Thursday 15 November 2007

books

Hebdige, Dick (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of StyleHuq,
my text is about the skinhead subculture which links in with this book along with Hebdige being one of my theorist as his studies are about the subcultures and thier dress trends which is very important in my study.
Rupa (2006) 'Beyond subculture' Thornton,

Sarah (1995). Club Cultures: Music, Media, and Subcultural Capital
this book focuses on media representation and music which both tie in with the themes of my text as it shows how cultures were presented in the media and also links in with the unity of blacks and whites throught the love of music in my text.
McKay, George (2005) Circular Breathing: The Cultural Politics of Jazz in Britain
britian has been known for its violence and differences due to music and diff in culture..this is shown in my text where diff people clach due to cultural backgrounds...but love of music.
Skinhead, Suedehead, etc. by Richard Allen
skinheads are the main characters in my text...well the text is based on skinheads so a book about skinheads will help in all ways to understand what skinheads were about as they evolved to stand for different things in diff eras...
other books:
Boot Boys
Demo
Dragon Skins
Knuckle Girls
Mod Rule
Punk Rock
Skinhead
Skinhead Escapes
Skinhead Farewell
Skinhead Girls
Smoothies
Sorts
Suedehead
Teeny Bopper Idol
Terrace Terrors
Top-Gear For Skinhead
Trouble For Skinhead (originally to be titled Skinhead In Trouble)
Spirit of '69 - A Skinhead Bible, Marshall, George (1991).
69 is 2 decades before my text was set however this book is indeed helpful as it guides readers to what skinheads did...what movements they had but also shows what trends they had to show that they were skinheads...thats minus bein a skinhead.

Thursday 1 November 2007

blog buddy

one of my blog buddies is farah who is doin her study on Green street. her study shows ideas about devience and hooliganism which can be linked with my study. her blog is realli good is got alot of analysis and various images and stuff...plus iv seen the film n i tink it will go will with mine. both are british films and show some characters to be from a lower class...

blog buddy from my class is aman because his study is about violence and about the destruction of society although its a sci fi it has relevance with the violence..

words

Human interest- appeals to audience
in this is england the topic and issues of racism and the history of skinheads appeals to audiences as is features realsim, and the gritty truth about this country

Close-up shots-
this is engoland uses many close up shots to difine facial expressions along with the meaning of the scene or close up shot...

Deviance- things that are frowned upon by society..
this is england glamorises violence rasicm and crime to an exttent, all actions in this film are deviant and would be looked down upon in todays society...

dominant ideology- an ideology which is dominant within society
in the era of this is england white nationalsm, patriotism and racism were seen as the norm but also a cominant thing in society...

words

own research..and links

Gary Bushell was a journalist/tv critic/presenter/involved in magazines...he was against the EU and imigration...
Bushell started out as a socialist and was a member of the Trotskyist International Socialists, which became the SWP. The first signs of his move from hard-left thinking were apparent from 1986. In his On The Soap Box' column, Bushell raged against the middle classes, who he claimed had ruined the Labour Party. He also objected to the European Union and unfettered immigration, because he said it under-cut working class wages. He wrote articles supporting the Smithfield meat porters who were fighting to preserve their market, and in favour of St. George's Day, the UDR 4, working class comedians and Page Three girls.[citation needed]
In the 2000s, Bushell's main political focus has been
patriotism and individual liberty. He sees his identity as English rather than British. He has campaigned to have St George's Day recognised as a public holiday in England, in the same way Saint Patrick's Day is a holiday in Ireland. He is a vocal opponent of the European Union. Amongst his heroes listed on his MySpace page are George Orwell and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

analysis

this clip is when the skinheads raid the corner shop...

