In this video, the second part of the Everything is a Remix series, filmmaker Kirby Ferguson explains how Hollywood films are now overwhelmingly based on existing properties -- almost everything that comes out these days is a sequel, remake, or adaptation of something else that was already successful. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing -- but it does mean that a lot of what we see at the theater is actually recycled. It's instructive to know what the source material is, and how the movie business works; and it's interesting to note that in some sense, this is all "standing on the shoulders of giants" -- a famous quotation that is explained by Ferguson as itself an adaptation of a previous quotation. My favorite subgenre mentioned in this video: "Sorry About Colonialism!" Have a look:
Everything is a Remix Part 2 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.
The clip above includes a bit of material at the end about Kill Bill. But in the longer clip below, an extended segment takes Kill Bill as an example of how Quentin Tarantino intentionally referenced zillions of other films to create a sort of remixed meta-film. Definitely worth a look, particularly towards the end when it's pointed out how much Tarantino references his own previous films in Kill Bill. Warning: SUPER GORY in parts!
Everything Is A Remix: KILL BILL from robgwilson.com on Vimeo.