Theory/Theorists

GENRE-

Definition: a style or category of art, music, or literature.

TOM RYALL-  generic conventions are fulfilled ‘depends on the relationship between the text and audience.’ Conventions = narrative, themes, sterotypes, characters. 
This theorist relates to my work as in my music video I have included a stereotypical heart break narrative through the use of the flashbacks and close-up shots displaying the character's sad emotions which viewers can relate to. Stereotypes are also portrayed by highlighting that the female character in my video is indeed the emotional one, as there is a dramatic and emotional performance when she appears to sing the lyrics about the boy she loves.

CHRISTIAN METZ - Different stages of genre include classic, parody, experimental. 
Within my music video, a classic approach seems to be displayed through the mix of narrative and performance. However, it can also be argued that my music video also takes on an experimental approach through the flashback scenes (this include both the performance and the narrative within one shot which I believe is quite unique and therefore, experimental) 

NARRATIVE-

Definition: a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious.

CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS-  Argues that human cultural understanding is
based upon a system of binary oppposites.
This relates to my work as I have included the binary opposites of male and female through the two characters in my music video.

LAURA MULVEY – The narrative is delivered through the eyes of a male. She assumes the watcher in the diegetic world is male, the camera is male, and the audience themselves a re male. 
As the protagonist in my video wears clothes that emphasise her figure and the close-up shots emphasise body features such as her lips suggests how she is being used to appeal to the male dominated audience.

REPRESENTATION-

Definition: The description or portayal of someone or something in a particualar way.

LAURA MULVEY- argues that cinema positions the audience as male. The camera gazes at the female object on screen. ‘pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female’

STUART HALL -he argues that the media appear to reflect reality whilst in fact they construct it. The media constructs what we think, rather than reflecting our own opinions and beliefs. 
My music video represents how the protagonist is the character the audience should connect with and sympathise with as she is the main focus.

AUDIENCE-

Definition:


ROLAND BARTHES - 'Death of the Author' 
The audience is more important in terms of my music video, as the video can be interpreted in many different ways. As the narrative is not entirely clear, the viewer is left to wonder why this particular couple has broken up. They can bring their own interpretations into the story and it is up to them what happens next as the narrative is unresolved - the audience never fins put if the protagonist gets over her heart break.

RECEPTION THEORY -  We use our own personal experiences and cultural knowledge to interpret a text in a personal way.
The audience can use their own experienced to interpret my music video.

MEDIA LANGUAGE-

ANDREW GOODWIN-5 key aspects in music videos.
One is relation of visuals to song- My music video displays these as the flashbacks of the couple connect to the song about love. Therefore my music video illustrates the lyrics.

SEMIOTICS -  Ferdinand De Saussure – regarded as the founder of semiotics. A Sign = signifier / signified. A sign must have both a signifier and a signified. You cannot have a totally meaningless signifier or a completely formless signified. 
The shots of the painting of the rose is my video is a sign that connotes love. As well as the rose itself, the colour red also signifies other meanings such as passion, danger and hurt. This may highlight the break up.

Half Term HW

1A-

In terms of my media coursework, I created a music magazine as part of my foundation portfolio and a music video for the song ‘You’ by the roc band ‘The Pretty Reckless’ for my advanced portfolio. I am going to discuss my work in terms of post-production which refers to the editing process, after I shot for both projects.

Primarily I am going to discuss my music magazine called ‘Outspoken’ which is a magazine for alternative music fans. During my editing process and post production, one of the main things I carried out was the layout of my magazine and putting the whole thing together which I carried out in InDesign. This involved creating columns for the texts and then inserting the images I previously took. I also used the text wrap tool to make my text go around the images – I believe was the most vital tool in terms of my editing. Text wrap makes the magazine look professional, as the layout look similar to existing projects, for example other music magazines like NME.

