Beyond the Screen - HNC Media (Clydebank) students

Beyond
The
Photograph: Julie Laing
Screen
Produced by
HNC Media (Clydebank) students

SHOWCASE
of West College Scotland (Clydebank) student work
Preview Tuesday 20 June 1830 - 2000
Open to public Wednesday 21 June 1200 - 1700
Awestruck Gallery, 75 Kilbowie Rd, Clydebank G81 1BL
Kevin Murney NC Photography
Kevin Murney NC Photography
Angela Jacobs NC Interior Design and Architecture
Frank Graham NC Photography

CONTENTS
25-26 United Passions Review
Letter from the Editor
Beyond the Screen is a student magazine made by students for students. This publication
brings together a collection of articles on topics surrounding the current media industry.
It hopes to bring light to some issues that are plaguing the film industry today such as
LGBT+ under-representation and the unoriginality in Hollywood.
I would like to thank everyone who was involved in creating this magazine. I would also
like to thank you, the reader, for giving this a read. I hope that you find these articles
enjoyable and informative.
All the best.
Samantha Carmichael
Discussion
2-3 Humans vs Technology
4-6 Originality in Hollywood
6-7 Horror is Dead
8-9 A Screen Odyssey
9-12 Film Marketing
Culture
13-15 Anime’s influence on
Western Culture
16-19 LGBTQI in Cinema
20-23 Taylor Bennett’s Broad
Shoulders
Theater
23-24 Evolution of Theatre
Review

Discussion Page 2
Do Films Predict
the Future?
With modern technology expanding at such a rapid pace, are films
and television responsible for encouraging inventors to make fantasy
a reality?
By Garry Bennett
We have a habit of taking
our current lives for granted.
This extends to modern
technology. But what we
take for granted was once
considered fantasy, a fable
of a far future that no-one
expected to see. In some
cases, however, people do
see. I’m talking about TV
and film predicting the
future.
Of course, some things
that were predicted haven’t
happened; I’m still
anticipating the arrival of
the ‘back to the future’
hoverboard any day, but
TV and film have had an
undeniable impact on present
technology. One series
from the 1960s predicted
many future technological
leaps; that program was
‘Star Trek’.
One man who lived during
the run of the original
series of ‘Star Trek’ was
Eric Spence. He said: “I
recently watch one of the
original Star Trek episodes.
It was a standard episode
of the space opera but I
realised how accurately the
technology in that universe
predicted what we would
eventually have. The most
obvious is the handheld
communicator which became
the modern day mobile
phone.” The show also
went on to predict tablets
and even video calls.

Page 3
Discussion
We are now over 50 years
away from the original series
of ‘Star Trek’ but films
that were released more
recently have done a good
job of keeping up with
foretelling. Former media
student Andrew Lowing
said:
“I think that the way technology
has caught up with
what we once perceived
as the future is remarkable.
I remember watching
‘Minority Report’ (2002)
and thinking how amazing
it would be to have touch
screen computers. Now it
is a very common technology
that one forgets that it
was once a fantasy.”
So what kinds of technology
do current film and tv
shows predict we may have
in the future. In season
2 of the brilliant ‘Black
Mirror’, a woman who is
grieving after the death of
her husband downloads
an app that can create a
facsimile of him based on
his online activity, such as
social media posts. This in
itself is beyond the reach
of current technology, but
this is the opening of the
rabbit hole.
The app then offers her an
upgrade to her ‘package’
which will allow the AI to
phone her directly and will
possess the voice of her
husband. This is a creepy
prospect of what is still
well within the bounds of
our technology. The next
upgrade for the package
raises moral complications
as the company sends the
grieving wife a full sized
and fully functional version
of her husband. It speaks,
thinks and has sex with the
wife before she starts to
realise the consequences of
her choices.
Technology like this could
lead down a dark road for
humanity. At what stage of
this process would we start
to consider this new ‘being’
an actual life form? There
are also seedy implications
of this technological development.
We all know that
there are people out there
who would have no quarrel
with hacking someone and
stealing their internet history.
What if someone was
to hack a celebrity and sell
their ‘personality’ online to
those truly lonely weirdoes
out there in the real world?
Grief-stricken individuals
suffering from rejection or
coping with death would
find it hard to pass up the
opportunity.
We are all human after all,
but maybe in 100 years’
time, we won’t be anymore.
Is this where technology
is leading us? To a world
where it surpasses our
humanity? Or are the
developments predicted
just works of fiction that
will never see the light of
day? One can only hope we
remember to think before
we click.