This clip begins with the skinheads, who conform to Hebdige's idealogy of subcultures being similar in dress and style, who are graffitying abuse against muslims on a wall "paki cunt" they also leave thier tag "Nashanel Frunt" (national front) which shows that they are not afraid and see thier movement as being right. no faces are shown whilst the graffitying is being done instead all backs are turned from the camera which to me illustated thier actions as being wrong and shameful. the surroundings show the gritty streets of nottinghanshire and also potray that the skinheads are from lower class families. there is a fast change of clips which is in the shop which is featured earlier in the film. (shop is owned by a indian man prefibly muslim) Shaun walks in casuallly and thier is aclose up of his face as he moves close to the till, "gimme a hundred fags, 2 bottles of wine and lager NOW!" this scene illustrates just how much power skinheads thought they had as this is a child speaking a grown man in his shop, something that is unheard off.. the shots used in this scene focus on facial expressions as it is a slightly humorous scene but also deasl with the main issues of racism, white nationalism and the attitudes of skinheads as a sbuculture... Shaun calls the shopkeeper a "paki bastard" this kicks of the scene where he tries to kick Shaun out of the shop, starting by a chase around the shop, the chase is filmed from one angle and shows that skinheads were full of kids. these actions potray a childlike view which is partly correct as the film is about the director Shaun Meadows childhood.
When Conbo ewnters the shop he acts innocent and agrees with the shop keeper about Shauns bad behaviour, this allows the audience to be aware of the real Combo but the shop keeper to be unaware. Whilst the shopkeeper is holding Shaun, Combo pulls out a Knife which he points at the shopkeeper calling him a "Paki" here there is a close up of Combo's facial expression which enforces his racist values. the close up shows the hate and anger he feels towartds the shop keeper without even knowing him, which puts across the ideology that racism was against anyone who was noit white. after Shaun leaves the shop Combo moves closer to the shopkeep "his dad was killed in the Faulklands war, and for what? you people move to this country and take all our jobs" (not exact words) Combo's speach here demonstrates what the Nashanel frunt were and what they stood for... with a close up in this shot (close up of the face being very common throughout the film) shows the seriousness of Combo's ideas, his face being screwed up and into the moment shows that he was affected by the fauklands war or imigrants at some point in his life, this subject is shown to be dear and personal to him. in the 1080's when this was set white nationalism wasnt as common as it wld have been some years prior, skinheads in that era were associated with dr martins and braces, this clip shows that the movement was still present but at a threatening level to anyone who wasnt white. the movement agianst imigrants was due to the area the film was set in, a low class area, and where the unemployment records were extremley high. As combo levaes the the shop he makes a threat to the shopkeeper "this is our lil shandy we'l come ere anytime we like" there is a close up on the shaken shopkeeper who does not retaliate to Combos words, showing that White's in this area were superior that colours, Shaun shows cases of racism being a norm for the White skinheads and being acceptible in this clip. the shopkeeper was stereotyped by being assocaited with curry, looked down upon to the level of "shit". this clip shows many ideologies of the 80's ere, howveer the shots remain the same throughout most of the clip there are many close up shots of the characters to show facial expressions however the film is very black and white kept simple to show the realism of the issues raised in the film. the clip also shows 3 of my main points that will be used in my independant study...racism, subcultures, and white nationalism...

self evaluation

1. SELF EVALUATIONEffort : 2- although my attendacne has been low i think my blog and h/w show that i am commited to the subject, i have also caught up with everyone with the work and try n contribute to class discussions wen i can...
Punctuality :4 – i have become apart time student like last year...which is bad n i intend to fix up cuz i dnt want to fail this year..
Submission and quality of homework: 2- Iv done all the h/w set plus iv done extra reseach on theorist and stuff wenever i find somethin new i keep a record of it...
Ability to work independently: 2- I have done lots of work on my own and it is posted up on the blog, and as my topic is diff t the mojority of other people i havnt been able t look at others n copy..
Quality of writing :2- I think my writing has improved since last year. my essays flow much better...
Organisation of Media folder :1- compared to last year my folder is neat and tidy and above all in order which will make it much easier t revise from...
Oral contributions in class :3- I havnt contributed much as i couldv and seein as im a part time student i feel i should contribute alot more...
Standard of Module 5 blog: 1- i think my blog is quit good it has alot of images and newsreports...but i named my blog DREAMWORKS which i must change....
Standard of Module 6 blog: 2- i think my blog has made good progress as i onli started it da week we came back t school so iv caught up with all the work however my name is still on the looser list...
Make a list of three achievements (www) and three targets/areas for improvement (ebi) over the next half-term.www:All the task set have been done in great detail which should help with my independent studyThe things I have found on my own are all relevant and usefulI have put up images and clips from youtube which make the blog look interesting. I also spoke to Gurvweer from the year above who did football factory and got a few points from him main 1 was do ur research and get things checked over as many times as u can...very useful
Ebi:I could start of by gettin my name of the looser list...but contribute more in class, and research in the main points i will raise in my independant study...

Sunday 14 October 2007

Thursday 11 October 2007

dictionary...

Partricarchy: male domination of the political, cultural and socioeconomic system.

