adaptation
a new version of a story in a different medium (novel -> film, etc)
notable practitioners
Shakespeare
examples
Harry Potter movies, Batman TV Series, Verdi’s opera Otello (based on Shakespeare’s Othello), Shakespeare’s Othello (based on Cinzio’s novella in Hecatommithi)
student examples
Lou’s dubbed version of Taylor Robin’s webcomic Never Satisfied
media
All (film, book, comic, play, opera, etc)
purpose, audience, history
Varies, frequently part of the capitalist entertainment industry; make money.
skills needed
Depends on the medium
assemblage
a three dimensional collage
notable practitioners
Joseph Cornell, Robert Rauschenberg, Kurt Schwitters, Jasper Johns
examples
Cornell’s boxes, works by Rauschenberg
student examples
None so far
media
Sculpture, multimedia
purpose, audience, history
This began as and has mostly remained a “high art” genre, with connections to abstract expressionism, and the collage practised by Braque and Picasso, Dadaist and Surrealist photomontage, “junk sculpture,” the readymade, and so forth.
skills needed
Some sculpting and construction experience (?).
collage
a flat visual work made by pasting cut-up paper and printed matter on canvas, board, paper, etc
notable practitioners
Hannah Höch, Kurt Schwitters, Max Ernst, Jess Collins
examples
Merz pieces by Schwitters, works by Ernst, Höch, Hausmann, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Motherwell
student examples
None so far
media
Visual works on paper, canvas, board, etc; digital
purpose, audience, history
Entered high art with Braque and Picasso; much used by modernist artists, often incorporating mass media imagery from advertising, news, etc…
skills needed
A steady hand with an xacto knife; Photoshop
cover version
a new performance of a song that has previously been recorded or performed by another artist
notable practitioners
Elvis, Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan
examples
“Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin (original by Kris Kristofferson), Adele’s cover of “Make You Feel My Love” (original by Bob Dylan), Chance The Rapper’s cover of “Believe In Yourself” (original
by Ziggy Marley)
student examples
Sergei Lambert, “Pussy is mine”
media
Music, recording
purpose, audience, history
Various
skills needed
Singing, musicianship
culture jam
an adaptation of the media of the dominant culture to critique that culture. Culture jams may be audio, video, or still images.
notable practitioners
Negativland
examples
Some people would point to the magazine Adbusters, although it is often closer to parody than subversion.
A classic is Negativland, The Greatest Around
student examples
media
Image, audio, video, other?
purpose, audience, history
The idea goes back to détournement; you use the media of the dominant culture against itself.
skills needed
Depends on the medium
fan art
a work of art that uses characters and motifs from a popular franchise in an original scenario
notable practitioners
Too numerous. Google or search DeviantArt for fan art
examples
Too numerous. Google or search DeviantArt for fan art
student examples
None so far
Media
Drawing, painting, collage, scultpture, digital composition, etc
Purpose, audience, history
A subculture that grew up when fan communities, fan clubs, and fan conventions began happening in the 1970s; since it has gone online. Celebrate, enlarge, and revise the imaginary worlds of popular franchises.
Skills needed
Drawing, painting, digital illustration, etc
fan fiction
original stories that make use of the characters and fictional world of a popular franchise
notable practitioners
Fifty Shades of Grey grew out of E.L. James’s Twilight fan fiction
examples
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
student examples
None so far
Media
Text, comics
Purpose, audience, history
A subculture that grew up when fan communities, fan clubs, and fan conventions began happening in the 1960s-1970s. To continue, enlarge, and revise the imaginary worlds of popular franchises.
Skills needed
Writing ability
fanedit
a re-imagined and re-cut version of a movie
notable practitioners
Adywan
examples
Titanic: The Jack Edit, Star Wars: The Phantom Edit
student examples
None so far.
Media
Video
Purpose, audience, history
Only takes off when personal computers become capable of editing digital video. Fan editors attempt to create a "director’s cut" of an existing film where they are the “directors.”
Skills needed
Video editing
fanvid
a music video using footage from one or more popular movies or tv shows, etc, to create a new interpretation
Also known simply as a vid or vidding.
notable practitioners
Luminosity, Lim
examples
One of the most admired is Luminosity’s Vogue.
student examples
None so far
Media
Video
Purpose, audience, history
Begun by female fans in the 1970s, originally in the form of a slideshow with music, and later through using two VCRs to edit on videotape. Usually intended to explore a dimension of a franchise that is neglected, submerged, or not really existent in the original franchise. For instance, relationships that don’t exist between characters in the original, funny aspects of horror, etc.
Skills needed
Video editing
machinima
a video “shot” within a video game or virtual reality environment
notable practitioners
Strange Company, Rooster Tooth, Alex Chan
examples
Red vs Blue, The French Democracy
student examples
None so far.
