Media Studies Exam Notes Postmodernism
- Film Case Studies - Music Video Case Studies - TV Show Case Studies
By Ria Manzanero
POSTMODERNISM
FILM CASE STUDIES: Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
What is it? Postmodernism is a general wide ranging term applied to many disciplines. Post modernists attitude is playful with a sense of history; this is due to their strong focus on pastiche and intertextuality. However, postmodernist artists do not mock other artist’s work and styles, they celebrate it. Postmodernists do not like big narratives, this was reinforced by Lyotard as he said: “Incredulity toward metanarrative”. For example, stories of science or religion might be frowned upon by postmodernists. Postmodernists are the opposite of modernists (who view the world as scientific, religious and purposeful); as they believe the world is identified through language.
Postmodernism in film is very difficult to identify, however there are many elements that are easily spotted. For example, in a postmodernist film identity is fluid. This means that the sense of self is not fixed. Another element is the concept of surrealism; films that are postmodern will try to make it difficult for the audience to distinguish what is real and what is simulated. Typical conventions of postmodern film are things such as the flattening affect/hybridity – a loss of historical events, mediatisation, confusion of reality and its simulacrum.
Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott) is postmodern in every sense of the word. To begin with, its genre is a combination of science fiction and film noir. This is evident in the way the film is set in 2019, which means it is made based in the future. The film portrays this with its extreme setting of a busy Los Angeles, where buildings are skyscrapers and cars can fly, in other words a dystopian city – which is a very common setting for postmodernist movies. The setting is actually a direct descendant of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" (which was also the inspiration for Star Wars). Which is intertextuality and pastiche as the director Ridley Scott is copying another artist’s work. The dystopian setting also conforms to Jean Baudrillard's theory of Hyperreality - this is because 'reality' has been replaced.
A key feature that makes this movie highly postmodern is the portrayal of technology. It could be perceived that it is a negative, due to the replicas being ‘out of control’ and essentially the enemy in this movie. As the film is set in 2019, the audience expects to see advanced technology. However, there is essentially hybridity when looking at this aspect, which means confusion between old and new elements. This is because although the technology appears advanced, for example when Decard is talking to the computer and it is zooming into an image, it remains to have an old fashioned appearance. This supports theorist Denzin’s concept of an “effacement of boundaries”. This reinforces that there is no clear time period, even though it says its set in 2019 there are factors that present it to be set within the 80's, for example, the hairstyles of characters, the representation of punks, the 'advanced' technology that doesn't appear futuristic. He also says postmodern films locate terror in the nostalgia for the past. Blade Runner has many signifiers of the past. For example, Rachel, part of a species to be eliminated, dresses in a 50s manner. This highlights that the film appears to be going “forward and backwards at the same time.”
One theory on the movie states that the replicas are the race minorities that are discriminated against. This could be down to their fight to be accepted into society as normal; however, they always stand out and are treated badly due to this. Blade Runner describes the replicas as manufactured organisms designed to carry out work too boring, dangerous, or distasteful for humans. Chapman 1995 stated that this echoes the experiences of the slave trade, when Africans were brought to America to do the work that the natives did not want to do. The questioning of whether Decard is in fact a replica is thrown in throughout the film. This forms many questions: can emotions be manufactured? Can humanity be manufactured? Which are actually the same questions asked by the postmodern philosophers about the hyper real and how we cope with a world where the image overrides the individual.