Further, editing the particular images I used in my work was also part of my post-production. I edited my images in the software Photoshop. Using this software I was able to add effects to the images I had already taken as well as clean up any photos. I edited some of my photos by adding the ‘black and white’ effect on the specific layer. These photos were used to contrast with my other colour images on my double page spread. I believe this mad the overall look of my magazine more interesting and unique. I also removed the background of my images using the magic wand tool. This was particularly helpful when I added the text wrap as the text was directly around my model.

Moving on to my advanced portfolio, I edited my music video in Premiere. This was software I learnt about during A2 therefore it was new to me and I had to learn about the different tools and effects through tutorials. For me, editing the green screen shots was a main part of my editing process. This required me to select the ‘eight. Garbage matte’ video effect and add I to my video. I then re-shaped this to get rid of any excess background. After I selected the ultra key effect and changed the colour to green. I then adjusted the shadow and soften tool until I was happy with overall image, and imported the flashback into the background. This way I was able to include both a narrative and a performance in one scene, as well as drawing attention to the emotional lyrics in the song as the audience can link these to the flashbacks of the couple. I believe this technique is quite unique as it is not usually something shown in music videos in this way.

Colour correcting was another main of my post-production for A2. I used the colour corrector tool to adjust the colour of my model/singer. As she appeared too bright before I believe this did not fit in with the sad theme in my music video. Therefore I made the overall image darker so it looked more professional. I believe this part of post-production was also vital as it helped my images fit in with the narrative of my music video.

In conclusion, post-production has been important for both my portfolios as the software I used helped make my work look professional and realistic.

1B-

I am going to discuss my music video for the song ‘You’ by the Pretty Reckless in terms of narrative. Narrative refers to the way a particular story is told and the structure of this story therefore I will be analysing the story within my video.

Todorov came up with five key concepts that normally occur within narrative structures. There are the equilibrium, the disruption of this equilibrium, the realisation of this disruption, the attempt to repair the damage and final the happy ending. Although some of these stages are presented in my music video, many of them are not therefore my music video challenges this theory. As my music video is about a heartbreak story between a young couple the disruption and realisation of the disruption of the equilibrium is apparent however there is no happy ending. It can be argued that in fact there is an example of equilibrium; however this is displayed within the flashbacks, creating a type of episodic narrative. The flashbacks highlight the happy relationship between the couple and it is clear that these particular scenes are separated from the main narrative and performance as they are presented in black and white. Although my music video mostly goes against this theory, Andrew Goodwin states that music video as a whole should ignore common narratives as it is important for their role of advertising. Taking this into account, my video therefore complies with the typical narrative structures that music videos normally include, in order for them to be successful and so the audience members don’t lose focus. Moreover, the fact my video will have a narrative as well as performance supports Andrew Goodwin's theory, describing the key aspects in music videos. During the performance, the artist will be singing to the camera making a personal connection with the audience while my narrative will be somewhat inspired by the song as it will complement the themes within it.

Claude Lévi Straus is another main theorist, in terms of narrative. He came up with binary opposites, stating that all narratives are based around a conflict between these opposites. One binary opposites that is included in my video is between the male and female. The entire story within my video is based between these two characters – the female who is devastated about the break-up and the male, who as far as the audience is aware, has moved on. Although the female is the protagonist in my video and the male is considered as the deuteragonist, the viewers are more likely to connect more with the female. In my video I believe I have displayed typical female traits through my protagonist as she is clearly emotional and cares a lot about her past love.  Therefore Straus can be applied to my work, in terms of the binary opposites I have included.

Overall, the finished production of my work clearly displays an episodic narrative of a clear story usually presented in music video which has a close relation of visuals to song.

'Give your definition of post-modernism and support it with examples'

Postmodernism is a way of thinking about cultures, philosophy and the arts. More general, it is a concept categorised by a set of theories and ideologies. Popular postmodern traits include intertextuality, pastiche and hyperreality which I will discuss when analysing my case studies ‘Maleficent’ (Robert Stromberg, 2014) and ‘Black Widow’ (Director X, 2014).