Binary opposition: Strauss...good vs evil (dichotomies) in this is england police vs gangs n black vs white...

capitalism: an economic system in which the production and distribution of goods and services in society is organised via a free market for the purpose of maximising profits.

case study: an in depth study of a person, event or social phenomenon, involving the collection, analysis and evaluation of data which can then be used suggest links with wider issues.

representation: the process whereby the media construct versions of people, places and events in images, words or sound for transmission through media to an audience.

stereotypes : the social classificdation of a group of people by identifying common characteristics and universally applying them in an often oversimplified and generalised way, such that the classification represents value judgements and assumptions about the groups concerned.

youth subcultures: any of a range of youth subcultures from the 1950's through to the present day, including the aspects of dress, behaviour, music and relationships.



links

http://www.sonlifeafrica.com/model/subcult1.htm

this relates to the subcultures in my text...skinheaeds subcultures were formed due to the simliarities in dress and attitudes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism

neo nazism and white nationalism were present in my text due to the rise of unemployment...and increase in migrants...

http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2007/09/10/israeli-police-arrest-cell-of-jewish-neo-nazis-white-german-anchor-has-nazi-idea/

some of the skinhead ideas were taken from neo nazism...aswel as white nationalism

http://www.britmovie.co.uk/

this is england is a british gritty film set in the 80's...similar films are green street and football factory who also show nationalism...hooliganism...

http://www.reelstreets.com/

British films

http://del.icio.us/search/?fr=del_icio_us&p=patriarchy&type=all

patricahry is present in my text as the majority of the female characters onli have pasive roles.....

http://del.icio.us/search/?fr=del_icio_us&p=genre+violence&type=all

violence is a major part of my text..

http://del.icio.us/search/?fr=del_icio_us&p=racism&type=all

Wednesday 3 October 2007

comments...

http://zara-med5.blogspot.com/

http://www.farah6.blogspot.com/

http://xcrashthemoviex.blogspot.com/

http://childrenofmenstudy.blogspot.com/

http://youngersrep.blogspot.com/

history of skinheads...

Skinheads, named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, are a working-class subculture that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. The first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods, in terms of fashion, music and lifestyle.Originally, the skinhead subculture was primarily based on those elements, not politics or race.Since then, however, attitudes toward race and politics have become factors in where skinheads align themselves. The political spectrum within the skinhead scene ranges from the far right to the far left, although many skinheads remain apolitical. Fashion-wise, skinheads range from a clean-cut 1960s mod-influenced style to less-strict punk- and hardcore-influenced styles.

........

Racism, anti-racism and politics
In the late 1960s, some skinheads (including
black skinheads) had engaged in violence against random Pakistanis and other South Asian immigrants (an act known as Paki bashing in common slang).Although these early skinheads were not part of an organized racist movement, by the early 1970s there were skinheads who aligned themselves with the white nationalist National Front.[citation needed] However, there had also been anti-racist and leftist skinheads from the beginning, especially in areas such as Scotland and northern England. As the 1970s progressed, the racially-motivated skinhead violence in the UK became more partisan, and groups such as the National Front and the British Movement, saw a rise in skinheads among their ranks. Although many skinheads rejected political labels being applied to their subculture, some working class skinheads blamed non-white immigrants for economic and social problems, and agreed with far right organizations' positions against blacks and Asians.
By the late 1970s, some openly
neo-Nazi groups were largely composed of skinheads, and by this point, the mass media, and subsequently the general public, had largely come to view skinheads exclusively as a subculture promoting white power.[citation needed] However, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, many skinheads, suedeheads, ex-skinheads and football casuals in the UK rejected the dogma of both the left and right. This anti-extremist attitude was musically typified by Oi! bands such as Cockney Rejects, The 4-Skins and The Business.
Some skinheads countered the neo-Nazi
stereotype by forming anti-racist organizations, such as Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP) which was founded in New York City in 1987 and spread to several other countries, and Anti-Racist Action (ARA), which started in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1988.Other less-political skinheads also spoke out against neo-Nazis and in support of traditional skinhead culture; two examples of this were the Glasgow Spy Kids in Scotland (who coined the phrase Spirit of 69), and the publishers of the Hard As Nails zine in England.[ In Latin America the skinheads are influenced by music. Although many of them do not show racial or anti-racial tendencies, many of them use the skinhead lifestyle as a refuge from poverty. In an especial case a gang of skinheads in Colombia, attacked and killed Julian Javier Prieto. The young man was stabbed to death by a gang of skinheads outside a club in northern Bogotá.

Theorists...

My main theorist is Dick Hebdige...a media theorist and sociologist...wrote a book on subcultures calld "Subcultures"...a subculture is a set of people with a set of behaviors and beliefs....Subcultures can be distinctive because of the age, race, ethnicity, class, and/or gender. The qualities that determine a subculture as distinct may be aesthetic, religious, political, sexual, or a combination of these factors. Members of a subculture will often signal their membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of style. Style includes fashions, mannerisms, and argot (Hebdige 1981).

