Postmodernism

Postmodernism - A general and wide-ranging term which is applied to literature, art, philosophy, architecture, fiction, and cultural and literary criticism, among others. Postmodernism is largely a reaction to the assumed certainty of scientific, or objective, efforts to explain reality. In essence, it stems from a recognition that reality is not simply mirrored in human understanding of it, but rather, is constructed as the mind tries to understand its own particular and personal reality. Postmodernism is "post" because it is denies the existence of any ultimate principles, and it lacks the optimism of there being a scientific, philosophical, or religious truth which will explain everything for everybody - a characterisitic of the so-called "modern" mind.


Hybridity – It is said that all distinctions between high culture and popular culture have gone or become blurred and distorted. A variety of different texts get mixed in with each other and become one entire image which provides an improper view of the world

Bricolage – A French word for jumble. Refers to the process of adaptation and improvisation where aspects of one style are given quite different meanings when compared with stylistic features from another

Simulation – The blurring of reality and simulated reality, particularly in reality TV. This can refer to the increase and over use of CGI in films. But can also refer to documentary style fiction.

Intertexuality – This is referencing previously created media products within other products such as film

Disjointed narrative structures – Mimics the uncertainties and relativism of reality. This can include going against the ‘happy ending’ scenario that most films have

The erosion of history – Films often play with the accuracy of history and change it around, which blurs history over time

Blurring of Boundaries – Film erodes boundaries between high and low culture. In film almost all class hierarchies have disappeared

A society of Spectacle – Postmodern media texts share a delight in surface style and superficiality.

Jean Baudrillard

Why are Music Videos Post Modern

Music videos are considered post modern as they are a cross between advertisement and art. Music videos advertise the band's image and music, which highlights the theme of consumerism in post modernity. Music videos often borrow various styles from other media texts and film, for example the music video 'Bat Country' by Avenged Sevenfold is based on the novel and film 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. The video uses various ideas and images from the film, one of the big ones being the actual song title itself. The song name 'Bat country' derives from a quote in the film said by Raoul Duke, 'We can't stop here. This is Bat Country'. Music videos can also be categorized as post modern because of the visualization of music, which combines two forms of art, music and film. The visualization of the lyrics also make it post modern, which enhances the music. All of the attributes of music video make the genre post modern.

• The video has a very cinematic style, much more than a normal music video
• Breaks in the song to allow for dialogue
• The song doesn't actually start until about three minutes in, already breaking conventions of a typical music video
• References films by Tarantino almost immediately with the title text font
• Hyper reality exhibited with the attitude and look of the prison, the inmates don't wear matching clothes, they wear rather unusual clothing and the cells themselves are presented in odd ways
• Hits the audience with a huge amount of media references and styles, the references are almost crammed in. This can be seen as a celebration of media. 
• Even though it includes lots of media references, it doesn't parody any of them
• Heavy reference and imitation of Thelma and Louise
• Lots of intertextual references
• The first line references the real life news story of Lady Gaga actually being a man
• Heavy use of consumerism
• Product placement is used greatly but is not intended to be in a comedic way
• Highlights consumerism when the camera focuses on things such as the virgin mobile logo and the coke cans wrapped in Gaga's hair
• The blatant product placement shows that the video is self aware as most music videos has at least some product placement in it but is usually relatively subtle, unlike this video in which it forces the products onto the audience rather than hint at them.
• Hyperreality is referenced again when the video parodies reality TV shows, in this case, a cooking show. This highlights the blurring between media and real life
• The reality TV show parody is exaggerated by the laughter and bright pop ups, as well as the logo 'poison TV' in the top left corner 
• The news report also references hyperreality and in a way references Baudrillard's theory on media and world events. Baudrillard suggests that things such as 9/11 can only be described as media events as when we think about these events, what comes to mind is the recall of the events and the images and videos produced and distributed by the media

• Intertextual references of TV shows
• Parodies a typical 1970's cop show
• Is presented as the opening credits of a fictional TV show involving the three band members
• The aspects of a 1970s cop show is exaggerated here, mostly in terms of hair, style and chases
• Hyperreality is demonstrated here as the videos representation of cops in the media is completely different to the reality
• The reality and media representation is blurred
• Quite cinematic camera work
• Has freeze frames in which it introduces each character from the show

Sabotage Analysis

           

                            

My example of post modern music video is Sabotage by Beastie Boys. The video isn’t fully post modern but it does include certain themes of post modernity such as intertextuality and hyper-reality. The music video focuses on the exaggerated representation of a 70’s style TV show. The video references no programme in particular but instead references the entire genre of 70’s crime shows. The video is portrayed as the opening credits of a fictional TV show featuring the three band members as the main characters. This is portrayed through old TV conventions such as a montage of clips and use of freeze frames and close ups used to introduce the show and characters. The video includes intertextual references typical of 70’s cop shows and parodies the style. The video is filmed in a fast paced, highly cinematic way with fast cuts and quick zooms on the characters. The aspects of 70’s cop shows is overly exaggerated in the video, this is mostly portrayed in the vehicles, the chases, the action scenes and the hairstyles of the characters. This demonstrates the hyper reality aspect and how reality and media representation has been blurred, as the representation of the police in TV shows is completely different to the reality of it.

