Postmodernism

What is modernism?

• Modernism is the name given to the movement which dominated the arts and culture of the first half of the 20^th century.
• Due to the creation of the camera, despite how well talented an artist is, a photographer could always do a better job, and therefore art had to adapt to become something completely different. Art became less about aesthetics and more about provoking a reaction.
• Examples of Modernist artists are Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol.

How did postmodernism extend from this?

• In the late 20^th century, postmodernism came about as a criticism representing a departure in the fine arts, usually composed of the blending together of different artistic styles and media.
• To a postmodernist, all judgement of value are merely subjective statements based on ones tastes, as they reject the idea that any media products or texts are of any greater value than another.

What are the basic conventions of postmodernism?

• Cinema- Deliberately avoids realism, retro-nostalgia, imitation of other films etc.
• TV- Relies on visuals such as clothing, settings, people etc.
• Advertisement- Parodying adverts, cultural representations, stylish visuals, clever quotations etc.
• Pop Music- Open and extensive mixing of styles and genres of music in a very direct and self-conscious way.

What is “good” and “cool” about postmodernist theories and texts? 

• Postmodernism is something new and different, leaving a lot open to experimentation.
• Postmodernist architecture created bold new buildings with far more expressive styles.
• The freedom of expression that came with post modernism demonstrated the variety in which art can change.
• Postmodernism started to blend musical genres together; an example of this is David Bowie who music has been described as many genres therefore solidifying him as an artist fixed to no genre.

What is controversial about Post-Modernism?

• Post-modernism ignores “truth” and Truth.
• Post-modernism causes us to ignore real human suffering while condemning institutional bureaucracies in solving them.
•  It over-determines the role of the text and erases the subjectivity and context of the person who spoke the text into being.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Post-Modernism?

Strengths:

• Postmodernism provides a good critique of modernism
• Postmodernism helpfully stresses the use of the aesthetic.

Weaknesses:

• Postmodernist artists still want to send a message in their artwork, and it can be hard for an audience to understand what message the art is supposed to send out.
• Due to taste being purely subjected, postmodernism doesn't allow us to get closer to the true meaning of a piece of art.

David Bowie and Postmodernism

Trying and failing countless amounts of time to become famous for years it was only until 1969 when Bowie got noticed, when he brought out the song "Space Oddity". Since the beginning of Bowie's career, his music was always challenging the conventions of rock music, as before him, rock music was rather generic, comprised of men in Leather jackets and blue jeans. Yet, it wasn't till 1972, when Bowie released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, till he became a proper superstar. Dressed in wild costumes that spoke of some kind of wild future, Bowie, portraying Stardust himself, signaled a new age in rock music. Creating what was later known as Glam Rock. As Bowie's celebrity profile increased, so did his desire to keep fans and critics guessing. He claimed he was gay and then introduced the pop world to Ziggy Stardust, Bowie's imagining of a doomed rock star, and his backing group, The Spiders from Mars. 

David Bowie is most definitely a postmodernist musician, as his music applies to many of the conventions that are visible throughout postmodern music, however it could be argued that the conventions began with him and other artists after were merely copying what Bowie started; as one of the conventions, which Bowie and many postmodernist artists did, was to borrow from other artists. Whether it be lyrics, riffs or styles. However, they do not copy in a plagiaristic way, more as an obvious homage to the artist, for example Lady Gaga had a lightning bolt on her face in her video for 'Paparazzi', which was similar to that of the Ziggy Stardust persona that Bowie created for himself. The use of different musical styles and genres is now seen as very postmodern, especially when cultural instruments are used, for example Arabian or Indian instruments. David Bowie is famous for not being able to put a genre to, as almost all of his songs are of a different genre. He also combined genres within the one song, and due to this he, along with artists such as Patti Smith and Iggy Pop, is seen as a prototype for what went on to become Punk Rock in the 70's, with songs such as 'Rebel Rebel'. The use of major and minor keys within the same song would have been unheard of before Bowie, but he experimented with it often, with songs such as 'Starman!' and 'Changes.' This is also a convention of Postmodern music. Another convention is the use and the focus on technology within the music. The fact that to Bowie, Ziggy Stardust was a Martian who fell to Earth, is an example of where he has used the imagery of Space to tell a story with his music; and many of his songs follow this theme, such as 'Space Oddity', 'Star Man' etc. Due to Bowie constantly changing the way he looks, he is now regarded as the original pop chameleon. Artists such as Madonna, Lady Gaga and Marilyn Manson are examples of pop chameleons since him. 