Discussion Page 4
Unoriginality in
Hollywood?
More and more film releases these days feel more and more
repetitive. This makes us ask the question; has Hollywood run out of
ideas?
By Ronan Ferris
It has long been felt that
a lack of originality exists
within Hollywood. When
looking at many of the
films released in the last
ten years, for example,
it is clear to see that
prequels, sequels, and
remakes truly dominate
the film industry. The
highest grossing films of
2016 included ‘Captain
America: Civil War’,
‘Finding Dory’, and
‘Batman v Superman:
Dawn of Justice’. While
for the most part there
can be no disputing the
quality of these films, they
each definitively represent
the reboot state of
creativity in Hollywood.
A number of large-scale
films were released in
2016. But, instead of
feeling like a groundbreaking
year for cinema
and storytelling, it felt
more like Hollywood’s
desperate attempt to
Fan Artwork: Lego Batman vs Superman
cash in and tug on the
heartstrings of fans who
will certainly flock to their
local cinema for a dose
of nostalgia. Nostalgia is
the key word here. Rather
than taking creative risks,
directors are opting to
play it safe. With classic
films such as ‘Star Wars’,
‘Rocky’ and ‘Jurassic
Park’ receiving the new
sequel/prequel treatment,
it has become all too
common for directors to
simply recycle the plot
from previous films and
include familiar faces and

Page 5
Discussion
Live Action Remakes: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
locations in the hope that
it will hide this strategy.
It should be noted that
when an established
franchise takes on a new
director, considerable
pressure is placed upon
them. It takes a lot for
a director to balance
fan expectation whilst
also promising them
something fresh and
exciting. I’m certain J.J.
Abrams could attest to
that.
The biggest culprit in all
of this is Disney. HNC
Media student Sinead
Keogh had this to say:
“In the last few years I
do think the film industry
has struggled. I honestly
don’t think there’s been
much to get excited about.
In terms of originality it’s
obvious there’s no creative
drive. Disney, for example,
has been doing live-action
remakes of their animated
films. While they might be
successful films there’s no
denying it. It’s not exactly
original.”
Disney is one of the
world’s largest media
conglomerates, but it’s
no exaggeration that
they’re on their last limb
creatively. The majority
of their stories are based
on old fairytales and
books. In fact, a lot of the
Disney Princess stories
come from Grimm’s
tales and other pieces of
folklore. The problem
with that is there are now
no more stories to tell,
hence, the increase in
live action remakes and
endless sequels stemming
from acclaimed original
films such as Finding
Nemo, Monsters Inc., and
Toy Story, to name a few.
Disney clearly hasn’t heard
of the term ‘too much
of a good thing’ if their
recent announcements
are anything to go by.
They revealed that, as
well as releasing a new
Star Wars film every year,
three Marvel films will
be released annually as
the studio begins phase

Discussion Page 6
three of their superhero
franchise. In doing
this, Disney risks over
saturation. Think about it.
When Star Wars Episode
7 was released it was truly
an event; however, by
releasing an instalment
annually Disney risks it
becoming commonplace,
just as the Marvel films
have become.
So, how can things
change? Well, we have to
start with ourselves. We
can’t blame Hollywood for
their lack of ideas; after
all, we aren’t stopping
them. If we stopped
buying tickets to every
reboot, sequel, and spinoff
that’s released, they
wouldn’t be made. Simple
as that. We must continue
to support filmmakers
who are providing us
with new and original
experiences. Instead of
putting more money in
Disney’s pocket perhaps
we should support the
unique voices in the
industry like your Andrea
Arnolds or your Lynne
Ramsays - unless they
start repeating themselves.
Horror is alive.
Horror is dying.
Horror is dead.
Is the ultimate thrill-ride genre dead? It’s a
question all film goers ask themselves every
time they see a new horror movie debuting in
theatres. Let’s take an indepth look to see if
horror is dead or not.
By Scott Mcmillan
Some would say it’s been
well over 25 years since
a good, original horror
film was made. Over
the past 25 years we’ve
seen remakes of cult
films such as ‘The Town
That Dreaded Sundown’,
‘Nightmare On Elm Street’
and ‘Halloween’. Little
good and a lot of bad. I
put this down to an overreliance
on jump scares or
“fear frequency” Don’t
know what it is? It’s a
low-frequency sound
that the human ear can’t
hear but it causes the
brain to become scared.
The frequency is meant
to be heard before
earthquakes happen. A
lot of fans are sceptical
about it’s use, but it
might surprise you to
know that this is edited

Page 7
Discussion
into many horror films.
Avid horror fans have
spoken out against this
and the use of jump scares
in modern horror films.
Are they a big negative in
the genre? Recently at the
Glasgow Film Festival, we
caught up with a horror
fan called Liam to give us
his thoughts on these two
“cheap tricks”. He told us:
“I’m not really against
fear frequency. I think it’s
actually pretty cool that
a sound we can’t hear at
a certain frequency can
make you anxious. I just
think it doesn’t take a
genius to throw a “scary”
face on a screen for a
couple seconds and I just
think it cheapens an often
pretty good horror film.”
And the point so far?
There’s a lot of bad in
the modern horror film
genre. At the same time,
there is a lot of good.
For example, modern
day horror movies such
as ‘Insidious’, ‘The Boy’
and ‘The Marble Hornets
series prove horror is still
alive - in a good way.
If you take an overall look
at the film industry in
2017, you’ll notice every
genre relies on remake
after remake. It’s a general
media strategy to increase
profit. Even video games
have remakes camouflaged
as remasters; and albums
are re-released as “digital
deluxe” copies.
Horror isn’t all bad, but it
is a bit lazy. Repeat instead
of create that has become
the motto of many
creative formats.
So, to answer the question,
horror is not dead, but it is
sleepwalking.

