Italian street graffiti artist ‘Blu’ ripped by UK ad agency ‘RKCR’
YTWWN: This may not be a rip but a good example of what happens when an artist doesn't work with advertising agencies- they just make something that has the same style.
The original - Italian street graffiti artist Blu's beautiful, painstaking video:
And, UK ad agency RKCR's BBC radio six advert rip-off:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2009/jan/09/bbc-advertising
Please note: not only the visual image was stolen, but the audio ('Vampire Weekend - A-Punk') and colour palette (see 'dance mat' dots) was stolen from this video created for The Wrong Door BBC3 comedy show sketch: 'Gamer Girl':
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wrongdoor/html/video/dancemat.shtml
Maybe there's some personell cross over between BBC teams with the audio issue, even though the credits don't mention 'RKCR' having created The Wrong Door sketch, but I can't see any such excuse for RKCR's blatant rip of Blu's hard work!!!
We could maybe send them a little message to stop them lazily copying (albeit badly) Blu's amazing creative work and passing it off as their own:
February 1st, 2009 - 03:32
Huh. Can’t see the Beeb vid in my area (an out-of-the-way locality called the USA,) so frak them.
The basic concept of the others seems to be similar, but nobody is going to confuse one with the other. It doesn’t even enter into the arena of “is it transformative?” It’s just the same medium. You don’t get to own that, you lazy, hoping-for-an-endless-paycheck bastards. Make some new works and stop trying to collect rent from other people.
February 1st, 2009 - 04:04
They obviously stole the idea and the technique. However they didn’t come anywhere near to the complexity of Blu’s work. This is typical in the advertising.
I have a question though. Where is the line drawn between plagiarizing, copying, and tributes? RKCR’s response about being at the cutting edge is bullshit but it’s not like they stole the images right from Blu but rather his technique.
February 1st, 2009 - 04:48
The style, message, colors and the music is different, you are calling it rip off because both are wall-painted animation :/
Blu was the first and it impressed, obviously a lot of people start to do animations that way.
Imagine it like the first oil paint in a canvas, the people who is actualy using that materials are ripping off the first dude who use it?
February 1st, 2009 - 04:50
BTW, I can’t see the third video, not aviable in my ocuntry…
February 1st, 2009 - 15:02
Is that last clip only available in the UK? I’m from Holland (so very close) and can’t see it either.
“Make some new works and stop trying to collect rent from other people.”
Tell that to the advert agency.
But you’re right; the idea of drawing on a wall and make it into some sort of stop-motion animation can not be copyrighted. Styles and ideas don’t have copyright.
But the advert agency could have executed their animation in a milllion different ways. They just ripped EVERYTHING of Blu; The black and white drawings, how it leaves white paint on the walls, the way it’s been photographed, and how the character moves up and down and moves through the streets, turning corners, etc. They only added some colours and the sound symbols.
By the way; Does the rip look Photoshopped to you too? That character looks so alike on all pics. I don’t know how Blu did his animation, but it does look like he really drew everything on a wall. Lame copy.
February 1st, 2009 - 15:35
not a rip, just inspired.
February 1st, 2009 - 19:54
In response to:
‘The style, message, colors and the music is different, you are calling it rip off because both are wall-painted animation :/’
&
‘not a rip, just inspired.’
…well, you can add to the rip list the fact that the camera technique is identical, stop motion/changing angles etc, and the use of white paint, plenty more colours to choose from. It’s lazy inspiration, at best!!
February 2nd, 2009 - 00:03
I would think they used white for the same reason that Blu used white and black, it’s cheap and visible.
February 2nd, 2009 - 09:26
Hey im the one that gave you the tip on this one… where is my credit
February 2nd, 2009 - 21:35
no, GABRIEL, I came up with it all on my own, wasn’t ‘rippin’ nobody, geddit?!
Ulfikedup, it’s more the white and black ‘whitewash’ effect I’m reffering to… + camera work + audio + colour palette = R.I.P. you dig?!
February 3rd, 2009 - 02:53
Not really, i think you’re just splitting hairs. Whitewash isn’t an effect, it’s a technique. Stop motion is how the animation is created. The Blu film has no real soundtrack and that The Wrong Door sketch is probably unwatchable outside the U.K. so it’s hard to say if it is ripping that off. But hey, you got a post on YTWWN, congrats!
May 1st, 2009 - 03:54
The whitewash effect is just dark showing through a single layer of pain.
February 12th, 2010 - 19:38
Now train has a music video in blu’s style. I didn’t read the director.. possible that its him but unlikely as i think they just cgi’d words over “stop motion” white wash haha.
January 29th, 2011 - 02:15
You are a wonderful human being
Thank you for the nice article