My social action video is aimed at teenagers because their the ones that get caught up in gun and knife crime , I want the video to stop people picking up knives.
"According to the most recent available Census data, there are 25.6 million individuals in the 12- to 17-year-old age group. The population of 15- to 17-year-olds is slightly greater than that of 12- to 14-year-olds. As in other young age groups, male teens outnumber their female counterparts. Males account for 51.2% of those in the 14- to 17-year-old age group".
Television
"Most teenagers watch television, but usually there are points in the year where they watch more than average. This is due to programs coming on in seasons, so they will watch a particular show at a certain time for a number of weeks (as long as it lasts) but then they may watch no television for weeks after the program has ended.
Teenage boys (generally) watch more TV when it is the football season, often watching two games and related shows a week (totalling about 5 hours of viewing). A portion of teenagers watches programs that are regular (such as soap operas) at least five times a week for half an hour or so but this portion is shrinking, as it is hard to find the time each day.
Teenagers are also watching less television because of services such as BBC iPlayer, which allows them to watch shows when they want. Whilst watching TV, adverts come on quite regularly (18 minutes of every hour) and teenagers do not want to watch these, so they switch to another channel, or do something else whilst the adverts run.
The majority of teenagers I speak to have Virgin Media as their provider, citing lower costs but similar content of Sky. A fraction of teenagers have Freeview but these people are light users of TV (they watch about 1 ½ hours per week) so they do not require the hundreds of channels that other providers offer".
Mobile Phones
"99% of teenagers have a mobile phone and most are quite capable phones. The general view is that Sony Ericsson phones are superior, due to their long list of features, built in walkman capability and value (£100 will buy a mid-high range model). Teenagers due to the risk of it getting lost do not own mobile phones over the £200 mark. As a rule, teenagers have phones on pay as you go. This is because they cannot afford the monthly payments, and cannot commit to an 18-month contract. Usually, teenagers only use their phone for texting, calling.
Features such as video messaging or video calling are not used –because they are expensive, (you can get four regular texts for the price of one video message). Services such as instant messaging are used, but not by everyone. It usually depends whether the phone is Wi-Fi compatible, because otherwise it is very expensive to get internet off the phone network. As most teenagers' phones have Bluetooth support, and Bluetooth is free, they utilise this feature often. It is used to send songs and videos (even though it is illegal) and is another way teenagers gain songs for free. Teenagers never use the ringtone and picture selling services, which gained popularity in the early 00s. This is because of the negative press that these services have attracted (where the charge £20 a week with no easy way to cancel the service) and the fact that they can get pictures and music on a computer –then transfer it to their phones at no cost. Mobile email is not used as teenagers have no need; they do not need to be connected to their inbox all the time as they don't receive important emails. Teenagers do not use the internet features on their mobiles as it costs too much, and generally, if they waited an hour they could use their home internet and they are willing to wait as they don't usually have anything urgent to do.
Teenagers do not upgrade their phone very often, with most upgrading every two years. They usually upgrade on their birthday when their parents will buy them a new phone, as they do not normally have enough money to do it themselves".
I am probably going to use archive footage in some form or another because I probably wont be able to get footage of actual gangs and I dont really want to be around criminals carrying knives but I feel footage like this is relevant to my video and should be in there.
Any footage that I use , take or borrow from somebody else will be fully written up and I will have gained their full permission to use.
A production time line (dates of filming, interviews, cut away)
The first step I intend to take with this project is organising the date for my interview , after having a few emails to and from Jamie Green from Swipe Music he has agreed to meet with me on the 15th of October.
With the interview in place I can now request to borrow the equiptment that Im going to need on that day so everything is in place to start filming my production.
After gathering my footage and completing the interview I intend to start thinking about gathering interviews with the general public and gathering opinions on the issue. I would also like to get some footage of areas that are well known for knife crime and see if I can get anything interesting , all of this filming is likely to happen over the course of a couple weeks.
Once I have gathered all of my footage I will begin editing using Premier Pro , Il probably add some relevant archive footage in to mix things up a bit and keep the audience engaged.
Outline for production
Take all equiptment into Slough
Film interview with Jamie Green from Swipe Music
Take all equiptment too
Interview pedestrians in Slough town centre
Take all equiptment too
Interview Students in College
Take all equiptment
Film any relevant footage , knives , guns etc . .
Will just need a computer and a memory stick
Gather archive footage
Im going to do my best to keep the budget for this production as low as possible whilst still maintaining the highest quality footage possible here is a list of some of the things and equiptment that Im going to need..
Camera
Im going to borrow a camera from college , this will save me having to rent out a camera but it means Im going to have to arrange a day that I can borrow it and am going to be responsible for somebody else's camera.
A camera is the most important part of equiptment so forgetting the camera or messing up the organising of the interview could potentially ruin the project.
Tripod
Im going to borrow a tripod from college , the same rules apply to this as this camera so I need to be careful and organised.
Im also going to try and borrow a second camera so I can have different angles in my video , I dont know if this is going to be possible due to a limited number of cameras but hopefully I can sort this out.