For my case study  I shall be focusing on Bowie's 2012 song 'The Stars Are Out Tonight', as it is contemporary and still holds the same level of postmodernism that Bowie's older stuff used to hold. The video begins in a very normal, relatable way, illustrating a normal day for a happy couple, but on a trip to the supermarket two celebrities constantly follow them and then begin to corrupt the wife by turning her into a celebrity. Although beginning realistic, the video becomes very surreal, with a woman dressed as Bowie when he was younger, as well as sexual and paranoid imagery. Paranoia is conventional among postmodern music videos. 

The video might tie in with Baudrillard's theory of 'Hyperreality'. Baudrillard defines this theory as “A condition in which ‘reality’ has been replaced by simulacra”. Celebrities who reach a point at which every aspect of their lives is taken care of by someone else are said to live in a hyperreal world as they lose the ability to interact with people on a normal level and are cocooned in Hyperreality. Normal people often try to copy this. The lyrics to the song replicate this theory, especially the lyric “And they know just what we do/That we toss and turn at night/They're waiting to make their moves/But the stars are out tonight”. The idea of celebrities stalking out every footstep, and knowing everything that we do scares us, however it is merely a reversal of what really happens in the world with the general public knowing all that happens to celebrities. 

Video Script

Modernism is the name given to the movement which dominated the arts and culture of the first half of the

20^th century.

Due to the creation of the camera, despite how well talented an artist is, a photographer could always do a better

job, and therefore art had to adapt to become something completely different. Art became less about aesthetics

and more about provoking a reaction.

In the late 20^th century, postmodernism came about as a criticism representing a departure in the fine arts,

usually composed of the blending together of different artistic styles and media.

To a postmodernist, all judgement of value are merely subjective statements based on ones tastes, as they

reject the idea that any media products or texts are of any greater value than another.

Postmodern music videos tend to hold themes ranging from foolishness and parody, to paranoia. The artists also tend to be incredibly self aware. The music video that I am using as my case study is David Bowie's 2012 song 'The Stars Are Out tonight' Thisis postmodern as it begins in a very normal, relatable way, illustrating a normal day for a happy couple, but on a trip to the supermarket two celebrities constantly follow them and then begin to corrupt the wife by turning her into a celebrity. Although beginning realistic, the video becomes very surreal, with a woman dressed as Bowie when he was younger, as well as sexual and paranoid imagery. 

The video followsfollows Baudrillard’s ‘Hyperreality’ Theory Hyperrelaity is “a condition in which ‘reality’ has been replaced by simulacra”  Baudrillard uses the example of celebrities who reach a point at which every aspect of their lives is taken care of by someone else are said to live in a hyperreal world. They lose the ability to interact with people on a normal level and are cocooned in Hyperreality; in which normal people often try to copy. 

This is seen within the lyrics of the video  when Bowie sings “And they know just what we do/That we toss andturn at night/They're waiting to make their moves/But the stars are out tonight” This song may be seen as anexample of this theory as the lyrics and the video are about what it would be like if celebrities knew everythingthat we do, like the general public know about celebrities due to the media. Surrealism is used in the video to make these 'celebrities' come across as being monstrous, especially as theirmovements are unnatural. 

How can texts in Music videos and television be described as Postmodern?

