Author: jed wells

Praise the Lord (Da Shine): The Intersection of Hip-Hop and Global Culture.

A$AP Rocky x Skepta from the ‘Praise the Lord (Da Shine) music video

‘Praise the Lord (Da Shine)’ is a 2018 hip-hop collaboration record between A$AP Rocky and Skepta. With Rocky being one of America’s premiere hip-hop artists, and Skepta being arguably the current leader of UK hip-hop and grime, ‘Praise The Lord’ see’s a fusion of the two biggest global hip-hop cultures, and more generally two world leading cultures. While this is not the first track the pair have teamed up for, it is by far the most successful, and is representative of the rise of hip-hop across multiple cultures.

Thematically, Praise the Lord focuses on a lot of ‘traditional’ hip-hop tropes, be that criminal activity, acquiring wealth/material gains, bragging or ‘flexing’ success, as well as heavy religious themes present in the title and chorus of the song. This builds a connection between the two cultures, by focusing on themes prevalent in both American hip-hop and British hip-hop/grime music. An extra layer is added to this by Rocky and Skepta interpolating the song ‘Who We Be’ by American hip-hop legend DMX. This is done both by mirroring his cadence in the chorus and second verse, and through Skepta’s line “I listened to X, I peeped the bars (Yeah)
The snakes, the rats, the cats, the dogs“. This interpolation shows a big respect of hip-hop culture by Rocky and Skepta, but also in evidence of the widespread global effect of hip-hop.

British hip-hop/grimes global effect, and indeed Skepta’s impact is discussed by Stuart Hedly in ‘Music as a platform: Grime cuts through’. Hedly states that “Penetrating the USA has always been a target for the majority of UK musicians, which traditionally required the support of a major label for access, whereas the Grime scene has shown this is no longer the case”, pointing out that the global influence of grime and English hip-hop has lead to the legitimisation of the genre and less of a need to rely on traditional record labels. The effect of this is that more artists can come up through a variety of paths, such as Skepta’s ascent to the top of grime, and his impact on making Grime a global genre.

Speaking to Genius, A$AP Rocky referenced Skepta’s allusions to DMX and American hip hop, saying “He paid homage to (DMX) in such a slick, fly way… n***a bodied that, shoutout Skep”, which shows both a mutual respect and appreciation of each other, but a coming together of cultures to appreciate hip hop culture more generally. In an interview with Complex, Rocky expanded on his influences and experiences with international hip hop. As he spent a significant amount of time in London recording ‘Praise the Lord’, and completed the album in Germany, Rocky said “The energy there is crazy, I feel like Berlin still has a big appreciation for hip-hop culture”.

Image result for asap rocky skepta listen out
A$AP Rocky and Skepta performing at Sydney’s ‘Listen Out’ festival, 2018

By recording a song collaborating with grimes premiere artist, and through taking inspiration from English and European influences, A$AP Rocky shows an appreciation for global hip hop culture, and shows how American and British hip hop have grown and evolved, and what has happened at the points of intersection. Praise the Lord (Da Shine) is an appreciation song for global hip hop culture, and a shining example of the benefits of combining music and culture.

Bibliography

Slumdog Millionaire: Globalisation in Cinema

From even the briefest glance, it is clear that Slumdog Millionaire is a global movie. It is a British film, based on Indian book ‘Q&A’, set in the slums of Mumbai. It debuted at the Telluride Film festival in Colorado, America, and won eight academy award, including America and arguably the worlds highest film honour of the Oscar for Best Picture. But more than this, Slumdog Millionaire can also be used as a perfect example of how different cultures view and react to one another, and the interaction between the ‘Global North and South Divide’ both in film and overall culture.

Slums made famous from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, selling for

Even from looking at the movie poster, the global impact of Slumdog Millionaire is clear. It features a Toronto film festival badge, a review from an American magazine, an English actor, an Indian actor and the name of a British director. It portrays a British made film, set in the slums of Mumbai. However, for many people, these global influences are unknown. As a lazy movie watcher, I had initially assumed that Slumdog Millionaire was a Bollywood film, due to its plot, casting, and large amount of Hindi dialogue. But whilst being filmed in India, based off of an Indian story and featuring a predominantly Indian cast, Slumdog Millionaire is classed as a British film.

