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Tuesday 9 September 2008

The blame of film violence on Human behavior

www.cybercollege.com/violence.htm


As I was doing research for my critical research I came across an interesting article the showed to which extent Violent films have an effect on how people react and behave. One of the most extensive studies ever done on the subject of violence and TV were released in 2003. From the beginning of my research I had  a set of point of view, I believed that violence within Films/TV will have a negative effect on the person. Within the research of 2003 329 subjects over the age of 15 were followed and examined. It came to a conclusion that those children exposed to violent TV are much more likely to commit crime and get influenced by it future in life. The research also shows that boys that were exposed to violet TV are more likely to abuse their wives in future, therefore its fair to say to a reasonable extent that Violent films & TV influence the act of crime among people. The study states and proves that after tracking 700 males and female youths over a 17 year period showed a very strong relationship between violent TV & crime influence & commitment. The study showed that their is a very strong link within violence on TV/Films & the influence of it on people especially teenagers. It is a fact that children typically witness 32,000 murders and 40,000 attempted murders on the TV which to some extent becomes something part of their everyday life which is likely to conclude in being violent behavior later in life. 
Aftre the tragic school incident at the Columbine High School in 1999 many people quickly jumped to conclusions and blamed the Media for the cause of it.
In 1992 a grope of people did a research on the Tv Guide-they found 1,846 acts of violence. 

Friday 11 July 2008

What Noel Clarke Hopes For Adulthood to Achieve-Decrease Violence?

This is the article that i have read about Adulthood and what Noel Clarke hopes it will achieve.

Link:http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=196789&command=displayContent&sourceNode=196788&contentPK=20731089&folderPk=112383&pNodeId=196828&returnNodeId=196828

The Influence Street Crime Films Have On People

Noel Clarke wrote and starred in the 2005 Kidulthood, about the violent lives of West London teenagers, and now takes a directing role too for this sequel, which follows his character Sam after he leaves prison. "Kidulthood was a bit of a phenomenon, which is why we got to do a follow-up," he reflects. "Not many British films get a sequel. I can only think of Bridget Jones, Mr Bean and 28 Days Later. But Kidulthood struck a chord with the audience because it was authentic." Clarke cites Kids as a major influence. "There were never any British films that made a mark on me when I was growing up. Kids was an honest portrait of teenagers having sex, hanging out, talking rubbish, getting into scraps. My media studies teacher brought it in to show us, and afterwards we all went out to get our own copies. I think Kidulthood connected with young audiences for the same reason: blockbusters are fine, but you need to see real life reflected on screen too."
It could be argued that films such as Adulthood and Kidulthood are produced so that individuals can relate to it and have some sort of sense of meaning in life rather than looking for an influence to commit crime.

"Adulthood" has been a box office hit, taking over £1Million in the first weekend. However it opened to some very scathing reviews. Some critics question why has it been such a success and why do people actually like it? Perhaps it is because many of the film critics don't relate to this subject matter whereas for the younger generation "Adulthood" is exactly the type of film they want to see. "Adulthood" is a hard-hitting film, which portrays how a young man, Sam, copes on his first day out of prison, after serving a sentence for murdering a fellow man, Trife. Many people want revenge, and he has to face his demons as people express their anger at what he did and Trife's friends hunt him down. But Sam has had much time to think in prison, enduring tough men and tough conditions, so he is now stronger and wiser and able to use his street experience and wisdom to stem the flow of violence. The film is fast paced, exciting and full of action with a pumping sound track. The cinematography and editing is tight and polished, without being perfect. But it's not about perfection. The subject matter is definitely not about perfection - it is rough! Noel Clarke is a new breed of filmmaker, who uses his experience in life, although apparently "Adulthood" is not autobiographical, to create strong, realistic characters in a scenario which is also realistic and compelling. The film manages to convey life on the streets for many of our young people and how easy it is for one to fall into serious crime. Some reviewers have criticised the film for relying on 'stereotypes', being a 'monotonous portrait of West London depravity in which brutal beatings, muggings, drug dealing and daylight robbery are a way of life'. But, unfortunately, this is the way of life for many youngsters today. Some people may consider the plot exaggerated and sensationalised, but many young people will recognise that these situations happen all the time in many difefrent parts of London. We indeed know about the increasing violence and stabbings in British cities today. Noel Clarke manages to convey Sam as being a character who is able to handle himself on the street and can engage in this type of violence but now realises it is no good and wants it to stop. If this film can encourage other youngsters to pull away from violence then "Adulthood" will be achieving more than just being an entertaining, urban film. Perhaps, this is why "Adulthood" has been such a success - it connects with a large percentage of the cinema going audience, in a way that few British films can. Perhaps, we need to recognise that there is an audience out there that doesn't relate to quirky British humour, period drama, or sci-fi. Noel Clarke is one of the few writers/directors who has recognised this. "Adulthood" is hip, raw and honest in a way that so much of our media these days is not.

