My film is going to be about a girl who has been shielded from the real world all her life. She has only been around her two parents and her auntie her whole life. She was never allowed to leave the house. Home schooled all her life and her parents controlled everything. They had conditioned her to believe that anything outside their home was a danger but obviously as a growing child, her curiosity grew also. The main character – the 17 year old girl – does look to escape her home as she wants to explore the outside world.
At age 10 her curiosity started to grow and she started to look more out the windows but all she ever did see were foggy skies as her house was so far up on a hill, secluded from any other civilisation. From 11, she started to notice strange deliveries during the night as she always seen a bright headlight shine through her window at exactly 1:30am. When she was younger she believed it was a star as that was what she was lead to believe.
This film will be targeting teenagers who may relate to some extent. Maybe not relate literally but can relate figuratively speaking. A viewer might feel trapped in their own life therefore would seek comfort through this film because it may or may not be a similar experience.
The genre of my film is a thriller with some unexpected turns that will make it a horror. There is also mystery appearing in my film because
● Cultural resistance ● Cultural hegemony ● Subcultural theory
Cultural Hegemony:
Theorised by Antonio Gramsci, an Italian philosopher in the 1930s
Hegemonic – dominant, ruling, most powerful
Hegemonic Culture – the dominant culture
Cultural Hegemony – power, rule or domination maintained by ideological or cultural means
Cultural hegemony functions by encouraging the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate ideology. Their ideologies are expresses and maintained through economic, political, moral and social institutions. These institutions surround the people in their every day life, and eventually influence their subconscious into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group. As a result, oppressed groups are lead to believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.
Context: ● Race Relations ● Thatcher’s Britain
Thatcher’s Britain
Prime Minister 1979-90
Militant campaigner for middle class interests
Extreme attitude towards immigration
British Nationality Act 1981: introduced a series of increasingly strict immigration procedure and prevented Asian people from entering Britain
Resistance and political protest:
laws don’t necessarily equal change
change is much more likely through culture- which is normally more subtle and isn’t always riots and big gestures.
everyday people
Overt political protest is uncommon. When it occurs, it often results in a backlash.- doesn’t change public’s opinion
-‘Released on 20 June 1981 against a backdrop of rising unemployment’ -‘a depiction of social breakdown that provided the soundtrack to an explosion of civil unrest’ -‘its blend of melancholy, unease and menace took on an entirely new meaning when Britain’s streets erupted into rioting almost three weeks later – the day before Ghost Town reached number one in the charts.’ -‘ it expressed the mood of the early days of Thatcher’s Britain’
-‘The main irony of the Specials’ songs, and in fact of the entire ska movement, was that lurking just beneath the “happy,” infectious dance beat were often chilling stories of the racial divisiveness and economic deprivation that characterized the dawning of the Thatcher era.’
John Bradbury, drummer of the Specials
-‘”I saw it [Coventry] develop from a boom town, my family doing very well, through to the collapse of the industry and the bottom falling out of family life. Your economy is destroyed and, to me, that’s what Ghost Town is about.”
Thatcher’s Britain
Prime Minister 1979-90
Militant campaigner for middle class interests
Extreme attitude towards immigration
British Nationality Act 1981: introduced a series of increasingly strict immigration procedure and prevented Asian people from entering Britain
‘British national identity could be swamped by people with different culture’ – 1978 Interview
‘firm immigration control for the future is essential if we are to achieve good community relations’ – Conservative Manifesto
Resistance and Political Protest:
When you first think of political protest, you think of: petitions, political marches and movements, attempts to change legislation, protests etc…
However, when this occurs, it often results in backlash, mostly from the government in question
Even if protest does change legislation, it doesn’t always change opinions
It is culture that has the biggest influence on the way people think – this is the site of popular change
politics, people and culture are always intertwined
Cultural Hegemony:
Theorised by Antonio Gramsci, an Italian philosopher in the 1930s
Hegemonic – dominant, ruling, most powerful
Hegemonic Culture – the dominant culture
Cultural Hegemony – power, rule or domination maintained by ideological or cultural means
Cultural hegemony functions by encouraging the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate ideology. Their ideologies are expresses and maintained through economic, political, moral and social institutions. These institutions surround the people in their every day life, and eventually influence their subconscious into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group. As a result, oppressed groups are lead to believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.