The Moulin Rouge (2001, Baz Luhrman) The Moulin Rouge (2001, Baz Luhrman) was created in the style of a postmodern film, in order to appear visually extravagant and exotic. In terms of genre, there is the sense of mixing of genres, not just as the film combines musical with drama and comedy etc... But also because the actors are primarily actors not singers and all received singing training. The film also mixes fantasy-like animation quality, making it more surreal and less like a realistic story. For example, Kylie Minogue appears as a green fairy. This film could be portrayed as a generic hybridity - as there is a mixture of elements, which are not necessarily always put together. For example, the uses of comedy in a tragic love story, or the combination of animation with real life actors. The Moulin Rouge relies heavily on the theory of the “Active Audience”. This is due to the way the many parody’s and intertextual references are in need of being decoded and understood by the audience, as a lot of the messages within the film are hidden and not obvious - needing to be revealed. An example of this is the Love Melody sang by Ewan McGregor which includes many intertextual references to other songs which the audience must recognise in order to understand the scene. Lyotards famous description of the postmodern condition: “Incredulity towards metanarratives”, applies to this film, due to the way the actual storyline isn’t of any importance and it relies heavily on visual image and intertextuality to make up the content. This film also links to Jean Baudrillard’s theory on postmodernism, that there is no difference between reality and its simulacrum (representing image). This is due to the way the film is echoing writer’s words and will continually use flashbacks and forwards to go back through the fictional story and what is actually happening. Time Bending is when old and new elements are combined; this also links to Baudrillard’s idea of Mediatisation, creating a loss of historical content. This is evident throughout the film as it is set during 1899, in France. However, the modern elements such as song choices and use of CGI animation such as the moon and the fairy prevent it from appearing to be set within this time period. An important postmodern element that should be considered when looking at this film is its high concern and consideration over globalisation. Baz Luhrman wanted to create a global natured film, with actors from around the world - rather than the typical all American cast. Ewan McGregor was born in Scotland before rising in prominence in England. And Nicole Kidman was born in Hawaii and grew up in Australia. This means that the film is institutionally postmodern, considering all aspects and appealing to a large audience.
Kick Ass (2010, Matthew Vaughn) My first independent case study is Kick Ass (2010, Matthew Vaughn). This is because the film takes the ‘Superhero’ genre and plays with it, forming comedy moments. This generic hybridity is what allows audience to deconstruct the genre, and realise that although it does contain elements from the typical comic book superhero style film, it also contradicts it. It does this by consciously revealing all the incomplete and artificial aspects of the superhero myth. The film also contains elements such as pastiche, as it clearly takes on the same narrative as Spiderman – geeky boy becomes superhero through his own accord. However, it takes this pastiche and parodies it. This is done by taking a comic book genre’s audiences usual act of ignoring the fact superheroes aren’t real and drawing their attention to that very fact, highlighting how unbelievable it really is. This is done through funny elements of a bad costume, superheroes falling off buildings rather than flying. This is done in order to highlight the playful style of the film, as superheroes are shown to have no superpowers, nor any motive. This is interesting as it portrays how superheroes are not invincible, rather than strong, and unbeatable, like typical superhero films. The intertextuality within the film is what forms it as a whole. It clearly links itself to other films such as ‘Batman’ and ‘Spiderman’. Examples of this are in the way that Nicolas Cage acts. His body movements are very quick, exaggerated and rigid. He also speaks as though every word is meant to be heard. This style of acting could be said to be a copy of Adam West’s take on his role as Batman. This type of acting would be rocognised by an older audience who saw the original Batman. Due to this, it is clear the film relies on the audiences knowledge of superhero films in order to deconstruct the film – resulting in them feeling pleased when they understand the references within it. Aspects such as comic style typography are even used to further highlight the superhero aspect. There are links to social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook and other internet sites such as YouTube. This situates the film within the current cultural zeitgeist as it’s considering modern aspects of society’s life. A character that is extremely postmodern is Hit Girl/ Mindy (Chloe Mortetz). She is a young girl who has been trained by her father to be a lethal superhero and assassin. Throughout the film she uses foul language and discusses topics that wouldn’t be known by a girl of her age. She contradicts usual action/superhero films that will often use young girls as the ‘damsel in distresses. Whereas in this film, she could be perceived as a villain, or one of the most dangerous characters. This forms a flattening of effect, as it takes away the innocence and sweetness of a young child and diverts the audiences emotions, so that they feel more threatened by her as a character.
MUSIC VIDEO CASE STUDIES: Eminem - Just Lose It Postmodernism is also evident in other forms of media products, not just film. An example of this is Eminem’s music video for the song – ‘Just Lose It.’ The music video is simply full of intertextual references. One very obvious one is the opening high angle shot of Eminem dressed as Michael Jackson, stepping on floor paves that light up – which is a direct link to Jackson’s music video “Billie Jean”. Another reference is where Eminem is dressed as MC Hammer – wearing gold baggy trousers and uses a direct intertextual reference to his lyrics – “STOP – ITS PAJAMA TIME”. This is mocking the line “STOP – ITS HAMMER TIME”. There is also a link to Madonna, as Eminem is later dressed in a light pink cone bra – which was shown to be worn by Madonna in her Blonde Ambition Tour. As well as other music artist, Eminem uses links to films such as “Everything looks like its 8 mile now”, which is a direct link to his own movie 8 Mile. Also, a link to Bad Santa is used as Eminem is sat with a child on his lap whilst being dressed as Santa; this film was released shortly after the release of his music video. This highlights how his music video is solely a celebration of pop culture, and relies heavily on audiences to deconstruct the references in order for it to be understood and deemed entertaining. This reinforces Lyotards famous quote: “Incredibility towards metanarrative” –as the audience watch sequences of references and witty/insulting parodies, however there is no overall message or story.