Discussion Page 8
A Screen Odyssey
Movie makers take inspiration from many sources. However, is
it possible that what they create can actually change the world
around them?
By Scott Dorman
Just fourteen months
prior to Neil Armstrong’s
iconic “small step for
man” in 1969, MGM
Studios released Stanley
Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space
Odyssey’, which promised
- and undoubtedly
delivered - “a majestic
visual masterpiece”.
Its production took
just over three years to
complete and, thanks to
the revolutionary filming
techniques employed, it
captured imaginations and
to this day stands as one
of the greatest science
fiction features of all time.
Kubrick recruited British
David Bowman: Portrayed by Keir Dullea in 1969’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey
science fiction (and fact)
writer and inventor Arthur
C. Clarke in developing
a scientifically sound
screenplay, with the author
simultaneously producing
a literary version of the
story. ‘2001’ is a cryptic,
trippy tale spanning man’s
evolution from primitive
ape-man to space-faring
humans first encountering
alien life. Each stage in the
evolutionary advancement
is curiously overseen by the
mysterious, haunting black
monolith, which - as is
argued by many a YouTube
user - could possibly
represent the cinema
screen itself. Is Kubrick
using it to emphasise the
transformative power of
cinema? Almost 50 years
on, the film is still massively
influential; former
US President Barack
Obama named it one of
his favourites, saying it
“captures the grandeur and
scale of the unknown”.

Page 9
Discussion
Daniel Blake: Portrayed by Dave Johns in 2016’s I, Daniel Blake
The decades following the
film’s release have spawned
a wave of conspiracy
theories claiming that it
was produced as part of a
‘faked-moon-landing coverup’,
in which Kubrick
supposedly manufactured
the iconic historical footage
in a recreated lunar surface
on a soundstage. Whatever
your personal take, there
is little room for doubt
about the massive influence
that film - or even just the
screen in general - has over
our lives.
Some films are very direct
in their approach to
influencing change, like
2006’s ‘An Inconvenient
Truth’, in which former
US Presidential candidate
Al Gore brought the issue
of climate change into
the global spotlight. The
film’s premise is simple -
Gore stands in front of a
powerpoint and delivers
the facts. Despite having
heard about ‘the hole in the
ozone’ since I was a child,
‘An Inconvenient Truth’
was my first real insight
to the issue. Other films,
like ‘La Haine’ - set amidst
a background of social
unrest and racial tension in
nineties Paris - take a more
subversive approach. The
low budget film follows
twenty-four hours in the
life of a trio of young men
in a troubled housing estate
on the cusp of the French
capital. It became a box
office hit and made such a
powerful statement that the
then Prime Minister, Alain
Juppe, ordered a mandatory
screening for his cabinet
ministers.
We’re not stuck for choice.
Films like ‘I, Daniel Blake’
by Ken Loach - which
raises deabte around the
extent of the effects of
government reform to
the benefits system in
Britain was discussed in
Parliament. And ‘Blood
Diamond’ - which unveiled
the brutality behind the
diamond trade in Sierra
Leone - spoke to an
audience well beyond the
confines of the picture hall.
Can film change the world?
Kubrick - who was always
ahead of the curve -
seemed to think so. And I
do too. Do you?

Discussion Page 10
Can Marketing
Make A Movie?
Does advertising really have the power to affect the success of a movie
before audiences have had the chance to see it?
By Scott McLeod
There are a number of
things that can lead to a
movie being successful:
the performances of the
actors, the story or even
the anticipation of a built
in fan base. But no one
can deny the importance
of marketing.
For certain movies
marketing can make or
break it. Smaller movies
rely on a good marketing
campaign to spread
interest. It can also help a
movie based on existing
material gain interest
from people outside the
pre-established fan base.
A recent example of
the latter is ‘Deadpool’.
Strangely, in the comic
book world, people
still had doubts about
‘Deadpool’ as a film. A
character that would be
unknown to mainstream
audiences and would
Deadpool: Christmas Promotional Poster

Page 11
“I felt
like it was
something I
should see.”
attract an ‘R’ (UK 18)
rating for a faithful
adaptation seemed like a
risky project for Fox.
However, the film version
managed to generate
interest even before it was
made when test footage
was leaked online. In two
minutes fans and nonfans
got a taste of what a
‘Deadpool’ movie could
be. Social media buzz led
to the studio greenlighting
the project and played a
big part in the marketing,
and emojis were used in
poster.
Ryan Reynold’s dedication
to the character of
Deadpool helped. He
made multiple appearances
in character including a
very well played April
Fool’s Day appearance to
announce the R rating.
It clearly helped as
‘Deadpool’ would go on to
be one of 2016’s highest
grossing films. It made
$363 million domestically
and $420 million
internationally. Audiences
Discussion
here seemed to react
positively. A media student
told me: “I knew very little
about ‘Deadpool’ before it
came out’ but after seeing
some of the trailers and
the poster I felt like it was
something I should see”.
A fan of the comic books
said: “I probably would
have gone to see it anyway,
but the ads just made me
see that the character was
being done correctly.”
On the opposite end
of the scale, ‘The Iron
Giant’ received very little
marketing at all. Brad
Bird’s directorial debut
was a case of being in the
Deadpool: Valentine’s Day Promotional Poster