It is precisely that reason that lead to criticism regarding the portrayal of Indian society and a perceived Western approach to an Indian story. In Rebecca Duncan’s ‘Reading Slumdog Millionaire across Cultures‘, she addresses these criticisms, saying “responses to the film, reflected in reviews, commentary and even lawsuits and political protests, in some ways uphold certain cultural boundaries, particularly those regarding the genre of the romance film and class-based access to the privileges and benefits offered by a globalized economy”. Viewing the ‘slums’ and Indian society through a Western viewpoint such as Slumdog Millionaire can continue to perpetuate stereotypes within society, and unfairly represent said society. Many believed that there were similar stories from Bollywood that deserved much more acclaim, and that more accurately represent Indian culture.

This is also addressed in ‘Mimicking Bollywood in Slumdog Millionaire: Global Hollywood’s Newest Co-Optation of Culture‘ by Nicole Cox and Jennifer Proffitt. Saying “Although Slumdog Millionaire is not a product of Mumbai, the film contains traditional characteristics of Hindi and Indian film. These characteristics help illuminate the ways in which Hollywood majors sought to co-opt Bollywood in appearance and content”, this shows that tropes and stereotypes that are traditionally associated with India/Bollywood were used to make this movie appeal to a global audience. However, certain elements of the movie that were used to make it feel ‘Bollywood-esque’ have alienated fans of the actual genre. So while Slumdog Millionaire is definitely a global film, it is a global film with a distinctively Western view. It shows how to co-opt a global story, and how to adjust it for a specific audience. Ultimately, Slumdog Millionaire shows globalisation in cinema, and both the potential upside and drawbacks of this.

Bibliography

IDEATING: The Making of Locals Only

For my digital artifact, I had always intended to focus around sports media, as I was already contributing to a basketball site. However, in recognising that I was aiming to connect with more of a local audience, the concept of ‘Locals Only’ was born. I had hoped that by focusing on local issues, it would engage with my audience better, leading to more interaction and also increased feedback. Initially, I considered the idea of a blog or some type of forum to showcase Illawarra’s sporting talent:

However, a lot of the feedback I received was that while local sport was an area of interest, a blog or forum was not seen as a viable or engaging way to feature this type of content. Looking to other ways to present this, I realised that by running a podcast I could use and develop interviewing skills I have as an aspiring journalist, and combine that with my passion for sports. I had never done any podcasting or sound recording, but in speaking to a friend who has he advised me that Anchor.fm was a perfect platform to upload to, as it is quick and easy to use, and allows you to upload to Spotify and Apple Music for free. After a brief attempt at graphic design, I was able to receive the help of a fellow 114 student to create a logo, and registered a ‘Locals Only’ podcast account on Anchor.fm.

  • Initial attempt at logo
  • Final logo design
  • Anchor.fm site for ‘Locals Only’

Whilst setting this up, I also created a Twitter account for the podcast to build interest, and also to interact with my audience. This includes general promotion of the podcast, news and accomplishments of the athletes, and gathering questions as part of the ‘questions from the audience’ feature. Additionally, a Twitter account gave me the ability to produce some quick content and build a following whilst producing the podcast episodes. This incorporates the F.I.S.T theory, as the twitter content has proved a quick and effective way to build interest in my podcast, before publishing an episode.

Recording the episodes has proved to be more challenging, with F.E.F.O definitely coming into the equation. My first attempt at episode one felt successful, until I learnt that the recorder I had used was corrupted and that the recording had not saved. However, a positive I took from this is that I am able to reflect on how I interviewed the first time and tweak this to create a better all around product. Additionally, it has taught me the lesson of double and triple checking sound equipment before recording.

The aim is to produce ten episodes, and I already have six guests lined up. I came across these guests through both word of mouth and research into successful Illawarra athletes. Guests already lined up include a professional soccer player, professional basketballer, ex-professional WAFL player, an Australian representative Equestrian rider, an Australian representative hockey player and an Australian champion surfer. I hope by covering a wide array of sports and disciplines, it will both engage a wider audience and truly represent the Illawarra sporting community, which has a broad and deep sporting community.

The eventual aim of ‘Locals Only’ is to be a premiere Illawarra sports voice, that covers and features the world’s best athlete, from right in our backyard. Looking to the future, I am focusing on improving my podcasting quality, both through improved equipment and technique. I would also like to expand the podcast to talk to coaches and other personalities in local sports, and take suggestions from the audience for different segments and formats. Looking at podcasts such as ‘The Woj Pod’ and Cole Cuchna’s ‘Dissect’, I hope to make a relevant and engaging podcast that can be enjoyed by anyone.

