Light Bulb Moment!

I'm going to go to the British Library, it's bound to have loads of research material!

More Internet research

Whether the portrayal can be considered exaggerated, or if the moral panic is in someway justified?

The phenomena of Black youth crime and how Black youths are portrayed in the media in the United Kingdom:

Black youth crime and the portrayal of black youths in the media have generated considerable publicity in recent years. The recent fatal knife and gun crimes in London involving black youths were highlighted by the media which in turn produced a moral panic surrounding the issue.

BLACK AND ASIAN YOUTH REPRESENTATION

YOUTH CULTURE, MEDIA AND SOCIETY
Lists some books that could be looked for

Contextualising Bullet Boy - 2004

2000: Schoolboy Damilola Taylor dies in stabbing

A schoolboy has died after being stabbed in the leg by a gang of hooded attackers in Peckham, south London.

Operation Trident

In 2000, a fresh commitment by the Met to improve its performance in tackling black community murders gave Operation Trident renewed impetus.

Since 2004, Trident has further expanded beyond the black communities to cover shootings in all the capital's communities.

Gun crime spreads 'like a cancer' across Britain

As the number of weapons on the streets grows and shootings become the norm, gun law is back at the top of the political agenda

Film 4 Review

Back in 1980, Franco Rosso's Babylon, starring Aswad's Brinsley Forde, told the story of young black Britain under siege. Filmed around Deptford, Lewisham and Brixton in south London and financed by the National Film Council, it drew a fundamentally honest, unsentimental portrait, employing a rich, unsubtitled patois. Understandably, much of the film also dealt with racism - white on black - and its tragic repercussions.

Twenty-five years on, the most significant (and depressing) thing about Saul Dibb's study of black Londoners is its frank recognition that the hate and violence has since turned inward - manifested in gun crime.

Black Youth Crime

'People with no past have little present and absolutely no future' Trevor Phillips, Labour's own appointment to the chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, says: "Britain is by far the best place in Europe to live if you are not white." Conversely in 2005,  Phillips also said: "We are heading towards a New Orleans-style Britain"  In 2006, the CRE held a conference where "Rivers of blood: did Enoch Powell get it right?" was the title of one workshop. Where lies the truth? The articles below have helped me ponder.

Contextualising Pressure - 1976

1971: UK restricts Commonwealth migrants
Commonwealth citizens will lose their automatic right to remain in the UK under the government's new Immigration Bill announced by Home Secretary Reginald Maudling.

1974: Man dies in race rally clashes
A march through central London has left one person dead and many more injured as rival demonstrators clashed with police and each other. One man died at the scene while up to 39 policemen and several demonstrators received treatment for cuts and other injuries. The National Front was marching to protest against the government's amnesty for illegal immigrants.

1976: Notting Hill Carnival ends in riot

More than 100 police officers had to be taken to hospital after clashes at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London.

Black Power

The Black Power movement instilled a sense of racial pride and self-esteem in blacks. Blacks were told that it was up to them to improve their lives. Black Power advocates encouraged blacks to form or join all-black political parties that could provide a formidable power base and offer a foundation for real socioeconomic progress. For years, the movement's leaders said, blacks had been trying to aspire to white ideals of what they should be. Now it was time for blacks to set their own agenda, putting their needs and aspirations first. An early step, in fact, was the replacement of the word "Negro" (a word associated with the years of Slavery) with "black."

Mangrove Nine: the court challenge against police racism in Notting Hill

Selecting The Catalogue

I need to start cataloguing my research so I can see what I want to actually use, and also I think it will make me realise how much I still need to do! So this will be a working post that I will come back and add to, in the Small Scale guide it says on pg 15

When commenting on each item you should try (in 5 lines or fewer) to identify the following:

• How the item relates to the area of investigation
• What value the item has offered the project
• The nature and realibilty of its source
• How it compares to other items
• The basis of its inclusion

FILMS
Item 1: Bullet Boy (?, UK, 2004, Dir. Saul Dibb)

Item 2: Pressure (BFI Production, UK, 1976, Dir. Horace Ove)

Item 3: Babylon (?, UK, 1980, Dir. Franco Rosso)


BOOKS



JOURNALS



MUSIC
The last song from Babylon
The soundtrack motif from Pressure


INTERNET

Contextualising Babylon - 1980

Babylon was made in 1985, the early 1980's were marred with race riots which lead to unpositive representations of Blacks in the media, and less than favourable relations with the police force.

