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Everything is a Remix (Original Series)

Kirby Ferguson · documentary · Watch on YouTube

Media, journalism & propagandaLaw, policing & justiceFilm analysis & criticism

What it is

Kirby Ferguson's video essay series arguing that creativity is built on copying, transforming and combining existing work. It covers music, film and technology, then turns to copyright and patents.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN invokes it constantly in debates over originality, copyright and AI training, and calls it the best explanation of creativity as remixing.

  • 7 people recommended it
  • 7 different months
  • 3 strong recommendations
  • first 2017, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “Watch Everything is a Remix”

    Explains that creativity is remixing, answering how to be more original

    WallyFunk, 2021-09 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: How can I get better at original thinking and being creative?”

  2. “The best explanation of creativity that I have found is a video series by Kirby Ferguson called Everything Is a Remix”

    Best explanation of creativity as combining existing things

    combatentropy, 2022-01 · Strong recommendation · in “Copyright doesn't need 95 years to get the job done”

  3. “Reminds me of one of my favourite video essays”

    Video essay on remixing, going further to attack patents and IP law

    indiv0, 2024-07 · Strong recommendation · in “Copying is the way design works (2020)”

  4. “Worth watching.”

    Documentary arguing winners are not unique; ideas emerge from many players

    guiambros, 2017-11 · Recommendation · in “Tesla’s Dangerous Sprint into the Future”

  5. “I highly suggest you watch this video”

    Shows no creator makes anything from scratch, supporting finite copyright

    mtgx, 2018-09 · Recommendation · in “Senate passes copyright bill to end 140-year protection for old songs”

  6. “Watching "Everything is a Remix" [1] helped me broaden my perspective.”

    Broadened the commenter's view on originality and copying

    rmbyrro, 2024-02 · Recommendation · in “Sora: Creating video from text”

  7. “I would highly recommend the "Everything is a Remix" series on YouTube”

    Shows creative work is largely combining existing items

    alexpotato, 2026-08 · Recommendation · in “Patterns and problems in emerging multi-agent systems”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: remix, copyright, creativity, originality, video essay

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