hmmm..

haha!

7-8 years too late anyway.

There is now nothing positive that can come out of further media exposure of unlicensed parties even if the producers do have good intentions.

There isn’t actually a lot at free parties what makes particularly interesting video unless its for your own crew/friends, I know as I’ve shot a fair bit myself and out of a 2 hour tape I’d use 20 minutes if that and I know far better than to share it to the public net and a potentially hostile audience.

Even though I think many events featured are long outside the statute of limitations (the timeframe for prosecution) and none are from East Anglia (I stopped making the videos after moving here as I obviously wouldn’t have the same level of acceptance and trust from a new bunch of people) they are not going to go on you tube or be distributed anywhere else out of respect for those involved.

Some may still be active on the scene and I refuse to do anything what may risk getting them in trouble merely to show off my creative skills. Also all thats happened is the films that have already been uploaded are being used as a free resource by other journos and the cops to identify people involved in the scene.

These videos are also now considered by “normals” to be in the same league as happy slapping or even football hooligan/extremism DVD’s – and those who edit and distribute them are liable to be at least investigated for “glorifying crime”.

There is still room for videos of legal events and interviews etc with artists, documentary stuff about music etc and home made music videos but the last thing we need is a “channel U” style treatment of what remains of the free party scene :hopeless:

yea it never seems to end well when someone trys to put our point of veiw across. it always gets twisted.

best off staying lowww

I see what people are saying about this. We don’t know who we are talking to.

However, regarding the whole thing about trying to Improve the Image the public has on us, how can we ever make a difference? This is not a rhetorical question, nor a sarcastic one either. A genuine question. As things are now, the police are In control, and easily get support for new laws and Improvements to existing ones, all designed to shut down parties and punish those Involved.

What gets me though, is the what looks like defeatist attitude of some people. Maybe I am young and naive and full of irrational, ignorant hope, but I think for anything to change, you have to act.

What to do I have no Idea. Maybe talking to this guy is a bad Idea. I dont think so, but I dont think I know enough to comment on It. But Im commenting more on people’s attitude.

Im not talking about local farmer bob being well happy to have 300 people in his barn every Saturday night. But I think the evolution of society is a delicate and very slow process. Over the last 100 years, drug use has become more and more widespread. And with synthesised drugs being easy to make and obtain, its has become even more widespread over the last 50 years or so.

With the rave/free party/squat scene being mostly what people judge drug users on, I think we have a duty to each help improve our image and educate others.

Im not expecting anything much to change in my lifetime, but I think its important for everyone to do their part, even if small, to help evolution.

I know this post makes me look like a right Idealist. Im not that though. Just a realist that knows everyone has a part, even if small. Although its due to the fact that people convince themselves to accept their part is so small, that it doesn’t matter so that they don’t have to do anything.

You know Ive been given loads of grief for posting posts like this on other forums. Where no one agrees and I look like some nut job who has nothing else to do. Hope you lot are more on my wavelength 🙂 Or can at least understand/respect my post.

some of it is unfortunately due to your youth. You would not have noticed the social developments of the 1980s/early 1990s.

There were once loads of crossovers between the media and the rave scene at one point (a lot of the early rave producers were involved in “yoof TV” of various kinds).

There was actually a point where we were very close to getting our lifestyles accepted a lot more, then it all went tits up as people overdid the drugs big time when for whatever reason the authorities seemed to drop their guard a bit (around 1997 onwards).

Im not talking about local farmer bob being well happy to have 300 people in his barn every Saturday night.

there are actually farmers who were like that round here, until people took the piss.

Some people close to me were even considering letting land until a police car got trashed at a rave by a youth angry that his drug dealing attempts had been thwarted by a constabulary in a different county!

As for the media, we already have loads of free media outlets, there are forums like this, youtube, the social networks etc. People have used them but its backfired.

if you see something on telly you don’t agree with, does it make you change your mind, or just reinforce your views? People can see right through spin these days and interpret what they want from media, not always what the journos/editors/film makers want to put across.

Even this site which is one of the friendliest, most truthful and informative places for learning about rave culture shows a lot of its darkside – it is clear from here that many people have suffered at least one episode of problematic drug use and in some cases long standing addictions – and that normal society is still dealing with problems what occured in the 90s.

A lot of people are trying to do things to get a better image for ravers but increasingly its a matter of just keeping your head down, getting more involved, integrated with normal society and just not shouting too loud about what you did at the weekend for the moment.

I like decent British art, video and film but I also strongly feel that when you pick up a camera, you must treat it with as much respect as a pistol – if you are not careful you can hurt the people you point it at.

I think the fact that producers are only interested in filming free parties really says a lot about their attitude to dance music – When you tune into any “commercial” TV or radio stations you never hear anything of the wonderful music from the underground scene —- they promote any old shit above true dance music….. they are simply not interested in the music, only a splash on the front pages about drugs….as this producer says….. “THe more full on the better”

I think this film producer would do well to look at some of the small legal festivals, maybe find one of the EX “underground” crews who have moved into commercial acceptance and now run record labels/festival tents and do a documentary about how that happened…..