Discussion Page 12
wrong place at the wrong
time. It was released less
than a year after Warner
Bros last animated movie
failed financially and
critically. Warner Bros had
lost all interest in animated
movies, and was basically
forced to release ‘The
Iron Giant’ after some of
their most successful test
screenings. The production
company also cancelled a
potential deal with Burger
King. A big part of the
target audience for any
animated film is children
and this deal could have
been a way to appeal to its
target audience so this was
a blow.
Despite very positive
reviews, ‘The Iron Giant’
only made $23 million
domestically and $8
million internationally,
resulting in an overall
gross of $31 million on a
$70 million budget. It was
only later through DVD
sales that the studio made
most of its money back.
Given these two examples,
it’s easy say that it’s all
down to marketing, but
how can we be sure? How
much more money would
Iron Giant have made if it
Iron Giant: Promotional Poster
had been marketed more
effectively? Just because
people know about film
doesn’t mean they will
want to see it.
There are examples of
good movies that were
marketed well but weren’t
successful. At the end of
the day a good marketing
campaign can make a
world of difference,
but it can’t guarantee a
blockbuster.

Page 13
Anime’s Influence on
Western Culture
Culture
The Anime phenomenon has taken over Western cinemas with live action remakes,
such as ‘Ghost in the Shell’, and cinematic movie releases from mainstream series,
such as ‘Fairy Tail’ and ‘Naruto’. But is Japanese animation influencing the
animation industry in America?
By Robyn Abisoye
Japan is a country with
a unique culture and has
made a huge contribution
to the world over the
years. The most iconic
contribution is none
other than what the
world knows as “Anime”.
Originally known as
“Japanimation”, the genre
is associated with the
original television series
and movies which all
cover every genre from
fantasy to romance to
horror. Anime series are
populated with the most
interesting characters and
unique storylines that
Anime fans of all ages
from all walks of life have
loved. Since its origin in
Japan, it has expanded all
of over the world and has
become a part of modern
culture.
Gateway anime such
‘Dragon Ball Z’,
‘Pokemon’ and ‘Digimon’
were shows that aired on
UK channels Cartoon
Network, CBX and
Fairy Tail: (left to right) Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet and Lucy Heartfillia

Culture Page 14
Toonami. Westerners
had become so interested
in Anime that these
shows aired and were
completely re-dubbed
by English voice actors
so that audiences in
America, Europe and
the UK could enjoy the
experience of these shows
for themselves. However,
it could be argued that
too much was changed
when Japanese animation
was introduced to the
West. When ‘Tokyo Mew
Mew’ was released in the
UK in 2005, a number of
changes had been made
to fit in with Western
television standards. The
original title ‘referred to
five female superheroes
that fought evil in Tokyo,
but was then changed
to ‘Mew Mew Power’.
Furthermore, the original
Japanese names given
to the characters were
changed: the protagonist
was known as Ichigo
(the Japanese word for
Strawberry), yet her name
became Zoe in the dub,
and other non-Japanese
names Renee, Bridget and
Corina were introduced.
The original Japanese
opening theme ‘My Sweet
Heart’ by Rika Komatsu
was replaced with
‘Team Up’ performed
by American singer/
songwriter Bree Hall.
With Westerners
becoming more infatuated
with Japanese animation
in recent years, the new
wave of animated series
have clearly started
Tokyo Mew Mew: (left to right) Bu-Ling Huang, Retasu Midorikawa , Ichigo Momomiya, Minto Aizawa and
Zakuro Fujiwara

Page 15
Culture
Samurai Jack: Hit Cartoon Series originally aried 2001-2004
to show the perfect
fusion between eastern
animation and western
appeal.
‘Samurai-Jack’ – the
animated series – was one
of the top ranking shows
when it aired from 2001
till 2004. It followed the
story of protagonist Jack,
a time-displaced Samurai,
travelling back in time to
defeat a demon, and much
of the show’s appeal
derived from the original
samurais and ninjas
commonly seen in original
Anime series like ‘Naruto’
and ‘Samurai Champloo’.
In addition, animations
such as ‘The Legend of
Korra’ and ‘Avatar – The
Last Air Bender’ have an
animation style almost
identical to Anime;
everything from their art
correction, creative use
of martial arts and their
spiritual themes is similar.
Although these series
are not quite Anime,
the combination of rich
characters, action and
story have undoubtedly
been impacted by the
genre and shows just how
much Japanese animation
has influenced Western
culture.

