Wow, this sucks. R.E.M. has posted a new video “The Big Still” to their remhq YouTube channel that is a blatant rip off of Improv Everywhere’s infamous “Frozen Grand Central” mission (see my previous post). The video does not credit Improv Everywhere as the inspiration. Oh and IE’s original video is way better.
UPDATE 1: A representative from the remhq YouTube channel has sent an apology to Improv Everywhere and updated the video description, but not the video itself. I wonder if R.E.M. has any idea what their publicity company is doing?
UPDATE 2: A representative from remhq has informed us that the video is being re-edited to give credit to Improv Everywhere.
UPDATE 3: Daniel Terdiman posted a follow-up story on CNET News.com.
UPDATE 4: Freelance writer Scott Thill wrote a sensationalistic blog post about the R.E.M. video controversy on Wired’s Listening Post blog, without actually doing any research on the specific issue. After being called out on his original blog post, Scott has published a follow-up post featuring a Q&A with Improv Everywhere’s founder Charlie Todd, who addresses some of the misinformation in Scott’s original post. Of course this could have all been easily avoided if Scott had contacted Charlie first (as Daniel Terdiman did for CNET), before writing his post.
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If you go to the YouTube page itself it says:
About This Video
Added: April 01, 2008
Credit to Improve Everywhere for the inspiration for this. Sometimes deceleration makes sense. (less)
No nod, no nothin’. Blatant is right. Very tacky.
REM- you’re better than that.
Hey Scott, love the blog. Yours is one of my favorites.
I’m no REM fanboy, but the band / label / etc. may have received permission to reenact the concept, but may not have been required to include the source of inspiration in the video.
This happened with the All American Rejects’ video for “Dirty Little Secret.” While the filmmakers used actual postcards from PostSecret.com with permission from (and compensation to) PostSecret’s creator (which went to charity), the inspiration for video wasn’t included in the video itself.
I have no idea if a similar “behind the curtain” agreement was struck between REM and Improv Everywhere, but I’m pointing out that possibility. The video has been pulled from YouTube at the time of this writing — whether that’s because of the issue you describe or something else, it’s unclear.
I certainly hope the filmmakers approached Improv Everywhere, and that the group was compensated for their concept.
Looks like the video has been taken down, so I can’t see how blatant the rip off is.
But, personally, I’m not sure R.E.M. is better than that; the “Everybody Hurts” video 15 years ago was a pretty blatant rip off of Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire”.
07:45 PST, April 2 – It’s been removed.
I assume that it was an April 1st joke?
J.C. – Improv Everywhere was not contacted in advance. I think this could have all been avoided if that were the case.
Ezara – remhq took the video down to re-edit and will add a credit for Improv Everywhere then re-post.
Danger Ranger – Unfortunately it was not an April Fools Joke. I confirmed that before posting.
I get why everyone gets in a tizzy when a photo or other creative work is included without permission, but since when did it become necessary for creative works have a list of inspirations?
Surely Improv Everywhere is not the first to have executed a “frozen crowd of people” artwork. Did IE list their inspirations? No. That’s fine with me.
http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/04/rem-removes-big.html
think twice.
bobo – I agree, Scott Thill should have though twice before writing his Wired blog post and actually did some fact checking first. In this specific case, a representative from Warner Brother (R.E.M.’s label) has publicly stated that Improv Everywhere was the direct inspiration for the video and in their rush to post the video forgot to give credit.
I think it’s kind of absurd that this group is up-in-arms over credit for an idea that they did not originate.
Also, if you plan it out ahead of time, it is not improv. They should change the name of the troupe to “mess with people everywhere”.
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