Sources
Hebdige, Dick (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style
Huq, Rupa (2006) 'Beyond subculture'
Thornton, Sarah (1995). Club Cultures: Music, Media, and Subcultural Capital.

(wikipedia...subcultures)

Subcultures....


Subcultures is one of the background issues in this is england as it is due to subcultures that everyone has an identity....the groups vary depending on age...ethnicity...music...background...class....and general interests...This is England presents the skinhead subcultures which were present during the 1980's....they formed due to lack of work skills and education at the time...skinheads in the 80's were mainly working class kids who had nothin better to do than create trouble they began the trend of gangs and kids behaving badly...




Tuesday 25 September 2007


this image shows the violence portrayed in the film...it also represents the child skinhead which ironic as he is white and the subculture of skinheads originated from the blacks....

article....

This Is England is a 2007 film written and directed by Shane Meadows, director of other films such as A Room for Romeo Brass and Once Upon a Time in the Midlands.
The film is set in a drama centred on young
skinheads in early-1980s England. Much of the film was shot in The St Ann's area of Nottingham with one section involving some abandoned houses being filmed at the former airbase RAF Newton just outside of Bingham, Nottinghamshire. Additional scenes were filmed in Grimsby, Thomas Turgoose's home town.
The film was shown at various international
film festivals, including London, and special permission was granted to Meniscus for it to be shown at Grimsby's Whitgift Film Theatre. The film was given an 18 certificate by the BBFC due to its racist language and incidence of violence. However, some councils such as Bristol, Camden and Westminster have chosen to overturn this, feeling the film should reach its target audience of teenagers. The film won in the Best Film category at the British Independent Film Awards, with Thomas Turgoose winning the Most Promising Newcomer award.
Turgoose has appeared on TV and radio shows such as Soccer A.M., South Bank Show and GMTV, and has been interviewed by Edith Bowman on her
BBC Radio One slot.[1] Turgoose had never acted before, had been banned from his school play for bad behaviour, and demanded £5 to turn up for the film's auditions. [2] The film was dedicated to Turgoose's mother, Sharon, who died on December 29, 2005; before she had a chance to see the film.

[edit] Themes
The film highlights the
irony that although the skinhead subculture was partly based on elements of black culture, (especially Jamaican ska and reggae music), a large faction of the subculture was hijacked by white power groups such as the National Front. The story focuses on young Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), who, following bullying at school, falls in with a bunch of likeable skinheads. The new-found freedom and social acceptance he finds is short-lived, and takes a much darker turn when National Front member Combo returns from jail and reasserts his leadership, which splits the group in two. What follows is an often disturbing view of 1980s England offset by the ramifications of the Falklands War and the rise of white nationalism.

Chief among these is newcomer Thomas Turgoose as Sean, a put-upon 12-year old who finds unexpected friendship with a group of local skinheads led by the sweet natured Woody (Joseph Gilgun, another stand-out performance). These skins are a far cry from the image of racist thuggery that the movement became known for in the 80s. It's all about the music, and of course the clothes - although Sean is too small for Doc Marten boots, he still gets the haircut, the plaid shirt and the braces. For a while, everything is sweet in Sean's world. He even shares his first kiss with a Boy George lookalike with the charming name of Smell.
"A FUNNY AND DEEPLY MOVING PORTRAIT"
But soon, conflict arrives in the form of Combo (Stephen Graham, also superb), an old mate of the gang whose time in prison has left him with a strong sympathy for the National Front. Combo's racist agenda splits the gang and Sean, tragically, finds himself turning to Combo as a substitute for the father he lost in the Falklands. Meadows is an exhilarating filmmaker and This Is England is his best film to date - an honest, emotional, funny and deeply moving portrait of growing up. Don't miss it.


interview with shane meadows...http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking.asp?ID=203
Media representation

In this text the male protagonist is being represented as an influenced child he is only 12 years old, which shows he is vulnerable as easlily influenced by issues which he can relate to. males together are being represented as two types, one= the skinheads, who are shown to be violent agressive and RACISTS. this is one of the main themes which is continuous througout the film. the other type of men is those who stand down, men who will not stand up for what is right. women are also presented as being sex objects in need of a man, as shown in the film when a teenage girl tries to have sexual relationships with the 12 year old boy. women are also presented as being inferior to men but at the same time superior there is a swtich in the film of women (one in particular) roles. Children are also presented as growing up to fast, and being forced into commitments far from there reach at thier age.