Culture Page 16
LGBT+ Cinema
Does Hollywood’s LGBT+ community capture the complexity of real life?
By Jonathan Cairns
LGBT+ cinema has long
been around. In fact, the
first film to portray homosexuality
was the 1895
The Dickson Experimental
Sound Film. It introduces
to the audience a scene
in which two men share a
dance.
However, events didn’t
progress in such a positive
manner from there. From
the 1940s onwards, the
Hayes Code restrictions
prevented major US studios
from presenting complimentary
films featuring
LGBT+ characters to
the world audience. It is
reported that films could
only bypass Hollywood executives
by portraying gay
men and women as anti-social,
psychopathic, sadistic
villains. This represented
the world’s views at that
time; that homosexuality
was a mental illness. A film
that articulates this fear was
Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’
(1948).
The depiction of homosexuality
in general at this
time would have persuaded
many a gay men and woman
to remain living a lie.
Furthermore, Rope opened
the idea to many Americans
that homosexuals had
infiltrated the art world.
By the 1950s and 1960s
thanks to the well-known
film The Wizard of Oz, the
expression “is he a friend
of Dorothy?” was slang for
“is he gay?” The character
Dorothy meets a Lion,
a Tin Man and a Scarecrow
- and their individual
oddness has been taken to
suggest queerness.
Rupert Cadell: Portayed by James Stewart in 1948’s Rope.
Despite its impact, both
negative and positive
on the gay community
‘The Wizard of Oz’ was
still a film about a white,
heterosexual female. Unfortunately
most LGBT+
characters were cut from
the final edit because it
was culturally recognised
that American consumers

Page 17
Culture
The Wizard of OZ: (left to right) The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, Dorothy Gale and The Cowerdly Lion
would boycott the film at
the behest of the Catholic
Church or other Protestant
groups. The rating of the
film was overseen by the
reactionary MPAA.
However, American cinema
and wider media cultures
would look more tolerantly
on a sensitive and outlandish
young man accused of
homosexuality if he always
intended to eventually
settle down with a woman.
This tendency can be seen
in the 1973 British TV
series ‘Some Mothers Do
Ave ‘Em’; here is a show
portraying a sensitive and
flamboyant man. However,
instead of his idiosyncrasies
being connected to any
lingering question of his
homosexuality, he’s given a
wife so that you feel sympathy
for this heterosexual
man.
Over the decades, it
became common practice
to depict gay or bisexual
orientation as leading to a
miserable lifestyle, where
the character in question
might commit suicide or
would do harm to others.
This stereotype of the
self-harming, misfit
homosexual has lived on.
Often the character is in
their teenage years. To the
younger LGBT+ audience
who are immensely impressionable
due to their lack
of communication with
others in their situation,
these dark connotations
may seem like an inevitable
path to follow for gay men
and woman. This isn’t
to imply that thousands
of teenagers would have
all turned to self-harm or
murder, but it can be seen
that many gay men and
woman may have resorted
to the role of class ‘Goth’
which the media reinforced
as their only safe haven.
However, the 1990s
brought hope in the form
of Willow from ‘Buffy the
Vampire Slayer’. She is
initially portrayed as a shy
and introverted girl. Fast
forward to season five and
she’s in a loving relation-

Culture Page 18
ship with a girl. Again
however it’s the context
that is refreshing. She
originally has romantic
interests towards males,
Xander and Oz, but as the
series progresses she quietly
begins to understand and
explore her sexual identity.
She’s ginger, not blonde,
and unlike her protagonist
friend, she’s also a witch;
she shuns school groups
like cheerleading and has an
active interest in computer
hacking. She also isn’t
butch acting, which lays
new ground for a new
generation who know that
lesbians are much more
complex and less stereotypical
in real life.
This contrasts starkly with
the lesbian portrayals from
the 40s, 50s, 60s... Willow
does, though, struggle to
deal with the loss of her
partner with much more
difficultly than her heterosexual
counterparts
- turning to addiction –
while Buffy simply sucks
it up and gets on with
it. Though the character
broke ground, she was a
tragic hero, further cementing
the notion that gay men
and woman are tragic individuals
in life, and always
Willow Rosenberg: Portayed by Jennifer Hulman in Buffy The Vampire
Slayer
a little bit too off the wall
to be the main character in
TV, film, or their own life.
Following on from this
more positive portrayal,
shows and films like ‘Will
& Grace’, ‘Queer as Folk’,
‘True Blood’, ‘Glee’, ‘The
New Normal’, ‘Orange
is the New Black’, ‘Four
Weddings and a Funeral’,
‘Brokeback Mountain’ and
‘Carol’ have all made gay
men and woman more
visible and most importantly
more three dimensional.
Some of these shows even
cast gay men and woman to
play gay characters!
However, generally mainstream
interpretations
continue to ignore the
complexity of LGBT+
characters.
For example, referring to
a friend as being similar
to the character Jack from
Will & Grace is an insult,
and not something that one
should be proud of. Jack
was portrayed as an openly
gay, camp and promiscuous
man. Many media outlets
and the LGBT+ community
created a controversy
around the character Jack
claiming that he is ‘too gay’,
but would you ever criticize
someone for being ‘too
black’?
It’s no surprise that
questions like this are
being asked. Visibility

