FEBRUARY 2011: THE CULTURE ISSUE M M MediaMagazine edia agazine Menglish and media centre issue 35 | februaryM 2011 High vs Low Culture english english and media centre Tarantino Culture New Waves The Culture of Strictly | issue | 35 issue | february 2010 Film Yurt The Ethics of News Media Culture MM MM MM35_cover.indd 1 08/02/2011 13:23 MM MediaMagazine is published by the English and Media Centre, a non-profit making organisation. The Centre publishes a wide range Welcome to the Culture issue. When we picked this theme we of classroom materials and runs courses for teachers. If you’re anticipated lots of interest in different sub-cultures, from youth studying English at A Level, look out movements to music genres to world cinema to cultures of gaming for emagazine, also published by – but it just goes to show you never know what’s going to tickle the Centre. MediaMag readers’ interests! Interestingly, a number of articles in The English and Media Centre this issue have taken a broader definition of Culture with a big C, 18 Compton Terrace ranging from Roy Stafford’s overview of the history of the debates London N1 2UN and theories around popular culture, to Nick Lacey’s investigation of High vs Low Telephone: 020 7359 8080 culture and the idea of a cultural canon of great media texts. Some really challenging Fax: 020 7354 0133 ideas here, and some important contextual background about key thinkers and Email for subscription enquiries: critics for those who want to know where they come from. [email protected] Also intriguing is the recurrence of particular cultural influences – the inspiration Managing Editor: Michael Simons of the French Nouvelle Vague directors of the Fifties and Sixties continues to make Editor: Jenny Grahame waves (sorry!) with the re-release of iconic movies such as Breathless and Bande A Part, and their influence on the work of Quentin Tarantino, who has introduced them Sub-editor: Emma Coker to a whole new generation of fans and who continues to redefine ideas about what Editorial assistant/admin: cinema can do. Rebecca Scambler Elsewhere, Sean Kaye-Smith introduces the concept of Film Yurt, a potential Design: Sam Sullivan & Jack Freeman new film culture emerging from the steppes of Mongolia and beyond, while Artwork production: Sparkloop nearer to home James Rose explores the particularly British culture of Doctor Who. Print: S&G Group Unsurprisingly the ever-popular horror and slasher genres continue to reflect Cover: courtesy of Jim de Whalley particular contemporary cultural fears; while Michael Ewin investigates the milestone ISSN: 1478-8616 American movies which have impacted on recent generations of young people. Also interesting in this issue is the emphasis on Film over other media. Two blinding exceptions are Paul Willis’s provocative piece about the news coverage of How to subscribe violent crime, and the culture of intrusion and spectacle which underpins it; and Mike Hobbs’s informed article on the ways in which music cultures are evolving in Four issues a year, published response to technological change – well worth reading for the interviews alone. September, December, late February and late April. And there’s more online for web subscribers in our Culture supplement: the Centre print-only subscription: £29.95 culture of the PR industry; the culture of South Wales and Rachel Trezise; Made in Dagenham as a British movie, and plenty more. Centre website package: £89.95 includes print magazine, full website Finally, MediaMag now has its own Facebook page at access and an online PDF version of www.facebook.com/pages/MediaMagazine/125898030807330 the current issue Please visit it and add your thoughts. Additional subscriptions for students, teachers or the library can be added to either the print-only subscription or the website package for £10 a year. Online the MediaMag homepage This magazine is not to Poster competition! be photocopied. Why Visit our home page for details of a new competition we’re launching not subscribe to our for the design of a new MediaMag poster – a great opportunity to web package which demonstrate your print production talents, see your work in the includes a downloadable September issue of MediaMag, and perhaps win a prize. The deadline is and printable PDF of 3rd May, so plenty of time to hone your design and branding skills. the current issue or MediaMag themes for 2011-12 encourage your students to take out their own £10 All P-words this time – Production, Politics and Power, Participation and Play. Details, deadlines and suggestions are on the home page. We hope subscription? you’ll contribute – mail your ideas to [email protected] 2 MediaMagazine | February 2011 | english and media centre MM contents Front Page News New Wave Culture: Hipsterism for Dummies: Recent news, views, reviews and Changing Identities and Milestone Movies in 04 previews. 