Subcultures
Working class youth culture
unified by shared tastes in style, music and ideology
a form of resistance of cultural hegemony
Teddy Boys 1950s/60s: responded to post-war social changes
Skinheads 1960s: responded to social alienation as a result of 1950s conservatism and expressed working class pride
Punks 1970s: a reaction to capitalist middle class culture, alienation from adult working class, social, political and economic crisis of 1970s which resulted in mass youth unemployment. Believed in anti-establishment and individual freedom
Rude Boys 1960s/80s: reacted against oppression from state, police, racists. Emphasised self-confidence through listening to Jamaican ska lyrics about oppression and poverty
Post War British Race Relations
After WWII, Britain faced a mass labour shortage which lead to the migration of half a million people from the Caribbean (the Windrush generation 1950s-70s) searching for jobs
However, they faced severe discrimination which made it difficult for them to find employment and housing
During the 1970s and 80s, the children of the Wind Rush Generation were reaching adulthood, but found it difficult to find employment due to having faced the same prejudice their parents did – the difference was that they were willing to resist this racism
Racism from the state/police:
A clash between the police and black youth
police generated the idea that black people were criminals – more likely to steal, use drugs, start fights etc
Black community targeted by SUS Laws – a stop and search law that permitted a police officer to stop, search and potentially arrest people on suspicion
New Cross Fire 1981 – fire started by racist arsonist, killing 13 black people, whose charges were completely dismissed
Racism from far-right groups – The National Front:
NF was a far-right group
promoted the end of immigration and the reparation of non-white brits
Blamed immigration for decline in employment, housing and welfare
1970s – NF gained support of disillusioned of white youth leading to radical attacks and violence
Black Music as Resistance
Paul Gilroy – brought race into the societal divide and changes in the 1980s; he highlighted how black youth cultures represented cultural solutions to collectively experienced problems of racism and poverty
Black music offers a means of articulating oppression and challenging what Gilroy has termed ‘the capitalist system of racial exploitation and domination
The lyrics of many reggae songs revolve around the black experience, history, culture and consciousness of economic and social deprivation as well as criticising the the continuing enslavement of racist ideology
Rock Against Racism 1976-82
RAR campaign fought for the eradication of racism in the music industry against the rise of fascism among white working class youths
People believed they could prevent their audiences from being prejudice by the messages they put across in their music
RAR took advantage of the emerging subcultures who had similar anti-establishment ideologies as well as provided many different musical forms to which the campaign could project their anti-racist politics
RAR organised hundreds of musical events which united white bands with black bands – it was highly successful in shining a light on multiculturalism and unity
RAR’s fusion of youth culture and politics has been widely celebrated for making politics fun
Two Tone Britain
2 Tone Records was founded by Jerry Dammers 1979 from The Specials which advocates the eradication of racism in British society
This created a new genre of British music that fused punk with Jamaican reggae and SKA
The bands signed by 2 Tone Records were largely multi-cultural, eg The Specials and The Selector, and represented the exact aim of RAR
2 Tone bands were most vocal after the election of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1979 – writing lyrics about the politics of racism, sexism, violence, unemployment, youth culture and a corrupt system of government
2 Tone gigs often attracted members of the right-wing which caused huge disruption
● Cultural Resistance – ● Cultural Hegemony – ● Subcultural Theory –
When people protest and laws are put into place to try and solve the issue, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the opinions of the people will change. Changing peoples opinions is through their cultural likings and beliefs.
Antonio Gramsci was an Italian philosopher who argued about the theory of Cultural hegemony in the 1930s.
Hegemony is the dominant ruling class who are seen as the legitimate ideas / ideology.
Antonio Gramsci
The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral, and social institutions (like the education system and the media). These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group.
Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders ● Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture ● Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means. ● Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values.
● Cultural resistance ● Cultural hegemony ● Subcultural theory
Context: ● Race Relations ● Thatcher’s Britain
Case Studies: ● Rock Against Racism ● Rock Against Sexism
Resistance and political protest:
laws don’t necessarily equal change
change is much more likely through culture- which is normally more subtle and isn’t always riots and big gestures.
everyday people
Overt political protest is uncommon. When it occurs, it often results in a backlash.- doesn’t change public’s opinion
Cultural hegemony: (hegemony – dominant)
Antonio Gramsci: Italian philosopher writing in the 1930s
Cultural hegemony functions by framing the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate ideology. ● The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral, and social institutions (like the education system and the media). ● These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group. ● As a result, oppressed groups believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.
