Mix&Mash Winner- Benjamin Dawson
Benjamin Dawson has won the Creative Commons UK film Remix Competition, Mix&Mash, with his entry 'Britain...'
As the overall winner Benjamin receives the Avid Xpress Pro Software worth £1059.
His film will also be included in a screening in the near future. The film will featured on Google Video UK and Creative
Commons UK.
We interviewed him to learn about his veiws on remixing and his inspiration for the film:
CCuk: When did you first become interested in Remixing?
Benjamin: I first became interested in remixing when i started VJing about a year ago ago under the name of blonde, with friend and colleague Doug Newman. We've been involved with up and coming London based artists and DJ's creating music videos, documentaries and promos, and felt that VJing was a natural progression to take our audio/visual relationship to the next stage. It allowed us to get involved with the artists on a performance level which, in a way, amplified the creative relationship and overall experience of the gig, for us and everyone in the venue.
CCuk: Why do you like remixing?
Benjamin: It's an exhilarating experience, especially in a live environment. It's also good fun and really enhances the trip. You're like a scratch DJ, taking what you need and throwing it into the mix. You feed off so many influences - the music, the audience, your experience, the clips etcetera - it all works it's way into the narrative; you never really know what direction you're heading into next. The way this effects the audience is off the scale. People unfold the same song a thousand ways, so when you experience alien interpretations projected behind the band or DJ, there's this absorption that takes over and suddenly you're not on your usual cruise! The edit suite is just the same, throw it all in; remold, refashion and regurgitate.
CCuk: How did you find the materials you used for the remix? Would you
wish there are better archives?
The majority came from the Internet Archive. It's an excellent resource. The remaining clips originated from the BFI. Waiting to see what will emerge from their archives in the future is really exciting.
Recently it felt like there was a slight lack of decent resources. Now with the BFI, Open University and the BBC opening-up their collections, there will hopefully be greater diversity of material and more organisations following suit.
CCuk: How did you pick the particular interpretation of your film?
Benjamin: I wanted to recreate the lyrics of an iconic british song like London's Calling (Britannia Sucks) and interpret it through the sound and vision of yesteryear Britain (Britannia Rules). This however proved a bit difficult when trying to phonetically create words that were not spoken in the films chosen and time was ticking. I wanted to create something simple, but concise and to the point. I kept remembering past conversations with older members of the family who loved to reminisce about the good old days. Then I thought if the people of the past could speak through these films, the films they made when you could leave your front door open without worry, walk down the road without being stabbed; what would they say..
CCuk: Are you, or do you want to be, professionally involved in film
making?
Benjamin: Most of my time is spent being involved with blonde, where along with Doug, we continue to develop music and film related projects. We are also both freelance Directors and Final Cut Pro/Avid editors.
CCuk: Did Creative Commons help you to know what you can do while remixing?
Benjamin: The 'legal stuff' section of the website was really handy in demystifying every angle of usage possibility.
CCuk: What is on the horizon in the realms of re-mixing?
Benjamin: blonde co-produce 'Nova Lujon' (novalujon.com) alongside JazzDJ, a monthly Jazz / Funk / Nu-Jazz event which is also being included in this summers Festival Five. We will also continue to VJ on the underground music scene. More info on blondefilms.com or myspace.com/blondefilms
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