3. ⢠Tamil Christian music video (Yeasuvae En
Swaasamae by Jeswin Samuel)
The Project
⢠Target audience:
Indian diaspora
especially youth
⢠Distributed
throughYoutube
and social media
websites
4. ď âSecond largest diaspora in the worldâ
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA)
http://moia.gov.in/accessories.aspx?aid=10
Rationale â Why Indian diaspora?
6. ď âSecond largest diaspora in the worldâ
ď Sense of âIndiannessâ through film
(Christiane Brosius, âThe Scattered Homelands of
the Migrant,â in Bollyworld, 219)
âOverseas Indians share a strong bond
with their country of originâŚas witnessed
in the growing popularity of Indian
filmsâŚon foreign shores.â (MOIA)
Rationale â Why video?
8. âCinema settles easily among even the most
ancient of Indian performance traditions. It was
a natural marriage incorporating dance, music,
story-telling and symbolism. Cinema came to
an audience already familiar with innumerable
icons, popular drama and the re-enactment of
spectacular myths. It drew heavily on that
culture.â
Channel 4, âPart 1: Myths and
Realities,â in The Peacock
Screen (1991)
http://www.indianetzone.com/1/indian_drama.htm
9. ď âSecond largest diaspora in the worldâ
ď Sense of âIndiannessâ through film
ď Gap in Christian music videos
Rationale â Why video?
10. ⢠First Indian film producer Phalke (1870-1944)
⢠Inspired after watching The Life of Christ in
1910
⢠Made films âfor propagating myths and
stories of the Hindu godsâ
⢠Beginning of Indian feature film industry
Freek L. Bakker, âShanti Sandesham, a New Jesus Film Produced in India:
Indian Christology in Pictures,â in Exchange 36 no. 1 (2007): 41-64.
Tejaswini Ganti, Bollywood, 8-10.
From Christ to BollywoodâŚ
11. ⢠Current state of Tamil Christian music videos
From Bollywood back to Christ?
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tamil+christian+worship+songs
13. ⢠Current state of Tamil Christian music videos
⢠Compared to popular Indian music videos?
e.g. Pyaasi by Swarathma
o BestVideo at JD Rock Awards 2010
o Nominated for Best MusicVideo at
Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival
From Bollywood back to Christ?
15. ď âSecond largest diaspora in the worldâ
ď Sense of âIndian-nessâ through film
ď Gap in Christian music videos
ď Connected through internet
âlanguageâŚis a fundamental attribute of self-
recognition, and of the establishment of an
invisible national boundaryâŚâ
Manuel Castells, The Power of Identity,The Information Age:
Economy, Society, and CultureVol. 2, 55.
Rationale â Why online?
16. ⢠Hindi
⢠Telugu
⢠Punjabi
⢠Tamil
⢠Gujarati
⢠Marathi
⢠Bengali
⢠Malayalam
⢠Kannada
Bollywood Box Office onYoutube
http://www.youtube.com/channel/SB_5lM6JjT2PM
17. ď Released twoTamil albums
ď Growing international reach (Australia,
France, Germany, India, Malaysia,
Switzerland, UK)
ď Promising online presence (over 50,000
views onYoutube channel, exceeded
5,000 FB friends)
ď Song â amazing testimony
Rationale â Why Jeswinâs song?