In order to understand these intertextual references the music video relies on the postmodern theory of The Active Audience. This is where the audience are required to deconstruct the music video, using their knowledge of social events to understand the jokes and pastiche. This is very important, as not only does it help make the video make sense, but audiences will feel pleased every time they understand a reference, which will give them more of an intention to keep watching. Hybridity is evident throughout, as Eminem uses intertextual references from the past, mixing it with his current day music video. These elements would be all the references I have previously mentioned. He contradicts the past by dressing in Tracksuit bottoms and wears modern day clothing, which contradicts past elements such as Michael Jackson and MC Hammer. This music video heavily applies to Jean Baudilliard, as his theories are evident within the content of the film. For example, his theory that there is no difference between reality and simulacrum (representing image) is evident. This is because audience members are entertained or offended by the images on screen, however, remain watching the video even though the meaning and the story are not separated. This links to Baudrillard’s theory of Mediatisation. This is because there is a loss of history as Eminem takes other artist’s historical moments and makes them “retro”. For example, the loss of Jackson’s nose is shown within the video as it falls off in a club and someone stands on it. This mediatises the moment within Jackson’s life where he actually got a nose job; this is because the audience do not remember this when watching the visual images on screen.
Lady GaGa - Telephone This music video is hugely cinematic, which is one massive postmodern element. Linking to Lyotard’s famous description of post modern condition. This basically refers to the use of a grand narrative, that doesn’t have a clear message or narrative. Which is evident in this music video, as the song is talking about how someone keeps calling GaGa whilst she's out at a club, and she doesn't have any reception and she's busy so doesn't want to answer. Whereas, the actual video begins in a prison, and follows two villains as they go and kill lots of people using poison in a café. Which is clearly postmodern as it has absolutely no link to the songs lyrics. Throughout the music video there are huge amounts of intertextual references. From the very beginning, after being stripped to her underwear in prison, one of the guards say “I told you she didn’t have a dick” – which is linking to actual real life news reports that were claiming Lady GaGa was a man. Therefore, she was using the video to settle rumours also, whilst being witty about it. The fact there is swearing in the first sentence made is a flattening effect. This basically means that swearing is used to shock the audience, highlighting how postmodernism aims to be different. However, it might also be considered to try and make swearing less offensive and more casual in use, as it is used a lot in the video, in general conversation. Intertextuality is also used in the link to “Plenty of fish” dating website, used to mock the guards, making them seem alone and unable to find anybody that likes them in the real world. The car used is called the “Pussywagon”. Which directly links to Quinton Tarantino’s Kill Bill. The outfit’s used at the end, are also a direct link to Thelma and Louise. All of these intertextual references are what make up the video, and are smartly used not to be a parody, but a celebration of media products. They might also be used as it attempts to make the audience feel smart every time they spot another intertextual reference, getting them more involved in the video.
Another postmodern feature that is hugely memorable when watching Lady GaGa’s ‘Telephone’ is the consumerism. This is the way the camera might deliberately linger too long on consumerist products,however this is not intended as parody. The self-reference might be very conflicting, as in a way by showing brands such as Coke-aCola and Vodaphone it might be suggesting that society is within a consumer’s culture. However, by using these brands, GaGa is conflicting what could have been a grand narrative suggesting reality revolves around a consumer society, as she will have been paid tohave these brands shown in her video, which might have funded a lot of this video, as it is hugely cinematic so would have been expensive to produce.In terms of identity based struggle Lady GaGa’s video is interesting in the way that it attempts to portray feminism and power between herself and Beyoncé, whereas the outfits she dresses in, such as theunderwear and tape wrapped around her body is very suggestive, and doesn't conform to her usualconcept that women are subjects rather than objects. Within the video, Lady GaGa and Beyonce bothdress in American Flag outfits. Beyonce’s nails are painted in the American flag. This is hugely opento interpretation, as some might say it is a symbol of GaGa’s patriotic towards her country. Whereassome might argue it is criticising America, as the video portrays nasty characters and absurd actions.It might also be a symbol for the women in America, as the video appears feminist, so could beportraying them as powerful and fighting back. Lyotard’s famous description of the postmodern condition applies here also: !Incredulity towardsmetanarratives ”. This is basically saying that postmodernists are against grand narratives, which is shown here in the way the hugely cinematic video has no real message, just episodic pop culturereferences but little else.
