For a brief time in 2008, Stephen Fry, the popÂuÂlar British author, writer and comeÂdiÂan, proÂduced a series of podÂcasts – called “PodÂgrams” – that drew on his writÂings, speechÂes and colÂlecÂtive thoughts. (Find them on RSS and iTunes here). DurÂing one parÂticÂuÂlar episode, Fry medÂiÂtatÂed on lanÂguage (the EngÂlish lanÂguage & his own lanÂguage) and a litÂtle on Barthes, ChomÂsky, Pinker and even Eddie Izzard. Then Matthew Rogers took that medÂiÂtaÂtion and ran with it, proÂducÂing a “kinetÂic typogÂraÂphy aniÂmaÂtion” that artÂfulÂly illusÂtrates a six minute segÂment of the longer talk. Watch it above, and if you’re capÂtiÂvatÂed by what Fry has to say, don’t miss his popÂuÂlar video, What I Wish I Had Known When I Was 18.
ReadÂers of Open CulÂture will appreÂciÂate how video has become, in many ways, our newest vernacular—growing in popÂuÂlarÂiÂty every day, and estiÂmatÂed to reach 90 perÂcent of worldÂwide web trafÂfic by 2013. Yet so litÂtle of our movÂing image herÂitage is actuÂalÂly online. As of OctoÂber 2010, just sinÂgle perÂcentÂage points of the great colÂlecÂtions at the BBC Archive, ITN Source, Library of ConÂgress, NationÂal Archives, etc., are actuÂalÂly digÂiÂtized and availÂable over the InterÂnet! A new short film out this week from the UK’s JISC Film & Sound Think Tank makes the point with clarÂiÂty. (Watch here or above.)
What if it were posÂsiÂble to enjoy the world’s largest and most popÂuÂlar inforÂmaÂtion comÂmons and enable it with downÂloadÂable video–video of great qualÂiÂty, whose origÂiÂnaÂtors, ownÂers, and rightholdÂers opened to reuse and remix by anyÂone for free?
IntelÂliÂgent TeleÂviÂsion and iComÂmons have proÂduced a report–just out now–to help culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal instiÂtuÂtions underÂstand and appreÂciÂate the posÂsiÂbilÂiÂties preÂsentÂed by openÂly licensed assets for Wikipedia and the open web. Video for Wikipedia: A Guide to Best PracÂtices for CulÂturÂal and EduÂcaÂtionÂal InstiÂtuÂtions describes how Wikipedia is now openÂing its doors to video, and how leadÂing instiÂtuÂtions can parÂticÂiÂpate in what is, in effect, the newest knowlÂedge revÂoÂluÂtion.
The issues are sitÂuÂatÂed, of course, withÂin the largÂer conÂtext of buildÂing a free and informed sociÂety. For uniÂverÂsiÂties, museÂums, archives, and othÂers, bringÂing video online from our culÂturÂal herÂitage (and equipÂping stuÂdents to use it) has become a new culÂturÂal imperÂaÂtive. Open video on Wikipedia is not simÂply a call for free media fragÂments to be stored online. It augurs a new vision of teachÂing and learnÂing, and a new creÂative and politÂiÂcal disÂcourse. EveryÂone is invitÂed to parÂticÂiÂpate in this conÂverÂsaÂtion just getÂting underÂway…
Dark Side of the Lens presents the art and inner voice of Irish surf phoÂtogÂraÂphÂer MickÂey Smith. The six minute film lets you expeÂriÂence Smith’s aesÂthetÂics transÂlatÂed into beauÂtiÂful pracÂtice. (“I wanÂna see waveridÂing docÂuÂmentÂed the way I see it in my head, and the way I feel it in the sea.”) But then it rather poetÂiÂcalÂly cracks open the perÂsonÂal phiÂlosÂoÂphy of the artist:
I nevÂer set out to become anyÂthing in parÂticÂuÂlar, only to live creÂativeÂly and push the scope of my expeÂriÂence for advenÂture and for pasÂsion… The raw bruÂtal cold coastÂlands for the right waveridÂers to chalÂlenge – this is where my heart beats hardÂest…
Most folk don’t even know who we are, and what we do or how we do it, let alone what they pay us for it. I nevÂer want to take this for grantÂed so I try to keep motiÂvaÂtion simÂple, real, and posÂiÂtive… If I only scrape a livÂing, at least it’s a livÂing where I’m scrapÂing.… If there’s no future in it, this is a present worth rememÂberÂing.