 1974: Man dies in race rally clashes
A march through central London has left one person dead and many more injured as rival demonstrators clashed with police and each other. One man died at the scene while up to 39 policemen and several demonstrators received treatment for cuts and other injuries. The National Front was marching to protest against the government's amnesty for illegal immigrants.

1976: Notting Hill Carnival ends in riot

More than 100 police officers had to be taken to hospital after clashes at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London.

1979: Teacher dies in Southall race riots A 33-year-old man has died from head injuries after a bloody battle broke out between police and demonstrators in Southall.

1981: Brixton ablaze after riot

The arrest of a black man has led to hundreds of youths rampaging through the streets of Brixton in south London.

1981: Police attacked in Liverpool riots

Up to 30 police officers have been injured by flying missiles as rioters took to the streets of Toxteth, Liverpool. Latest reports suggest that nearly 200 white and black youths have been attacking police, cars and shops with petrol bombs and bricks.

1981: Brixton riots report blames racial tension

Last April's riots in Brixton, south London were caused by serious social and economic problems affecting Britain's inner cities, a report has said. Lord Scarman's inquiry into what he called the worst outbreak of disorder in the UK this century also blamed "racial disadvantage that is a fact of British life".

1985: Riots in Brixton after police shooting

Riots have broken out on the streets of south London after a woman was shot and seriously injured in a house search. Dozens of officers dressed in riot gear were injured as they were attacked by groups of mainly black youths with bricks and wooden stakes.

1985: Riots erupt in Toxteth and Peckham

Police in riot gear have closed off areas of Liverpool and London tonight in efforts to contain continued outbreaks of violence and vandalism.  In a second night of disturbances in Peckham, south London, gangs of youths have been throwing petrol bombs and setting shops alight.

1985: Policeman killed in Tottenham riots

A police officer has been stabbed to death during riots at the Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham, North London. Another policeman was shot and injured after a night of horrific violence between the police and hundreds of black and white youths.

Stop and search - racist, then and now

In 1977, some 14,000 people were stopped and searched in Lewisham, south London, alone. Over 200 Special Patrol Group police – an elite unit – armed with pick-axe handles and Alsatian dogs, raided 60 black homes in the area. The police called it, “Operation PNH – Police Nigger Hunt”.
What changed the situation was resistance. On 10-11 April 1981 Brixton, in south London, rebelled. Police struggled to crush the uprising against racist brutality and poverty. Over 7,000 police officers did eventually regain control.

Logging Research!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! No time to do this yet and I really want to go back to the BFI, will do over the Christmas Holidays hopefully, so in the meantime I need to log what I have so far. I need to start putting everything in a folder and for every piece of research I need to write down:

• Research method e.g. primary or secondary
• Source details e.g. Name of book/journal, author, publisher and date published, for Internet sources the exact web address
• Key Findings e.g. summary of what I found out, key quotes etc
• Evaluation e.g. how the item related to investigation, what it contributed, where it might led me next

Investigation break down

The changing representations of young black men in British film

• what is representation?
• looking at the construction of the representations
• what are the representations informed by? 
• what was going on at the time the films were made before, during, after
• what has occurred along the the way for the representations to change?
• Consider the British context - e.g. themes across films
• Does the director of the film make a difference?
• Back ground of the directors
• Reviews of films/ Critical responses to the films
• What is the current state of representation?

JUST FOR FUN?

Just for fun or commentary on the representation of Black people????

• "Bear negative Black boys all around you wearing hoodies"
• "Braap, black boys up in this b****"
• "I bet you none of dem man there went college"
• "999, there's too many black boys"
• "One day we're all going to be black men, we'll get parole from jail on the weekday, then go straight back in on the weekend"
• The token white guy - trying to be black

Primary Research

Primary reserach already done

• Viewed Pressure and Babylon and made notes

Possible ideas for Primary Research

• Interview with step Dad  and step Dad's cousin finding out what it was like to be a young black man growing up in Britain (use dictaphone)
• Sequences of film put on YouTube with pop up annotations asking for views and opinions
• Find a way to use Facebook???? 

Bullet Boy (Saul Dibb, 2004)

Next steps...

Contextualise films - the films would make more sense and have more meaning  if I found out what had occurred during the periods just before, during and after they were made.

Music - in Pressure is has a music motif that is played several times throughout the film, and in Babylon music is important, try to find songs and lyrics could have some importance and add dimension to a presentation.

Babylon (Franco Rosso, 1980)

Some notes on Babylon

Key Character - David/ Blue - Distinct difference between him and Tony, an awareness of his culture signified by his love of reggae music, Rastafarianism and his dreadlocks.

