Indian music video presentation

• Tamil Christian music video (Yeasuvae En
Swaasamae by Jeswin Samuel)
The Project
• Target audience:
Indian diaspora
especially youth
• Distributed
throughYoutube
and social media
websites

 “Second largest diaspora in the world”
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA)
http://moia.gov.in/accessories.aspx?aid=10
Rationale – Why Indian diaspora?

http://qz.com/192440/where-everyone-in-the-world-is-migrating-in-one-gorgeous-chart/

 Sense of ‘Indianness’ through film
(Christiane Brosius, “The Scattered Homelands of
the Migrant,” in Bollyworld, 219)
“Overseas Indians share a strong bond
with their country of origin…as witnessed
in the growing popularity of Indian
films…on foreign shores.” (MOIA)
Rationale – Why video?

http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=051806123941
“Because of that
Bollywood song,
I felt a cultural
kinship with this
man.”

“Cinema 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.”
Channel 4, “Part 1: Myths and
Realities,” in The Peacock
Screen (1991)
http://www.indianetzone.com/1/indian_drama.htm

 Sense of ‘Indianness’ through film
 Gap in Christian music videos
Rationale – Why video?

• First Indian film producer Phalke (1870-1944)
• Inspired after watching The Life of Christ in
1910
• Made films “for propagating myths and
stories of the Hindu gods”
• Beginning of Indian feature film industry
Freek L. Bakker, “Shanti Sandesham, a New Jesus Film Produced in India:
Indian Christology in Pictures,” in Exchange 36 no. 1 (2007): 41-64.
Tejaswini Ganti, Bollywood, 8-10.
From Christ to Bollywood…

• Current state of Tamil Christian music videos
From Bollywood back to Christ?
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tamil+christian+worship+songs

Aaradhana Nayakan Neerea by PastorAlwinThomas, http://youtu.be/W-LdIT0iXZw

• 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?

Pyaasi by Swarathma feat. Shubha Mudgal, http://youtu.be/gCii9Pmjxho

 Sense of ‘Indian-ness’ through film
 Gap in Christian music videos
 Connected through internet
“language…is a fundamental attribute of self-
recognition, and of the establishment of an
invisible national boundary…”
Manuel Castells, The Power of Identity,The Information Age:
Economy, Society, and CultureVol. 2, 55.
Rationale – Why online?

• Hindi
• Telugu
• Punjabi
• Tamil
• Gujarati
• Marathi
• Bengali
• Malayalam
• Kannada
Bollywood Box Office onYoutube
http://www.youtube.com/channel/SB_5lM6JjT2PM

 Released twoTamil albums
 Growing international reach (Australia,
France, Germany, India, Malaysia,
Switzerland, UK)
 Promising online presence (over 50,000
views onYoutube channel, exceeded
5,000 FB friends)
 Song – amazing testimony
Rationale – Why Jeswin’s song?

http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=051806123941
“…people of Indian origin…in different
countries, share similarity of experiences
while watching Indian movies,
…construction of a global “public
culture” and an “imagined community.””
‘…cinema is…the contested site where
meanings are negotiated, traditions
made and remade, identities affirmed or
rejected’
(D Bhoopaty, quoted in IngridTherwath, “‘Shining Indians’:
Diaspora and Exemplarity in Bollywood,” in South Asia
Multidisciplinary AcademicJournal 4 (2010), 2)

 “continuity” and “difference” 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, “Cultural Identity and Diaspora”
in KathrynWoodward ed., Identity and
Difference, 53)
Identity & Cultural Issues

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, ‘talk’
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

“Indian cinema, right from its conception”
synthesised native concerns and stories
with technical and stylistic influences from
all over the world, including Hollywood,
into a “very original Indian form.”
(Ketan Mehta, in The Peacock Screen)
“Fusion is the future.”
(“Kaal”, in Krrish 3)

Krrish 3, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-zyYnqqgjY

 Close Encounters of theThird Kind
 ET
 Mask
 Batman (Elfman)
 X-Men
 Loki (fromThor)
 Outbreak
 The Matrix
Which ones did you spot?
 Independence Day
 Erhu
 Lady Gaga
 Rambo
 Iron Man
 Catwoman
 and more…