Page 19
has increased, but at what
cost and what effect is this
having on the LGBT+
audience?
It seems still that only
certain toned-down representations
are acceptable.
‘Glee’s’ Kurt and Modern
Family’s Mitch and Cam
are praised by critics for
managing to take all the gay
stereotypes and develop
them into ‘well-balanced’
characters. However,
shows like ‘Girls’ and ‘The
New Normal’ (which was
cancelled after one season)
have taken on gay characters
but maybe missed the
mark. This prompts me to
ask, Are gay characters only
acceptable when they aren’t
‘too gay’?
People deem that their sexuality
shouldn’t be a leading
trait of their personality –
or role. Well, the reality is
that this isn’t realistic. I can
guarantee that with President
Trump now sitting on
his throne that all members
of the LGBT+ community
will be embracing all
aspects of their stereotype
– you could coin it
‘claiming the good with the
bad’. And with LGBT+
rights being looked at with
Culture
Glee: (left to right) Kurt Hummel, Mercedes Jones, Rachel Berry and
Finn Hudson
a critical eye, maybe their
sexuality should be the
most important part of the
character’s story.
Where ‘Glee’ and ‘Modern
Family’ hit the spot is
that they characterize less
attractive, older men and
show them as confident,
well-functioning members
of society. Cam and Mitch
are even in a committed
relationship – which is still
a taboo in many cultures.
In most film adaptations
of LGBT+ cinema, gay
protagonists are usually
attractive, well-built white
men, therefore making it
easier for the mass audience
to swallow. However,
this also leads to a backlash
in the LGBT+ community.
It’s not enough to be a misfit;
to be accepted you now
need to be preppy, with a
six pack and have a harem
of female friends.
It’s clear that although
queer cinema and television
does representation
better than its mainstream
counterpart, there is still a
long way to go. We must
strive to make storylines
and characters as complex
as our own real lives. The
battle isn’t over just becuase
we live in the ‘liberal’ West.

Culture Page 20
Taylor Bennett’s Broad
Shoulders
Earlier this year, Taylor Bennett released his most recent project - a short film inspired by
and named after his 2015 debut album ‘Broad Shoulders’. The film visually continues the
Chicago-based rapper’s songs.
By Reece Bryce
The blurb for the short film
‘Broad Shoulders’ states: “In
Chicago, a young couple’s
relationship ignites. After a
night of mistakes, embarrassments,
and understanding
the boy must choose what is
right for him and if what’s
been done can be forgiven”.
It is set in Chicago, where
Bennett was born and
raised. There is no dialogue
throughout, with the
exception of the intro, which
has a voiceover. For the first
minute the songwriter explains
what the music means
to him while the viewers see
beautiful pan shots around
the city the film is set in.
He says: “There’s kind of a
chill sent down your spine
because it’s deep and it’s so
close to you that it feels like
who is saying it might know
you”. The project is a unique,
new way of getting music out
there in a way that will gain
publicity and interest from
Taylor Bennett: As a young kid with his brother
listeners. The film is only
thirteen minutes long but
beats the same old boring
music videos we see on our
screens that last 4 minutes
maximum. It plays multiple
songs from his debut album
and lets the listeners understand
and relate to the music
on a visual level.
‘Broad Shoulders’ is a love
story that forces the boy,
who is played by Taylor
Bennett himself, into making
a tough decision that will
immensely affect the relationship
between him and
his companion, and will ultimately
be the deciding factor
on whether they have a
future together or not. In the
first scene the couple sit on
a mattress outside Bennett’s
apartment, full of laughs and
smiles whilst the first song
‘Wasting Time’ (featuring Simone
Bisous) drowns out the

Page 21
couple’s conversation. The
repetition of the line “I wanna
get to know ya” shows
us that the couple have only
recently became acquainted
and this is the beginning of
their journey together.
The second scene opens
with the boy and girl lying in
bed together looking rather
nervous but unable to hide
their beaming smiles. They
try to avoid eye contact with
one another but can’t resist
as they are shown continually
grinning. After a period of
shy smirking and giggles,
the girl hands a box to the
boy. Just before he opens it
the song ends, and creates a
sense of anticipation. When
the gift is revealed, the boy
is shocked to see a golden
watch; it becomes invaluable
to him because it’s from her.
Things go downhill from
this high point. Three scenes
in and we are introduced to
the second song, ‘Fall Back
Fools’ which plays as the boy
and girl enter a dark club
with bright flashing lights. As
they walk through greeting
their friends as they try
locate a seat the lyric sings:
“Blinding lights and jewels
might make us some fools”,
a reference to the golden
watch that was presented to
the boy as a sign of the girl’s
commitment, just as he spots
her with another guy. The
Culture
boy then leaves the club with
some girls and the couple
make eye contact as they
part ways. This is the turning
point of the film as we see
the distinct grimace on their
faces as they both know that
mistakes have been made,
some of which may not be
reparable.
In the final scenes of the film
we watch as the relationship
completely dismantles. As
the boy leaves the club the
camera starts shaking and the
music speeds up as the boy
appears to be enjoying the
time spent with the people
he left the club with. After
this we see him alone in the
car with a girl from the club
Broad Shoulders: A short film set in Chicago

