After properly thinking about which ideas and topics I’d like to pursue for my project, I have finally settled on one I am very happy with. I have decided to create a short film that portrays the truth behind youth culture in Jersey. I want to show how Jersey Tourism creates the idea that Jersey is this ‘perfect paradise’, where there are loads of things to do for people of all ages. But in reality, there are a number of things that aren’t available in Jersey.

One of the areas I would like to look at, is the community of skateboarding in Jersey. The reason I would like to explore this topic area, is the fact that in Jersey, skateboarding is a thing that a large majority of young people are interested. If you go out to St Helier on a Saturday, you are probably going to run into a number of different skateboarders. Although this sport and activity is really popular with young people, it is frowned upon by many people as they believe it is a waste of time. Even though skateboarding is something that takes a lot of skill and dedication, people don’t seem to understand that, and are usually annoyed by skaters. Because of this, the facilities for skateboarding in Jersey are really limited, and especially when it rains, young skateboarders have nowhere to go. I feel this is wrong, because all these young people want to do, is to practice their skills in an environment where they have freedom to attempt what they want. And they do not have the places that they can go to. Some people may argue that there are facilities, as there is an outdoor skatepark by the harbour in town, and that this is enough for skateboarders to use. But I feel very differently, as people don’t take into consideration the effort these young people put into their art.

With my project I want to document the reality of what these young people have to go through, just to practice their sport. I am taking my main influences from documentaries by media group VICE, and in particular their documentaries ‘Skate World: England’ and ‘The Moped Gangs Of London: Bikelife’. The reason I am looking into these documentaries in particular, is that the first one ‘Skate World: England’, focuses specifically on the skateboarding community in London, and how a lot of the places they used to skate at have been closed down, meaning that they have to find new places to skate everyday. The second documentary ‘The Moped Gangs Of London: Bikelife’ focuses on the moped gangs in London, and their whole community. The reason I am looking at this documentary is that it focuses on another youth culture in the UK, and gives a biographical view on the way they live their lives.

For the production of this documentary, I have interviewed my friend Eddie, as he has been part of the Jersey skate scene for the past 4/5 years, and has a lot of views and opinions on what it is like. I am also using archived footage of him from his YouTube videos, that show the skatepark and different places in Jersey that people have skated.

The way this fits into the theme of Truth, Fantasy and Fiction, is that the government in Jersey believe it is a ‘paradise’, but in reality for young people, there is not a lot of effort or funding put into it.

As well as focusing on skateboarding, I may look into the larger scale of youth culture, and talk to other people that are affected by the fact the government don’t want to put effort into helping young people develop their passions and ideas.