 

My first case study is ‘Maleficent’, a film about the untold story of the villain in Disney’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Immediately it is clear to see how this is a postmodern film as it is based on an already existing media text, it uses intertextuality and focuses on a completely different character within the story. It can be said that the film is a recycled fairy-tale from the original – introducing the bricolage technique where work is created using available and existing materials, which is effectively what ‘Maleficent’ does. ‘Maleficent’ is also pastiche, a trait discovered by Freidrich Jameson, as it imitates the work of existing films by including the same characters and locations. Both ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Maleficent’ also include similar scenes, for example when Maleficent goes to visit Aurora as a baby and casts a spell on her in the castle.

 

The film also creates a sense of hyperreality, a motion discovered by Baudrilliard, through the way it is shown on screen. Maleficent has a sense of hyperreality as it is sometimes difficult for the viewer to distinguish between what is real and what is not during the film. ‘Maleficent’ is a myth based on a realistic-looking landscape yet the landscape is in fact a magical made-up land. Therefore the way it has been edited creates a sense of a hyperreality world towards the audience.

 

‘Maleficent’ is also very artificial – another trait as to how the film is considered postmodern, because it uses CGI to create mythical creatures that the audience otherwise wouldn’t see in real life. For example, Maleficent herself is very artificial due to her black wings and horns. There is a scene in particular, where she is flying other the kingdom as a little girl which clearly uses CGI effects as this would never be possible in reality. This also emphasises how the film is a fairy-tale as sometimes postmodern films like to draw attention to the fact they are fictious. However the characters have been edited this way to appear real with the audience so they can engage and relate with them more, as well as what is happening in the film. This also displays how important technology is within postmodernity.

 

Another trait of Maleficent is its claim to moral truth. As the film focuses on the villain as the protagonist, it is sometimes hard to distinguish whether in fact she is the hero. In the original ‘Sleeping Beauty’ it was easy to recgonise Maleficent as the villain however this film takes on more complicated approaches towards the character. For example the scene where Maleficent’s wings get stolen from her childhood friend, the audience automatically sympathises with her and she is seen as the victim. This explains how postmodern films tend to upset mainstream conventions of narratives and characterisations because it tells the story from a different perspective.

 

My other case study is the music video ‘Black Widow’ by Rita Ora and Iggy Azalea. This media text also includes pastiche a sit imitates the film ‘Kill Bill’ through the various props and costumes. Both artists wear leather jumpsuits, like the protagonist in ‘Kill Bill’ the bride, however they are slightly different from the original due to their colour. This suggests how the producers didn’t want to exactly replicate the film, but instead imitate it- a more playful side of postmodern culture.

Intertextuality is another trait within ‘Black Widow’ as from the beginning, the audience is introduced to Michael Madsen, which ironically links in with the original film ‘Kill Bill’ as he also starred in this. Rital Ora’s old label head ‘T.I’ and actor ‘Paul Sorvino’ are also in the poker scene of the video. All of these appearances link to either the film or music industry which the audience, if they recognise them, will be able to make connections with. A more humorous example of intertextuality is the reference to the current song ‘What does the fox say?’ as the restaurant owner says this to Iggy at the start of the video. This is another way the audience can understand the references, as the song was very popular during this video’s release.

 

As mentioned before, some postmodern texts like to draw attention to the fact they’re fictous. This is seen in ‘Black Widow’ where Iggy look directly at the camera to make eye contact with the audience, as well as the many posters that advertise the video within the restaurant. This implies how postmodern texts are hyper-conscious as they directly address the audience.

 

I believe postmodernity will continue to appear within the arts as traits such as intertextuality are now becoming more commonly used and I believe this will continue to adapt in the future, as audiences will accept that modernity no longer exist.

Community

Community

·         A fascinatingly complex yet accessibly mainstream show, adored by critics but yet to find a wider audience.