Even though Adulthood got ore praise Kidulthood had its detractors, who suggested that it glamorised violence and “happy slapping”. The only criticism that still riles Clarke came, he says, from a Daily Mail writer.

“He said that it was unrealistic and ‘pandered to middle-class voyeurism’,” he says. “So does that mean middle-class people shouldn’t watch the news, about people suffering, because it’s voyeurism? But the truth of the matter is this,” he says, leaning forward. “I used to work at a gym in Kensington, and I was this guy’s [the writer’s] gym instructor. I literally used to wipe his sweat off the machines, but eight years later, I was making films and he was in the same job.”

Some people argue that films like these portray real life experiences and their aim is to teach individuals hat to do n situations like these. Noel Clarke commented “I think the reason these things happen between young people is there’s a sort of pride. No one wants to get a slap in the face, and go, ‘OK, I’m going to walk away from this,’” he says. “These films aren’t just about violence, they’re about actions and consequences, and how if you do things at a certain age, they can come back to haunt you.”
Noel Clarke proves his point to The Times when asked that his idea was to make a film to teach people about his actions and what is right and wrong and that it is alright to lose your pride in order to keep your life. Therefore it could be argued that in a way some Street Crime films to an extent teach individuals about crime which should lower the crime rates.
It said by critics that Adulthood is the sort of film which will make you walk hastily to the other side of the street when you see a group of youths in your way. And since it reflects the teenage gang violence recently in the headlines, Adulthood would seem to encourage every hidden fear we have without suggesting any comfortable answers.
Link: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/film/film-23344193-details/Adulthood/filmReview.do?reviewId=23496615

Thursday 10 July 2008

Kidulthood Blamed

Kidulthood has been blamed for glamorizing and exaggerating levels of knife crime, underage sex and drug-taking among London's youth in Kidulthood, the shocking and startlingly popular low-budget film Noel Clarke wrote and starred in.
Kidulthood's subject matter is now the stuff of every newspaper front page and government directive, and Clarke has written and directed a sequel, Adulthood, in cinemas from today, featuring most of the same characters five years on, failing to break the cycle of violence and criminality.
He stated "I think Kidulthood was in tune with the times, reflective of the damage youths were doing back then [in 2006], but a lot of people chose to ignore it," says Clarke gloomily. "Hopefully, Adulthood could be the start of some sort of repair, because it shows young people you can actually walk away from things. Kidulthood was viewed as the glamorizing negative themes. I recall watching Kidulthood a few years back, and as I was watching it i kept thinking that the story-line is way too much exaggerated and it definatley might have some sort of bad influence on teenagers to perform the same activities within the film.
Some people argue that it is not the Media to blame for the violence and knife/gun crime in our society today. "I think Kidulthood was in tune with the times, reflective of the damage youths were doing back then [in 2006], but a lot of people chose to ignore it," says Clarke gloomily. "Hopefully, Adulthood could be the start of some sort of repair, because it shows young people you can actually walk away from things.''
The director of both Adulthood and Kidulthood, Noel Clarke believes that Adulthood will give people a more moral approach to life and that it is OK to walk away from a fight. Since Kiduthood caused such a stir with the audience he believed that Adulthood will show that it is not always about revenge and looking 'BIG' in front of your peers.
In the end, a chance remark by actress Red Madrell about her character Alisa's future development spurred Clarke and producer George Isaac into action. They kicked some ideas around, then Clarke wrote the first draft of Adulthood in a week. "I knew I wanted it to be about this guy who thought he was the top dog, was put in a place full of horrible people, and found out he was just a little boy full of bravado," says Clarke. Therefore really Adulthood could be argue to give people a clear picture of how life really is and even though you might think that you're the top man, you will change your views when you're taken out of your well-known neighbourhood.

