When we think of culture, we automatically think of different people from all around the world and how they dress and look.

 

However, culture can mean a lot of things, it could also be very personal to an individual.

Culture can be described as the way of life of a certain group of people; it could be their customs, ideas, beliefs, values, outlook, attitudes, morals, goals, social behaviours, and arts of a particular group of people or society. These are normally passed along from one generation to another, normally by communication or imitation.

Culture could be displayed in festivals, food, rituals and ceremonies, lifestyle, holidays, architecture, music, belief (religion) and arts & crafts. Here are a few examples.

Festivals,

People like to celebrate special occasions as festivals in towns, cities, and countries all over the world, as dance, music, theatre, arts and crafts. These special events bring people together who share the same interests.

La Mercè Festival, Spain Barcelona city, hosts Catalonia’s greatest street parade – Les Festes de la Mercè, a vibrant festival with nearly 600 events on display. It is held in honour of the city’s patron saint, La Mercè.

Amsterdam Dance Event, The Netherlands Once a year Amsterdam becomes Europe’s capital of electronic music. It is the largest electronic club festival in the world of its kind. The festival features no less than 2,500 artists, from world-famous DJs to upcoming musicians.

Holidays,

These are special days that are celebrated all over the world. Often the country stops work on these days and people have the day off to celebrate. In the UK this is called a bank holiday.

The Chinese New Year celebrations. The Chinese celebrate their own New Year; this is an annual event with celebrations lasting 16 days. The people like to dress up and parade down streets with the Chinese dragon and red lanterns.

Arts and Crafts,

Arts and crafts are especially important in some countries. They symbolise the history and culture of that country and show off handicrafts from centuries ago that are still shown and produced to this day. Often, a country can be identified by its arts and crafts. For example.

The Ukrainian culture is of traditional folk art, bright colours, hand cross-stitched embroidery, Cossack dancing, lots of singing of folk songs and plenty of food, food plays an especially important part in Ukrainian culture.

Ukrainian hand-sewn embroidery on traditional costumes and hand-painted eggs for Easter.

 

Folk Art

We learnt that people from around the world have different cultures and sometimes display some of this in an art form. Some countries we looked at were Mexico, Africa, Japan and India. Mexico has a celebration that they celebrate every year called ‘Dia de Los Muertos’ (day of the dead) Mexicans celebrate and remember the people they have lost, they pray for relatives and friends that have died. The people like to dress up in bright costumes and wear face makeup to look like dead people. A white face made to look like a skull with face paint. There is an excellent film that shows this to its best, a very positive representation. It’s called ‘Coco’

Here is a picture of the celebration ‘Dia de Los Muertos’

You can buy these skulls that show Mexicos Folk Art

In Japan the Folk Art is very detailed, there are paintings done in watercolour of Geisha women with very pale white skin, traditional hairstyles, usually wearing a kimono and featuring cherry or wisteria blossom.

A Japanese lady a typical folk art painting

African folk art is also very traditional in that the people are mostly painted in a silhouette or linear style or the faces have no features. They like to use earthy colours of oranges, browns and yellows in their paintings. The people are dressed in traditional costumes that have abstract patterns. African people are often seen dancing or carrying food and water jugs.

African Folk Art

Indian folk art can be very colourful, detailed and ornate, often with people and gods in paintings shown abstractly. They are not subtle but are dazzling. The ladies are often seen in sari dress and are wearing lots of bangles and jewellery. Their features, especially the eyes, are often exaggerated.

Indian Folk Art

 

Folklore

Folklore is how people express themselves, how they see themselves and their culture. Can include traditional folktales, customs, traditional beliefs and mythology. Trolls are mythological creatures believed to exist by some people in Sweden and Scandinavian countries.

For my Culture Brief, I need to research what culture could mean to me or other people.

Media and Film

 

I could look at culture in media and film. How TV and digital communication shape society, what sort of influence and effect it can have on the audience.

Characteristics, There are many formats, for example, Tv, computer, other devices, YouTube streaming, etc. These can be limited by companies, audience or genres.

Conventions, Media portraying factual events, new or old. To be creative and make new content.

Opportunities, I could make a short film, a documentary or a clip. I could use new skills and techniques that I haven’t used before.

Examples, Franchise fandoms The effects of advertisements.

Music & Live Events

I could look at culture in music and live events. How this has brought people together, people liking the same music then getting to meet and make new friends at gigs and festivals, etc. I could also look at the negatives of such big events, like large music concerts, all the litter left behind, the very loud noise, drug effects, the effects on residents that live nearby, etc. Also, how music can make a person feel, happy, sad, thoughtful, etc.

Characteristics Can be big gatherings of people in a small area, drugs could be on the scene and drinking alcohol, causing people to get lost in the moment, lots of dancing, singing, shouting, etc.

A quiet concert, where people sit and listen to an orchestra playing classical music, or theme, soundtrack music to films, etc.

Conventions, people are all interested in the same music etc. very supportive of each other. People can become free spirits enjoying the show with like-minded people. They enjoy the same songs and artists. People can show their personalities, relax and enjoy.

Opportunities, Music Videos- highlight and utilise tropes. Live events- capture moments and opinions.

Examples, Tomorrowland, Glastonbury and Download festivals. Rise of K-POP foreign music.

