Produsage on YouTube

“There is an absence of producers, distributors, or consumers, and the presence of a seemingly endless string of users acting incrementally as content producers by gradually extending and improving the information present in the information commons, the value chain begins and ends (but only temporarily, ready for further development) with content.” (Bruns, 2008)
A “produser” is a person who not only produces but they also use a particular media source, so they are at both ends the consumer and the producer, thus making them a produser. Many videos on YouTube are examples of produsage. A perfect example and my personal favourite YouTube video, shows the use of an existing video but also the production of changing the audio is the ‘literal video’ of ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ originally by Bonnie Tyler. This video keeps the original visual of the video clip from 1983 but has new lyrics that explains what is going on in the video, to the tune of the song.
One of my favourite parts is “Leaning on myself because there’s 2 of me here, but now there’s only one in this shot, I pull my feathered hair whenever I see floating cloth” The original lyrics are “once upon a time there was light in my life but now there’s only love in the dark, nothing I can say a total eclipse of the heart”
In the video Bonnie Tyler is leaning on a mirror and then you see her dramatically pull her hair as a piece of cloth floats accross the screen.
With the advances in technology and new programs that allow you to make these recreations there are less and less original videos being posted on YouTube. I think the idea of produsage on YouTube has its good and bad aspects. On one hand it gives people a chance to be creative with videos, songs or people they like or dislike. On the other hand it takes credit away from the original producer as they work hard to create a piece and then anyone can just take it and mash it up to create something different with the original text often being changed to create a whole new meaning or message.

Total Eclipse of the Heart literal video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-x9ygQEGA

True Story.....

You know what I love most about us?
I love how comfortable we are with each other.
I love how we endlessly make fun of each other,
But never take the teasing to heart.
I absolutely adore how when I turn away from you,
when we're fighting, you try to stay mad, then run after me.
I love the look in your eyes when we kiss,
and how you stay up to watch me sleep.
I love how I can call you anytime I need someone,
and somehow you never cease to make me laugh.
I love how you need me as much as I need you.
And most of all I love how you love me.

Chasing the hypothetical butterflies in my mind

What i have learned, is to keep dreaming, although most dreams are so farfetched that the possibility of them actually happening are very slim, without these dreams, there is nothing to look forward to, there is nothing to hope for and most of all there is no heart.
This what Finding Nemo taught us, the likelihood of Marlin finding Nemo seemed near impossible, but with the hope and drive to achieve his goal he succeeded.
So i'll keep chasing the hypothetical butterflies in my mind because i know that one day i will catch atleast one of them!
p.s. Rhi is a babe