Thatcher’s Britain:
Prime Minister 1979-90
Militant campaigner for middle class interests
Extreme attitude towards immigration
British Nationality Act 1981: introduced a series of increasingly strict immigration procedure and prevented Asian people from entering Britain
British national identity could be swamped by people with different culture’ – 1978 Interview
‘firm immigration control for the future is essential if we are to achieve good community relations’ – Conservative Manifesto
Subculture:
Working-class youth culture ● Unified by shared tastes in style, music and ideology ● A solution to collectively experienced problems ● A form of resistance to cultural hegemony
Teddy Boys: 1950/60s ● Responding to: post-war social changes ● Music: influenced by American rock n roll ● Style: upper-class Edwardian fashion (narrow trousers, lappelled jackets), fused with an element of rebelliousness in the form of exaggerated hairstyles and shoes (quiffs and creepers)
Skinheads: 1960s ● Responding to: social alienation. ● Rejected: late 50s conservatism, as well as the ‘peace and love’ middle class hippy movement of 60s ● Expression of: working class pride ● Music: West indian music (ska, rocksteady, reggae) ● Style: shaven heads, Dr Marten boots, braces, shirts, and cropped trousers ● Politics: Original skinheads were anti-racist, however the movement quickly polarised
Punk: 1970s ● A Reaction to: ● 1) Capitalist middle class culture that has achieved dominance and legitimacy (hegemony) ● 2) Their alienation from the adult working class culture of their parents and grandparents ● 3) The social, political and economic crisis of the mid1970s, resulting in high youth unemployment ● Values: anti-establishment, emphasis on individual freedom, on doing it yourself. ● Fashion: emphasised ugliness, shock value, irony. Used items like safety pins, ripped shirts, chains. ● Music: often self-produced and independently distributed, the music is loud and aggressive, with lyrics expressing anti-establishment views and working class concerns.
Rude Boys: 1960s-80s ● Music: listened to 1960s Jamaican ska and 1970s roots reggae. Lyrics about oppression and poverty articulated their own experience. Also influenced by the anti-establishment ethic of 1970s punk. ● Style: influenced by Jamaican Rastafarianism and also British working class fashion. Focus on dressing ‘sharp’
suits, shiny shoes, hats. ● Reacting against: oppression from the state, police, and racist thugs. Also against the ‘peace and love’ aspect of the rasta culture. Instead, emphasised self-confidence
Race relations:
Bringing race into the picture in the 1980s, Paul Gilroy highlighted how black youth cultures represented cultural solutions to collectively experienced problems of racism and poverty
Post war British Race Relations:
After WWII, Britain faced a mass labour shortage which lead to the migration of half a million people from the Caribbean (the Windrush generation 1950s-70s) searching for jobs
However, they faced severe discrimination which made it difficult for them to find employment and housing
During the 1970s and 80s, the children of the Wind Rush Generation were reaching adulthood, but found it difficult to find employment due to having faced the same prejudice their parents did – the difference was that they were willing to resist this racism
Racism from the state/police:
A clash between the police and black youth
police generated the idea that black people were criminals – more likely to steal, use drugs, start fights etc
Black community targeted by SUS Laws – a stop and search law that permitted a police officer to stop, search and potentially arrest people on suspicion
New Cross Fire 1981 – fire started by racist arsonist, killing 13 black people, whose charges were completely dismissed
Racism from Far Right Groups- NF:
Racism from Far-Right Groups: The NF ● The National Front was a far-right group ● Advocated the an end to immigration and the repatriation of non-white Britons. ● Blamed immigration for the decline in employment, housing and welfare. ● In the 1970s, the NF gained the support of disillusioned white youth ● Racial attacks, violence and intimidation
Black Music Resistance:
Black music offers a means of articulating oppression and challenging what Gilroy has termed ‘the capitalist system of racial exploitation and domination
The lyrics of many reggae songs revolve around the black experience, history, culture and consciousness of economic and social deprivation as well as criticising the the continuing enslavement of racist ideology
Rock Against Racism 1976-82
RAR campaign fought for the eradication of racism in the music industry against the rise of fascism among white working class youths
People believed they could prevent their audiences from being prejudice by the messages they put across in their music
RAR took advantage of the emerging subcultures who had similar anti-establishment ideologies as well as provided many different musical forms to which the campaign could project their anti-racist politics
RAR organised hundreds of musical events which united white bands with black bands – it was highly successful in shining a light on multiculturalism and unity
RAR’s fusion of youth culture and politics has been widely celebrated for making politics fun
Two Tone Britain:
2 Tone Records was founded by Jerry Dammers 1979 from The Specials which advocates the eradication of racism in British society
This created a new genre of British music that fused punk with Jamaican reggae and SKA
The bands signed by 2 Tone Records were largely multi-cultural, eg The Specials and The Selector, and represented the exact aim of RAR
2 Tone bands were most vocal after the election of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1979 – writing lyrics about the politics of racism, sexism, violence, unemployment, youth culture and a corrupt system of government
2 Tone gigs often attracted members of the right-wing which caused huge disruption
● Cultural resistance ● Cultural hegemony ● Subcultural theory Context: ● Race Relations ● Thatcher’s Britain Case Studies: ● Rock Against Racism ● Rock Against Sexism ● 2 Tone
Cultural resistence
-Overt political protest is uncommon. When it occurs, it often results in a backlash. – Even if overt political protest does results in changes in legislation, it won’t necessarily change public opinion. -Culture is what influences people’s hearts, minds and opinions. This is the site of popular change.
