The British Media and the London Art Industry - Assignment Example

 The British Media and the London Art Industry Introduction Around the world, the media industry and the art industry are deeply connected in terms of how the media influences art and how art can influence the media. The power of the British media has been felt by kings and prime ministers as well as society itself therefore there is no reason why artists and the art industry should remain immune to it. However, it must be noted that media itself is often an art form since it does present works which may be appreciated or denounced by the public. With examples from the past and the present, it can be shown that the British media affects the London art industry in several significant ways in fields which are as diverse as literature, visual arts, films and even television. Media and London Art Industry The first notable incidence of news reported by the media influencing art comes from Tennyson when he wrote his poem titled The Charge of the Light Brigade. The poem recalls an incident of The Crimean War which was the act of British soldiers acting with incomplete information carrying out a futile attempt to follow their given orders even if the orders meant certain death. As reported by the media of the time, the charge represented the highest traditions of British defence forces and an exemplary feat of bravery. Many members of the media informed the British public that such acts showed our soldiers dedication to the cause (Bachrach, 1997). In reality, the French allies present at the scene saw this action as brave but totally against the concepts of fighting a war with strategy. On the other hand, the Russian combatants thought that the charging British were actually drunk since only then could they be foolish enough to do what they did. However, the charge did achieve its objectives and despite heavy losses, the events were seen as a victory by the media which was celebrated by poets and painters of the time who have since immortalised the entire affair (Bachrach, 1997). The media in London covered the story in detail and the man who ordered the charge, i.e. Lord Lucan came back to London to make a speech at the House of Commons where he was honoured with titles. Even though he never saw active military service again, he was made a general and retired as a Field Marshal (Brighton, 2004). The influence of the media in making heroes and the response given by artists to those who are treated a heroes continues to this day. Today, artists working on the television screen have created new heroes for all of us which particularly include the common person as a hero. For example, these artists create reality shows such as Big Brother and the media responds to them with critical analysis and acts as a forum for public debate. As a medium and as an art form, TV has seen many changes over its history but today the face of television has changed to create an image of reality which is far beyond shows such as Dr. Who or other fantasy worlds which British TV once proudly displayed (Couchman, 2002). The popular shows of the past are seen as escapist while reality based shows today are focused more on individuals who are placed in difficult situations (Couldry, 2002). The British media responds and provides feedback on these changes where some critics say that such shows change the nature of the contemporary television experience since audience participation can act as a force for deciding what could happen on the show. However, others in the same media criticise the shows by saying that they are not real enough. This is because the reality presented in reality shows is constructed with rules and laws created by the directors of the show and these laws do not apply in the real world. Despite what the television channels would like us to believe, it is clear that reality TV is not real, it is simply the illusion of reality (Dutton, 2006). Undeniably, the media changes art and the type of art which is appreciated by the media is more likely to be accepted by the critics and therefore more likely to become popular amongst the people. The reason for that is simple because art does not exist in a vacuum and people as well as the media react to the art which is presented to them. However, in London as in many other cosmopolitan cities, diversity and the nature of the art which is presented to the public can get strong reactions from the media which in turn affects the art industry in positive or negative terms (Aftab, 2002). For example, when the British visual or audio artists represent Muslims as terrorists in dramas or action movies, British media responds by asking for equality and an even-handed approach. At the same time, when the media begins highlighting stories which present Muslims in a less than positive light, it is artists who respond with calls for equality and justice. Of course the present state of world affairs means that it is difficult to out rightly support Muslims who oppose western ideals but both the media and the artists balance each other when it comes to dealing with differences (Ameli et. al. 2007). In fact, the present times are quite different from the World War II era where both the media and the people working in the film industry were completely on the same side. In terms of the films which were produced in London at the time, the war as a common effort and the documentary style which comes as a cross between news media and film presentation showed the public images which were highly supportive of the war effort. The complex relationship between the media and the artists was made stronger in those times because the public was given more than still images in newspapers. The image of the British forces and the documentary footage of the time show the beauty of the work done by the creators of the films of the time (Street, 1997). Films such as In Which We Serve and Went the Day Well? both produced in 1942 were closer to news and events reports than feature films. In 1943 there was more interaction between artists and the media with movie such as We Dive at Dawn and Millions Like Us. Gainsborough Studios had several hit films during the war years such as The Man in Grey (1943) and The Wicked Lady (1945). The media recognised the stars of these and other films in the times after the war which gave them immense popularity. The names of individual artists such as Stewart Granger, Margaret Lockwood and James Mason became household names since the media affected how they were seen by the public and other artists in the UK (Wikipedia, 2006). Conclusion In the final analysis, the British media affects the London art industry in three significant ways. First, it provides inspiration to the artists in terms of the news it reports and the way it presents certain ideas which can lead artists to create new works of art. Second, it provides artists with criticism and feedback on the art they have produced. This criticism can bring the artists a very high level of appreciation, public support and even fame and money if it is positive. On the other hand, with negative criticism, it is possible for an artist to lose support from the public as it was exemplified in the case of the Spice Girls (Savage, 1997). Thirdly and finally, the media acts as a reflector for the art industry in which the artists can see trends, fashions and even the future of the art industry itself. These relationships are mostly healthy and positive for both the artists as well as the media itself therefore it can be hoped that these relationships continue to develop with time. Word Count: 1,528 Works Cited Aftab, K. 2002, ‘Brown: the new black! Bollywood in Britain’, Critical Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 3, pp 88-98. Ameli, D. et. al, 2007, ‘The British Media and Muslim Representation: The Ideology of Demonisation’, [Online] Available at: http://www.ihrc.org.uk/show.php?id=2493 Bachrach, D. 1997, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Lucent Books. Brighton, T. 2004, Hell Riders : The True Story of the Charge of the Light Brigade, Henry Holt and Co. Couchman, D. 2002, ‘The Return of Big Brother: Who Watches Who?’, Challenge Newsline, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 2-3. Couldry, N. 2002, ‘Playing for Celebrity: Big Brother as Ritual Event’, Television and New Media, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 283-293. Dutton, E. 2006. ‘Examining the Big Brother Phenomenon through the Anthropology of Religion’, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, [Online] Available at: http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art12-bigbrother.html Peyser, M. 2004, ‘Why 'Brother' Stays Big’, Newsweek, vol. 144, no. 2, pp. 61-61. Savage, J. 1997, ‘State of the union - use of the British flag by the country's popular music and fashion industries’, [Online] Available at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_n9_v35/ai_19587064 Street, S. 1997, British National Cinema, Routledge. Wikipedia, 2006, ‘Cinema of the United Kingdom’ Wikipedia.org, [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_film_industry Read More