Scratch Video a mutant hybrid of scratch DJ music and guerrilla TV

scratchvideo/design/sources/sampling/vcr

Ignoring the FBI warnings about copyright, rented videos are a popular source of samples. Movies have some of the most recognizable images; thanks to massive advertising budgets, people recognize samples from movies they haven't even seen. A Seattle, Washington based visuals crew known as Live Nude Girls remixes images from movies that have not even been released, sampling the trailers from films like Godzilla. Perhaps the most effective samples are images people know, but haven't seen for a long time, which make movies a perfect medium to pillage.

The video store facilitates a rarity in the information society: finding content you were not looking for. There is no database search that can replicate a person's behavior as they scan shelves filled with boxes, each individually designed to get your attention. Invariably, a weird movie comes into your field of view, which you would love to rent just to see one scene, line of dialogue, special effect, or shot you remember. Looking for samples in a video store is acting on that urge, renting a bunch of videos, and watching them in fast forward looking for the best samples.

Copyright 2000© Hart Snider