19. http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=051806123941
ââŚpeople of Indian originâŚin different
countries, share similarity of experiences
while watching Indian movies,
âŚconstruction of a global âpublic
cultureâ and an âimagined community.ââ
ââŚcinema isâŚthe contested site where
meanings are negotiated, traditions
made and remade, identities affirmed or
rejectedâ
(D Bhoopaty, quoted in IngridTherwath, ââShining Indiansâ:
Diaspora and Exemplarity in Bollywood,â in South Asia
Multidisciplinary AcademicJournal 4 (2010), 2)
20. ď âcontinuityâ and âdifferenceâ in
formation of diaspora identity -
identifies with their place of origin but
also adopted some of the culture of
where they are located
(Stuart Hall, âCultural Identity and Diasporaâ
in KathrynWoodward ed., Identity and
Difference, 53)
Identity & Cultural Issues
21. Notes of
Interviews
(Jan 2014)
Indian youth in England,
UK
Indian youth inTamil Nadu,
India
British youth in England,
UK
Language(s)
spoken
English, German/ French;
Indian dialects -
Malayalam/Tamil (not
fluent)
Tamil;
English (very little)
English, German/French/
Spanish
Preferred
attire/clothing
Western Traditional Indian Western
Food(s) eaten Indian, British and Italian Indian British (esp junk food)
After-school
activities
Homework, revision,
little or noTV/computer
games
Homework, revise, tuition
classes
TV, computer games, âtalkâ
to friends through online
games or social media
TV viewing 0-30 mins on weekdays; 2-3
hrs on weekends
Long hours (government gives
freeTV to every family)
Long hours (whenever free
and not on computer)
Computer
usage
0-30 mins on weekdays;
2-3 hrs on weekends
Only very few from well-to-do
families have computers
3-4 hrs on weekdays;
14-15 hrs on weekends
Interests Football, playing and
listening to music, online
games, studies
Cricket, football, other ball
games, skipping, listening to
music , computer games (only for
well-to-do families)
Football, other sports,
Facebook and other social
media, video/computer
games, dating
22. âIndian cinema, right from its conceptionâ
synthesised native concerns and stories
with technical and stylistic influences from
all over the world, including Hollywood,
into a âvery original Indian form.â
(Ketan Mehta, in The Peacock Screen)
âFusion is the future.â
(âKaalâ, in Krrish 3)
24. ď§ Close Encounters of theThird Kind
ď§ ET
ď§ Mask
ď§ Batman (Elfman)
ď§ X-Men
ď§ Loki (fromThor)
ď§ Outbreak
ď§ The Matrix
Which ones did you spot?
ď§ Independence Day
ď§ Erhu
ď§ Lady Gaga
ď§ Rambo
ď§ Iron Man
ď§ Catwoman
ď§ and moreâŚ
25. ď âresistance identityâ â
marginalised/outcast groups build
âtrenches of resistanceâŚon the basis of
principles different fromâ the
dominant values
e.g. âtraditional values of God, nation,
and the familyâ
(Castells, 8 & 421)
Identity & Cultural Issues
26. Notes of
Interviews
(Jan 2014)
Indian youth in England, UK Indian youth inTamil Nadu,
India
British youth in England, UK
Values/attitudes towards:
Marriage Lifelong, serious
commitment, must love and
support each other, divorce
causes many problems,
against cohabitation and same
sex marriage
Mostly arranged marriages,
divorcees despised; love
marriages, cohabitation and
divorce increasing in cities
Marriage not necessary,
cohabition and divorce
common
Family Parents love and teach
children, children obey
parents, husband and wife
equal say, broken families
destroy childrenâs lives and
future
Parents provide for childrenâs
needs and pass down values,
children must obey parents,
family as first priority,
husbands have final say
Seen as less important, many
broken/ dysfunctional families,
children do not always respect
or obey parents, friends
replace family support and
may lead to gang membership
Sex/
sexuality
Sex before marriage and
homosexuality are wrong,
dating relationships usually get
out of hand, should only
commit to relationship when
seriously considering marriage
Looking at or talking to
opposite sex and dating not
allowed, homosexuality
unacceptable but now more
open in cities due to influence
from western media
Pre-marital sex (by 16yo) and
dating very common,
homosexuality not accepted by
younger teens but becoming
more accepted by older youth
27. Notes of
Interviews
(Jan 2014)
Indian youth in England, UK Indian youth inTamil Nadu,
India
British youth in England, UK
Values/attitudes towards:
Money Must be educated and work
hard to earn money,
necessary for survival but too
much will lead to greed or
abuse
Must study hard and get a
degree, full financial
dependence on parents till
after graduation, view towards
money also dependent upon
parentsâ values
Equated with power and status
(having the same things that
others have is important),
being wealthy means
successful
Religious
beliefs
Strong Christian faith, attend
