hip hop
Live Webinar Tomorrow Night: Copyright and Fair Use in the Art World and Classroom
Are you looking for ways to incorporate digital media into your teaching? Don’t understand the rules of online copyright and fair use?
On Wednesday, March 10 at 8:00 PM ET, join PBS Teachers and Classroom 2.0 for a special live webinar that will explore the implications of copyright and fair use laws in the classroom. The seminar will also explore how to share best practices in student media production.
During this event, you will have the chance to hear from and interact with filmmaker Kembrew McLeod, whose film Copyright Criminals recently aired on PBS’s Independent Lens, renowned law professor Peter Jaszi, and media producers and educators Chris Runde and Joe Fatheree.
Also, Annelise Wunderlich, national community engagement and education manager for ITVS, will present film modules and lesson plans based on the film and developed by ITVS Community Classroom.
At the close of the live webinar, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions and have a better understanding of what kind of tools and resources are available for your classroom or organization.
Bookmark this site and join the live discussion tomorrow at 8:00 PM >>
Special Community Screening of P-Star Rising
A special community screening of the Independent Lens film P-Star Rising was recently held in Chicago. The film, which airs tomorrow night at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS, looks at nine-year-old Pricilla who wants to be the youngest female rap star ever and her single father who is determined to help her make it big. Find out what happened from Chicago-based Regional Outreach Coordinator Naomi Walker.
P-Star (aka Priscilla Diaz) and her father Jesse Diaz visited Chicago to participate in the 2nd Annual Winter Block Party for Chicago Hip-Hop Arts, presented by Chicago Public Radio and hosted by hip-hop poet Kevin Coval.
The morning began with a screening of P-Star Rising followed by a Q&A with Priscilla and Jesse. The audience at the Victory Gardens Theatre was full of families eager to hear about the struggles of navigating the often cut-throat music industry. After the Q&A, Jesse and Priscilla were treated to a performance by the Half Pint Poetics team, made up of 5th to 8th graders from Kuumba Lynx. Priscilla was deeply moved by the young talent and asked for some beat-box assistance from one of the young performers and showed her own skills with the mike.
The director of P-Star Rising –– Gabriel Noble –– joined Jesse and Priscilla during their week in Chicago for two screenings of the film for Chicago public high school and middle school students, courtesy of Cinema/Chicago’s Education Program. Schools participating included Curie High School, Dumas Technical Academy, Lincoln Park High School, Chicago Vocational Career Academy, Austin Career Academy, and King College Prep.
After the film, host Kevin Coval introduced the guests while the students greeted them with an enthusiastic reception. Several students in the audience spoke about their own ambitions for careers in the entertainment industry. Priscilla and Jesse gave sage advice on learning the business, honing your craft and not giving up despite the many setbacks that aspiring performers always encounter. And Jesse added that you should ALWAYS have a demo on you because you never know what opportunities might come along. For instance, Jesse is starting a label and looking for talent and said that if anyone had a CD they wanted to pass along, he’d be happy to check it out.
Check out these clips from the Chicago screening:
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats &Rhymes Premiering Tonight on Independent Lens on PBS
“… a broad and eye-opening portrait of hip-hop masculinity.”
- The Washington Post
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes takes an in-depth look at machismo in rap music and hip-hop culture — where creative genius, poetic beauty, and mad beats collide with misogyny, violence, and homophobia.
Get broadcast listings and discover other films featured now during Independent Lens’s Music Month. Learn more >>
Hip-Hop premieres tonight, January 26, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).
Robert Clift Looks at Racial Identity in Hip-Hop Music
Blacking Up: Hip-Hop’s Remix of Race and Identity, airing in February on public television, explores the tension between white racial identity and black cultural propriety at a time when hip-hop is redefining American life. Filmmaker Robert Clift recounts some of the questions he received about the film and what it was like working with white rappers — including Vanilla Ice. Read his take below.
C-Note of Too White Crew performs at the Bluebird in Bloomington, Ind.
In the years leading up to this film’s release, I’ve wondered, like any filmmaker, how people were going to react to it. Thanks to Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl show, fines from the FCC was a top concern for many at PBS, and the topic of my film lent itself to some objectionable language. So for years while my film waited for an audience, I fielded people’s questions and comments.
“When am I going to see it?”
“White kids and hip-hop? You’re doing a film about wiggers?”
“Don’t you think we’re past this already?”
“Is that what my kid is doing?”
“It’s going to be on PBS?”
“Did you really interview Vanilla Ice?”
First, yes, I did really interview Vanilla Ice, and yes, he really did consent to the interview. To be honest, I found his cooperation surprising. Getting white people to talk about race was perhaps the most difficult part of making this film, and that difficulty doubled when it came to white rappers. I would have loved to interview Eminem, for example, but I had little success with anything but being brushed off by his handlers. The perception was that he had too much to risk. Too many people, too many hip-hop magazines, some of which were started by white people, might use it as an opportunity to go after him.
