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It is hard to say whether the copy producer behind this cinemax promo was influenced by John Oswald’s Plunderphonics [check out previous posts here], but one can certainly breathe the same air of irreverence and resourcefulness when experiencing the spot.

The craft of creating meaning from existing work is taken to an extreme [ironically] when promoting that particular piece of work, which becomes apparent when the trailer promoting the movie is better than the movie itself. In this case, the piece becomes something else, establishing its own pace and developing its own story as it builds excitement and curiosity.

At the end, the brand [cinemax] benefits from the energy and innovation of the promo spot which directly translates into added value [in the form of entertainment as opposed to plain information] to the people watching.

Thanks to my brother Miguel A. for the lead.

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The marriage of technology and popular culture often produces deep change in the old framework associated with both the system that develops technology and culture itself. The effect of technology's cultural layer can be seen today in popular culture's reaction to the legal framework that regulates intellectual property, which has been shaken to its core by the tight relationship between digital technology and modern citizens. Google "copywrong" and you will see at least 210,000 mentions, including a blog, several posts, a Wired article, and many other reflections from old and new media that build a collective point of view on the matter.

The tools of new media are blurring the line between ideas and action, tacitly encouraging the communal enterprise. Intellectual work ceased to be an end in itself and is now more than ever part of the raw materials that fuel an ongoing creative cycle. In the words of artist Olaf Nicolai [see latest issue of opinions and culture magazine UOVO], copyright in the digital age “…eliminates the possibility of reflection, you are no longer able to think, to re-think or to re-distribute.” Nicolai compares the restrictive nature of today’s copyright laws with “…erasing the color red out of the color scale for a painting.”

Actors in the legal system itself recognize that “the future of copyright is up for grabs” as Lawrence B. Solum stated in a white paper published the Texas Law Review (2005). Solum explains that “we live in a magical, exhilarating, and frightening time: Many alternative copyfutures shimmer on the horizon, sometimes coming into sharper focus and sometimes fading away.”

Regardless of the evolution of the legal framework [which will most likely have to play an eternal catch-up with reality], the future of copyright can already be interpreted from the relationship between commercial communications and art. Culture Jam, Mash-ups, Remix Culture… the language already exists. Progressive brands like Nike embrace unofficial representations of its brand [Olaf Nicolai’s Big Sneaker (The Nineties) showed in Nike-Town] and take cues from street art to infuse a dose of modernity to the brand persona, sometimes applying the logic of street art itself.

[Robin Rhode. Wheel of Steel, 2006.]

Also in the latest issue of UOVO, Francois Quintin asked artist Robin Rhode about Nike’s unauthorized use of his artistic style: “One of the recent commercial advertisements for Nike is an obvious plagiarism of your work. It shows a teenager (even wearing a hat like your character) drawing a staircase on the floor, and acting as if he was making a skate jump from the top of it. What is your position towards this?”

…the artist reply: “JUST DO IT.”

Nike’s Paul Rodriguez chalk stair jump ad.

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It is not surprising that dinner theater as a media form is being brought to life again in the midst of a digital explosion and after a few decades of notable absence in the cultural scene. A Wikipedia post gives credit to Chauncey O'Neil, “who began staging his own shows in his loft apartment on the north side of Williamsburg in 1999,” for sparking a revival of this art form so compatible with today’s media consumption behavior.

The modern audience, accustomed to constant and oftentimes intense interaction with digital media is naturally trained to deal with what Lev Manovich defines as a constant alternation between “concentration and detachment” as a product of the “continuous presence of the communication channel in the message.” Linear analogue media, such as TV or cinema involve the audience in the experience with little or no awareness of the medium itself, which can be contrasted with the digital experience of constant swinging between the technology [e.g. a website loading] and the message [e.g. the actual site], which is precisely what happens when experiencing dinner theater with its inherent interactivity [e.g. with waitstaff] and intense sensory stimulation [e.g. food and alcohol].

Manovich writes about “illusion, narrative, and interactivity” in the context of digital media in a way that can very well apply to the dinner theater experience: “The subject is forced to oscillate between the roles of viewer and user, shifting between perceiving and acting, between following the story and actively participating in it.” We do this every time we use digital media, the level of intensity varies with the purpose and context but the principle remains, which is why dinner theater might be set to make a come back, re-energized by artists and audiences that are naturally prepared to make the most of it.

Last week we had the pleasure of experiencing a “radical reworking” of this genre thanks Williamsburg’s performance/dining space Monkey Town, which joined forces with Accidental Movement and Mogollon to execute their vision of dinner theater designed to exalt and at points even overwhelm the senses via a combination of performance, music, video, blind menu tasting, and a choreographed selection of cocktails and wine.

Such a complex endeavor faces a critical challenge in the many decisions that must be made to prioritize the elements that are part of the piece. Prioritization becomes an art on its own, allowing performers to swing between being the center of attention, directors [of the audience], and part of a bigger whole. Unlike most forms of multimedia theater in which video competes with humans (to always lose amid noise and confusion), OutMigration achieved a balance that resulted in a progressive sensation of drunkenness, tickling, and happiness.

Let’s hope that these folks reunite in the future to keep evolving dinner theater as perfect entertainment for today’s hypermediated crowd.

Here are some pics from a June 27 rehearsal.

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A previous post about Brazilian TV series City of Men was partly inspired by an article that I wrote back in 2004 about violence in Latin American cinema. The idea was to discuss the mythology of violence [true lowbrow semiotics] as well as some of its main drivers through reviewing three great contemporary films: Cidade de Deus [City of God], Huelepega [Glue Sniffer], and La Virgen de los Sicarios [Our Lady of the Assassins].

The three films dealt with violence in some of the most dangerous cities of the region: Caracas, Medellin, and Rio de Janeiro. Despite differences in language and culture, these cities share a few traits [from topography since the three are valleys with Favelas dominating the mountains, to their citizens' love for well-known brands] that make the comparison relevant, these similarities become evident when analyzing popular culture in general and these films in specific. The prevalence of this unfortunate circumstance position this analysis in a more significant context today than three years ago.

Here is the link to the article; it might be useful for people studying the subject matter. If you are interested in a deeper examination check out this 2006 Spiegel article which offers interesting insights on the situation.

An ever-growing Caracas’ Favela. Picture grabbed from Google Earth.

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