Locals Only: BCM114 DA Pitch

Locals Only is a podcast/interview series which focuses on Illawarra athletes who compete at the highest level. Posted every two weeks, the episodes will each feature a one on one interview with a high level athlete from the Illawarra, where we will cover their beginnings in sport in the Illawarra, how their career has progressed, and what they have coming up. To further involve the audience, I plan to set up a ‘questions from the audience’, where I will ask for questions via Twitter for each weeks athlete, that I can then ask them. Locals Only will be posted through ‘Anchor.fm’, a free podcast creation site that also allows the content to be posted on streaming sites such as Spotify and Apply Music. By bringing attention to these athletes, I hope to promote the sporting community of the Illawarra as a whole.

Lost in Translation: Rake, Kath and Kim, and the Globalisation of Television

Australia has a very specific, very definite style of humour. It’s niche, and centres greatly around self deprecation. It only makes sense then that these themes would be ever present in Australian television and wider media. Many Australian comedies portray characters that we as an audience can relate to, and provide an opportunity to laugh at ourselves. These shows are so appealing to an Australian audience because at a base level, we either know the people being depicted in the shows, or worse, we are them.

This is the case for a number of different Australian shows, such as cult classic ‘Kath and Kim’. This show is held close to the heart by a large Australian audience, as they closely relate to the characters and jokes from the show. It is also due to that fact that the show translated very poorly to an American audience. Not only does America take a different approach to comedy than Australia (choosing to target others instead of themselves), but the large number of cultural motifs and relatable moments would prove to be, well, not very relatable to a foreign audience. Put perhaps best by Karen Brooks for the Courier Mail, the problem with a foreign Kath and Kim is that it is “not monstrous enough to be clichés, stereotypes, parodies or even brave enough to be abhorrent or funny.” Australia and America are different cultures. Not all jokes will carry over.

Persistent as ever, America continued to try and adopt niche Australian humour. Next up: Rake, the story of lovable defence attorney ‘Cleaver Greene’ and his, uhh, ‘questionable’ ethics. The show is brash, crude, and very tongue-in-cheek. It resonated with an Australian audience as we tend to align ourselves with underdog figures whenever able. No matter how morally deplorable Cleavers actions became, we couldn’t help but cheer him on. But to an American audience which tends to focus on weakness and upholds a higher moral code, the protagonist of the US version ‘Keegan Deane’ would not have appeared as a likeable character. This is explained in Michael Almansar’s ‘The Impact of International Television: A Paradigm Shift’. Almansar states that “the traditional layers of identity at the local, regional and national levels are still the strongest for the large majority of people”. Put simply, people align themselves with what they already know, which means that inevitably trying to transition cultural shows to different countries is a very tough ask.

As a final example, take the ABC Drama series ‘The Slap”. Located in suburban Melbourne, the original series portrayed many cultural issues prominent in this area, and therefore made it a relevant and compelling series for an Australian audience. However, once again these themes proved to be non-transferable, with the American version of the show somewhat lacking the serious tone and feeling of the original. While not a comedy like the shows listed above, it was not able to be successful to an American audience for much the same reasons. Culturally, Americans could not align themselves with the show. It represented us, but not them.

Bibliography

Gularri

A Film by Jed Wells

BCM115 Assignment 3

My film, ‘Gularri’, is focused around living rebel Ngiare Brown, and her bond and connection with the ocean. In trying to feature what is both a prominent and intimate relationship, I combined both a large amount of footage of beaches and the ocean, with that of an interview style, trying to symbolise both parties in this relationship, as well as create the feeling that the viewer is also in some way part of the process. I had initially planned to feature underwater filming and footage quite heavily, but the conditions during the period I had set out to shoot were less than ideal and I made the decision to change to on land footage of the ocean. On the plus side, the large swells and storm conditions that hit the coast made for impressive footage, and helped to illustrate the point of how the ocean can be so changing and unpredictable.