Individuals Getting Influenced By Films To Perform Crime

There is a number of different gang culture films that might have a negative effect on individuals and may trigger them to perform in a certain way that is violent. The main films that may portray that picture are Life & Lyrics, Love and Basketball, Bullet Boy, Dubplate Drama, Kidulthood and most recently Adulthood.
I have recently went to watch Adulthood myself and the themes that the film contained was too violent to be a 15 certificate. To my surprise after the film ended an argument broke out between 2 groups of people, to an extent copying behaviour of the actors in Adulthood.
Kidulthood was raw, gritty and disturbingly honest. From the less than Catholic attitudes towards sex to the unavoidable
presence and influence of drugs, the film did not pause for a moment in its illustrations of street violence and a general
disregard for morals or empathy.
Another film that contains similar influencial story line is 'Bullet Boy'. Bullet Boy is located in a ‘real place’, an area of North East London sometimes reffered to as a 'Murder Mile' because of the relatively high incidence of fatal attacks, many involving guns.
The most recent film that i have watched that was based on gun and knife crime was Channel 4 Fallout(Disarming Britain Season). The film contained numerous powerful themes which in my eyes did not encourage crime but presented it in a bad light. A member of the cast was asked if he believed that films such as these is the result of why people carry weapons, is it because they feel if they don't they will not look big within the society or their area. He replied "People carry them for protection, in case something bad is going to happen to them. You have to carry them if other people do," says Paul, who lives on a nearby estate in North End Road, Hammersmith. "I know people who walk around with guns." Therefore this statement shows that the individual believes that people carry weapons because everyone is doing so nowadays for protection.
An incident of bad behaviour on public transport in the film is one scene the Henry Compton boys found particularly funny.
Teens in a large group are playing their music loudly on the bus and the policeman, Joe, grabs the phone and throws it out the window. Is this scenario familiar to them? "Yeah I play my music on the bus because I want to," says Paul. "I would just turn it up louder if someone asked me to turn it down. Maybe if a woman with a sleeping baby asked me to I might. But why shouldn’t I play my music on a bus?". This statement shows that in a way individuals do not get influenced to a high extent by films for the reason that they are already doing what is done in films such as Fallout-it is nothing new to them. It could be argued that Street Crime films portray the life of real people with some exaggerated extent. Some individual argue that it is not the Media to blame for peoples bad behavior nowadays. Others agree that they have a right to play their music loudly. Anyone trying to exert some authority by telling them off is likely to make them rebel even more. After watching Fallout a number of teen were asked about their views. The response was "I don’t know, but the film made me absolutely terrified, because it was based on stuff that happens" says 14-year-old Oleksei Yedama. "Everyone knows things like this go on every day in London and nothing is done to make it safer." This shows that to a certain extent individuals are made more aware and horrified by the violent events going on in London.

A few years back when I watched Kidulthood , a street crime film directed and based on the urban setting of England.
Teenagers nowadays are becoming more atomized individuals with more autonomous influence and control over themselves, therefore they are less likely to respond influences of Film. In fact, this movie depicts teenagers from different colours and classes, growing up in radically different styles of families with only one aspect in common: the parents simply do not know what is going on. The feeling one can simply get from watching the interaction between family members, is that although it doesn’t seem dysfunctional on the surface; there is this feeling of disconnection and discontent. Many of them are no doubt the product of working class families, with parents simply too busy and/or naïve to understand what their children are up to; who they are hanging out with; what they are doing and ultimately how they are influenced by the corrupt and violent mainstream culture that's spoon feeding them.

Thursday 3 July 2008

12 Girls Fallen Pregnant In A Catholic School A The Same Time..And No Its Not Canon Palmer



Outrageous and shocking article was published in The News Of The World. This really shows how Media has an affect on the portrayal and representation of teen mums. A staggering 12 girls got pregnant at the same time period and most of them were under the age of 16 and attended St Andrews RC School, which is quite worrying, however Media has the tendency to make events look more horrific and exaggerated than they really are.

Last night one parent blasted: “It’s outrageous — half the school must have been at it like rabbits.”

Some staff within the school blame the Media for encouraging such behavior and influencing the girls to get pregnant:''Staff at the school blamed Hollywood films such as Juno for glamorising teen pregnancies.''

This shocking story mirrors the events that happened in Massachusetts where a pact was made between 17 girls at a Catolic School to fall pregnant at the same time so that they can raise their children together. One thing that they did not think about was the havoc and the media frenzy that they have caused.

In relation to this films such as Juno may be getting negative publicity due to the girls careless actions, which to an extent may not have even been influenced by the film. It could simply be argued by many people that teenagers nowadays are out of control. Even though Media plays some sort of part in encouraging sexual behavior that leads to careless and unplanned teen pregnancy, it is really the girls decision to participate in such things.

Source:http://blogs.notw.co.uk/newsoftheworld_scotland/2008/06/shock-as-teen-p.html

Friday 27 June 2008

Just Keeping My Options Open..Teen Mum-Cream Or No Cream?

I recently read an article in The Daily Telegraph where surprisingly once again teen mum has been represented negatively within the Media. Wow. This is because she left her 5 year old in the boiling spanish sun for 10 hours. Which is ridiculous if you ask me. The little boy suffered serious sunburna nd had to be later submitted to hospital.

''According to locals, at around 10am the woman went to work at the top of the beach for five hours, but failed to collect her child when she finished her shift.''

It simply shows how careless young teen mums can be towards their young children. But I strongly believe that Media portrays teen mums in a bad light for the reason that if this happened to a mature mum, which was at least 25, then the article would not be published. Concluding, it is obvious that papers publish stories that stereotype people, which is very wrong.