For this Multimodal Experiment, draw on a piece of media that you enjoy and remix it to showcase a new message or argument. You could do this by creating a mash-up that shows the connection between two pieces of media, remixing a favorite song to draw out what you see as its best qualities, or by creating a meme that critiques that piece of media, pushing it to be even better. The core challenge here is that your remix should have a clear purpose that drives your remix/mash-up/remediation decisions.
To help jump-start your thinking in terms of how remixes can make a point, take some time to watch "Star Wars Without Star Wars":
This is a remix that teaches us about remixes, and that shows us how franchises such as Star Wars draw on a far-reaching genealogy of film (and other media) to which they owe their success. How do you think this video changes the way that you see Star Wars?
Consider how you can create your own remix that changes the way the audience views or listens to a piece of media, whether that's a book, video, film, or game.
In the spirit of remediation, take part of an existing piece of media and remix it using either the aural or visual modes, or a combination of both, in order to change the message or experience. For instance, you could change the tone of a radio commercial to satirize the message. You could swap out background music or sound effects to make a TV or film scene comical. You could also take an excerpt from a speech or written text and make it musical, or sample an existing excerpt into a new song. You could create a new sound by combining two existing sound effects or pieces of music. Or you could change the style of an excerpt from a song by performing it in a different genre. The media excerpt that you're drawing on doesn't have to be long—think of it as a sample or experiment from a larger multimodal project. The main focus here should be on taking existing media and transforming it to create a new experience, while still keeping the origins recognizable. Include a brief reflection that explains what you did and why you took that approach to your remix. As always, feel free to go beyond these suggestions as long as you're remixing an existing piece of media and drawing on the aural and/or visual modes.
Here are some resources that you can draw on to create either your remix:
Audacity: Open source audio editing software.
Anchor: A relatively easy-to-use podcast creation tool that allows you to record, edit, and import audio in one place. Also includes some basic stock audio effects and music.
Sampulator: An in-browser sampling tool. Limited sound effects and features, but easy to use and still lots of options for creativity.
GarageBand: For Mac and iOS users. Existing sound effects, digital instruments, recording and mixing.
Clipchamp: This a relatively easy-to-use and free video editor. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of something like Premiere, but it's an easier starting point. One constraint is that you might need to reload or wait for processing time as you edit depending on your internet connection.
Adobe Premiere: This is one of the most commonly used video editing programs for professionals, but it has more of a learning curve. You can get free access to the Adobe suite through your student account by following the link.
Submit your remix and reflection through Moodle (or through email if the file type is too large or incompatible with Moodle) by Sunday, October 11 at 10pm.
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