I drew inspiration from a number of films, most of which were featurette pieces, ones which similar to mine featured large amounts of underwater and ocean film, paired with interview style footage to create a personal bond between Ngaire and the audience. Keith Malloy’s doctumentary ‘FISHPEOPLE‘ was a particularly large source of inspiration, showcasing individuals whose lives revolve around the sea. I also turned to the films ‘I’m Not Trying to Stay Comfortable‘ by Andrew Kearns and ‘Parley for the Oceans‘ from Igor Ramirez Garcia-Peralta. Both of these filmed had large elements of ocean footage and were also able to tie in beautiful narratives to their pieces. While I would have loved to capture some underwater footage, particularly of Ngaire in the water, I am satisfied that the videos I have of the ocean served to convey the same feelings of connection and respect that are felt. Additionally, I considered ‘Come Hell or High Water‘ also by Keith Malloy, and ‘Forgiving Pipeline‘ from Amber Mozo and Redbull Surfing.

The audio in my film is predominantly dialogue. It features a narrator in myself, giving context to the film and joining the dots. There is also dialogue from Ngaire, both paired with footage of her speaking in an interview scene, but also as a voice-over in some parts, to truly show and develop a connection between herself and the ocean. Accompanying this is a simple guitar loop, one aimed to have a calming and peaceful effect, which was what was intended from this film. Again, ideally I would have liked to explore some of Ngaire’s answers further and develop that intricate connection, but I was unable to do so given the time limit. I would have also changed the camera angle in the interview scene slightly, aiming to gain a more straight on look. However, I still feel that the interview sections were able to personify Ngaire and create a connection between her and the audience.

Ngaire Brown – Living Rebel Soundscape

In creating a soundscape to represent Ngiare Brown, I wanted to emphasise the significance of her work, and how this makes her a living rebel. This presented a challenge initially, as she was away for work and I was unsure as to how I was going to record her. However, I was able to make this work, and it even helped the direction of my project. I emphasised the distance, and through the phone call showed the lengths she is willing to go to. I included dialogue through an interview style, asking questions over the phone and including her replies, as well as some separate commentary. The sound effects included the dialing of the phone and the call tone used to really push the feeling of separation. I also included what was intended as the sound of a plane taking off underlain with her description of where she was. This again showed the distance. For ambiance, I included sounds of the beach, crashing waves and running water, to connect it to home, and again show the distance. My inspiration was mostly from featurette style podcasts, that show one person and their life and contributions. This includes podcasts such as NPR’s ‘How I Built This’.


https://soundcloud.com/jed-wells-866357479/ngiare-brown-living-rebel



The Media. Who Wants It. Who’s Got It.

Media ownership has always been at best a moral grey area; essentially inviting conflicts of interest and bias to creep into the content we view as a society. And as we progress further online, and begin to consume media more continuously and from different sources, the idea ownership becomes more significant than ever before.

The significance is drawn from the idea that knowing who is in control of the media that you are seeing can also help to explain the way in which you are seeing it. In Australia, there is an interesting power balance when it comes to the ownership of mainstream media, with a select few individuals holding power over large amounts of media and production companies. This can be seen below, with an Australian Communications and Media Authority snapshot showing that almost all Australian news and media are owned by NINE individuals and corporations. That’s right. Single digits.

Australian Media and Communications Authority – Media Interests Snapshot

Personally, I try to consume my news and media from varying places, mostly so I am subjected to varying news and content. News wise, it is typically from television , but also through the radio and of course online and social media. Through engaging in different mediums to consume news, it somewhat helps to combat the problems that ownership poses, as by engaging in different sources and outlets you are subjected to a range of different viewpoints and influences. While for the most part I trust my news sources, I am also conscious of the influences that may be behind them. This is even more relevant when considering the internet and social media.

The growing presence of internet news and social media has lead to a 24 hour news cycle, with stories constantly being covered and presented. They are all presented by a multitude of different outlets, and each of these will put a slightly different spin, or take a varying angle than the others. This may be influenced by who owns that particular media, which makes it crucial to consume news and media from as wide an array of outlets as you are able. Failure to do this may see you only consuming one side of a story, or one view on a complex issue, putting yourself in an echo chamber.

And of course this matters. One of the main reasons I watch the news, why everyone watches the news, is to stay informed. In order to do this effectively, we must be informed of all angles, not just that which we may agree with. That is the significance of ownership, the possibility of misinformation. The best way to combat this is to listen to everyone, before forming your own opinions.