·         A sitcom about sitcoms, Community deconstructs common narrative tropes, archetypes and representations and plays with the idea of hyperreality

·         The characters are aware of the show – its reception and the character’s persona/how they are perceived.

·         Community is also a ‘self-consciously’ postmodern text. It is aimed at an exceptionally media-literate audience, and expects viewers to be able to ably deconstruct the complex web of intertextuality, hyperreality and self-referential humour through which the show and its narrative is constructed.

·         Common conventions which remind the audience that what they are watching isn’t ‘real’.

·         Obvious cues of this in normal sitcoms: unrealistic sets, ‘canned’ audience laughter and the use of non-diegetic music are only the most obvious breaks in ‘reality’.

·         Contemporary media texts are no longer original, but simply ‘copies’ of texts that came before them e.g. it has referenced both Cheers and M.A.S.H. on several occasions to engage with the fact the show isn’t real.

·         30 Rock also uses postmodern techniques such as direct address, non-continuity editing systems and meta-textual referencing, while How I Met Your Mother invites viewers to engage in different levels of interaction with the show’s world by engaging with paratexts (websites, blogs, viral videos) originated within the narrative – audiences then question the reality of their surroundings.

·         Community addresses this issue directly. One of its central characters Abed often operates as a substitution for the show’s writers.

·         The series refers directly to its’ own fictional nature: Direct reference to terms used in TV criticism to describe the narrative structures used in the episode e.g. bottle episode

·         Characters apparently being aware of the extra-textual personae of the actors portraying them.

·         References to the show’s reception by critics and audiences, and the production circumstances of the show itself; cuts in the show’s production budget were included as part of the storyline - ‘Greendale College’ within the narrative was similarly strapped for cash.

·         Mocking/ humorous references to the show’s direct ‘competitors’, most notably Glee, including direct parody/pastiche of other texts.

·         The most complex and multi-layered narrative the show has constructed is the construction of a ‘text within the text’: an ongoing ‘web series’ called The Community College Chronicles – it exist within story, shot and edited by one of the characters. Presenting a ‘fictionalised’ version of the show, each of the characters in the show is played by a different, minor character from Greendale. Furthermore, several scenes of the episode actually show the filming of scenes from the web series, direct reconstructions of scenes the audience have already seen. It can be watched online as part of ‘Greendale’s Official Website’ – a paratext which also functions within the show.

·         This creates an audience hierarchy – some consume paratexts, some don’t. They also analyse the ways characters are presented.

·         It allows the writers to deconstruct their own narratives, presenting their own criticism on their work and influencing its place in media culture.

·         It encourages viewers to deconstruct the hyperreality of the show itself – Chronicles just as unreal as the show itself.

·         Community shares a fair amount of DNA with Spaced, a British sitcom broadcast in the Noughties. The shows both use pop-cultural referencing to suggest that their characters' (and by substitution their audience's) experience and view the world through a lens in which all events are presented as if they were in films/ on TV.

·         Community goes further – e.g. when a paintball game taking place on campus spirals out of control, the cinematography, editing patterns and mise-en-scène (which have previously followed fairly standard sitcom conventions and language) simultaneously switch genres, incorporating the whip-pans, crane shots and dramatic slow-motion common in the action genre - the episode contains many references to The Terminator and the films of John Woo.

·         Intertextuality within the narrative of the show is an interesting commentary on the characters’ inability to experience their world as ‘real’, not popular references.

·         Narrative from the show expanded, explored and interactive on Social Media.

·         Community tells complex ‘background’ stories designed to be consumed separately from the original episode.

·         Characters from Community have appeared as extras in other sitcoms, suggesting that two unrelated shows ‘share’ a fictional world.

·         Both subverts and conforms to sitcom genre conventions and dissects the ideas behind postmodernism.