The representation of minorities in this film would have been accurate for the time which it is representing (the 80's) were racism was huge, making the films representation of those days accurate to some extent. the film has been shot with low budget and shows the gritty ends of Nottinghamshire to give the effect of living in the 80's in that time. the issue of racism is shown to be a undercover but an out there subject everyone is aware that racism exist however it is nenevr brought to the attnetion of the police or stood up for by other people.


Media Languages and Forms

There are black white and asian people presented in the film, they represent the differences people shared in the 80's when racism was present. sex drugs and violence are also shown in the film they denote what they are, but connote the wrong ways they are abused, the sex drugs and violence are shown to a young boy who does not have the capability to understand what they all mean, but instead is taught to abuse drugs and the topic of sex, and use violence towards what he is taught to be right, which is fight against the minorities and become a racist.


the soundtrack is ironic as there is a raggae soundtrack throughout the film, even though it originates from the blacks, it is used to create a sense of unfairness where certain aspects of the blacks culture can be used and enjoyed blacks as a whole were ruled out and faught against because of thier colour.


clothing apprecaites the 80's cultures and trends, the youngt boy is dressed up in what today would be reffered as a "chav" ben sherman shirt and Dr Martins...however then it would have been what people were wearing. there are several images of the young boy swearing with an angry face, this connotes the result opf influencing a child about violence.


there are several close up shots when moods change, the scene at the end when violence is present there are close ups of the dead body. this shows the significance of violence in the film



Narrative

the narritive structure follows elemants of and equilibrium at the start where bullying is present, a resolution when the young boy makes freinds, hight of the film is when the young boy is influenced and follows the racists, resolution is when a black man is killed infront of the childs eyes.



the audience are lead into shock due to the issues raised in the film as they are not present in todays day and age. the film is there to also educate the audience of the issues of the 80's and how they affected the direction of racism in the UK from the 80's onwards.



Genre

the genre belongs to a british violent/racist film

it follows the trend of violoence and rasicm, the characters follow thier given roles, however the young boy fulfills a role of change in character at the end of the film where he finds his influencers to be wrong and that racism is wrong. the audience can sympathise for his vulnerability due to his young age, they however label his influencer into being the villain and the young boys first friend into being the hero...

Media Audiences
this text is directed to teenagers who should be aware of the issues this country has had in the past about racism, it is applicable to youthsw as they deal with the same issues of acceptance at school, the cases of bullying and getting into a bad crowd...the text also relates to an older genration as the film was not set too long ago, the year i was born infact, which makes it relevant to people aged 20 + who would have been growing up in that particualr time. the text would appeal to both white and other ethnicities as it deals with issues which can affect any ethnicity...

Tuesday 11 September 2007

Migrain

M-the setting is 1983, area is Nottinghamshire, shows the not so priviledged sides of the area, but also what the 1980's where like, with fashion trends. characters, white male protagonist a 12 year old boy shaun, shows how image is important at school.

I-ideologies of white people as a whole (country/groups) also white people as individuals. racism very big issue. however the issue of skinheads which originated from black people later on taken over by the whites is brought up. which shows irony, as one character is complaining about other races taking over thier country. Males growing up without father figure. women minor roles in this film as the issues do not concern them.

G-British film (racism and violence)

R-of males growing up in england. coloured people living in England during the 1980's when racism was hugely present. parents attitudes. females. England. war.

A- this film is targeted to teenagers as it involse and raises issues that the BBFC thought teengaers should be aware of. it appeals to a young audience as the characters represent young rebels and are involved in binge drinking, smkoing and drugs which are a reflection of what teengaers are assosiated with.

I- the film was produced by Turgoose a new producer who won the best prize for newcomer. the film was rated 18 but after a review it was decided that younger teenagers hould be able to watch the film to be aware of racism and toerh issues raised in the film.

N-the text follows a 12 year old boy who after being bullied at school falls into a crowd of skinheads. he is liked by all, but becomes apart of the uprising in white nationalism due to a personal heartache. the text explores racism as a main issue alongside nationalism for England. the soundtrack of the film is ironic as is the fact that the character leading the uprising against minorities is a skinhead a trademark black people brought to england.

Wider context

S-racism, nationalism towards England, white people have no place in their own country.

H-1983 set in the 80's when racism was a big issue as well as the uprising of white nationalist against margret thatcher..."do you consider yourself to be british or jamaican"

E-low budget film to show gritty streets of england, had to portray realism of life in 1983.

Proposal

To what extent can films, with particaular reference to This Is England, convey actual truth about White British males involvement in violence and racism.