TV SHOW CASE STUDIES: The Inbetweeners (2008-2010, Damon Beesley and Iain Morris) Television is often viewed and classed as postmodern due to four main themes used throughout Television. The main recurring postmodern themes in television are; Pastiche, Spectacle, Faux TV, Mystery. But Television can also include other postmodern aspects such as hyper reality, brocolage and parody. Pastiche is the most common as it is in almost every TV show, such as The Simpsons, Family Guy and Futurama. Intertextuality is also a massive part of television as many TV shows dedicate whole episodes to a TV or film reference or recreation of a popular film or other media text. Most shows can be described as postmodern because so many shows borrow ideas and themes from other shows; this is partly because almost everything has already been done. One postmodern trait of ‘The Inbetweeners’ is that it parodies other school based TV shows such as Grange Hill. Both shows focus on the lives of a group of students at a school, the settings and themes are very similar and it is very clear that The Inbetweeners show got its principle concepts from Grange Hill. However the Inbetweeners is much more daring and rude, by far. The Inbetweeners swear very freely and loosely, they aren't at all ashamed to talk about sex and also appear naked in several episodes. This varies hugely from the wholesome Grange Hill which would never do any of that. The show also includes aspects of Bricolage as it mixes different genres such as comedy, romance and slapstick. It also varies greatly in the character types and the show also features numerous intertextual references, such as 'Run DMC', 'Take That' and 'Supersize Me'. Series 3, Episode 1 "The Fashion Show" could be deemed as postmodern due to the way it contradicts typical stereotypes of people with a disability. We are conditioned to feel sympathy for those in a wheelchair or with any type of disability, particularly in media products. However, in this case, the stereotype for this character is reversed as the disabled student is portrayed as a scheming bully, who tries to separate Will from his crush Charlotte - who is in the fashion show. Series 3, Episode 2, “Gig and the Girlfriend” uses the intertextual reference to the band 'Take That'. By mentioning that Simon has been to see them with his mum instantly allows the audience to associate 'Take That' with an older audience, asserting the idea that they are not a 'cool' band to see. This cleverly ridicules 'Take That' and allows audiences to understand parodies and comical references throughout the episode. Intertexual references are used to allow audiences to familiarise themselves with settings, props, locations, characters, plots & link it to their own personal experiences. For example, RUN DMC posters in the background of the common room. Bricolage ensures that audiences can get everything they possibly can out of the product. For example, the mixture of so many genres in The Inbetweeners, including; romance, comedy, slapstick etc... Allowing the show to attract such a broad audience by providing a topic of interest for everyone. Narration is also seen within the show, as there is direct interaction with the audience from Will's character. This is postmodern as it gives the illusion that he is watching the show with you and therefore, you feel a closer connection to the characters. The show is widely popular due to its comedy moments, for example the flair gun being shot off the boat when they're just a meter away from the pavement ('The Field Trip' Epidode 1, Series 2). Also, the ongoing romance storyline between Simon and Carli - Will they, won’t they? The show also could be used for escapism as students get to escape their boring school lives by enduring in a humorous one. On the other hand, older audiences get to be brought back to their childhood, and remember secondary school days. Therefore, social relationships will be formed through the show, as people will watch the show and then talk about it amongst friends and other people. The Inbetweeners has not just succeeded in the UK, but also appeals to audiences in the US. The US only shows cut down versions of the series - implying that perhaps they didn't feel the show would be successful over there. However, judging from reviews and viewing ratings, the show clearly is a success internationally. As for the US remake, ratings and reviews suggest that it is "the weaker cousin". This is due to the fact that "it offers nothing unique for the culture that spawned what the UK show subverted.". This review reflects that the US take on the series is very postmodern, due to it being completely intertextual, creating its whole series through pastiche. In other words, it completely copied to the UK original. So why was it not successful, if the UK version was? People might say it failed as British productions usually follow a very gritty and realistic route, whereas America tends to take on the glamorous approach, filming in locations such as sunny beaches. The element that makes The Inbetweeners so British is its focus on Will as a character - who essentially represents the typical stereotype of an English man e.g. not the best looking but incredibly intelligent.