church regularly from young
(brought by parents), pray and
read the Bible independently
Highly spiritual, choice of
religion decided by parents,
hold on to belief for life even if
it âdoes not make senseâ
Irrelevant and waste of time,
so many religions cannot all be
true so all must be false
Work and
leisure
Complete homework first
then play, but should have
small breaks when working,
too much free time is not good
Complete homework first
then play
Play more important than
studies, high dropout rate,
some youth work in order to
have money to spend on drinks
and hangout with friends
28. ď§ Importance of Family
âHindi film consumption in the diaspora speaks to
first generation Indians desperately trying to sustain
a value system and inculcate the same in their
children that sets them apart from mainstream
society in countries like the US and UK. These
differencesâŚare generally about tradition,
continuity, familyâŚâ
(Aswin Punathambekar, âBollywood in the Indian-American
Diaspora,â in InternationalJournal of Cultural Studies 8 No. 2, 158)
Values of Indian diaspora
30. ď§ Importance of Family
ď§ Patriarchy
ââŚthe NRI was heralded as a role model for
Indians at home thanks toâŚhis retention of
core traditional and often patriarchal values.â
(Therwath, 10)
Values of Indian diaspora
32. ď§ Importance of Family
ď§ Patriarchy
ď§ Emphasis on Education
âIndiansâŚbelieve that hard work, a rigorous
education and familial support are the keys to
their dreams.â
(Narayan Lakshman, quoted in Vinay Lal, âAn Indian-
American Blitzkriegâ)
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Diaspora/SpellingBee.html
Values of Indian diaspora
35. ď Western Popular Media
⢠Realistic
âClassical Hollywood StyleâŚ
There is a strong tendency to avoid
subjective effects, and to maintain the
illusion of âobjectiveâ reality.â
(Brian Baker, âKey Concepts in Film
Studies,â in CinĂŠma DivinitĂŠ, 46)
Socio-religious Issues
36. Reality Shows that Premiered on AmericanTV (Jan 2014)
1. Dance Moms
2. Kim of Queens
3. TheTaste
4. Toned Up
5. Blood, Sweat and Heels
6. The Bachelor
7. My 600-lb Life
8. 100 Days of Summer
9. Face Off
10.American Idol
11.The RealWorld
12.Under the Gunn
13.Here Comes the Honey
Boo Boo
14.The Diamond Collar
15.Momâs Got Game
16.Rich Kids of Beverly Hills
17. Teen Mom 2
http://realitytv.about.com/od/findoutaboutnewshows/fl/Reality-Shows-Premiering-in-January-2014.htm
37. What about Indian films?
âFilms thatâŚaim to appear more ârealisticââŚdo not
fare well at the box-officeâŚfilmmakers are not
overly concerned with realism.â
(Ganti, 29 & 141)
e.g. My Name is Khan
⢠No spectacular song-and-dance scenes except in
authentic settings (wedding, church)
⢠Songs played as incidental music
⢠Scenes where actors sing instead of mime
ď¨Disappointing ranking in India but âhighest grossing
Bollywood film overseas at the timeâ (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Khan#Box_office
38. ď Western Popular Media
⢠Realistic
⢠Provocative, controversial
âFilm has the power to disturb and enlightenâ
(Robert K. Johnston, Reel Spirituality, 87)
e.g. Rolling Stoneâs 10 Best Movies of 2013
#1 â 12Years a Slave
#7 â Captain Phillips
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/10-best-movies-of-2013-20131210
Socio-religious Issues
39. What about Indian films?
2nd-generation Indians in Germany see Indian films
as âcheap and escapist âkitschâ,â where âgood
finally winning in the last moment, the hero always
conquering the gal.â (Brosius, 232)
e.g. Dil Se
⢠Story of female suicide bomber
⢠âEnds in a bomb-embraced deathâ
ď¨ââŚflopped at the Indian box officeâ but âbroke
box-office recordsâ in the UK
(Shohini Chaudhuri, ContemporaryWorld Cinema, 172)
40. ď Western Popular Media
⢠Realistic
⢠Provocative, controversial
ď Racism
e.g. surveyed South Asians in Britain
âsuspected that they were being given the
cold shoulder because of their race.â
(Tariq Modood, âCulture and Identity,â in Ethnic
Minorities in Britain, 296)
Socio-religious Issues
41. My Name is Khan, https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=108256552610772
42. ď Western Popular Media
⢠Realistic
⢠Provocative, controversial
ď Racism
ď Spirituality
e.g. more than one-third of Indians in Britain
viewed religion as important compared to
only 5% of whites (Modood, 356)
Socio-religious Issues
57. ⢠Switching to contrast two
opposite âworldsâ
⢠Black & white vs colour
Film Editing & Pacing
58. ⢠Switching to contrast two
opposite âworldsâ
⢠Black & white vs colour
⢠Synchronising with music
ď Changing voices
ď Instrumental climax
ď Word âpaintingâ
Film Editing & Pacing
59. ⢠Switching to contrast two
opposite âworldsâ
⢠Black & white vs colour
⢠Synchronising with music
ď Changing voices
ď Word âpaintingâ
⢠Short vs long clips
Film Editing & Pacing