Ciaran Davis

        To understand Postmodernism, one must first be familiar with the definition of Modernism. Modernism is the name given to one of the movements which dominated the arts and culture of the first half of the 20th century. It came about due to the creation of the camera, as despite how well talented an artist is, a photographer could always do a better job, and therefore art had to adapt to become something completely different. Art became less about aesthetics and more about provoking a reaction.  Then from this, in the late 20th century, a movement known as Postmodernism came about as a criticism representing a departure in the fine arts; usually composed of the blending together of different artistic styles and media. To a postmodernist, all judgement of value are merely subjective statements based on ones tastes, as they reject the idea that any media products or texts are of any greater value than another.

        Postmodernity is expressed through music videos via a range of different themes; for example, light hearted themes such as parody and playfulness to deeper themes such as paranoia. The artists within postmodern music videos are arguable more self-aware and narcissistic than that of ‘normal’ music videos, however many theorists say that our society is currently living within Postmodernity; that different aspects of culture; ranging from art, to fashion to music to food has been corrupted by postmodernism, so it is arguable that all music videos are to some degree postmodern.

    David Bowie’s 2012 song entitled 'The Stars Are Out Tonight' is a clear, contemporary example postmodernism in a music video. The video was directed by the Canadian-Italian director Floria Sigismondi; famous for directing The Runaways, and has directed many music videos since the 90’s that are associated with postmodern artists; such as Bjork, Katy Perry, Marilyn Manson and various other David Bowie songs before this song. The video begins in a very normal, relatable way; illustrating a normal day for a happy couple. However, on a trip to the supermarket, the couple are stalked by two ‘celebrities’ who soon corrupt the wife by turning her into a ‘celebrity’. Although beginning realistic, the video becomes very surreal, with themes of transvestism; in the form of a young woman dressed up as Bowie as a younger man, as well as other sexual and paranoid imagery. Paranoia being one of the conventional themes of postmodernity in music videos.

       The video appears to tie in with Baudrillard's theory of 'Hyperreality'. Baudrillard defines this theory as “A condition in which ‘reality’ has been replaced by simulacra”. Celebrities who reach a point at which every aspect of their lives is taken care of by someone else are said to live in a hyper real world as they lose the ability to interact with people on a normal level and are cocooned in Hyperreality. Normal people often try to copy this. The lyrics to the song replicate this theory, especially the lyric “And they know just what we do/That we toss and turn at night/They’re waiting to make their moves/But the stars are out tonight”. This theme may provoke an emotional reaction with an audience, as the narrative of the song appears to represent an exaggerated version of the way in which celebrities can shape and even corrupt a person’s life; however also appears to illustrate what life would be like if celebrities obsessed over the general public, the way they do over celebrities which may create a sense of paranoia for an audience.

       Similar to that of postmodernism in music videos, the same sort of conventional themes appear to exist thought out postmodern television programmes as well, such as pastiche: they tend to be tongue in cheek and contain tribute to popular culture. It also contains other themes such as spectacle: they tend to be in a constant competition to get the most viewers, often victims of shallowness in order to get attention, Faux TV: This is often shows about other TV shows, or fake news programs; often known as mockumentaries, and Mystery: This often related to eclectic or unusual searched for the unknown; often involving philosophical, spiritual or technological themes.

      An example of a contemporary Television programme that is said to be overtly postmodern is the BBC surreal comedy series, ‘The Mighty Boosh’. As well as conventional themes such as playfulness, the entire show seems to revolve around this idea of pastiche; with overt references to popular culture, for example in the episode ‘Hitcher’, Bryan Ferry, the lead singer of the rock band ‘Roxy Music’, is a tribesman who lives in the forest. In this same episode, a bear in the back of the zoo van that Vince and Howard, the shows protagonists, and driving is angered when Howard plays a Jazz song on the radio, but is calmed down and begins singing and dancing when Vince puts on the 80’s hit ‘Cars’ by Gary Numan; this song appears a few times within various series’ as Gary Numan is Vince Noir’s favourite artist, and in fact has a cameo appearance in series 3. Also, Vince Noir, played by comedian Noel Fielding, is a man who always craves fame; always changing his look from one subculture to the next per episode in order to keep up with fashion. One episode he’d be a Mod, the next a Punk and the next a Goth.