Mock Re-write

Mock Re-write

1A-

It is clear to see that digital technology has helped me to reach the best of my abilities at both AS

and A2, supplying me with a range of advanced technologies that have allowed to be develop

professional media texts including a music magazine and a music video.

 

For my foundation portfolio, I used Adobe InDesign CS5 to create my music magazine. InDesign

supplied me with a range of tools that helped my work look professional, especially the text tools. I

previously discovered that pull quotes are a commonly used convention in magazines and I wanted

to include these in my own work to entice the reader. Furthermore, I wanted to use pull quotes to

present the most relevant parts of my text and to separate the main article – making the layout

more appealing. To make the pull quotes look successful I wanted to space the characters out

accordingly. To do this, I selected the tracking tool and highlighted the characters I wanted to space

out. For shorter words I increased the space and for longer words I decreased the space. This way I

was able to fit the pull quote into the space I previously designed for it. I used pull quotes on each of

my double page spreads which made up the article of my music artist. In fact, one of my double page

spreads only included a single image and a pull quote, emphasising the importunate of the pull

quote and presentation. I believe the tools made my work appear neater and similar to existing

magazines, for instance many current music magazines like NME include large images of the artist

accompanied by a pull quote on double page spreads as well as single pages to stand out the

 consumer.

 

Adobe Photoshop was another software I used during the creation of my foundation task. I wanted

to include a wide variety of image styles in my magazine so I edited some of my shots in Photoshop

by editing my shots in Photoshop to black and white. This way they would also contrast with the

colour images on the page. Firstly I removed the background by selecting the white background to

delete it. I then selected the layers section to create a new fill or adjustment layer, and selected

black and white. This effect was used on my second and fourth images on my last double page

spread and also on the artist’s own product – her album which was placed in a box out text.

Supplying this look to the artist’s own products also suggests her quirky image. I believe these

images helped to create an authentic piece of coursework, especially as black and white are

considered trendy colours to teenage audiences, which my piece was aimed at.

 

Moving onto my advanced portfolio, my use of digital technology developed as, although I had used

the SLR 600D Camera previously at AS, I went from shooting single individual photos to moving

images. To maximise the quality of my video in the dark, I had to adjust the settings. I increased the

ISO which increased the sensitivity of the camera so I could attain the best possible professional

outcome. Using a lens with an aperture of 1.8 allowed me to shot in high quality in low light, which

was vital for my music videos that were shot outside. This also means shots taken at my house were

also just as high quality as the footage in the studio, due to the advance digital technology I had

access to.

 

Regarding software programmes, Adobe Premiere CS6 was a new a software I discovered during my

advanced portfolio. One of the most beneficial skills I learnt was how to remove a green screen from

my footage. To achieve this new skill, I selected the ‘eight. Garbage matte’ video effect and added it

to my video. I then re-shaped this to get rid of any excess background. After I selected the ultra key

effect and changed the colour to green. I then adjusted the shadow and soften tool until I was

happy with overall image, and imported the flashback into the background. This way I was able to

include both a narrative and a performance in one scene, as well as drawing attention to the

emotional lyrics in the song as the audience can link these to the flashbacks of the couple. I believe

this technique is quite unique as it is not usually something shown in music videos in this way.

 

Overall using green screen to my advantage has allowed me to develop professional skills, taking my

previous panning and research ideas and being able to produce them through digital technology.

1B-

Media language refers to how media texts communicate messages to their audience. This can be

through a set of sings or codes that the audience have to make meaning of, depending on their own

experiences and interpretations.

 

Saussure is known as the founder of semiotics. He implied that no object is without meaning and no

meaning can be generated without that object, or indeed its source. Media texts communicate

different meanings through a set of signs and these signs each include a signifier and a signified.

There are many close-ups of the rose painting in the video, suggesting the object’s importance. The

denotation of this sign is the painting itself as well as the colours including red and black paint. The

connotations depend of the experiences of that individual, therefore suggesting a polysemic sign.