Culture Page 22
in an intimate scene. We see
his hurt as he notices the
watch that was gifted to him.
The final scene shows the
boy in his car going to meet
the girl the night after. He
has made a decision that is
best suited for him.
The outro then shows us
Bennett in his studio with his
friends. His most streamed
song ‘Broad Shoulders’ from
his first album plays over the
group enjoying their success
from the project. But is it a
happy ending?
This project really grabbed a
lot of attention online from
places such as Complex and
Fader when it first released
due to its unique nature.
Bennett released his album
‘Broad Shoulders’ in December
2015. It shares the
same title as his recent short
film and features his older
brother, Chance the Rapper,
who is regarded as one of (if
not the greatest) independent
rappers of recent times.
In an interview with Hot
97, Bennett revealed that
family was instrumental to
the brothers success; both
Bennett and their father
played pivotal roles in the
marketing team for Chance’s
rise to the top. Bennett explained
: “I told Chance, this
is what we’re going to do. I’m
going to call up all my friends
then we’re going to hand
out CDs, mixtapes and sell
tickets. I remember literally
200 kids came out to see
Chance that day’. Bennett is
trying to preach to the young
people interested in the music
industry that they should
pursue their dream since
everyone starts somewhere.
“For fans it’s more important
when you’re handed a CD in
person than it is just seeing
their face on a billboard because
when you just see them
advertised you don’t know
them or have any type of
relationship with them”. His
brother passed on some great
advice as well and played just
as big a role in Bennett’s success
when he was struggling
to make money from his
dream career. He stated in an
interview that Chance told
him in his time of struggle
that he needs to promote
himself and find a way of
maintaining a fixed income.
Bennett said the main reason
behind his struggle was that
he was still in high school at
the time and couldn’t tour.
Recently Bennett has had
more attention from the
press than usual. One of the
main stories surrounding the
him is that just a week before
the release of his short film
he took to twitter to share
with his fans his bisexuality.
He posted three tweets to announce
the news as he stated,
“My birthday is tomorrow
and moving into next year I’d
like to be more open about
myself to help others that
struggle with the same issues.
Growing up I’ve always felt
indifferent about my sexuality
and being attracted to one
sex and today I would like
to openly come out to my
fans. I do recognize myself
as a bisexual male and do and
have always openly supported
the gay community and
will keep doing so in 2017”.
After the tweets the rapper
was flooded with supportive
comments on his brave statement,
most notably from his
big brother who also took to
twitter to post the message:
“I love this man right here,
through any and all. He has
grown into a great man. He’s
got God and me behind me.
He cannot fail, he cannot
fall”.
Another story that is circulating
comes from his recent
interview on Hot 97. Here
the hot prospect talks some

Page 23
Album Cover: Restoration of an American Idol released in 2017
truth about record labels and
the struggle on the streets.
He opens up by talking about
how record labels aren’t necessary
to become successful
in the music industry anymore
and says: “Now there’s
a compound that we’ve put
on it of distribution where
it’s like you really don’t need
these labels anymore, like you
can really put your own music
on Apple music, you can
really tour and make all your
money, you can really sell all
your merchandise”.
Bennett goes on to discuss
another struggle that affects
more than just the music
industry, and that’s the
streets. He opens up about
his upbringing and how it
affected him: “Growing up
in the south side of Chicago,
before Chance was rapping,
going outside every single
day there was a possibility
you don’t come back. Like
most of my friends either
shot up or they in jail and
that’s just the reality”. This
harsh reality is what Bennett
was raised into and what inspired
him to try to make his
way in the world of music.
The 21 year old released his
newest album ‘Restoration
of an American Idol’ just
last month with even bigger
names featuring on his songs
than his last album. This project
is a great hit back at the
Culture
critics who have written off
Bennett as a one hit wonder,
saying his fame is all from his
brother Chance.
But this is Bennett proving
his critics wrong. In recent
interviews he’s repeated
that he does his own thing,
his own way and says: “If
I ever even asked Chance
for anything like this he’d
just look at me funny”. So
although Chance has played
a huge part in supporting
his younger brother, it is
crazy to ignore the talent that
Bennett possesses and how
he expresses exactly what he
feels through his music. In
the intro song of ‘Restoration’
the lyrics state: “I had
to show him I’m not LeBron,
can’t vote for no future that’s
frivolous, my shoulders
got broader, my music got
smarter”. After the drop of
this album it’s safe to say that
Bennett is slowly but surely
proving his doubters wrong
and emerging out of his big
brother’s shadow.

Theater Page 24
Evolution of Theatre
With modern technology now a part of every day life, trips to the theatre have become
even more of an experience.
By Marty Fletcher
Over the past ten or so
years the artistic landscape
has evolved to accommodate
the possibilities offered
by film and video. This now
has a place in almost all of
the creative industries from
classical theatre and art to
contemporary performance
and performance art.
If we first look at one of
the most respectable and
reputable theatre companies
in the world, The Royal
Shakespeare Company
(RSC), we can see a great
example of a theatrical
institution diversifying to
incorporate moving image.
As part of the marking of
the company’s 400th season
since their founder’s death,
they partnered with Imaginate
Studios and Intel to
produce something no one
has ever done. In their final
production of the season,
‘The Tempest’, they used
real-time motion tracking
technology and over 27
projectors to make the spirit
Ariel fly across the stage

