BFI library notes and quotes

Books

Youth, popular culture and moral panics - John Springhall 

'Prime Minister John Major told the Conservative Central Council on 1993 that those who made and distributed films and videos should "think whether a relentless diet of violence won't have a serious effect on the young". He was responding to the abduction and murder a week before in Merseyside of two year old James Bulger.'  Page 1 introduction.

'Did "Penny Dreadfuls" by glamourising criminals, make crime attractive to youthful audiences? Miss Martineau's thesis, shared by many in authority, that cheap fiction for working class juveniles encouraged and even instigated delinquency'. Page 71 and 72 Chapter 3

"No one has the right to be upset at a brutal sex crime or a sadistic attack on a child or mindless thuggery on a pensioner if he is not prepared to drive sadistic videos out of our high streets", cried David Mellor, Minister of state of the Home Office (debate in November 1983). Page 148 Chapter 6

'You can't listen to all that language and film without it affecting you' Page 150 Chapter 6

'...his rise and fall says much about the millions of white American kids who brought his music as the black brothers he rapped about. For Shakur was one of the few gangsta-rap artists who achieved mainstream success, selling to affluent white mall youth who would never step  Page
This reference of a rapper who has passed away is Tupac an iconic African American. He gained a wide audience even influencing and connecting with different ethnic groups. This would have certainly impacted the dominant ideologies in society as their logic was/is 'if you listen to rap music, you can be influenced'. This can then be applied to white teenagers who were beginning to introduce themselves into the hip hop industry/culture.

'Can Hip Hop make Jesus Cool?' - Article. 38-39 pages. 2004.

'Hip Hop clearly shows that disguising rap music as gospel music is not a positive career move.' Page 38.

'Celebrity endorsement is not to be underestimated, especially when it comes to hip hop as any pop scarlet or multi national co operations seeking to make themselves or product cool would argue'. Page 39.

'There is no better way of marketing something to youth than to link it with hip hop culture' Page 39.

Article

Focus on hip hop

'In "50" 50 cent talks about his life on the streets before he got involved in the hip hop industry'. Page 40

'His story takes us through the struggle to get signed and a few weeks before his big break into the industry lucky to survive to tell the tale'.

Partners in porn - Janice Spence

'The days of making powerful, thought provoking and entertaining music videos are now a thing of the past'

'I can still remember my sense of pride when I first watched the premiere of Public Enemy's promo, for their classic single "Fight the Power" directed by Spike Lee. The powerful images of an intense but excited African American inner city neighbourhood, shouting the words "fight the power" at the request of flamboyant group member Flavor Flav, demonstrated unity and empowerment within a community and Public Enemy were the orchestrators'.

'Those videos didn't need to depend on the now obligatory scantily clad females that dominate recent crop of rap promos currently being rotated on numerous music channels'.

'Public Enemy and their peers from the golden era of hip hop, simply held the viewers' attention with a strong, demanding visual presence'. 

Useful resources:
http://www.slideshare.net/MissOzzy/theory-theorists (Theories)

http://mediamacguffin12.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/12a-representation-theories.html