The close-up shot displays the fine detail of the rose to the audience. These set of shots make the

audience aware of what the protagonist is painting and the rose may represent romance, linking to

the narrative. Other close-up shots, especially towards the end of the video where she uses red paint

to colour the rose, highlights the red paint spilt on her hand. This could have connotations of blood

and hurt, again linking back to the story behind the video. The colours themselves also have strong

connotations. In a close-up shot where red paint drips onto the portrait – red can signify both love

and danger. These ideas constantly refer back to the heartbroken theme, and perhaps make the

audience aware of the current social conventions of a common heartbreak between a young couple.

The audience can further connect their own love experiences to the video and sympathise with the

character if they have gone through a similar scenario.

 

The work of Laura Mulvey can also be discussed to represent the use of the female protagonist.

Mulvey Her theory suggests that the female in my video will either be seen as the housewife

Madonna or the whore. This explains the ‘Madonna whore’ binary where women are viewed by men

as either, yet they are still seen as the ‘second sex’ because they are being placed by men. The close-

up shots of the female singing, focuses on the heavy make-up used, especially the dark lipstick and

the full lips, implying a ‘whore persona’ as she is being used for visual pleasure from a man’s

perspective. The lingering mid-shots in the studio also show shots of the singer grabbing her top and

slightly lifting it above her waist. This creates a seductive and flirtacious character, again supporting

the ‘male gaze’ as she is being shown from a male’s point of view. Long shots of the artist singing

display her entire outfit: a vest top, shorts, black tights and black leather boots – a typical female

rock image. This image is often seen as controversial as it emphasises the female’s figure, in

particular her legs, implying the dominance of male viewers. However the singer can also be seen as

the opposing role in some sense through the flashbacks of the couple, indicating a healthy

heterosexual relationship. In these shots the audience see her laughing compared to the sad

emotions she expresses when she sings. Yet as the male caused her to feel this way, she can still be

seen as playing a passive role in the narrative. These representations give a layer of meaning

towards the audience so they can understand the opposing roles in the ‘male gaze’ and although the

flashbacks portray her as the ‘Madonna’, more often the viewers are encouraged to view her as the

‘whore’. This links to typical genre conventions of both pop and rock music videos where females are

often shown for visual pleasure.

 

In conclusion, in my video media language uses signs to express romance, heart break and the

notions of femininity. As there are polysemic signs through the use of camera and mise-en-scene,

the audience can make up their own conclusion.

 

 

 

2-

Postmodernism is a way of thinking about cultures, philosophy and the arts. More general, it is a

concept categorised by a set of theories and ideologies. Popular postmodern traits include

intertextuality, pastiche and hyperreality which I will discuss when analysing my case studies

‘Maleficent’ (Robert Stromberg, 2014) and ‘Black Widow’ (Director X, 2014).

 

My first case study is ‘Maleficent’, a film about the untold story of the villain in Disney’s ‘Sleeping

Beauty’. Immediately it is clear to see how this is a postmodern film as it is based on an already

existing media text, it uses intertextuality and focuses on a completely different character within the

story. It can be said that the film is a recycled fairy-tale from the original – introducing the bricolage

technique where work is created using available and existing materials, which is effectively what

‘Maleficent’ does. ‘Maleficent’ is also pastiche, a trait discovered by Freidrich Jameson, as it imitates

the work of existing films by including the same characters and locations. Both ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and

‘Maleficent’ also include similar scenes, for example when Maleficent goes to visit Aurora as a baby

and casts a spell on her in the castle.

 

The film also creates a sense of hyperreality, a motion discovered by Baudrilliard, through the way it

is shown on screen. Maleficent has a sense of hyperreality as it is sometimes difficult for the viewer

to distinguish between what is real and what is not during the film. ‘Maleficent’ is a myth based on a

realistic-looking landscape yet the landscape is in fact a magical made-up land. Therefore the way it

has been edited creates a sense of a hyperreality world towards the audience.

