R.I.P - Remix Manifesto

As if I was not already a huge fan of Girl Talk and thinks he is a musical genius, "R.I.P Remix Manifesto" just proved my point even more. Gregg Michael Gillis, better known as Girl Talk is a DJ who is famous for his catchy mash-ups and sampling of other songs. Girl Talk is often criticized, receiving much controversy over his 'sampling' of music. This documentary did an extraordinary job of closely recording Girl Talk's every detail and researching the laws of copyright. Remix Manifesto explains how Gregg Michael Gillis uses his computer as an instrument, and other people need to see that. So much time, dedication and skill goes into his songs and it is much more than copying and pasting bits and pieces of songs.
 This documentary explained what can be described as copy right and it is so meticulous it's crazy. I learned that by singing the Happy Birthday song, I am violating copyright laws and should be in trouble. I also learned that if some one claims the correct copy right on a product/piece, it is valid until 70 years AFTER their death. But it is extremely important that they follow the correct procedures and go through the system, in order to receive those rights. They also explained 'Copy Right' and 'Copy Left'. Copy Right is protecting the past. It was originally made to encourage people to create, however, that could be taken both ways. Copy Left is the protection of the public domain. After watching Remix Manifesto, I do agree with them when they say that "The creating process is more popular than the actual product." Overall, I do not think Girl Talk violates copy right, he is creating his own style and music through the process of 'sampling'. However, I feel that this documentary did not really respond to all of the unanswered questions.

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