Media
Video
Purpose, audience, history
Arose out of the ability to record demos and gameplay within videos game. Originally, gameplay vids were designed to showcase speed and talent, but people began to see that they could do other things with the medium.
Skills needed
Videogame recording, video editing
mashup
the combination of two or more recordings to create a new song
notable practitioners
DJ Earworm, Girl Talk, Norwegian Recycling, Danger Mouse, dj BC
popular examples
Too many to name.
student examples
Bryon Gysin vs Beyonce, Hound Me
Media
Audio
Purpose, audience, history
Fun, ego, love, criticism, self-promotion.
Skills needed
Music editing
medley
a live or recorded combination of two or more covers to create a new continuous piece
notable practitioners
Coming soon
examples
Coming soon
student examples
Charles Appiah, “Acapella medley”;
Media
Live music/audio
Purpose, audience, history
Probably arose in the era of live variety shows on stage. Associated with musical theatre, some pop singers, and variety shows.
Skills needed
Singing, musicianship.
photomontage
a collage of cut-up photos or photographic printed matter
notable practitioners
Hannah Höch, John Heartfield, El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, Stenberg Brothers
examples
Heartfield’s anti-Nazi images, Rodchenko’s posters
student examples
Media
Paper, photographs; digital
Purpose, audience, history
Begun as an artform by the Dadaists and Russian constructivists.
Skills needed
Xacto knife skills; Photoshop
poop
generally known as a YouTube Poop or YTP; a form of video mashup that tends toward disruptive, satirical, shocking, or annoying re-editing of mainstream video (cartoons, tv shows, commercials, video games, movies, etc).
notable practitioners
Not sure any are “notable.”
examples
student examples
Chandler’s Legolas vid has some elements of poop to it.
Media
Video
Purpose, audience, history
See the Main entry for further discussion.
Skills needed
Video (and sometimes audio) editing skills
pop art
original art that takes as its subject matter the products of pop culture
notable practitioners
Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Hamilton
examples
Warhol’s silkscreen prints and Brillo Boxes, Lichtenstein’s comic strip frames
student examples
None so far.
Media
Various (painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, etc)
Purpose, audience, history
To draw our attention to the disposable mass culture of our lives and show its beauty, its shallowness, and how it reflects us
Skills needed
Painting, drawing, etc.
redub
a video re-edit that dubs new dialogue and sounds over someone else’s largely unmodified video
notable practitioners
examples
student examples
None so far.
Media
Video
Purpose, audience, history
Usually humour, satire.
Skills needed
Video editing
remix
a version of a previous song that includes master tracks from the original with new beats, effects, vocals, instruments, etc
notable practitioners
Too many to name; Jim’s pick might be Kruder and Dorfmeister
examples
Migos, T-Shirt (Y2K & AVIDD remix), Migos, Walk it like i talk it (baccyard remix)
student examples
Coming soon
Media
Audio
Purpose, audience, history
A precursor was dub; mainstream remixes began as an attempt to lengthen pop songs for longer dancing in discos; continues to be associated with club music, but so much more now
Skills needed
Music editing
revid
a video re-edit that puts new video over someone else’s largely unaltered audio track
notable practitioners
Coming soon
examples
Trailer mashups, unofficial music videos
student examples
Media
Audio
Purpose, audience, history
A visual (re-)interpretation of the underlying audio, sometimes in homage, and sometimes satirical
Skills needed
Video editing
sampling
the use of elements from someone else’s recorded performance in your own performance
notable practitioners
Kanye, et al
examples
Puff Daddy, I’ll Be Missing You, Lupe Fiasco, Daydreamin
student examples
Media
Audio
Purpose, audience, history
A practice that arose out of early hip hop djing, that would live mix songs parts as dance music
Skills needed
Audio mixing
supercut
a video mashup that focuses on a word, image, idea or motif from one or more existing videos source to create a new video that draws attention to that motif
notable practitioners
Not sure there are any “notable” ones
examples
Obama Likes Spending, Improbable weapons
student examples
Media
Video
Purpose, audience, history
Often to poke fun at a politician’s or media franchise’s overused gesture or phrase. A pre-YouTube high art example is Chris Marclay’s Telephones
Skills needed
Video editing
unofficial music video
YouTube video genre in which an original video is made for a song (whether or not it already has an official video)
notable practitioners
Jim’s fav 2018: Ryan Celcius.
examples
Too many to list. Search YouTube for "unofficial music video."
student examples
Coming soon
Media
Video
Purpose, audience, history
Too various to list. See the Main entry under modes and the entry on fanvids for some of the history.
Skills needed
Ability to use video editing software.