Family Guy (1999, Seth Mcfarlane) Family guy began in 1999 and was cleverly created by Seth McFarlane. The non-linear narrative structure of Family Guy uses the post-modern convention of playing with realism by using numerous comedic flashbacks, and frequently uses references taken from popular culture. The show is a reference to the family sitcom genre in which stories revolve around a bricolage of nuclear families. The genre conventions are mocked due to the dysfunctional twist in that the main character Peter Griffin is lazy, overweight and dumb. Family Guy finds most of its humour by intertextuality and pastiche using references from other TV shows and movies familiar, as the target audience for the show will have a knowledge on many other media products, allowing them to be able to deconstruct the many references within the show. Family Guy often breaks the fourth wall by acknowledging it is ‘only’ an animated show. Family Guys constant inter-textual references, boundary blurring, distortion of reality, time confusions and bricolage are all features best described as postmodern. The show is often considered as daring and dangerous as it attempts to portray sensitive subjects. In the case of Family Guy, these topics could be anything from racism to terrorism to sex. This instantly portrays the show as postmodern, as its breaking society’s boundaries, and not bothering to avoid topics that some people might find displeasing .In many ways, this is what makes the show so popular, as it is so shocking at some points, even audience's feel uncomfortable watching. One line that is often heard when watching Family Guy is "How did they get away with that?!" purely due to their outrageous and often offending use of parody and also, honesty. Peter Griffin’s friends all represent sensitive topics that are played with throughout the series’. For example, Cleveland is black and is often racially discriminated. This lays a foundation for the producers of the show to find moments within each episode to fit in a few racist or stereotypical jokes. In some cases people have been very offended and felt discriminated against due to this sort of material. However, perspectives differ as some feel they make a mockery of racial stereotypes, highlighting how ignorant they are. For example, when Peter tried to hide the words "Black chick" from the two random citizens. For the audience, Peter looks ridiculous for acting in this way, therefore highlighting the stupidity of racism, in a comedic manner. Another character within the show that allows a loop hole for mockery is Joe, as he is in a wheel chair. Disability is also a element that is not expressed freely in public as it is very sensitive and people are weary of how people might react. However, in Family Guy, this is not considered. For example, in Season 5, Episode 14, Peter tells Joe that he cannot eat at an establishment because he has no legs. He refers to him as ‘you and your kind’. This is discriminating towards the handicapped community, however, the audience do not take it offensively, due to the joke that follows when Joe gets pushed over after saying “but we’re not going to go down easy”. This turns a possible offensive situation into a laughable one. In terms of intertextuality, the show is simply riddled with them. There are often parodies of pop culture icons such as Michael Jackson. For example, the episode in which Stewie is held over a balcony by Michael Jackson. This is a direct reference to the historical event where Michael Jackson held his own son over the balcony. This was such a scandal, which might be why the producers chose to touch on it, as they felt positive audiences would be able to deconstruct the reference. This however, could link to Jean Baudrillard’s theory of Mediatisation. Which is where the media re-creates an actual historical event, causing a loss of history, as audience from then just remember the reconstruction from a media product.
POSTMODERNISM AS A THEORY My views: Personally I enjoy watching postmodern products, as it encourages me to deconstruct the text, using my previous knowledge of pop culture, film, media, politics, history and overal common sense to understand an intertextual reference or parody of a particular thing. This gives me pleasure as a viewer, as it makes me feel happy with myself for understanding the reference. On the other hand, sometimes postmodern texts can slightly loose my interest, this might be due to there being too many references or in the case of a really surreal product, that I cannot understand or interpret.
The future of postmodernism: I feel that postmodernism will become more popular in the future, contrary to beliefs that it is in fact already disappearing. This is because everything has already been done. There is pretty much a basis for any genre and many examples that follow that genre. This means that future directors and writers have no other choice but use their previous knowledge of other products to inspire a new one. It is very unlikely that anyone will think of a completely original concept that has never been done or scene in any other media product. Therefore, I believe that society has no other choice but to accept postmodernism as a theory and use it to their advantage.