 

‘Maleficent’ is also very artificial – another trait as to how the film is considered postmodern,

because it uses CGI to create mythical creatures that the audience otherwise wouldn’t see in real

life. For example, Maleficent herself is very artificial due to her black wings and horns. There is a

scene in particular, where she is flying other the kingdom as a little girl which clearly uses CGI effects

as this would never be possible in reality. This also emphasises how the film is a fairy-tale as

sometimes postmodern films like to draw attention to the fact they are fictious. However the

characters have been edited this way to appear real with the audience so they can engage and relate

with them more, as well as what is happening in the film. This also displays how important

technology is within postmodernity.

 

Another trait of Maleficent is its claim to moral truth. As the film focuses on the villain as the

protagonist, it is sometimes hard to distinguish whether in fact she is the hero. In the original

‘Sleeping Beauty’ it was easy to recgonise Maleficent as the villain however this film takes on more

complicated approaches towards the character. For example the scene where Maleficent’s wings get

stolen from her childhood friend, the audience automatically sympathises with her and she is seen

as the victim. This explains how postmodern films tend to upset mainstream conventions of

narratives and characterisations because it tells the story from a different perspective.

 

My other case study is the music video ‘Black Widow’ by Rita Ora and Iggy Azalea. This media text

also includes pastiche a sit imitates the film ‘Kill Bill’ through the various props and costumes. Both

artists wear leather jumpsuits, like the protagonist in ‘Kill Bill’ the bride, however they are slightly

different from the original due to their colour. This suggests how the producers didn’t want to

exactly replicate the film, but instead imitate it- a more playful side of postmodern culture.

Intertextuality is another trait within ‘Black Widow’ as from the beginning, the audience is

introduced to Michael Madsen, which ironically links in with the original film ‘Kill Bill’ as he also

starred in this. Rital Ora’s old label head ‘T.I’ and actor ‘Paul Sorvino’ are also in the poker scene of

the video. All of these appearances link to either the film or music industry which the audience, if

they recognise them, will be able to make connections with. A more humorous example of

intertextuality is the reference to the current song ‘What does the fox say?’ as the restaurant owner

says this to Iggy at the start of the video. This is another way the audience can understand the

references, as the song was very popular during this video’s release.

 

As mentioned before, some postmodern texts like to draw attention to the fact they’re fictous. This

is seen in ‘Black Widow’ where Iggy look directly at the camera to make eye contact with the

audience, as well as the many posters that advertise the video within the restaurant. This implies

how postmodern texts are hyper-conscious as they directly address the audience.

 

I believe postmodernity will continue to appear within the arts as traits such as intertextuality are

now becoming more commonly used and I believe this will continue to adapt in the future, as

audience will accept that modernity no longer exist.

Film and postmodernism

Key concept approach -
. Generic blurring
. Intertexuality
. Playfulness - parody, pastiche
. Hypereality etc.

Audience:

Alain J.-J. Cohen has identified a new phenomenon in the history of film, the ‘hyper-spectator’. ‘Such spectator, who may have a deep knowledge of cinema, can reconfigure both the films themselves and filmic fragments into new and novel forms of both cinema and spectatorship, making use of the vastly expanded access to films arrived at through modern communications equipment and media. The hyper-spectator is, at least potentially, the material (which here means virtual) creator of his or her hyper-cinematic experience’ (157)

‘VCRs and laserdisc-players or newer DVDs have produced, and are still producing, a Gutenberg-type of revolution in relation to the moving image.’

Anne Friedberg has argued that because we now have much control of how we watch a film (through video/dvd), and we increasingly watch film in personal spaces (the home) rather than exclusively in public places, ‘cinema and televison become readable as symptoms of a “postmodern condition”, but as contributing causes.’ In other words, we don’t just have films that are about postmodernism or reflect postmodern thinking. Films have helped contribute to the postmodern quality of life by manipulating and playing around with our conventional understanding of time and space. ‘One can literally rent another space and time when one borrows a videotape to watch on a VCR….the VCR allows man to organize a time which is not his own…a time which is somewhere else – and to capture it.’