Blacking Up: Hip-Hop’s Remix of Race and Identity airs February on public television (check local listings)
Recent Talkback About Independent Lens
From Stephen Walker’s critical and box office smash Young@Heart to an in-depth look behind the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, this season Independent Lens is rolling out a powerful selection of films that cover a wide range of issues related to the music industry. Check out some of the recent Talkback from viewers about films airing this month.
Young@Heart
“I watched the documentary, Young@Heart, last week and was quite moved. The director has given a great gift to the people of North Hampton and around the world.”
Posted by: Roger Millnitz on January 17, 2010
“I am 51 and hope I have the vitality that these individuals do when I get up there in years. The one song that gets me every time is Fred’s tribute to Bob, ‘Fix You.’ It moves me every time.”
Posted by: Gail on January 17, 2010
“I am in my 70s and I loved this film. The segment where the group did a concert for the jail inmates young enough to be their grandchildren was just so touching to me that it brought tears to my eyes…”
Posted by: Christina on January 18, 2010
View more Talkback and submit your own for Young@Heart >>
Interested in music programs? Learn more about our month-long celebration of music >>
Copyright Criminals Premiering Tonight on Independent Lens on PBS
“What’s the difference between creative ‘borrowing’ and outright theft? The Independent Lens documentary Copyright Criminals offers a thought-provoking discussion of the subject filtered through a history of hip-hop ‘sampling’ culture.”
- United Features Syndicate
Can you own a sound? As hip-hop rose from the streets of New York to become a multibillion-dollar industry, artists such as Public Enemy and De La Soul began reusing parts of previously recorded music for their songs. But when record company lawyers got involved everything changed. Years before people started downloading and remixing music, hip-hop sampling sparked a debate about copyright, creativity and technological change that still rages today.
Copyright Criminals premieres tonight, January 19, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).
Learn more about Copyright Criminals and other special Music Month programs >>
WTIU-Bloomington LINCS Partnership: BLACKING UP
Linking Independents and Co-Producing Stations (LINCS) provides matching funds (up to $100,000) to partnerships between public television stations and independent producers. To apply for LINCS funds, independents must first approach a public television station and establish a partnership.
Learn more about a recent LINCS partnership with WTIU-Bloomington, IN and the film BLACKING UP: Hip-Hop’s Remix of Race and Identity, which explores the tension between white racial identity and black cultural propriety at a time when hip-hop is redefining American life. Brent Molnar, program manager at WTIU, shares his thoughts about the film, which airs in December on public television.
As a Program Manager of a local PBS station, I was brought into the BLACKING UP project to assist the producer, Robert Clift, in creating a more conservative version of his original documentary, and to make recommendations for editing strong language and specific content that public television viewers might find objectionable. Initially, I thought my role with the documentary was to be fairly nuts and bolts – bleep this, pull that out, say this in a different way, etc.
What I didn’t expect, however, was the amount of historical content and the broad range of perspectives BLACKING UP contained. As a society, I think we sometimes gloss over the human experience, and may even begin to pocket people into different categories, just to be able to deal with everything that comes at us in a given day. When this happens, I think we lose part of the richness and depth that our culture really possesses. This can lead to us not only missing out on opportunities to understand one another, but to understand ourselves as well.
COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS Screenings Demystify Hip-Hop Sampling
Kembrew McLeod, co-producer of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, answers questions from the audience with Tony Berman of Berman Entertainment and Technology Law, who is featured in the film.
From our first event at the Saratoga Springs Public Library in Saratoga Springs, New York on October 3 to our last two events on October 29 in Charleston, South Carolina and Indiana, Pennsylvania we’ve thrilled audiences with live DJs, hip-hop dancers and fascinating panelists from musicians to lawyers. Co-producer of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS Kembrew McLeod told us “I feel honored to be part of the Community Cinema program which has allowed the film to be seen far and wide by a diverse range of audiences. Plus, it’s free. Who doesn’t like free?”
For more than 30 years, as hip-hop evolved from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry, hip-hop performers and producers have been reusing portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. But when lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a “borrowed melody” became a “copyright infringement.” Through interviews with many of hip-hop music’s founding figures—like Public Enemy, De La Soul and Digital Underground—along with emerging artists such as audiovisual remixers Eclectic Method, COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS by Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod illuminates both sides of the debate, from traditional musicians who view sampling as pillaging to those who argue that the practice of borrowing is by no means new nor is it unique to hip-hop or even music: Think of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans.
With OVER 50 free screening events from coast to coast audiences were able to sample the flavor of hip-hip and electronic music first-hand from some of the subjects featured in the film. The Philadelphia event featured worldwide DJ sensation based in Philly, RJD2 (RJ Krohn – pictured to the right, on the left). The photo is a TwitPic uploaded live from the event. Our event in Oakland welcomed DJ legend Jeff Chang. Local hip-hop radio DJs hosted events in St. Louis and Seattle. In Seattle, KUBE 93 FM DJ Hyphen who co-hosts “Sunday Night Sound Session” introduced the film. “Sunday Night Sound Session” airs every Sunday night at 10:45 PM. “J. Moore and I offer listeners the newest, dopest hip-hop from all around the country, including local music from our own backyard,” boasts DJ Hyphen. Tune in around the Puget Sound Region or online worldwide. DJ Hypen introduced COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS and left the audience with some things to think about while watching the film.