32 52 the Language of Style Youth Culture Film student Strictly Cultural Roy Film Studies teacher Brenda Michael Ewins offers an overview 06 Stafford explores how studies of Hamlet provides a cultural of the movies that have both British popular television have and historical overview of the reflected and shaped the responded to changing ideas development of the French lifestyle, culture and changing about ‘culture’. New Wave of cinema, and its values from Generations X to influence on successive New Y – and the social changes that Waves across the world from the influenced them. 60s to the present day. Horror Monsters Examiner Looking Back at 50 years 56 Steph Hendry shows how to 37 of Breathless Jonathan explore the social and cultural Nunns explains why French contexts of one of our most New Wave film, and Godard’s enduring genres: horror. Breathless in particular, are Wolf Creek: (dis)Location Pain, Privacy and the essential viewing for any true and the Culture of the 11 Press Pack: the Ethics film fan. 60 of News Media Culture Slasher Movie Bloody, What happens to communities Culture and the Burka brutal or just banal? For many, invaded by the news media 41 aka Why I Hate Sex and the slasher film epitomises ‘low after a major crime incident? the City 2 Emma Clarke culture’. Gabrielle O’Brien thinks Journalist Paul Willis argues that was a total fan of Sex and the genre is worth a closer look. the public must exercise their the City – until the second rights to demand responsible movie’s stereotypical cultural and ethical behaviour from the assumptions and simplistic faith press. in materialism changed her views on Carrie et al. A Very British Doctor James Rose explores what our Cartoon 14 premier fantasy tells us about By Goom British culture. 44 Culture or Culchure? Ghetto Culture Pete Turner Who Decides What’s compares the representations of 45 19 Best? The ‘low vs high Is Auntie in Trouble? ghetto culture in World Cinema culture’ debate is over 100 Frozen Licence Fees classics City of God and La Haine. 62 years old, and kept alive by and the Culture of the regular pronouncements of From ‘The Unforgettable BBC Studying changes in the politicians, education ministers, 23 Fire’ to Arcade Fire: 25 broadcasting industry? If so, cultural critics and the media Years of Change in the you’ll need to keep an eye on themselves. Nick Lacey offers the ever-turbulent fortunes of Music Business – the a personal and provocative the Beeb, currently under severe Culture of Today and overview of the issues. financial pressure. Tomorrow In Part 2 of his article, Mike Hobbs talks to Where Everyman a variety of musicians and 65 Knows your Name: the producers to explore where they 21st-Century Culture of think they are heading. Independent Cinemas Film Yurt: in Search Multiplexes have long ruled 28 of a New Film Culture the cinema-going empire while Sean Kaye-Smith heads for independent cinemas have the steppes to find genuinely struggled to retain relevance in different representations of a Royal with Cheese: a blockbuster world. But now little-known and very different Quentin Tarantino the indie chains are fighting 48 back. Matt Freeman explores culture. and the Blood-letting this whole new culture of movie- of Culture Matt Freeman watching… explores how Tarantino’s cine- literacy has forever redefined the high/low culture debate… english and media centre | February 2011 | MediaMagazine 3 Front Page News Wikileaks controversy rages on The website Wikileaks has caused huge only common interest is the maintenance of controversy in recent months by publishing their power and our ignorance. large amounts of secret information from However, Wikileaks has also drawn criticism various sources, including American intelligence for revealing government secrets that could documents on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. potentially be damaging to the national security Wikileaks was set up so that people within of the country concerned. US commenter Liz organisations could ‘blow the whistle’ on their Cheney told Fox News that Wikileaks founder employers by leaking documents anonymously. Julian Assange was to blame for the deaths of This could already be done to a certain extent American soldiers: ‘He has blood on his hands.’ through the media, but the law does not allow Some leaked cables revealed the scathing journalists to protect the identity of anonymous private views of American diplomats about sources in all cases. world leaders, while other documents suggest The site has been lauded by campaigners for that the war in Afghanistan is not going as well Assange himself is also a controversial figure, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. as our governments claim. having recently been arrested in connection Henry Porter wrote on The Guardian’s ‘Comment Private Bradley Manning, the US intelligence with two alleged rapes in Sweden, allegations is Free’ site: analyst suspected of leaking more than 250,000 possibly linked to attempts to undermine his The leaks are of unprecedented importance military documents using Wikileaks, has been credibility.