Colonialism and Post-Colonialism

Research

• Colonialism is the establishment, exploitation, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the dominant country claims sovereignty over the colony, and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by colonizers from the dominating country. Colonialism is a set of unequal relationships between the dominating country and the colony and between the colonists and the indigenous population.

• Post-colonial studies entail the critical destabilization of the intellectual and linguistic, social and economic theories that support the Western ways of thinking of perceiving, understanding, and knowing the world

• Post-colonial theory addresses the matters of post-colonial identity gender, race, and racism, and their interactions in the development of a post-colonial society, and of a post-colonial national identity; of how a colonised people’s cultural knowledge was used against them, in service of the coloniser’s interests between the powerful and the powerless.

• Post colonial theorist Edward Said did he research on the middle east and the west and created the term Orientalism which means them vs us.

Year 13 Critical Investigation Proposal **UPDATED 08/11/12**

Working title

Why is the representation of the Police on television programmes such as 'Road Wars' and 'Police, Camera, Action!' over sensationalised?

Angle 

The police are often seen by the public as over exercising their powers. However this is not the way that they are represented through the majority of media focusing mainly on moving image but also looking at e-media and referring to books.

Hypothesis

The Police shown by the media is very different to how they are in reality.

Linked production piece

Documentary about a school community police officer that aims to give a realist, non-sensationalist representation.

MIGRAIN

Who is being represented?

·         Police/Criminals

In what way?

·         Police being represented naturally e.g behind the scenes

      Criminals represented as scum

By whom?

·         Sky, BBC, ITV other digital/satellite programs

Why is the subject being represented in this way? (U+G)

·         To make viewers feels safe

·         To show police as strong and accurate

·         To make criminals fear the law by watching examples

·         To show taxpayers money is not being wasted.

Is the representation fair and accurate?

·         No such thing as fair representation. 

·          Not all criminals are scum. Does not include white collar crime.

·        Not all police are fair http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HECMVdl-9SQ

 What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?

·         

       As a young black male, perhaps I could challenge the stereotypes associated with that group. (Perkins)

Audience 

15-45 Both Genders Strugglers, Explorers, Aspirers and Reformers A, B, C1, C2, D E Mainly last 3

Narrative/Genre

Documentary style program? News broadcast? Opening to film? Trailer?

SHEP

Society:

• Are police doing their jobs?
• Are police working hard enough?
• Are young people victims of the system
• Computers and handheld devices allow police injustices to be filmed

Historical

• Policing has changed since the 50's and 60's in terms of approach to crime
• As early as 1962, police have been shown in the media for entertainment purposes in the program 'Police 5' and also 'JP5'
• Metropolitan police formed in 1829. Largest police force in Britain

Economic

• Marxists argue that the police are the 'armed bodies of men' protecting the capitalist system and therefore the economy.
• These programs are used to control the working class into being subordinate to the system using and therefore protecting the economy. e.g subliminal messaging.

Political

• These programs sensationalise the police and their work making them look like they are hard-working.
• Police support the government in law making by ensuring that these laws are followed.
• Criminals and threats to the government are taken care of the by the police.

Reality TV 

The programs that I am researching are all non-fiction and therefore could come under the Reality TV Genre. This is sometimes also known as "infotainment" as it combines entertainment and useful information. These police programs follow officers during their ‘day to day’ life and therefore could arguably be an expository documentary due to the shared codes and conventions.

Moral Panics

Programs like Crime Watch could arguably be attempting to incite a moral panic by showing reconstructions of criminals in actions, this could lead the Media to sensationalise the situation and blow it out of proportion following the steps of the Modz vs Rockers in the 50’s as found by Cohen in his book, Folk Devils and Moral Panics. The question could be raised regarding why exactly these programs are broadcast in the first place?

Representations and Stereotyping

In all factual entertainment programs based on police, the representations throughout are the same. Firstly, The Police an institution are made to look indestructible, powerful and strong connoting a threat to criminals. This could be a complete contradiction of how they are in real life as my proposed production piece will hope to find. Criminals are demonised by these programs. For example, in crime watch, the crimes shown are often of murders and robberies, however these crimes make up a small proportion of actual crimes reported to the police in the first place. Also, criminals are made to look derogatory in comparison to the police.

Theories

·        Uses and Gratifications audiences’ theory can be easily linked to this program as these programs hope to inform and educate the audience who can then interact with others and do the same.