Political protest
-Attempts to change to laws or legislation – Organised political movements – Public protests – Petitions, marches
-Cultural resistance – Everyday people
The political, personal and cultural are always intertwined
Cultural hegemony
Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders -Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture -Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means. – Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values
Race
Paul Gilroy highlighted black youth cultures which represented cultural solutions- racism and poverty.
Forms of political protests: – Attempts to change laws or legislation – Organised political movements – Public protests – Petitions – Marches
Antonio Gramsci: Italian philosopher writing in the 1930s
Gramsci is best known for his theory of cultural hegemony, which describes how the state and ruling capitalist class – the bourgeoisie – use cultural institutions to maintain power in capitalist societies.
Key Terms: ● Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders ● Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture ● Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means. ● Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values ● Cultural hegemony functions by framing the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate ideology. ● The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral, and social institutions (like the education system and the media). ● These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group. ● As a result, oppressed groups believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.
Margaret Thatcher: ● Prime Minister 1979-1990 ● Militant campaigner for middle-class interests ● In an 1978 interview: ‘British national identity could be swamped by people with different culture’ ● Hardline attitude towards immigrantion ● Conservative Manifesto: ‘firm immigration control for the future is essential if we are to achieve good community relations’ ● British Nationality Act of 1981: introduced a series of increasingly tough immigration procedures and excluded Asian people from entering Britain.
Political protests are stereotypically petitions, marches etc, but people don’t think about the fact that people make moving images/music etc to help change view points on certain things. Just because a law has changed doesn’t mean the opinion of s topic will have changed, which leads to the fact that the political, personal and cultural are always intertwined.
Cultural hegemony
Framing ideologies of dominant social groups as the only legitimate ideology- The only ‘real’ belief is the hegemonic one, the dominant one.
Antonio Gramsci:
An Italian philosopher 1930s
Subculture-
● Working-class youth culture ● Unified by shared tastes in style, music and ideology ● A solution to collectively experienced problems ● A form of resistance to cultural hegemony
The song challenges the social theories at the time
Paul Gilroy
Author of the book ‘Ain’t no black in the union jack’, exploring the construction of racial ‘otherness’ within the print media in the 1970s. The book traces the story of UK Post war race relations.
Gilroy argues that the racial representations that were ‘fixed in a matrix between the imagery of squalor and that of sordid sexuality’, marginalised the immigrant black community from the outset – constructing them as racial ‘other’ in the predominantly white world of 1950s Britain.
In 1970s and 80s, newspapers related stories concerning the many community riots of the period, depicting the multi-ethnic disturbing events as only black events, suggesting the black community was prone to lawlessness and incompatible with white British values.
QUOTES FROM ARTICLES
‘no night complete without a fight, Skinheads attacking whoever riled them, flick knives at the ready.’ – The conversation.com
‘nods to cinematic soundtracks and music hall tradition, it reflects and engenders anxiety.’ The conversation.com
deadpan vocals lamenting how “all the clubs have been closed down” because there is “too much fighting on the dance floor”. The conversation.com
‘England was hit by recession and away from rural Skinhead nights, riots were breaking out across its urban areas. Deprived, forgotten, run down and angry, these were places where young people, black and white, erupted.’ The conversation.com
it expressed the mood of the early days of Thatcher’s Britain for many. – BBC
Spent three weeks at the top of the charts after its release in 1981
Lyrics
“This town is coming like a ghost town All the clubs have been closed down This place is coming like a ghost town Bands won’t play no more Too much fighting on the dance floor
Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town? We danced and sang as the music played in any boomtown
This town is coming like a ghost town Why must the youth fight against themselves? Government leaving the youth on the shelf This place is coming like a ghost town No job to be found in this country Can’t go on no more The people getting angry
This town is coming like a ghost town”
“Too much fighting on the dancefloor” – Links to how “The tour was marred by audience violence which disrupted gigs”, even at their own shows, The Specials were met with disruption in their audiences from sub-culture groups who used the performances as a protest to express their views.