         Another theme that is present throughout the show is parody. In the series 3 episode called “Journey to the Centre of the Punk”, a parody of the Victorian children’s book ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ by Jules Verne, Vince, who is now the frontman of the fictional punk band ‘Terminal Margret’, who perform a song called ‘I did a shit’ which in itself is a parody of the simplistic, aggressive lyrics and tunes of punk songs. Playfulness is also seen in the episode when Vince is possessed by ‘The Spirit of Jazz’ after eating swallowing part of a jazz record; Vince begins to speak in ‘scat’, a style of Jazz singing, which Howard Moon says he can speak as if it is a genuine language. Intertexuality is used also when the Spirit of Jazz is defeated by being stabbed by the safety pin that Sid Vicious, former bassist of the punk band ‘Sex Pistols’. 

I am Postmodern

I dont know who I am.

Am I real?

Maybe I'm hyper-real?

Pastiche perhaps?

Or I might be a parody? 

Something playful like that.

This must be a paranoid delusion!

Maybe I'm a simulation?

Or simulacra? 

Dont be silly! 

Egotistical it would seem.

Replicant? 

Nothing at all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1SV0LInE-s

Joss Whedon loves his post-modern! The Cabin in the Woods is both a clever and moderately scary classic teen horror film and at the same time a self-referential reinvention of the genre. In short, we have the classic startup: Five college kids head to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of fun and are beset by supernatural mayhem. We have the classic stereotypes: the whore (the movie’s language, not mine), the jock, the scholar, the fool, and the virgin.

But from the start, we know it isn’t so simple. Some mysterious government or corporate agency (shades of The Initiative from Buffy season 4) seems to be running the show. The film — and even many of the characters in it — are in on the joke. And this, in classic Whedon form, is what makes for a lot of the humor. The “fool”, deliciously played by Dollhouse‘s geek Fran Kranz is a major case in point.

Jock: “I think we should split up.”

Scholar: “Good idea.”

Fool: “Wait… Really?”

The fact that you know the basic progression of the horror doesn’t make the “Redneck Pain-loving Zombies” (apparently, a totally different species from regular Zombies) any less frightening. But, for the viewer, the fundamental mystery comes from wondering what the hell is going on with the agency. Having seen all of Whedon’s oeuvre I guessed by about the 25% mark. The whole meta premise is a very Whedonesque one. He certainly treads heavily on this territory in both Buffy (season 7 seal?) and Angel (shades of Wolfram and Hart), but I won’t say more because this film is best enjoyed unspoiled.

The last quarter of the movie comes dangerously close to jumping the shark as it inverts the post-modern thing and goes nuts, but the production pulls it off with a certain zany pizzaz and just the right tone in the form of a Sigourney Weaver cameo.

The script is witty, with lots of good snark, and the acting is good for what it is. The girls are hot (the wolf smooch is a classic moment) and the cast is packed with Buffy, Angel, and Dollhouse returnees. There are some really good laughs in here, like when the agency crew teases a creepy old redneck with the speakerphone (you have to see it). Plus one of the zombies fights with a bear-trap!

A definite must for any horror fan.

Postmodern Music, TV and Film 

To understand Postmodernism, one must first be familiar with the definition of Modernism. Modernism is the name given to one of the key movements which dominated the arts and culture of the first half of the 20th century. It came about due to the creation of the camera, as despite how well talented an artist is, a photographer could always do a better job, and therefore art had to adapt to become something completely different. Art became less about aesthetics and more about provoking a reaction. Then from this, in the late 20th century, a movement known as Postmodernism came about as a criticism representing a departure in the fine arts; usually composed of the blending together of different artistic styles and media.  Many critics argue that we are living within postmodernity itself, as seen in our media, our architecture, fashion and even food. David Morley claims that postmodernism means four different things; a period of social life, a form of cultural sensibility, an aesthetic style and a mode of thought useful for analysing the period. To a postmodernist, all judgement of value are merely subjective statements based on ones tastes, as they reject the idea that any media products or texts are of any greater value than another.