·        Perkins theory of Stereotypes can be linked due to the portrayal of social actors within these programs and how they are portrayed in comparison to their true counterparts.

·        Binary opposition by Levi Strauss can be linked as the program is based around two opposites of the social spectrum, the police vs the criminals.  

Analysis of 'Road Wars' and 'Traffic, Camera, Action!'

-          The use of the non-diegetic  sound such as sirens and action style music connotes entertainment and creates Engima codes within the text.
-          The significance of this connotation is that it keeps that audience attracted to the program because they are interested in finding out what is going to happen.
-          There are a range of non verbal symbols in the text. The main symbol is the police uniform that is worn by the Police. This uniform symbolises strength, power, safety and unity and is easily recognisable.

-          The facial expressions used within this text mainly smiles and showing a different (real/unreal) representation that we as the public are not used to seeing.-          The soundtrack of this text is important and is usually the same between other police factual programs. The soundtrack is often high tempo and is composed around a siren which is symbiotically a symbol representing the police on an international scale.-          These programs also have a running commentary throughout the program which is used to explain situations from the point of view of the police.-          This text is reminiscent of the expository documentary style due to the styles and conventions shared. Also the use of the hand held camera is used to add a sense of realism to the text which therefore adds a thrill unattainable whilst watching fiction programs.-          The main colours associated with this text are blue red yellow and black, all colours that are easily relatable to the police. These colours often connote danger and emergency which makes this text more action packed. -          The narrative is structured very easily and is almost identical to the theory of narrative by the theorist Todorov.-          First there is an equilibrium which is maintained by the patrol of the police. There is then a disturbance often associated with a criminal which throws the narrative into disequilibrium and the criminal is then dealt with swiftly by the police restoring equilibrium.-          The audience is positioned behind the police. This could be a subliminal message reminding the audience that they are being protected by the police and that they are on the front line of crime.-          The way that heroes and villains are created can be linked back to Propps theory of characters. The heroes are created by Analysis of ‘Road Wars’-          The use of the non-diegetic  sound such as sirens and action style music connotes entertainment and creates Engima codes within the text.
-          The significance of this connotation is that it keeps that audience attracted to the program because they are interested in finding out what is going to happen.
-          There are a range of non verbal symbols in the text. The main symbol is the police uniform that is worn by the Police. This uniform symbolises strength, power, safety and unity and is easily recognisable.
-          The facial expressions used within this text mainly smiles and showing a different (real/unreal) representation that we as the public are not used to seeing.
-          The soundtrack of this text is important and is usually the same between other police factual programs. The soundtrack is often high tempo and is composed around a siren which is symbiotically a symbol representing the police on an international scale.
-          These programs also have a running commentary throughout the program which is used to explain situations from the point of view of the police.
-          This text is reminiscent of the expository documentary style due to the styles and conventions shared. Also the use of the hand held camera is used to add a sense of realism to the text which therefore adds a thrill unattainable whilst watching fiction programs.
-          The main colours associated with this text are blue red yellow and black, all colours that are easily relatable to the police. These colours often connote danger and emergency which makes this text more action packed.]
 -          The narrative is structured very easily and is almost identical to the theory of narrative by the theorist Todorov.
-          First there is an equilibrium which is maintained by the patrol of the police. There is then a disturbance often associated with a criminal which throws the narrative into disequilibrium and the criminal is then dealt with swiftly by the police restoring equilibrium.
-          The audience is positioned behind the police. This could be a subliminal message reminding the audience that they are being protected by the police and that they are on the front line of crime.
-          The way that heroes and villains are created can be linked back to Propps theory of characters. The heroes are created by allowing them to have  personality and speak there side of the story whilst the villans are created by labelling theory and sterotypes as suggested by Perkins
-          Identication is employed via the use of jokes and ideologies that are portrayed by the police (real/unreal)
-          This program belongs to the documentary/reality tv genre. It is a hybrid genre because the codes and conventions of both can be found easily within this text.

Links

http://www.police.uk/

http://content.met.police.uk/Home

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/nov/22/police-chief-quits-apply-job
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDPx12IwglA

Books

Crime, Justice and the Media

 By Ian Marsh, Gaynor Melville, Gaynor Melvill

Police: Streetcorner Politicians

 By William K. Muir

Police + Criminal Justice Coursemate With Ebook Printed Access Card

 By John S. Dempsey, Linda S. Fors