“Government leaving the youth on the shelf” – Link to Thatcher’s ideologies.
Band members are sat in a car driving through the deserted streets of a (ghost) town in Britain. The place looks run down a lacking civilisation. They look directly down the lens of the camera with melancholy expression, as if directly relaying the message of nation wide depression to the audience. During the chorus, the camera action is shaky and manic before the camera shot focuses in on a wall as if the car had crashed, perhaps signifying the social unrest and disruption in Britain at the time. The more positive, upbeat chorus paired with the bands more positive expressions could resemble the way they are reminiscing the “good old days before the ghost town”.
Attempt to change laws and legislation, to make a government hear a voice that is not represented
Could be in the form of public demonstrations through protesting on the streets, petitions, marches
Overt political protest is uncommon, it often results in a backlash
Even if law or legislation is put into place, it doesn’t mean that the dominant, hegemonic view of the public changes. Public opinion doesn’t stay inline with law.
AntonioGramsci
Italian philosopher who wrote during the 1930’s
Hegemonic/ Cultural Hegemony = The dominant class, the dominant political viewpoint or the power holders and their cultural viewpoint.
Culture = The elements of life which influence peoples hearts, minds and opinions. This is a grounds for change and development.
Sub-culture = The resistance towards the hegemonic culture that emerge with new ideas and opposing views from the bottom of the hierarchy in aim to ensure their voices are heard.
Sub-culture is working-class youth culture unified by shared tastes in style, music and ideology. Sub-culture is often the beginning to a solution to collectively experienced problems and a form of rebellion to the dominant hegemonic views.
Post-war Britain
Margaret Thatcher = Prime minister and leader of the Conservative party from 1979 to 1990.
“British national identity could be swamped by people with different culture”
Strong attitude against immigration (believed that immigration control is the way to bring about good community relations)
Nationality Act 1981 – Excluded Asian people from entering UK.
Post-war Britain saw different sub-cultures/ groups begin to formulate.
Teddy Boys (1950’s/60’s) = Influenced by American rock and roll, resisted against post-war social changes in UK.
Skinheads (1960’s/70’s) = Responding to social alienation (the feeling of not fitting in to a certain social group). They expressed working class pride. Listened to West Indian music such as Ska and Reggae. Originally, Skinheads were anti-racist in the 1960’s. However, in the 1970’s, many skinheads joined far right fascist movements like the National Front and the sub culture became polarized by differing political stances.
Punks (1970’s) = They responded to social alienation due to the working class culture of their parents, hegemonic views of Thatcherism, anti-establishment, made music that was self-produced and focused on ‘DIY’.
Paul Gilroy
Wrote book called “There Ain’t No Black In The Union Jack” (story of race relations in post war Britain following a large wave of immigration from the west indies, causing anxiety around immigrant behaviours)
Paul Gilroy believed “unstable” and politicised identities are “always unfinished, always being remade” and ethnicity is an “infinite process of identity construction”.
In other words, ethnicity and national identity are not actually fixed or permanent.
Racial Otherness
Suggests that public association and stereotypes of the post-war immigrants with substandard living conditions. Gilroy said that these representations marginalised the black community as the racial ‘other’ in the largely white 1950’s Britain.
The British Empire had colonised and had ownership over many countries such as the West Indies, parts of Africa, India and Pakistan. Previously, Britain had used the produce and traded with these less developed countries as a way of benefitting white British people. After the war, Britain was in need of workers (people to re-build destruction from the war, to replace those who had died in the war). Many immigrated from the countries in the British empire to work in the UK, this was met with fear that the immigrant community would ‘overtake’ white Britain due to the news spreading coverage of the black/immigrant community being involved with muggings, violence and crime.
The Notting Hill Carnival riot (1976) was described as “an army of black youths”, the media/ newspapers suggested that the black community was “prone to lawlessness”
Two Tone Music
2 Tone was a genre of British popular music, that fused punk with Jamaican reggae and ska music. 2 Tone also attracted the attention of right-wing youth. 2 Tone concerts were often inflated by members of the National Front or British Movement, disputing gigs
“The Specials, too, encapsulated Britain’s burgeoning multiculturalism” – BBC Article 2011 (The Specials: How Ghost Town defined an era)
“For the first and only time, British pop music appeared to be commenting on the news as it happened.”
