BFI FAN: Rip It Up: This Is England Workshop
18 180 mins
18 180 mins
FREE film workshop
BFI FAN Rip It Up: This Is England Workshop for 18-25 year olds
Wed 22 Jul, 10.30 - 13.30
This Is England: Grooming, Radicalisation & Digital Community. The workshop's core idea is this: Shane Meadows dramatised a process that is still happening today. It's just happening in different spaces.
Students work in small groups. They are shown film extracts that deal with the progression from soft influence to extreme radicalisation. After this each group is assigned a contemporary case study of online radicalisation. This could involve far-right recruitment via gaming servers, incel communities, Andrew Tate-style ideological capture, or even gang recruitment via TikTok/Snapchat.
Their task is to map it onto the film's structure. Where is the Combo figure? Where is the equivalent of the skinhead community's rituals and belonging? What is the digital version of the gang jacket? They build a short presentation (could be a slide deck, a mood board, a short video clip collage) showing the parallels and present back to the group. WARNING: There may be content regarding radicalisation that some people may find disturbing.
The topics will be handled in a sensitive manner. The outcome is genuine critical media literacy: students leave able to articulate how cinematic manipulation and real-world manipulation share the same grammar.
This Is England Outcomes:
· Ability to identify and analyse the structural mechanisms of radicalisation and ideological capture
· Competency in cross-contextual research, connecting cinematic narrative to documented real-world case studies
· Skills in collaborative analysis and group presentation
· Critical media literacy: understanding film as a tool for exploring social and political processes
About tutor Matthew Harris
Matthew Harris is an accomplished filmmaker and educator with 25 years of award-winning experience in video production and media.
As the founder of The Blah Blah Company, he combines creative vision with practical expertise to deliver results.
Matthew holds a BA Hons in Video Production and more recently an MPhil in Screen Media and Culture from the University of Cambridge. His extensive teaching background spans multiple positions in Further and Higher Education, where he has provided students with both technical skills and artistic insight. His recent film, "A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies," has garnered international recognition, showcasing at festivals worldwide and earning an official selection at the Norwich Film Festival 2024.
This practical industry experience informs his teaching approach, offering students relevant, current perspectives on filmmaking craft. With a passion for innovation and a commitment to nurturing emerging talent, Matthew brings both academic rigor and real-world production knowledge to his role as a practical filmmaking tutor.
Programmed in partnership with the Sir John Hurt Film Trust. These workshops have been funded by the BFI Film Audience Network and the National Lottery.