The aesÂthetÂic choicÂes. The perÂsonÂal deciÂsions. It’s all what’s hapÂpenÂing behind the camÂera, the place no audiÂence sees, the “dark side of the lens.” You can find the full tranÂscript of Smith’s comÂmenÂtary after the jump…
A final note: Dark Side of the Lens was born out of a project called “Short StoÂries.” EstabÂlished by RelentÂless EnerÂgy Drink, the UK-based project chalÂlenged filmÂmakÂers to creÂate their own mini opus, to explore and celÂeÂbrate “no half meaÂsures” in film. Find othÂer shorts here.
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Who said there’s not an art to remixÂing? The Israeli artist Ophir Kutiel, othÂerÂwise known as KutiÂman, creÂatÂed this video by weavÂing togethÂer scenes and tracks from 22 sepÂaÂrate music videos, all found ranÂdomÂly on YouTube. (Find the full list below the jump.) First he layÂered in the drums, then the bass and the guiÂtar. And it’s hard to argue that the total isn’t greater than the sum of the parts. The video figÂures into KutiÂman’s largÂer remix project called ThruYÂOU, which TIME called one of the 50 best invenÂtions of last year. VisÂit the ThruYÂOU site to watch more remix videos in KutiÂman’s tradeÂmark style.
This conÂcepÂtuÂal litÂtle video keeps you thinkÂing about words and their uses. Will HoffÂman and Daniel MerÂcadante proÂduced it to accomÂpaÂny a new RadiÂoÂlab episode called quite simÂply “Words.” (LisÂten via MP3 — iTunes — Web Site) If this is your first introÂducÂtion to RadiÂoÂlab, you’ll evenÂtuÂalÂly thank us. Hands down, it’s one of the best culÂturÂal proÂducÂtions on radio/the web.
This video comes to us via Bill, who disÂcovÂered it on Devour, a new web site that hopes to intelÂliÂgentÂly curate YouTube’s milÂlions of videos.
YesÂterÂday, YouTube EDU went interÂnaÂtionÂal, and FORA.TV went mobile. FORA is an excelÂlent resource for smart video (you’ll find it in our colÂlecÂtion of Top IntelÂliÂgent Video Sites), and now it has launched its new mobile web site. Just point your mobile browsÂer to m.fora.tv, and you can start watchÂing smart video on the move. The mobile site works well on the iPhone, and hopeÂfulÂly that holds true for othÂer smart phones. For more intelÂliÂgent mobile conÂtent, please check out our Free iPhone app, and send it along to a friend. To access the app, you can always use the shortÂened link: https://bit.ly/opencultureapp
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Big Ideas, a proÂgram that comes out of CanaÂda, feaÂtures a “variÂety of thought-proÂvokÂing topÂics which range across polÂiÂtics, culÂture, ecoÂnomÂics, art hisÂtoÂry, sciÂence…. The proÂgram has introÂduced Ontario viewÂers to the impresÂsive brainÂpowÂer of peoÂple like Niall FerÂguÂson on AmerÂiÂcan empire, Daniel LibeÂskind on archiÂtecÂture, George SteinÂer on the demise of litÂerÂaÂcy, Camille Paglia on aesÂthetÂic eduÂcaÂtion, and Noam ChomÂsky on U.S. polÂiÂtics.” You will also find talks here by UmberÂto Eco, MarÂgaret Atwood, Richard FloriÂda, Steven Pinker, Lewis Lapham. See the full list of videos here.
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