Key Character - Beefy

Key scenes - Woman coming into garage, David wrongfully arrested, garage gets vandalised

Fourth film?????

Links drawn beween Pressure and Babylon

Themes:

• Police Harassment
• Discrimination
• Unemployment
• Culture
• Not belonging
• Church

Pressure (Horace Ové, 1976)

Some notes on Pressure

Key Character - Tony, Britsh born youbg black man, finding it hard to get a job even tough he has all of his O Levels. Doesn't really belong sees himself as British but is faced with stereotypes on a daily basis, refered to as 'youslot', and he's man states "He's not like us he born here"

Key Character - Colin, Tony's brother who is into Black Power and unlike Tony he wasn't born in England, and views life in England much different to Tony.

Key Character - Tony's group of homeless friends, who represent what is to become of Tony by the end of the film

Narrative Structure - Linear, to follow Tony's story

Key Scenes and use of Micro Features
Kitchen scene at breakfast, food is used to show the opposition of the British culture and the West Indian, and Tony's alignment with Britishness and Colin's distaste for Britishness. The conversation between Tony and Colin show how different they are, also interesting the table both sit at either end as if divided, and Tony correct his brother's 'English'. Food is something that comes up again and again as Tony favours chips over West Indian food. Turning point in the narrative is signalled by him eating his Mum's rice and peas with pepper sauce.

Police interogation and the aftermath - shows how Tony is fed up of his situation

Useful research links

http://youngersrep.blogspot.com/
Useful things on this blog

• Home Affairs Committee
  Inquiry into young black people and the criminal justice system
  Memorandum of Evidence from The Children’s Society
• Looking at the DVD cover for Bullet Boy, and analysing the image used
• Analysis of still images from Bullet Boy and trailer
• Black people were traditionally seen as inferior and were assumed to be "slaves". Their place in the society was that of a lower caste. They were not fully recognised as members of the human race and they were presented as people pushed into the background and margins of the society.
• Theories: Propp will be a good theorist to use in my study as he talks about hero and villain and how black youths are presented as villains but also have been represented as protagonists and hero's.
  
  Where to research: I'll be looking into the history of black people in movies as it has a big relevance to the modern society. I'll be asking why the black people are still being represented in the stereotypical manner, although the society and racial relations have changed dramatically over the past 40 years.

http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-rol6.htm
Can Gramsci's theory of hegemony help us to understand the representation of ethnic minorities in western television and cinema?
By Reena Mistry

• Antonio Gramsci's theory of hegemony is of particular salience to the exploration of racial representations in the media because of its focus on culture and ideology. Unlike Marxist theories of domination, Gramsci relegates economic determinants to the background and brings to the fore the role of intellectuals in the process
• In order to see how hegemonic ideals of white supremacy hide themselves in current media, it is first necessary to illustrate the racist stereotypes which evolved in the media of a less liberal society.
• QUESTION IS HEGEMONY STILL IN PLAY????

Black representation: is the media out to make us look stupid? (The Voice Online)

• Or is it less conspiracy theory and more fact that the mainstream deliberately sets out to depict black people in one light?

The Black Men on our screens and the empty space in representation

Urban Youth films

• Discussion of American films but could be used to draw comparisons, between films and also the authors research approach may be of use

Young, Black and British (The Independent Online)

• Shaun Bailey, the prospective Tory parliamentary candidate for Hammersmith, says: "We are represented in the media horribly. Only terrorists are represented as badly. We are shown as sexy, dangerous and exotic. We are either guilty or victims, and if we are victims it is at another black man's hand. You've got entire TV channels set up to celebrate everything that is bad in our community. I despair. These portrayals make black men believe that's what they are."
• The comedian and actor Richard Blackwood, who is 36, believes that to blame only the messengers is denial. "To a degree, media representations are accurate," he argues. "Not 100 per cent true but I don't like it when my race tries to act as if there isn't a problem. We black people know what our demons are."
• Noel Clarke, the screenwriter of the critically acclaimed film Kidulthood, is equally candid. "These kids have been demonised," he says, "but at the same time you can't make excuses for their behaviour.
• All these urban cowboys were black or mixed race.
• The cab driver exploded with racist abuse: "Those black bastards are all the same, all criminals, half-mad druggies. Never pick them up. Why do you want to talk to them?"
• 
  

The Media does not construct representations of identity merely reflects them

The use of Stereotypes and Representation of Black People As Monkeys and Inferior in Western Cinema

Black British Film and Television

“Black” British Aesthetics Today

‘A Different Perspective’The new developments in black experimental cinema in the 1980’s...