 “resistance identity” –
marginalised/outcast groups build
“trenches of resistance…on the basis of
principles different from” the
dominant values
e.g. “traditional values of God, nation,
and the family”
(Castells, 8 & 421)
Identity & Cultural Issues

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 children’s lives and
future
Parents provide for children’s
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

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
parents’ 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 ‘does not make sense’
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

 Importance of Family
“Hindi 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
differences…are generally about tradition,
continuity, family…”
(Aswin Punathambekar, “Bollywood in the Indian-American
Diaspora,” in InternationalJournal of Cultural Studies 8 No. 2, 158)
Values of Indian diaspora

 Patriarchy
“…the NRI was heralded as a role model for
Indians at home thanks to…his retention of
core traditional and often patriarchal values.”
(Therwath, 10)

3 Idiots, http://youtu.be/vgUWkR11Roc

 Patriarchy
 Emphasis on Education
“Indians…believe that hard work, a rigorous
education and familial support are the keys to
their dreams.”
(Narayan Lakshman, quoted in Vinay Lal, “An Indian-
American Blitzkrieg”)
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Diaspora/SpellingBee.html

 Western Popular Media
• Realistic
“Classical Hollywood Style…
There is a strong tendency to avoid
subjective effects, and to maintain the
illusion of ‘objective’ reality.”
(Brian Baker, “Key Concepts in Film
Studies,” in Cinéma Divinité, 46)
Socio-religious Issues

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.Mom’s 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

What about Indian films?
“Films that…aim to appear more “realistic”…do not
fare well at the box-office…filmmakers are not
overly concerned with realism.”
(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
Disappointing ranking in India but “highest grossing
Bollywood film overseas at the time” (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Khan#Box_office

• Realistic
• Provocative, controversial
“Film has the power to disturb and enlighten”
(Robert K. Johnston, Reel Spirituality, 87)
e.g. Rolling Stone’s 10 Best Movies of 2013
#1 – 12Years a Slave
#7 – Captain Phillips
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/10-best-movies-of-2013-20131210

What about Indian films?
2nd-generation Indians in Germany see Indian films
as “cheap and escapist ‘kitsch’,” where “good
finally winning in the last moment, the hero always
conquering the gal.” (Brosius, 232)
e.g. Dil Se
• Story of female suicide bomber
• “Ends in a bomb-embraced death”
”…flopped at the Indian box office” but “broke
box-office records” in the UK
(Shohini Chaudhuri, ContemporaryWorld Cinema, 172)

• Realistic
 Racism
e.g. surveyed South Asians in Britain
“suspected that they were being given the
cold shoulder because of their race.”
(Tariq Modood, “Culture and Identity,” in Ethnic
Minorities in Britain, 296)

My Name is Khan, https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=108256552610772

• Realistic
 Racism
 Spirituality
e.g. more than one-third of Indians in Britain
viewed religion as important compared to
only 5% of whites (Modood, 356)

• Focus on family
• Patriarchal setting
Plot

• Focus on family
• Emphasis on education
Plot

• Focus on family
• Implied racism
Plot

• Focus on family
• Implied racism
• Spiritual encounters
Plot

Light & Camera Angle
(Ted Turnau,
Popologetics, 225-227)

• Close-ups to show emotions

• Dark to light

• Dark to light
• Closed to open

Film Editing & Pacing
(Turnau, 225-227)

• Switching to contrast two
opposite ‘worlds’
• Black & white vs colour

• Synchronising with music
 Changing voices
 Instrumental climax
 Word ‘painting’

• Synchronising with music
 Changing voices
 Word ‘painting’
• Short vs long clips

Character Development
(Turnau, 225-227)

• Transformation

• Transformation
• Reconciliation

Relationship with
Real World
(Turnau, 225-227)

• Diaspora setting and identity
 Multi-ethnic
 Western attire
 Western buildings
 Indian decor
Relationship with Real World

• Tamil
• English translation
Language

• Time
• Budget
• Lack of experience
Constraints

• Creative use of resources
• Discovery of talents
• Enthusiasm & support
Strengths

Indian music video presentation

Indian music video presentation

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