Living Rebel: Dr. Ngaire Brown

BCM115 Introduction to Screen Media – Assessment 1

Ngaire Brown shares an intimate connection with the ocean
She stands in solitude, kept company by the waves
A fiercely proud Indigenous woman, Ngaire displays her culture to the world
Finding peace within the salt water
Strength and empowerment come from within
Wisdom, experience and gentleness
Dr. Ngaire Brown, a Living Rebel
Returning to the water

Project Statement

Dr. Ngaire Brown is a Yuin nation woman and a senior medical practitioner. She has studied and has qualifications in medicine, public health, medical law, bioethics, human rights and primary care. She is a trailblazer, who does thing her own way. She is a rebel in every sense of the word. She stands out from the world, and to capture this, it was necessary to show her by herself. Solitary, and powerful. In considering this, a large part of my inspiration was the photo series ‘Isolation: Afghanistan’ by French photographer Martin Middlebrook. It portrays individuals in their environment, showing them in solitude, but comfortable and in touch with their surroundings.

I then took a number of closer, intimate photos of her features, to personify her and to show who she is as an individual. Photos of her tattoos, a heavy link to her culture that she proudly displays, were taken in the same way as those in the photo series ‘Love Marks: Tattoos Deeper Than Ink’ by Stacy-Ann Ellis. While that series documented tattoos dedicated to lovers, I wanted to capture the same intimacy and connection through Dr. Browns.

I took photos of her hands, and of her face, to familiarise her to the audience as well as to represent the many aspects of her personality. They show a loving, caring and gentle side to her, as well as showing her wisdom, her knowledge and integrity. I took a photo of her face, similar to the portrait work of photographer Ben McRae, in order to make the audience truly feel like they had met Ngaire. Finally, the last shot of the series shows Ngaire walking away, towards the ocean. Similar to the above shots, this took elements of the photos in ‘Isolation: Afghanistan’, and the shot was intended to feel like a departure, as if she is walking away at the end.

My photo essay was for the most part narrative form, telling the story of a chance encounter with a living rebel. Dr. Ngaire Brown. The viewer sees her from afar, then approaches. They are shown her features, and they begin to understand her. The series ends with the viewer and Ngaire once again separating. The encounter is over, but the viewer is left with the feeling of having met a new person. There are also elements of essay involved, through the themes of the ocean, and Ngaires’ Indigenous heritage.

The Complex Image of Steve Bartman

Everyone knows the saying: ‘A picture speaks a thousand words’. It’s a cliche that has been beaten to death over the years, yes, but it’s also true. However, what’s often not considered is that not everyone hears the same thousand words. The story that one person takes from an image can be entirely separate from that of everyone else. For example, take the following image:

The infamous ‘Steve Bartman Incident’

If you ask ten different people about what that image is, you would get ten different answers. Granted, they may have similarities, but they will for the most part have separate views. Ask someone who knows nothing about baseball, and they’ll tell you it’s a guy trying to catch a ball. Ask an MLB fan, and they’ll tell you it is an infamous moment in baseball history. Ask a Miami Marlins fan, it will be one of their favourite sporting memories. Ask a Chicago Cubs fan, it’ll be one of their worst. Ask my mum, and she’ll say “Jed I’m trying to get ready for work I don’t have time for this right now”. If you ask Steve Bartman what that image is of, he will most likely tell you it is of the worst moment of his life.

Bartman is the man who can be seen in the photo trying to catch the ball. No, not the guy in the Chicago Cubs uniform, that’s Moisés Alou. THIS is Steve Bartman.

Steve Bartman

He’s the Cubs fan in black, knocking away what was potentially a game changing catch for his team. If Alou had made that catch, the Cubs would only need four more outs to win the game (3-0), and the series (4-2). But Bartman knocked it away, he himself trying to catch the foul ball. The Marlins went on to score 8 runs, winning the game 8-3. The next game, they won the series, 4-3.

So when Bartman looks at the image, it tells the story of himself, ruining his own teams championship aspirations, and forever changing his own life. Chicago sports fans might be inclined to agree with him. Miami supporters might consider it divine intervention, paving the way for their 2003 World Series win. Some people might consider it an all time sporting moment, capturing the moment things go wrong, and the fickle nature of competitive sports. Some will just see a man trying to catch a ball.

What can be drawn from all of this? Who you are as a person determines how you look at an image, and determines exactly what you see.