Computers, software and even cell phones have radically altered our relationship to mass culture and technology, providing consumers with the tools to become producers, or “remixers,” of their own media. But long before everyday people began posting their video mash-ups on the Web, hip-hop musicians perfected the art of audio montage through a sport they called “sampling.”
How do you make a film called "Copyright Criminals" without becoming one? Very carefully, say filmmakers Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod. In this online interview, they discuss the complexities of making a film about sampling using unauthorized samples, having long dinners with potential interview subjects and incorporating the collage and remix aesthetic into the film itself. You can read more about sampling and fair use online.