The postmodern theorist Jean-Francis Lyotard defined postmodernism as ‘incredulity towards metanarratives,’ This is seen in Joss Whedon's 2012 metahorror film 'Cabin in the Woods' as the film is essentially a horror movie about horror movies; with a secret organisation who have a facility which houses every creature from every horror film imaginable of which they use to kill off groups of people as sacrifices to a God. This organisation itself may be seen as a satirical criticism of the power that the government holds over the general public; satire being conventional of postmodern media. The entire movie can be defined as a postmodern homage to the entirety of the genre of horror; as well as many horror subgenres as the creatures within the facility, such as Count Orlok from the 1922 German Expressionist horror movie 'Nosfuratu' and Pennywise the Clown from 1990 film 'IT', are nostalgic of horror. Where as some of the monsters have been slightly subverted, such as the Lord of Bondage and Pain who clearly resembles Pinhead from the 1987 horror "Hellraiser". This was either done as a way of not violating copyright infringments but to still be able to pastiche popular horror characters, or Whedon intended to parody the characters; after all this character has a humorous title and could be seen as mocking Pinhead for dressing in tight black latex which resembles that of bondage clothing. The film opens by parodying the cliche of all modern horror movies following the story of a whore (the film defines the character as this) a jock, a scholar, a fool, and a virgin, as they embark on a holiday together. This seems to be a direct parody of the 2005 'House of Wax' remake of which had five main teenage protagonist with the same characteristics; even having Holden, the 'scholar' character, as the only black person of both films. Other cliches are seen within this opening when the group come across a hillbilly on their way to stay in a cabin in the woods. Most postmodern films are very self aware. This is seen in the movie when Curt, the jock says that the group should "Split up" which is a cliche of horror movies which anyone familiar with the cliche will know always ends with one or more of the characters in need of someone to help them as they get into danger. The film is conscious of the fact that the audience will be familiar with this, so have the comic relief on the group Marty, the fool, to say "What? Are you serious?". This acts as the voice of the audience as they all know that to "split up" is a bad idea.

Postmodernity is expressed through various different art forms, from music to film to art to literature. David Bowie is most definitely a postmodernist musician, as his music applies to many of the conventions that are visible throughout postmodern music, however it could be argued that the conventions began with him and other artists after were merely copying what Bowie started; as one of the conventions, which Bowie and many postmodernist artists did, was to borrow from other artists. Whether it be lyrics, riffs or styles. However, they do not copy in a plagiaristic way, more as an obvious homage to the artist, for example Lady Gaga had a lightning bolt on her face in her video for 'Paparazzi', which was similar to that of the Ziggy Stardust persona that Bowie created for himself. The use of different musical styles and genres is now seen as very postmodern, especially when cultural instruments are used, for example Arabian or Indian instruments. David Bowie is famous for not being able to put a genre to, as almost all of his songs are of a different genre. He also combined genres within the one song, and due to this he, along with artists such as Patti Smith and Iggy Pop, is seen as a prototype for what went on to become Punk Rock in the 70's, with songs such as 'Rebel Rebel'. The use of major and minor keys within the same song would have been unheard of before Bowie, but he experimented with it often, with songs such as 'Starman!' and 'Changes.' This is also a convention of Postmodern music. Another convention is the use and the focus on technology within the music. The fact that to Bowie, Ziggy Stardust was a Martian who fell to Earth, is an example of where he has used the imagery of Space to tell a story with his music; and many of his songs follow this theme, such as 'Space Oddity', 'Star Man' etc. Due to Bowie constantly changing the way he looks, he is now regarded as the original pop chameleon. Artists such as Madonna, Lady Gaga and Marilyn Manson are examples of pop chameleons since him. 