Food
The only thing that Im really going to be paying for during this project is the food I eat when Im out filming , the rest of the project is covered and can be done for free.
Reason for following this issue – I feel that knife crime is a major problem in the local area and it’s associated with people my age. I have various different leads to follow as far as interviews and opinions go and feel that I can make a really strong and potentially useful social action video.
Length of Production – I would like the production to be about five minutes long and this will give me time to fit in a few proper interviews and then maybe some archive footage. I don’t want to go over this time limit because I think I might lose the attention of the audience.
Interviewees in Production - I have organized an interview with a man called Jamie Green who works for a charity organization called Swipe Music, their based in Slough so I will have to travel to get this interview.
I’m going to include interviews with Students and try and gather an idea of how the youth feel about this problem.
Production Angle – I intend to approach this project with a one sided view and that’s that knives and guns need to be off the street , so all interviews all archive footage come from the side of victims or people who strongly against knife crime.
This video needs to make people sad , angry and feel like they need to do something about knife crime so it’s important that I bare this in mind when putting the video together.
Production Layout – I want to open with a Bold Title then lead on to some archive footage of weapons and knife crime with a narrator talking the whole time and then lead onto some of the interviews that I have gathered. I want to add in slightly more positive images and put on a soundtrack as this is the part of the video I want to make people want to join in.
Target Audience – This video is mainly for students and young kids as they are usually the ones exposed to this kind of thing.
Research into organisations doing similar projects
Crimestoppers
"
We are an independent charity helping to find criminals and help solve crimes.
We run the anonymous 0800 555 111 phone number that you can call to pass on information about crime. Alternatively people can pass us information anonymously via this website, using our Giving Information Form.
Callers don't have to give their name or any personal information and calls cannot be traced. This means you won't need to appear in court or give a statement to the police".
Crimestoppers allow people to call in and give information on any criminal activity that have knowledge about anonymously, alot of crimes go unreported because people fear that they will be in trouble with gangs and criminals if they decide to report to the police.
Fearless
"Youth workers
from Fearless, our brand for 11 to 16-year-olds, hold workshops in schools and
youth clubs on crime. These sessions cover a variety of crimes, including knife
crime. We also produce free Fearless knife crime posters, which you can order
from the Fearless.org website". Fearless are a non profit organisation dedicated to informing and educating young people about the issue of knife and gun crime in schools and communities. They go into schools all around the country and host workshops and talks to try and drive crime figures.
Drop the Guns
Drop the Guns is a charity whos main focus is to inform and educate about knife crime and they are the main reference that people turn to when the issue is raised. Although they are a charity they also recieve some funding from the metropolitan police.
This charity is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for when I chose to make a social action video on gun and knife crime , they have several videos aimed at the youth and their all extremely relevant to my project and have given me lots of ideas for mine.
Mothers Against Violence
Mother against violence is a charity who provide support and after care for families that have lossed loved ones and friends. This charities is alot less about reducing knife crime and teaching people but more about tidying up the mess that it creates and making sure people have somebody to talk to.
The founders of this charity have been directed sufferes from knife crime e.g. losing children so they can really relate to the people that come to them for support.
0"I
recently dealt with a case at the St Albans Crown Court involving a young man
of 18 years of age who had been charged and convicted of an offence of being in
possession of a firearm.
Charges of firearm
possession or gun possession now carry minimum sentences, and the minimum
sentence that this young man was facing was 5 years imprisonment.
You may feel pressure from other people at school to rebel and 'roll with a
tool' but carrying a knife is dangerous for you and other people. It is likely
that in a few years the people you see with knives or guns now will be in prison
or dead.
It has been proven that if you carry a knife or weapon you are
more likely to be targeted by people who want to hurt you, and more likely to be
injured or even die because of this.
If you feel like you are in danger
or are worried, you can call ChildLine on 0800 1111. If you feel that it is an
emergency you can call the police on 999 and they will help you. You shouldn’t
ever have to feel scared.
People who carry guns of knives may not ever plan to use them or hurt anyone.
They may find themselves in a situation that gets out of control and feel like
they have no choice but to use their weapon.
There are a number of different rules that apply to knives, and although it may not always seem clear what is legal and what isn't, theres now a set of laws that tryto make the rules simpler to understand.
The main things you should be aware of are:
its illegal to buy most types of knife if youre under 18
anyone over 16 can be charged and taken to court if theyre caught with an illegal knife even if its the first time theyve been stopped by the police
if you're under 16 and are caught carrying a knife, you could receive a community sentence or a detention and training order
you could be searched at any time if the police officer or a teacher thinks you may be carrying a knife
even if youre carrying a knife that youre legally allowed to (like a penknife with a blade thats shorter than three inches), it becomes illegal if you use it as a weapon to threaten or harm anyone
The maximum sentence for anyone found guilty of carrying an illegal knife is now four years. If you injure someone or use a knife to commit a crime the penalties could be far worse.
The murder rate in England and Wales rose by 5% last year to 636 but overall crime remained stable or even fell despite the August riots, according to Home Office figures.
