The article examines the role that appropriation plays in art and motion pictures. Topics discussed by the author include media reuse and the ownership of information (copyright), the economic model of mainstream and art world exhibition, using the essay film "Los Angeles Plays Itself," by the filmmaker Thom Andersen, and the 2011 video collage "The Clock," by the visual and sound artist Christian Marclay. The article closes by emphasizing the role of theorists and artists in demonstrating the continuing importance of appropriation in the pursuit of community and cultural evolution.