Big black and bad stereotyping (The Sunday Times Online)

http://www.stewarthomesociety.org/luv/pressure.htm VERY GOOD

• Aside from Pressure’s obvious aesthetic merit, what makes this film important is the bold way it deals with institutional racism and police brutality without ever falling into the trap of treating such matters simplistically
• Tony’s growing frustration with the institutional racism that prevents him finding employment that is commensurate with his academic accomplishments, leads to an increasing consciousness of his alienation from the bourgeois (i.e. also white) power structure, and he opens up to radical ideas.
• The first place we see Tony attempting to get a job is with a firm of accountants. Here the would-be polite and well mannered boss interviewing him makes gaffs like asking when he came to England, and expressing surprise that his hobbies don’t include cricket. The accountancy workforce is shown to be all white and the viewer is not surprised that Tony fails to secure employment with this company. The Labour Exchange then send Tony to a small sheet metal workshop. The owner or foreman is working class, he states he left school at fourteen and doesn’t have any use for someone with Tony’s good academic qualifications. Some of this individual’s views are ignorant but he employs black workers.
• While there are limitations to Rosso's depiction of how racism functions (his treatment of institutional racism in "Babylon" could do with broadening out), his understanding of gutter level bigotry is nuanced and he shows through action that the only way it can be effectively challenged is by those it seeks to make its victims assertively defending themselves; by way of contrast, Meadows in his recent film "This Is England" (set at roughly the same time as "Babylon") depicts street level racism as breaking down due to embarrassment and confusion within a predominantly white gang, this obnoxious flight of fantasy on Meadow's part is naïve, unnecessarily sentimental and disingenuous. "Babylon" is unambiguously anti-racist, whereas junk like "This Is England" is not.

Don't Talk Black (The Independent Online)

• Babylon and Pressure articulated the mixture of hopelessness and defiance that was an inextricable part of the black British condition in the early Eighties - the riots, the New Cross massacre, Linton Kwesi Johnson's dub poetry, blues dances, skinheads, the stop-and-search or "sus" laws and the Special Police Group. The films also spoke about the transformation of mainstream Britain. Babylon highlights the pervasive cultural significance of reggae and can't be entirely separated from The Harder They Come and Rockers (another roots'n'culture caper movie emerging from Jamaica in the late Seventies).
• The Lions have an English "crew" member, Ronnie. Ronnie has been weaned on ska. Ronnie loves Jamaica. Ronnie may be the first token white in British cinema. The Ital boys keep their equipment in a garage under a railway bridge. When the local fascists break in and smash up the sound system, discord replaces harmony in the multi-racial group.
• Saul Dibb's Bullet Boy is a Black London film, the story of a particular manor, a particular yard. Yet its significance lies in the fact that it also transcends race. Bullet Boy's characters are not solely defined by blackness. We're dealing with a generations-old Britishness here too. Whether they eat chips or patties is now irrelevant (chips or patties was a monumental issue in Pressure).
• 
  

Beginning your small scale research project

There are 8 Critical Approaches to choose from:

• Star/Performer
• Genre
• Auteur
• Social and political contexts
• Gender issues
• Ethnicity
• Institution
• Technology

At uni I wrote an essay on the construction of race in British social problems films I refrenced two films Sapphire (Basil Dearden, 1959) and Flame in the Streets (Roy Ward Baker, 1961). So my thinking was why not just stick with this as I had some research to hand and I do have less time on my hands than the studenst all I had to do was think of a third film. The confusion came when I started thinking of other issues I wanted to investigate presented in other films.

I'm going to try to apprach this the same way that I encourage the students to

Small Scale: Choosing your focus areas on Prezi

Why do this blog?

Some time last year it was suggested to me by another teacher that one of the best ways of teaching the Small Scale Research project may be to conduct one myself. The idea being that the students would learn more from my own personal feedback and guidance knowing that I was doing what they were doing at the same time. So this year I'm going to try my best to conduct my own Small Scale Research, initially my idea was to try and stay one step ahead of the students so that I could present what they needed to do the following week, this would have worked when I was just going to rehash some research that I conducted while at university, but since planning again for this year's scheme of work I've become undecided and in affect probably put my self in the same position that some of the students will be in, that's not a bad thing and hopefully will make my little experiment more fruitful, hell, if it does turn out well I may well do a the Film A Level my self (don't hold me to that)!