Anne Friedberg: ‘The cinema spectator and the armchair equivalent – the home-video viewer, who commands fast forward, fast reverse, and many speeds of slow motion, who can easily switch between channels and tape; who is always to repeat, replay, and return – is a spectator lost in but also in control of time. The cultural apparatuses of television and the cinema have gradually become causes for what is now…described as the postmodern condition.’

Institution:

Convention:

Typically, such films also break down the cultural divide between high and low art and often overturn typical portrayals of gender, race, class, genre, and time with the goal of creating something different from traditional narrative expression.

Representation:
Some representations associated with film and postmodernity:
Meta-textual-ism - characters are aware they are characters
Other Realism elements become fluid, such as time (plot)
Perhaps the major feature of Postmodern works are their emphasis on play or games. 

Post-Modernism Session1 from kingedmedia

Film Case Study - Maleficent

Key scenes:

These scenes include intertextual references to the original Disney movie, meaning the scenes are very similar...
- Maleficent visiting the castle and approaching the king (Aurora's father)
- Maleficent has the same type of powers (this can be seen by the green glow in both Maleficent and the original film)
- Both films also include scenes of Sleeping Beauty becoming friends with animals/creatures within the forest
- Of course, Aurora sleeping and touching the spinning wheel by being cursed are included in both as these are significant parts of the original tale
- The dark forest forming around the castle as part of the curse
- The dragon towards the end of the film

Postmodernism - Film Case Study

 Maleficent, a film about the untold story of the villain in Sleeping Beauty, is an example of a postmodern film due to many factors. Maleficent includes many intertextual references which is a main convention within postmodernity. For example, it is based on the famous Disney Film Sleeping Beauty although it focuses in on a completely different character. This portrays how the film is using past ideas to create a new story and in some way has recycled the fairy-tale to produce a new film. Maleficent can also been seen as pastiche for similar reasons as it imitates the work of another Disney film; clearly it uses the same or similar characters from the original Sleeping Beauty as well as locations and buildings.

 The film also includes a sense of hyper reality through the way it is presented. This is another well-known convention of postmodernity and refers to the inability to distinguish between what is real and what is not. The film is based on a myth created in a realistic landscape however the landscape is in fact not real and is magical made-up land. These specific scenes in the movie have been edited in order to appear real to the view, therefore creating the sense of hyper reality.

 More obviously Maleficent is also very artificial. This is because it uses CGI in order to create mystical characters that the viewer would never see in real life. For example, Maleficent herself is very mystical due to her features including her stunning black wings. This also emphasises the fact it is a fairy-tale as sometimes postmodern films like to draw attention to the fact that they are fictitious. However, the use of CGI is to make fairy tales such as these look believable to the audience – making the audience engage more with the characters and what is happening in the film. This describes how technology in particular is important within the world of postmodernity.

 One of the other main conventions of postmodernism is that is questions any claim to moral truth. This is cleverly expressed within Maleficent as it is somewhat harder to identify the hero and villain than it was in the original tale. In a way, the movie producers are attempting to subvert objective moral categories, highlighting how postmodern films can be challenging. Compared to Sleeping Beauty where the audience easily recognises Maleficent as the evil and heartless villain, in Maleficent they see much more complicated approaches towards the character. For example, in the scene where her wings are taken from her by her own childhood friend, the viewer automatically sympathises with the character suggesting that in fact she is the victim, not the villain.  Throughout the film the audience is urged to witness the story from a different perspective to understand why Maleficent went ahead with the things she did. In the end, she is seen as both a hero and a villain; this also explains a character who appears to be disconnect from their environment – another convention of postmodern films.