There is no such thing as original
https://vimeo.com/19447662
As the third week of semester goes by, my fear of creating something totally different yet still inspiring was hopeless. However, this documentary called Everything is a Remix by Kirby Ferguson keeps me believing in my dreams of making creative films. According to Ferguson, there is no such thing as original. It is undeniable to say that most of the movies are inspired from previous movies, however, that doesn’t mean those movies are not creative as such.
Kirby Ferguson explains and gives examples why everything is a remix. As he says, 79 out of 100 movies are based on other films, however, it doesn’t mean that they copy each other’s ideas. It’s more about using other arts such as books, music, shows, and films as inspirations. It is interesting how we think that, for example,a movie like Star Wars is original. Yet, Kirby claims that an inspiring movie as Star Wars is also a mix of other movies such as Yojimbo (1961), Flash Gordon (1936), and Hidden Fortress (1958) etc. To know that films are not usually authentic is surprising for me because I used to see films as something creative and original. It makes me to see filmmaking in a different point of view. However, this also gives me hopes that it is okay to pick things up and mix them together to create a piece of art, but again, plagiarism is always something I have to keep in mind. Also, Kirby shows that it is not a bad or wrong thing to use something as an inspiration, thus, it can be another kind of creativity as well.
Creation requires influence. – Kirby Ferguson
Later in the documentary, Ferguson shows how Kill Bill (2003/4) is basically a mashed up film. There are plenty of scenes that the director used that was inspired by other films such as The Searchers (1956), Gone in 60 Seconds (1974), and Game of Death (1978) etc.
Nevertheless, this leads me to wonder what and who gets to decide whether something creative and fresh or not since everything is a remix. What is the difference between plagiarism and using it as inspirations?
Overall, this documentary by Kirby Ferguson leads me to a clearer view of how former films and arts can be inspiring and influential. However, it is also good to try to imagine and use the pure ideas from your own first, then adapt it with something you see as creative in order to make your art more interesting. It gives me belief that if I am stuck with the same ideas to make a film, it is best to have a look at former films, music, and arts to freshen up my ideas and mix it with something in my mind to create a something. This documentary also makes me look at filmmaking differently, how they put everything together, how they create an interesting storytelling and how they make people unaware that they great film may be inspired and almost the same as other films.