Research[Research Portfolio]

CI.

My focus for my critical investigation has been on teen violence, and their increasing involvement in gun and knife crime. Many films and media stories are seen to promote and influence teen violence through the way they portray it.

Primary sources:

Kidulthood, and its sequel Adulthood: Both of these films show the graphic nature of teen gun and knife violence and make no attempts to cover up the background surrounding this issue.

Secondary sources:

Online news articles: Two youths, aged 14 and 17, were found guilty of murder and three others, aged 17, 14 and 15, were found guilty of manslaughter at the Old Bailey.
None of the defendants or young witnesses can be named because of their ages.

A 16-year-old convicted of murdering a man in London on Christmas Eve 2008 has been jailed for life at the Old Bailey.
Nathan Harris, from west London, set off a "lethal train of events" that led to Craig Brown, 20, being shot dead outside his girlfriend's home.
Mr Brown, who had been out with his son and his girlfriend, Denica Date, was shot five times in Shepherd's Bush as he unloaded Christmas shopping.

Police have named a man shot dead in a street in west London as he returned from a Christmas shopping trip.
Craig Brown, 20, was found by police and London Ambulance Service in Loftus Road, Shepherd's Bush, after being shot at 1650 GMT on Christmas Eve.

The Teenage murder rate on the rise again
By Chris Greenwood, Press Association
Friday, 23 April 2010
death of a 17-year-old boy in Greenwich brings the toll of teenagers murdered in London this year to nine.
Murder squad detectives are probing what caused his fatal injuries at a house in Greenwich after a neighbour reported hearing a shot in the early hours.

All of the above sources may be seen to be set out in order to warn us of the increase of teenage violence on the streets, but could it be suggested that they are actually promoting it to teens too?

Bibliography
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/teenage-murder-rate-on-the-rise-again-1952430.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7337166.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7799681.stm#

Research![Research Portfolio]

effects theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_influence

'Violent' Music Banned In Jamaica

Jamaican officials have slapped a ban on violent hip-hop songs and music by popular local acts such as MR. VEGAS, alleging the tunes glorify rape and murder.

The ban, instituted by the island's broadcast commission on Saturday (21Feb09), specifically forbids songs and music videos featuring daggering, a dance craze that simulates sexual pelvic grinding.

Dancehall star Mr. Vegas popularised the style after releasing a song and video of the same name in June (08).

The new regulations also dictate that all music with lyrics detailing gun violence, murder, rape or arson cannot be aired on TV or radio.

DJs will not even be allowed to play censored versions of the offending songs.

The controversial footage premiered on M.I.A.’s official website on Monday, but the hitmaker revealed shortly after that thanks to bosses at her label UMG, the video is not welcome on the world’s leading video sharing website.

“FUCK UMG WHO WONT SHOW IT ON YOUTUBE! FOR THE U.S >>>>>>WATCH HERE http://miauk.com/,” she Tweeted Monday. “OK NOT UMG FAULT!”

She later retracted the comment after finding it had been YouTube’s decision.

In the “Born Free” vid, military police round up red-headed boys in a series of violent raids and beat them to death. In one particularly disturbing scene, a 10-year-old boy is shot in the head in an effort to force other children to escape the concentration camps.

Reviewers have said the video is a commentary on the genocide of ethnic minorities and profiling and “the trampling of personal liberties, the bullying of the powerless by those with authority,” according to MTV.com
http://www.popcrunch.com/m-i-a-born-free-music-video-banned-from-youtube/

50 cent my toy soldier. Why was this not banned?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lc4TI-IBGc&feature=related


eminem like toy soldiers. Deferring young away from violence? or still an influence t engage in it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lexLAjh8fPA

Same arguement as eminems toy soldiers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D3crqpClPY&ob=av2e


50 cent heat 2 versions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZIc8VSonVY&ob=av2e [Accepts violence as its in a game format? not as graphic but can be sen to have same effects as non animated videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x46E29PEBCo [known as the street version. not as graphic as animated video but still shows a 'gangster' representation of a well known artist. may influence admirers

Critical Investigation: Research So Far [20/09/10]

So far i have looked at how the music industry in general has evolved since the 1920's, mainly with how the introduction of music videos has changed the way in which the industry works.

I also chose to look at when and how music videos began to involve violent themes within them, and the ways in which the amount of violence in these videos have grown or decreased over the years. With this i managed to find an article on how the acceptance of these types of videos have changed throughout the years, and also some argues on whether or not they influence people to go out and engage in violent behaviour. Additionally i looked at some music videos myself to see if their were common links between them, finding that most videos seem to glamourise violence with money cars and girls.

