The video assignments are a ton of work, we know it. The pace continues this week (and we have some room to relax the deadlines, so stop fretting).

While the assignments are intensive, do not forget to do a detailed write up in your blog post with your assignment work:

• Include the name of the assignment and link back to the original on the assignments site.
• What is the story behind your work? Why did you chose the subject, topic? What does it mean to you?
• What is your process? Describe the tools used, steps to create the piece, sources of your media.

This is really to me a minimum of what makes a good assignment writeup. A strong post includes your own reflection, not just a narrating of the facts. It has a meaningful title, not just “Design Assignment”. If you are referencing movies, songs, characters, places- a stronger post includes hyperlinks to information web sites- the web is built on links- write for the web not just on it.

This Week’s Assignment

The 15 star goal is raised again this week – more work in the Video assignments category- (see the full post for weeks 9 and 10 on the ds106 site)- one of them needs to be the Movie Trailer Mashup assignment (note this is listed in the Mashup section but it is done as video). In this one, you should take the trailer of a movie you are familiar with, say the one you did for the essay assignment, and mash it up with content, or audio from something completely different- the goal is to use the trailer to completely change the plot or genre of the original.

Keep At the Project Thinking

I’ve been hearing and reading your ideas. Be writing on your blog and/or contacting me about the thoughts for your projects- I want to see a well crafted pitch for your concept completed by end of this week. Some things to gel your thoughts:

• Past ds106 Projects Archive
• Try and thik of a way to combine / mashup Items in the assignment bank
• Look at some outside creaive exercises in the ds106 Idea Machine.
• Talk to me if you would like to build some stories out of the content in my StoryBox, media not seen elsewhere on the web.

Other Stuff

• If your YouTube video is blocked, you might want to try vimeo or this strategy for under fair use law disputing a takedown
• Free Screencast software (Mac or PC) Jing or screenr
• Other options for screen capture on Windows used by students in this class – Microsoft Expression Editor or Fraps.

Resources and Examples for Video Mashup/Remixes

• Kind of Screwed – Andy Baio’s tale of trying to do everything right in doing a derivative work and still getting sued. Opens many questions on copyright, fair use, derivative works.
• Let Us Never Speak Of This Thing Again resources and audio from a ds106 session in 2011 from Brian Lamb
• Everything is a Remix – Kirby Ferguson’s documentary series
• A Fair(y) Use Tale recut of Disney films to explain copyright.
• RIP: a remix manifesto a documentary on mashup culture featuring the work of Girl Talk

Just a few samples…

• Buffy vs Edward: Twilight Remixed – two different sources re-edited to be coherent story
• Don’t Tase Me Bro/MC Hammer – news event mashed up with music
• Scary Mary (recut movie trailer – family movie reversed to Horror)
• The Shining Recut (recut movie trailer – horror movie reversed to be love story)
• Star Trek Meets Monty Python – redubbing
• Kel McKeown: Instructional Video – creating new sounds from recut instructional videos
• Hitler Downfall DMCA Takedown – retelling via captioning
• Literal Video Versions – music videos form literal interpretation of lyrics
• Odd Kid – lip sync and remix
• Sweded Films – low/no budget remakes of hollywood films
• Weird Al Yankovic Bob parody plus a twist, lyrics are palindromes