Music Video Essay (Rewrite)

Music Video Essay

Pulp Fiction - Post Modernity

Pulp Fiction is split into three small stories - 'Vincent Vega and Marcellus Wallace's Wife', 'The Gold Watch' and 'The Bonnie Situation' - encapsulated by what is perhaps best described as a preface and prologue at the very beginning and very end of the film.  These are the metanarratives that Lyotard speaks of when he speaks of postmodernism's 'incredulity towards metanarratives', and the narratives that Barry refers to when he speaks of the shift away from ''Grand Narratives' of ... human perfectibility' towards metanarratives which are provisional, contingent, temporary ... and which provide a basis for the actions of specific groups in particular local circumstances' (Jean-François Lyotard and Peter Barry in Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, Manchester University Press, 1995).  In terms of both the crime and pulp genres these 'mininarratvies' are as Tarantino states himself, 'the oldest chestnuts in the book': for example, the small-time gangster having to take the boss' wife out to dinner hoping nothing will go wrong, the boxer who is supposed to throw his big fight but decides instead to try and make off with the money and the cliche of the 'hitmen' who with professional accuracy make their kill and depart.  Except that, as most noticeable in this final case, Pulp Fiction moves outside these generic stories since instead of ending each of these narratives in the conventional place the narrative continues in an attempt to show what occurs outside the traditional stock elements. For instance, Vincent and Jules go to Brett's apartment to recover the briefcase of Marcellus and with the utmost professionalism (the whole affair taking place in approximately 15 minutes of real time) execute Brett and his friends before making off with the briefcase and 'their man' Marvin. This is the stock tale that a generic text would utilise and at this point in such a tale the narrative would stop.  In Pulp Fiction, however, after Vincent and Jules have 'miraculously' avoided being hit by any of the fourth man's bullets, they do indeed as Jules says, 'continue this discussion in the car' and hence we see Vincent and Jules continuing their animated discussion regarding miracles whilst driving in the L.A. morning sunshine. Tarantino declares that these are stories that we have seen before, but never played out in such a way: indeed, they are 'genre situations unravelled in real ways.'        

At certain points, the visual element of the medium is used in order to further display Pulp Fiction's moves from generic to real. For example, as Vincent and Jules arrive at Brett's apartment they notice that they are indeed early and so they take the opportunity to move further along the corridor and continue their 'everyday' and non-generic conversation regarding the sexual intimacy of a foot massage. At this point the film instigates a camera / character split in order to visually display the generic and the 'real'; the camera, metaphorically representing the generic focus of such a narrative, stays firmly fixed outside Brett's door, spinning through 90 degrees to focus upon Vincent and Jules further down the corridor (the 'real'), the camera steadfastly refusing to move from it's location outside Brett's door. A similar thing occurs during 'The Gold Watch' narrative. Vincent and another of Marcellus' men are seen walking down a corridor and knocking on a door; the door is opened by Mia to reveal Marcellus, with his back to the camera, questioning a man about Butch's disappearance. Marcellus clicks his fingers without turning around, thus gesturing the man with Vincent into the room. The generic focus at this point would be on following this man as he moves into the room to begin a conversation with Marcellus. Here, however, Mia, who opened the door and remains by it, begins a conversation with Vincent ('I never did thank you for dinner'), and rather than move straight into the room there is a fleeting moment in which the camera hangs back, placing part of the focus upon Vincent and Mia before moving past them and focussing upon Marcellus and his man, with Mia and Vincent now out of shot.

            

In both these cases, Pulp Fiction is showing generic situations with moments of the everyday pervading the narrative fabric. In fact, in postmodern terms, what the text is offering is the fourth stage of Baudrillard's 'four stages of real' - the hyper real.  As Baudrillard himself states in Simulacra and Simulations, the first to third stages are variations upon an 'appearance', whilst in the fourth stage 'it is no longer in the order of appearance at all, but of simulation.' Stage one's concept of 'real' is based on an appearance, hence appearing like a generic tale, whereas the fourth stage's hyper real presents the removing of this 'appearance' - this generic content - and showing moments of trueness, or as Baudrillard refers to them, 'simulacra'. This element of the hyper real is key to an understanding of Pulp Fiction, forming the theoretical justification for structural, thematic and textual details as will be discussed later.

           

 What this represents in terms of 'control' is the stock elements of the story vying for the attention of the audience, and foregrounding in the text, with the hyper real elements, the outcome being a narrative where at certain points elements of the hyper real are allowed to permeate its fabric. These two elements are then both competing for control over the audience's gaze.

How Does Postmodern Media Differ from other Media?

Postmodern media is different dues to elements used such as intertextuality, bricolage, pastiche, parody, meta-narratives and more. Different aspects of these can be seen in my case studies Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982), Drawn Together (Jefer and Silverstein, 2004-2007) and Metal Gear Solid 2 (Konami Studios, 2001). As you can see, postmodern texts span across all forms of media, such as television, film and video games.

Blade Runner is often referred to as a landmark postmodern film, with its postmodern themes if parody, bricolage and mixing of cultures. The film uses bricolage by mixing two genres, sci-fi and film noir. The Sci-fi is exhibited through the over use of technology and use of technological advances such as flying cars. The film noir aspect enters with the detective theme and lighting techniques. This is apparent in the scene where Deckard is in his apartment. In this scene he is using a futuristic device to analyse a photo for clues. This is a clear mixing of the genres sci fi and film noir as aspects from both genres are shown.

The TV show, drawn together is largely postmodern as it uses parodies, pastiche and intertextuality. However the parodies used are actually the characters themselves. Each character is a parody of another famous fictional characters. For example, the character Captain Hero is a cowardly and squeamish alteration of superman, Xandir is a flamboyant homosexual version of the video game character Link and Princess Clara is a singing but very racist Disney princess. Even the whole premise of the show is a  parody of the reality TV Show 'The Real World'. This overly frequent use of parody and pastiche is how this postmodern media differs from others, as other media doesn't rely on parody nearly this much.