Games & Streaming

   

I am interested in Games & Streaming and may consider this topic for my culture brief. I am a gamer, so this could suit me very well. I could look at what sort of games are available, interest people and how they might react to them. Does gaming change a person, their behaviour, etc? For example, does playing a violent game make someone violent?! Does playing a calm, relaxing game change someone to make them more content and happy?

Characteristics, you can find this on all social media and it is influenced by it too! For example, on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. It relies on constant content, attention, and relevance.

Conventions, mostly young people, are interested in gaming and streaming. They are the ones that sit in their rooms at home playing games and streaming, using modern tech. Older people are not interested as it is not part of their generation.

It can be a very good and viable career.

Opportunities, Animation, short film, advert, graphics. I could choose a game or a certain type of gamer to discuss, talk about in my brief. I could advertise a game in an advert or design graphics for a new game.

Examples, Violent games = violent people Twitch and YouTube uprising.

People & Lifestyle                  

 

I could look at different people, their way of life and what they enjoy doing or how they are treated in society. I could look at equality, are people treated the same regardless of culture, the colour of their skin, etc. Everyone is different and everyone acts, behaves, talks likes and specialises in different things.

Characteristics, all people have their own story, but also, like to share features, magazines, adverts and especially social media.

Conventions, The modern world is simultaneously accepting and can be backwards especially with gender equality and sometimes with a person’s race or colour.

Influencers and social media can play a big part in the way people react to others or their society.

Opportunities, I could make a documentary about my own experiences, family members or friends. Maybe how someone was treated at school by their peers just because they were different, they had a different religion or belief that wasn’t the same as everyone else, and because of this they were picked out and made fun of because they didn’t fit in.

I could do a poster campaign and showcase minority cultures such as African Americans, women, and immigrants that have not been treated fairly and discriminated against.

Examples, Black Lives Matter // Religious, family, or local heritage.

Theme Parks

Some people are addicted to going to theme parks. They crave the excitement, thrill and sometimes the fear of rides. This is their culture. Some are coaster enthusiasts, thrill-seekers and adrenaline junkies. Not only do they visit theme parks around the country or world, but they also watch endless Roller coaster YouTubers by binge-watching, they wait longer in the queue to get a better seat on a ride, front row or back depending on the coaster. Also, build their own coasters. There is a club that people interested in coasters can join called ‘The Roller Coaster Club Of Great Britain’ (RCCGB) this is a social group where enthusiasts from all over the world can be united, currently there are over 1000 members from 15 different countries that all share a passion for roller coasters.

I could look at different theme parks around the world like Cedar Point and Six Flags, How theme parks bring in more guests to the parks, How theme parks make guests want to come back again, What ideas they come up with for new attractions, and many more.

Logos of UK theme parks:                                                   Cedar point:                                      A Six Flags theme park:

Characteristics they appeal towards different age groups. People want to go to them for a thrill or for a place to escape to for a day. Every theme park has unique attractions. People like to visit theme parks because it’s “to go on the rides” mostly,  but it is also a day out with friends and family, or take pictures to post on social media.

Conventions, There are many rides with different height requirements and the appearance of the attraction which appeal to different age groups. Many rides are made by different manufacturers like B&M, Intamin, Vekoma, and many more. A lot of theme park enthusiasts want to travel to different countries to visit different theme parks to go on with their newest attraction. A new roller coaster opens in a theme park and it’s a type of ride that is really popular with many people, so they would go there to ride it and review it.

Opportunities, I could make a video where I visit one park and talk about some facts about them like their roller coasters, etc. I could make an animation about a theme park. I could make a documentary about a theme park.

Examples, UK theme parks like Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Theme parks need to bring in more guests to their parks to gain revenue. They bring in additional attractions like roller coasters, so guests are interested in visiting the park. For example, Universal Orlando Florida is always looking at ways to keep their fans coming back to their parks. For example, ticket sales increased dramatically since The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Bringing many young and older fans from around the world to the park to experience the many coasters and attractions available. Such rides are Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Harry Potter and the forbidden journey and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

I have decided that theme parks will be my chosen culture

Synopsis: This is just a brief idea. If I do a vlog, I visit a theme park, most likely Alton Towers, with a friend to learn about the rides and attractions and how they bring guests to their park. The research in this is the facts that I learn about Alton Towers and its current attractions and former attractions. If I do animation, it will be about the top 10 best roller coasters in the world. I chose this culture because it is a unique idea and there is quite a vast culture in theme parks as many people travel the world for a roller coaster’s opening day, and people like going to theme parks for entertainment and an escape from reality as they get taken into many themed worlds. Sometimes people enjoy theme parks for a thrilling experience like going on the most intense rides, and some people are not fans of intense rides and they enjoy more gentle rides and roller coasters that don’t have intense airtime and inversions. Therefore, some theme parks are aimed towards different age groups: some theme parks want their rides to be geared up more towards families, some want their rides to be more intense and thrilling for the roller coaster enthusiasts, some theme parks are a bit of both. People go on roller coasters mainly to experience airtime, so most roller coasters have airtime hill elements on them to appease the roller coaster fans.

I will make either a vlog at Alton Towers where I explain various facts about the rides and attractions and the park itself, if I don’t end up visiting a theme park, I will make an animation of the best roller coasters in the world or make a steampunk style roller coaster.