Read on for more video clips, photos, and community connections.
Community Cinema Screens COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS with Filmmaker Kembrew McLeod
This month Community Cinema is screening the Independent Lens film COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, which examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money. Find out what happened at recent screenings in Kansas City, MO, and Iowa City from filmmaker Kembrew Mcleod.
Filmmaker Kembrew McLeod
It’s been a busy time for me. In the past three days I attended two screenings of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS in two Midwestern towns: Kansas City and Iowa City. Lots of miles covered, and a ton of great questions from viewers. It made me wish I were able to attend each and every one of the 50+ Community Cinema screenings of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS across the country during October. However, that would have been an insane (and impossible) journey, because several times the film was playing in two or more cities on the same night. I feel honored to be part of the Community Cinema program, which has allowed COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS to be seen far and wide by a diverse range of audiences. Plus, it’s free. Who doesn’t like free?
The really cool thing about the recent screenings I attended was that they took place in “real” theaters—Tivoli Cinemas, in Kansas City, and Iowa City’s Bijou Theater. I’m used to seeing my films in all sorts of nontraditional venues, but there’s nothing like seeing your documentary on a nice, big screen and in a room with a great sound system. Sound quality is important, especially for a film about music, after all. Whenever I show COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, I like to sit in the back of the audience because it’s fun to watch everyone’s heads nod to the rhythm of the film’s soundtrack. The cool thing about music is the sometimes-unconscious reaction it provokes in people; my bet is that most of the folks don’t even know they’re even moving in their seats. The music just takes them over.
The other thing I like about attending my own screenings is talking to an engaged audience. The Q&A sessions in Kansas City and Iowa City were no exception, though I’ll focus on the latter screening, because it’s freshest in my mind. Given the nature of the film, there were more than a few questions about copyright law. For instance, “Did copyright law impact the making of your film?” (Short answer? YES!)
COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS Screens in Evanston, IL
Producing Partners are local community organizations that co-present Community Cinema screenings across the country. Last night, Producing Partner Reeltime screened the Independent Lens film COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS in Evanston, IL. The film examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money. Reeltime Director Ines Sommer gives an overview.
Audience members listen to the panelists discuss copyright law and music sampling at the Community Cinema screening of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS.
Northwestern University law professor Peter DiCola.
COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS was our first Community Cinema screening this season at Reeltime––Evanston’s independent film and discussion series.
Even in the darkened theater, we could tell the audience was fully engaged as silhouetted heads were moving rhythmically to the sounds of this terrific history of sampling and hip-hop music.
Our guest speaker was Northwestern University law professor Peter DiCola, who co-authored the forthcoming book Creative License: The Culture and Law of Digital Sampling with filmmaker Kembrew McLeod.
We could not have asked for a better guest speaker when it comes to questions of copyright. DiCola was able to give in-depth answers that helped the audience understand legal issues in a clear and engaging manner.
Since there were several local musicians in the audience, some of the questions dealt with their own composing practices and use of sampled music. Other questions had to do with historical copyright lawsuits, what “fair use” means and how copyright issues relate to visual arts and documentary filmmaking.
Several audience members thanked us for showing the film and hardly anyone left before the discussion ended––surely a testament to how audiences love to connect, discuss and learn more after seeing a documentary.
Ines Sommer,
Reeltime Director and Community Cinema Producing Partner
Upcoming Screenings
|
A free monthly screening series, Community Cinema features films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens.
In over 50 cities nationwide, screenings are followed by lively panel discussions that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues. Last season, over 40,000 people attended 500 events nationwide.
Recent Posts
Archives
Categories
- All Video
- Ask Programming
- Audio Podcasts
- Awards
- Community Cinema
- Community Classroom
- Film Festivals
- Filmmaker Profile
- From the President's Desk
- FUTURESTATES
- Global Voices
- In the News
- Independent Lens
- Inside Indies
- Institutional Updates
- ITVS Broadcasts
- ITVS Deep Dive
- ITVS Funding
- ITVS International
- New Online
- On the Road
- Producer Resources
- Recently Funded
- Special Events
- Talkback
- Uncategorized
Related sites
Film Blogs
Public Media Blogs
-
Get the Beyond the Box e-newsletter, sent monthly with the latest news about ITVS, funding opportunities and more. Enter your email and sign up.
-
Sign up for the Independent Lens newsletter. Get news once a week during the broadcast season (fall-spring). We'll also let you know about new Inside Indies features, Web site highlights and more.