The winners of Total Recut’s ‘What is Remix Challenge 2008’ competition are in, with many outstanding examples each showing strengths technical, political or just plain entertaining.  For me, though, those that most directly engaged with the politics and practice of remix were the most inspirational; from the top ten, my favourite three were …

In second place in the competition, right on the boundary between the still and moving image, is “Composition” by Jata Haan:

Two things stood out for me with this video: firstly, that all the images, and music, Haan used were licensed under Creative Commons (more that 100 images); and secondly, that, quite literally, this remix showed that digital tools and creativity can bring previously static material to life!  Also, as odd as it is, I quite like the Sydney Opera House.

A lot shorter, and in fifth place in the competition, is “Remix Culture” by Sylvia Koopman:

Koopman’s remix is short, pithy and directly to the point.  It also highlights the joys and perils of fair use, when the the ratio of remix to credits is about 3:1!  It’s worth noting that Koopman is still in high school and posts a lot her other remix work on YouTube.  I think she must be one of those digital natives we keep hearing about! 😉

The last clip I want to mention is Ricardo Carrion’s ‘Remix Culture II’:

Carrion’s piece is probably the most useful in really “explaining” remix culture and certainly has some fun with older science footage and science fiction. As with many in the competition, though, I would have preferred more detailed credits on Coopman’s work.  One of the missed opportunities with these remixes was the chance to have ready-to-click credits so that others could easily take a look at the source material and take a whirl at creatively remixing it themselves. I should add that DJ Le Clown’s ‘Xmas in New York City’ which won overall was certainly showed a lot of talent and is technically impressive; it’s just not in my favourites because the actual content remixed is largely unexciting to me (no, not a Sinatra fan, I’m afraid)!  If you’re inspired to make your own remixes, take a look at the resources that Total Cut highlighted for entrants to this competition.  Everything you need to get inspired, and started, is either above or right there! 🙂