Page 25
whilst also being on staged.
I watched a live stream of
this onstage and it looked
spectacular; it was a brilliant
to way to bring life and colour
to the text and transport
the audience to somewhere
different.
After the performance I was
keen to get other opinions
on how the audience
responded to the show, so I
asked another theatre goer,
Sinead Keogh, to give her
reaction to the play and how
the motion tracking served a
purpose. She told me:
“I like how they portrayed
him (Ariel) as wanting his
freedom but also eager
to please, kind of like an
abused dog very loyal. I
think the motion tracking
made the whole experience
just better. It made it like
you were experiencing the
actual world it’s set in and I
think it should be something
theatre works further to
incorporate into productions
because it brings a new
world to life.”
In addition to real-time
facial tracking, another great
filmic device that was used
in this production was live
streaming. In recent years,
it has become more and
more common to stream
significant events including
concerts and performances,
with companies like The
RSC, The National Theatre
and Scottish Ballet getting
on board. The use of live
streaming has become instrumental
in the success of
developing productions; for
example, the National
“It
Brings
a new
world to
life.”
Theatre’s production of
Twelfth Night was narrowcast
in April. The play was
beamed to different venues
around the UK, to capitalise
on the larger audience
numbers. This element
of distribution is starting
to be taken up by smaller
productions on social media
(like Facebook live etc) to
broaden the reach of their
performances.
Theater
Now film and television
technology is not only being
used in the theatrical arts
but also in contemporary
art pieces as well. With
augmented reality (the same
technology popularised by
Pokemon Go) on the rise,
artists have started to play
with this element. Using the
app Eyejack can transform
works of art like Aussie
artist Sutu’s collection ‘Prosthetic
Reality’. It uses image
tracking and animation to
bring life to the art work
and give a new sense of
depth and perception. There
is also talks of companies
utilising this technology in a
performance setting.
The use of these mediums
is changing the artistic landscape
throughout the UK
and abroad, and quite genuinely,
it is incredible. We’re
getting to see and be a part
of a cultural rebirth that is
forcing the establishment to
adopt contemporary styles
of presentation in order to
stay relevant. We get to play
with how film and video
can help us interact with art
work and performance pieces,
and exploring a whole
host of differing ideas. I for
one honestly can’t wait to
see what the future brings.

Review Page 26
United Passions
‘United Passions’ is quite possibly the worst film ever made. That is me being nice.
By Jacob Toland
Sepp Blatter: Former president of FIFA; who was incharge during the FIFA Corruption Case
‘United Passions’ is an
absolutely horrendous
film that borders on
sheer propaganda. It was
ninety-percent funded
by football’s governing
body, FIFA. It had a
total budget of $26.1
million dollars but only
took in $200,000 at the
box office. Why? FIFA,
in their wisdom, decided
to release it right in
the middle of the 2015
corruption scandal. The
fiasco resulted in the
former FIFA President
Sepp Blatter and former
UEFA President Michel
Platini being banned from
football for eight years.
The scandal erupted just
before the start of the
FIFA congress. Even the
FBI were involved in the
raid at a hotel in Zurich.
With all of this unprecedented
corruption, it
was a monumental PR
disaster to release such a
train wreck of a film. If
you read about the FIFA
corruption scandal and
then watch ‘United Passions’
(which I would not
recommend), you would
be asking yourself how a
young vibrant Sepp Blatter
could turn into one of
the most corrupt men in
world football. The script
completely misses out all
of the bribes that FIFA
official were accepting in
dodgy brown envelopes.
Instead, it shows us how
Sepp Blatter changed the
course of the beautiful
game by bringing in many
corporate sponsors to

Page 27
help fund the World Cup.
Local football fan Ben
Gallacher has bravely
admitted to watching this
film. He told me:
“I heard all of the bad
press it was getting, so I
thought I would give it
a watch. It can’t be that
bad. I was wrong.”
With Tim Roth starring as
Sepp Blatter, you would
be forgiven for believing
that the film may be a
decent watch. Some other
big names do appear but
not even Bryan Cranston
could save it (if he were
daft enough to be in it).
ScotScore Podcast host,
Scott Bradley, also had
this to say:
“Having watched ‘United
Passions’, I have to say
that it is nothing more
than a propaganda-fest
that was released at the
wrong time. They tried
their best to sway public
Review
perception of themselves
but it could not be done.”
The entire film is something
that you would
expect North Korea
to release. It is blatant
propaganda and will quite
rightly go down as on the
worst films ever made.
It is up there with Pluto
Nash.
FIFA: The governing body of association football, futsal, and beach soccer

Until All Campuses
are Smoke Free
1st August 2017
Visit the College Intranet for further details

Graduation 2017
Ceremony dates are as follows:
Clydebank Campus
Thursday 2 November
Clydebank Townhall
Creative Industries & Essential Skills
2pm
Paisley Campus
Thursday 9 November
Paisley Abbey
Business and Technologies
11am
Thursday 9 November
Paisley Abbey
Creative Industries and Essential Skills
7pm
Thursday 2 November
Clydebank Townhall
Business and Technologies & Care And Life Sciences
6pm
Thursday 9 November
Paisley Abbey
Care and Life Sciences
3pm
Wednesday 16 November
Greenock Town Hall
All Faculties
6pm
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Greenock Campus
Wednesday 16 November
Greenock Town Hall
All Faculties
6pm

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