What is DIY Video? (Parts I & II)

Digital video, circulated among communities, friends and the Internet at large, is becoming one of the primary ways we tell stories about ourselves, our interests, opinions and passions. The videos we find online are as varied as the conversations we have in our everyday lives, but there are also themes, techniques, and shared source materials that tie together diverse genres of DIY video. This two-part documentary video was Produced and Directed by Steve Anderson and Mimi Ito as the culminating event of 24/7: A DIY Video Summit in February 2008.

What is DIY Video? Part I opens with a video telling of the threads and commonalities that have emerged from our viewing of DIY video in different genres. Curated through a collective process involving the curatorial and conference committee for 24/7: A DIY Video Summit, this video traces the “meta” context that frames what we see as a new golden age in DIY video production. The program is organized as segments that feature video and response, the use of common source material, shared topics, and shared techniques in different forms of DIY video.

Part Two of What is DIY Video? features videos that stood out among the thousands that we viewed as part of our curatorial process as the most outstanding and compelling DIY video works. Together, these two programs document and define a moment in the rapid evolution of user-generated video. Both videos are distributed freely online for download and have been widely screened in festivals, conferences and in educational contexts worldwide.

What is DIY Video? is available for viewing/downloading on the 24/7: A DIY Summit website, along with links to many of the projects included in the video.

You Wouldn’t

Would you start a war? Loot a pension fund? Circumvent the Constitution? Monopolize the media? Unless you are a government official or a corporate executive, chances are, YOU WOULDN’T!

You Wouldn’t is an activist resource and DIY hacking guide to encourage the creation of political remix videos. It includes links to some of the most important organizations and individuals doing work in the field of copyright reform and cultural production that relies on the protections of fair use and it informs site visitors how to create their own remix videos and distribute them through covert channels. The site launched anonymously in July 2006, along with the video Abuse of Power.