The quarterly crime figures covering the 12 months to September 2011, however, reveal a worrying rise in robbery and some kinds of theft, including a 10% rise in robberies at knifepoint to 15,313.
Basic laws on knives
It is illegal to:
sell a knife of any kind (including cutlery and kitchen knives) to anyone under 18
carry a knife in public without good reason
carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife (the list of banned knives is below)
use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)
Knives with folding blades, like Swiss Army knives, are not illegal as long as the blade is 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less.
Lock knives (knives with blades that can be locked when unfolded) are not folding knives, and are illegal to carry in public.
The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and a fine of £5,000.
Knives that are illegal
There is a complete ban on the sale of some knives:
flick knives (also called ‘switchblades’ or ‘automatic knives’) - where the blade is hidden inside the handle and shoots out when a button is pressed
butterfly knives - where the blade is hidden inside a handle that splits in two around it, like wings; the handles swing around the blade to open or close it
disguised knives – eg where the blade is hidden inside a belt buckle or fake mobile phone
gravity knives
sword-sticks
samurai swords
hand or foot-claws
push daggers
kubotan (cylindrical container, holding spikes)
shuriken (also known as ‘death stars’ or ‘throwing stars’)
kusari-gama (sickle attached to a rope, cord or wire)
kyoketsu-shoge (hook-knife attached to a rope, cord or wire)
kusari (weight attached to a rope, cord or wire)
This is not a complete list of banned knives. If you want to check if a knife is illegal or not you should contact your local police force.
Chinese teenager 'kills eight in knife attack'
A teenager has killed eight people
and wounded five others in a knife attack in China's Liaoning province, state
media says.
The attack happened late on Wednesday in Yongling township, a Xinhua report
said.
Those killed included two relatives of the suspect's girlfriend and six other
people, the report said. The injured were receiving treatment, it added.
The suspect was detained by police at the scene.
State media said the 17-year-old killed two of his girlfriend's relatives
"after having conflicts" with his girlfriend.
He killed the other six people "while fleeing the scene", it said.
No other details were immediately available.
Violent crime has been in the spotlight in China since a string of incidents
in 2010 involving lone individuals targeting children in apparently random
attacks.
Teen Knife Crime looks at the statistics behind the headlines, and questions whether knife crime really is on the increase. The display examines the reasons why young people may choose to carry a knife, but also looks at the valuable work undertaken by inspirational young campaigners.
London's Metropolitan Police are urging teenage boys to "choose a different ending" in a new interactive publicity campaign running on YouTube. The campaign, filmed from the point of view of a teenage boy, allows users to interact with a series of films and decides what happens next.
Almost four London teenagers a day are victims of knife violence. And more than seven youngsters are robbed at knifepoint in the capital every day according to UK Home Office statistics that lay bare the threat blades pose for teens.
Young people are carrying knives without thinking about the consequences, which can include being scarred for life, maimed or even killed. London's Metropolitan Police are adopting an innovative tactic in the war against the scourge of knife crime which is ruining the lives of many young people throughout the capital.
The premise behind the latest campaign is to show young people the consequences of decisions they make: choosing to carry a knife or not. The campaign aims to dispel the myth that carrying a knife gives protection and to provoke youngsters to think carefully about their decisions by showing them the consequences of carrying a knife: death, family shame, prison.
Commander Mark Simmons, head of Operation Blunt 2, said: "The campaign reflects our key messages to young people that carrying a knife can have serious consequences, and that before they choose to do so, they need to stop and think about their actions."
Knife City, a spoof computer game in which a hooded youth is stabbed in a fight on a housing estate, was the centrepiece of an earlier campaign created for the Met in an attempt to reduce knife crime. The action follows a youth as he encounters a gang on the street, a fight starts and, as he is stabbed, animation gives way to live action.
Documentary-style footage then takes over as bystanders watch in horror and an ambulance arrives. The attacker is then taken to a police station where his computer generated self fades to live action as the reality of his situation becomes clear.
Violent street robbery in the UK is often carried out because of a desire to fight, to put right perceived injustice, to increase "street cred" or even just for "kicks". One offender said he was addicted to it. "It weren't even for money. It was just — I had money; it was more like the buzz you get from doing things. I was more addicted to robbing than I was to drugs." One element in the excitement came from overpowering the victim and obtaining dominance. "It's for the fun. 'Cos the point of street robbery is to get them to fight back, innit? I'd give him a couple of slaps and tell him to fight back, yeah. If he won't fight back, we just give him a kick and go." Robberies can also be prompted by anger and the desire to start a fight, with cash being taken only as an afterthought. Here the level of violence used is often beyond that required to secure the victim's compliance. "I picked a fight with someone on the street. They were the first people I come across. I started hitting one of them and calling him names and said, 'What are you looking at?' and stuff like that. Then I can't remember how but I started hitting him and then I just jumped on him. Punched him, turned him over, went through his pockets." Some robberies were committed as a kind of informal justice in which the offender felt he or she had righted some wrong done to them.
Almost four London teenagers a day are victims of knife violence. And more than seven youngsters are robbed at knifepoint in the capital every day according to UK Home Office statistics that lay bare the threat blades pose for teens.