Those who watch the growing genre of underground "hood films," filmmakers and sellers say, are typically fellow gangbangers, wannabes and those seeking a voyeuristic peek into a dangerous subculture.
November 9, 2006 (Press Release) --
The camera lists and bobs in the dizzy, dancing camera style of MTV reality television before zooming in on a posse in purple clustered in a corner of an infamously violent housing project.
The footage is from a documentary called "Concrete Hell," which aims like a wave of other straight-to-DVD gang documentaries to grant viewers intimate access to the gritty and violent underworld of America's street gangs.
"We're gangsters here," Redmann, a bushy-haired member of the Grape Street set of the Crips street gang, tells viewers. "We live, die and eat this."
The message will be heard by a select audience: Those who watch the growing genre of underground "hood films," filmmakers and sellers say, are typically fellow gangbangers, wannabes and those seeking a voyeuristic peek into a dangerous subculture while safely sunken into a ratty college dorm or rec-room couch.
You won't find "Concrete Hell" or other gang documentaries at the local Blockbuster. The $20 films are only for sale in swap meets, mom and pop record stores and Web sites such as streetgangs.com and gangstadvd.com.
Shot and edited using cheap equipment and pressed onto DVDs at home, "hood films" are the visual manifestation of gangsta rap: raw and sometimes violent snapshots of America's gang-plagued ghettos shot by those boasting a closeness to the life, or in some cases by gang members themselves. And like the hip-hop genre that made mainstream stars of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre in the 1980s, the documentaries have drawn criticism from those who say the films glorify a criminal lifestyle.
Formal sales figured are not available since most DVDs are self-produced and distributed. But some filmmakers say they have sold thousands of copies, and sellers say the number of titles has spiked in recent years. Robert W. Lewis III said he has sold 18,000 copies of his film "Rep Yo' Set," a broad look at many Los Angeles gangs, since he released it in early October.
"I think it's the same reason why movies like `Scarface' and `Goodfellas' are celebrated," said Alex Alonso, a gang researcher who sells the DVDs on streetgangs.com. "Only some of these documentaries are real-life stories."
Many of the filmmakers, however, bypass traditional documentary storytelling for raw footage of gangsters rapping about their lives, brandishing guns and, in some instances, fighting. A sub-genre known as "fight films," such as "Ghetto Fights," cuts straight to bloody battles between rival gangs.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
The footage is from a documentary called "Concrete Hell," which aims like a wave of other straight-to-DVD gang documentaries to grant viewers intimate access to the gritty and violent underworld of America's street gangs.
"We're gangsters here," Redmann, a bushy-haired member of the Grape Street set of the Crips street gang, tells viewers. "We live, die and eat this."
The message will be heard by a select audience: Those who watch the growing genre of underground "hood films," filmmakers and sellers say, are typically fellow gangbangers, wannabes and those seeking a voyeuristic peek into a dangerous subculture while safely sunken into a ratty college dorm or rec-room couch.
You won't find "Concrete Hell" or other gang documentaries at the local Blockbuster. The $20 films are only for sale in swap meets, mom and pop record stores and Web sites such as streetgangs.com and gangstadvd.com.
Shot and edited using cheap equipment and pressed onto DVDs at home, "hood films" are the visual manifestation of gangsta rap: raw and sometimes violent snapshots of America's gang-plagued ghettos shot by those boasting a closeness to the life, or in some cases by gang members themselves. And like the hip-hop genre that made mainstream stars of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre in the 1980s, the documentaries have drawn criticism from those who say the films glorify a criminal lifestyle.
Formal sales figured are not available since most DVDs are self-produced and distributed. But some filmmakers say they have sold thousands of copies, and sellers say the number of titles has spiked in recent years. Robert W. Lewis III said he has sold 18,000 copies of his film "Rep Yo' Set," a broad look at many Los Angeles gangs, since he released it in early October.
"I think it's the same reason why movies like `Scarface' and `Goodfellas' are celebrated," said Alex Alonso, a gang researcher who sells the DVDs on streetgangs.com. "Only some of these documentaries are real-life stories."
Many of the filmmakers, however, bypass traditional documentary storytelling for raw footage of gangsters rapping about their lives, brandishing guns and, in some instances, fighting. A sub-genre known as "fight films," such as "Ghetto Fights," cuts straight to bloody battles between rival gangs.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
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