In the coming weeks i hope to be able to research the production of music videos in order to have a better insight into how they are made, helping me with both my critical investigation and also the linked production i have planned. I would also like to find out what influences artists to come with this type of music, and also if in most cases it is the directors choice or the artists' choice to have the violence in the videos. In addition to this i plan to talk to young artists involved with music in order to gain their verdict on these types of videos and whether or not it increases the chances of them planning to make similar videos. I'd also like to talk to young people not involved in the music industry about whether or not they feel the violence involved in music videos has influenced them to act in a certain way.

I've looked at 2 A2 books so far, one being 'A2 media studies' and the other 'Studying the media. 3rd Edition.' Youtube has been the provider for the music videos i have looked at so far.

I think the most difficult part of my research to come will be finding out what influences certain artists to have music videos done in the way they are and also finding out who makes the decisions about how the music video will be done.

Essay Title:

An investigation into if and how violence portrayed in music videos have an effect on young

peoples behaviour.

My linked production will be a music video directed by myself with a backing track either made by me or my cousin. This video will have a violent nature to it but will also have snippets of interviews i do with people on their view of these types of videos. Subtitles will be in the place of audio for these interviews in order to allow the music for the video to play uninterrupted. <<< This may not work out as i plan!

Marxism And Reality Tv [15/09/2010]

Marxists thinkers are highly likely to see reality Tv in a completely different light to those who watch it thoughtlessly and take it as an everyday part of television and their life.

One aspect that marxists thinkers may see within reality Tv is the way in which a the majority of reality Tv programmes belong to a very small number of institutions, Syco and Endemol to name a couple. Most marxists may see this small number of corporations as being the head of of the pyramid of power in the same way that they see the bourgeoisie in their view of society, with the contestants of their programmes being the working class; the people who put in the time effort and energy to keep society going, or in the case of reality Tv, to keep the company making money. In essence those who benefit the most from the work of contestant are those at the top, and without these people the company would fall apart as their would be nothing to show to their audiences. Some would argue against the idea of contestants having nothing to gain out of reality, as they assume fame and fortune consistently follows after someone who appears on a reality tv show, however it is often clear to see this is not the case. Only a small minority of those who participate in a reality Tv show are remembered in the public and rise to any fame what so ever, and marxist would say that those who do amount to any sort of fame do purely because the industry allows them to, in order to keep the belief that their is some sort of benefit to gain out participating in a reality show, and more essentially, keeping people thinking that the way in which Tv works is fair.

http://www.last.fm/music

http://www.apple.com/itunes/ping/

http://boomkat.com/

http://www.myspace.com/

http://www.reverbnation.com/

http://soundcloud.com/scrufizzer

Marxism & The Media [8/09/10]

Today we've discussed the ways in which marxist thinkers may interpret the media, and how they see the media to be working within society. This started with the debate of whether we are controlled by force and fear or if we are controlled by ideas. Force and fear may be seen as the government having control over us where as ideas may be things such as religion governing our lives.
A marxist approach was then put on the media industries, for example the ways in which the music and film industries operate, having a large controlling company at the top of the industry, ultimately deciding what goes on within it in a type of pyramid of control. One big dog and as you go down in levels of control the amount of people in that sector grows.
Companies who wish to keep a high level of control also eliminate opposition that could cause a tilt in power by buying them into the label, and once ownership is gained they can control what type of media is put out by these up and comers, therefore being able to kill off any oppositional thinking that may have been present within their work.
This was finished off with the blue pill red pill clip from the movie "the matrix." We saw that in this movie the director seemed to want to make the audience aware that there are two worlds, one which blinds us into thinking we have control over our lives and the real world, where we are just slaves to a powerful society, putting in our work to keep it going.
This view of society was expressed in a number of covert ways, hidden by the metaphor of ‘the matrix’ itself. Within this scene the matrix is seen to be the world in which Marxists say we believe we live in. Morpheus quotes ‘it is the world which has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth’ referring to the matrix here, showing that the society in which this movie is set is hiding something from its people. Karl Marx, the original Marxists thinker, also believed that the way in which society is built and how it works is done so in a way that maintains the hold of power to be with the rich and keeps the less wealthy feeling as though this is a normal life to lead, hence keeping them hidden from the truth as it is done in the matrix too. Neo can be described as being our conscience, the things which make us think every now and again that this is an unfair world and that capitalism is not something which was made up but rather something that really does repress the lower classes of society. This view can be supported through Morpheus saying to Neo ‘you’ve felt it your entire life...there is something wrong with the world, you don’t know what it is but it’s there.’

My Thoughts

I still have the same ideas as i had before summer, a critical investigation based around the portrayal of violence in music or the portrayal of women in male orientated music videos and a music video as my linked production. :) This should be fun :D