, and the fact that Youtube has blocked his IP addresses and username. He then goes on a rant about the people who have made various parodies and memes about him. Pfister adds in various random and amusing additions about Hitler’s personal life, such as volunteering to play Bingo with the elderly, anger management problems, Molly leaving him, and an on-going feud with Stalin. He ends the meme with a dejected Hitler determining to make his own parody under the misguided persona of MisterHitler420.

Pfister’s remix of a classic meme shows Hitler being outraged by the fact that “Steiner” has made his own remix, and the fact that Youtube has blocked his IP addresses and username. He then goes on a rant about the people who have made various parodies and memes about him. Pfister adds in various random and amusing additions about Hitler’s personal life, such as volunteering to play Bingo with the elderly, anger management problems, Molly leaving him, and an on-going feud with Stalin. He ends the meme with a dejected Hitler determining to make his own parody under the misguided persona of MisterHitler420.



Justin Hodgson’s response to Pfister’s video essentially reviews the role a meme plays in our culture and how he has always wanted to make one, but never had the chance. He emphasizes the ability to make a commentary through the parody. I will end the summary with a few quotes, because I could not have said it better myself.

“Where this video succeeds, as well as several others, including the response by Joshua Abboud, is that it straddles this fine line by drawing attention to the parody itself, to the functioning of parody, and how it is the parodies themselves that are at stake here.”

“What's more, the video parody begins by positioning Hitler in a battle with YouTube users in an attempt to stop the Downfallparodies. This, of course, parallels the battle between Constantin Films and the various YouTube Downfall uploaders: which videos can be displayed, which have to be pulled, which violate copyright law? Unintentionally, in their efforts to pull the parodies of the film, Constantin Films has placed themselves in the role of Hitler in Pfister's parody—and Pfister has drawn attention to this, even if indirectly.”

Justin Hodgson’s response to Pfister’s video essentially reviews the role a meme plays in our culture and how he has always wanted to make one, but never had the chance. He emphasizes the ability to make a commentary through the parody. I will end the summary with a few quotes, because I could not have said it better myself.

“Where this video succeeds, as well as several others, including the response by Joshua Abboud, is that it straddles this fine line by drawing attention to the parody itself, to the functioning of parody, and how it is the parodies themselves that are at stake here.”

“What's more, the video parody begins by positioning Hitler in a battle with YouTube users in an attempt to stop the Downfallparodies. This, of course, parallels the battle between Constantin Films and the various YouTube Downfall uploaders: which videos can be displayed, which have to be pulled, which violate copyright law? Unintentionally, in their efforts to pull the parodies of the film, Constantin Films has placed themselves in the role of Hitler in Pfister's parody—and Pfister has drawn attention to this, even if indirectly.”



Joshua Abboud’s response was to create yet another Downfallparody, filling in his own subtitles. However, rather than calling itself a parody, Abboud chooses to call it the creation of “phrases in dispute.” Unlike Pfister’s creative parody that seems to match up incredibly well with what is actually going on in the scene, Abboud’s attempt powers through trying to preserve the illusion of the scene. Instead, Abboud focuses on the argument of linkage being necessary but the way in which we link is not. Abboud ends the whole shebang with “These phrases are only in dispute thanks to that damn Lyotard,” that is followed by a long pause and a classic line: “Make me a sammich.”

Joshua Abboud’s response was to create yet another Downfallparody, filling in his own subtitles. However, rather than calling itself a parody, Abboud chooses to call it the creation of “phrases in dispute.” Unlike Pfister’s creative parody that seems to match up incredibly well with what is actually going on in the scene, Abboud’s attempt powers through trying to preserve the illusion of the scene. Instead, Abboud focuses on the argument of linkage being necessary but the way in which we link is not. Abboud ends the whole shebang with “These phrases are only in dispute thanks to that damn Lyotard,” that is followed by a long pause and a classic line: “Make me a sammich.”



An excerpt from the student’s reflection: I went back to my dorm room and found a copy of Downfall. “In order to understand the meme,” I argued with myself, “I should know where it came from.” It turns out the movie was very good, but I still had no ideas. Then, I remembered something I learned about the life cycle of genre.A parody keeps a genre fresh; unlike a revision, which takes a genre a step further, a parody offers commentary on the genre. Using this logic and a lack of any other ideas, I decided to make a parody of the Downfall parodies. Using the original source of the meme in my video editing software, I made Hitler’s character aware of the parodies and, naturally, quite upset that one of his favorite movies was running the gauntlet.

An excerpt from the student’s reflection: I went back to my dorm room and found a copy of Downfall. “In order to understand the meme,” I argued with myself, “I should know where it came from.” It turns out the movie was very good, but I still had no ideas. Then, I remembered something I learned about the life cycle of genre.A parody keeps a genre fresh; unlike a revision, which takes a genre a step further, a parody offers commentary on the genre. Using this logic and a lack of any other ideas, I decided to make a parody of the Downfall parodies. Using the original source of the meme in my video editing software, I made Hitler’s character aware of the parodies and, naturally, quite upset that one of his favorite movies was running the gauntlet.

That’s all I’ve got...That’s all I’ve got...

thejump v1.2 - re/mix & memes presentation by: alan hino english 488: multimedia composition,...

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video remix

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argumentative video

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