Postmodern music videos tend to consist of a range of different themes; for example, light hearted themes such as parody and playfulness to deeper themes such as paranoia. The artists within postmodern music videos are arguable more self-aware and narcissistic than that of ‘normal’ music videos, however many theorists say that our society is currently living within Postmodernity; that different aspects of culture; ranging from art, to fashion to music to food has been corrupted by postmodernism, so it is arguable that all music videos are to some degree postmodern. An con temporary example of a postmodern music video is David Bowie’s 2012 song entitled 'The Stars Are Out Tonight' is a clear. The video was directed by the Canadian-Italian director Floria Sigismondi; famous for directing The Runaways, and has directed many music videos since the 90’s that are associated with postmodern artists; such as Bjork, Katy Perry, Marilyn Manson and various other David Bowie songs before this song. The video begins in a very normal, relatable way; illustrating a normal day for a happy couple, which is than disturbed when the couple go on a trip to the supermarket, the couple are stalked by two ‘celebrities’ who soon corrupt the wife by turning her into a ‘celebrity’. Although beginning realistic, the video becomes very surreal, with themes of transvestism; in the form of a young woman dressed up as Bowie as a younger man, which could be interpreted as Bowie himself being very self-aware at the fact that he, or at least his younger self, is a major celebrity. This may be interpreted as Bowie criticising himself. The video also consists of sexual and paranoid imagery; paranoia being one of the conventional themes of postmodernity in music videos.

The video appears to tie in with Baudrillard's theory of 'Hyperreality'. Baudrillard defines this theory as “A condition in which ‘reality’ has been replaced by simulacra”. Celebrities who reach a point at which every aspect of their lives is taken care of by someone else are said to live in a hyper real world as they lose the ability to interact with people on a normal level and are cocooned in Hyperreality. Normal people often try to copy this. The lyrics to the song replicate this theory, especially the lyric “And they know just what we do/That we toss and turn at night/They’re waiting to make their moves/But the stars are out tonight”. This theme may provoke an emotional reaction with an audience, as the narrative of the song appears to represent an exaggerated version of the way in which celebrities can shape and even corrupt a person’s life; however also appears to illustrate what life would be like if celebrities obsessed over the general public, the way they do over celebrities which may create a sense of paranoia for an audience.

Similar to that of postmodernism in music videos, the same sort of conventional themes appear to exist thought out postmodern television programmes. An example of a postmodern convention of TV is pastiche: they tend to be tongue in cheek and contain tribute to popular culture. It also contains other themes such as spectacle: they tend to be in a constant competition to get the most viewers, often victims of shallowness in order to get attention, Faux TV: This is often shows about other TV shows, or fake news programs; often known as mockumentaries, and Mystery: This often related to eclectic or unusual searched for the unknown; often involving philosophical, spiritual or technological themes. An example of a contemporary Television programme that is said to be overtly postmodern is the BBC surreal comedy series, ‘The Mighty Boosh’. As well as conventional themes such as playfulness, the entire show seems to revolve around this idea of pastiche; with overt references to popular culture, for example in the episode ‘Hitcher’, Bryan Ferry, the lead singer of the rock band ‘Roxy Music’, is a tribesman who lives in the forest. In this same episode, a bear in the back of the zoo van that Vince and Howard, the shows protagonists, and driving is angered when Howard plays a Jazz song on the radio, but is calmed down and begins singing and dancing when Vince puts on the 80’s hit ‘Cars’ by Gary Numan; this song appears a few times within various series’ as Gary Numan is Vince Noir’s favourite artist, and in fact has a cameo appearance in series 3. Also, Vince Noir, played by comedian Noel Fielding, is a man who always craves fame; always changing his look from one subculture to the next per episode in order to keep up with fashion. One episode he’d be a Mod, the next a Punk and the next a Goth.

Another theme that is present throughout the show is parody. In the series 3 episode called “Journey to the Centre of the Punk”, a parody of the Victorian children’s book ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ by Jules Verne, Vince, who is now the frontman of the fictional punk band ‘Terminal Margret’, who perform a song called ‘I did a shit’ which in itself is a parody of the simplistic, aggressive lyrics and tunes of punk songs. Playfulness is also seen in the episode when Vince is possessed by ‘The Spirit of Jazz’ after eating swallowing part of a jazz record; Vince begins to speak in ‘scat’, a style of Jazz singing, which Howard Moon says he can speak as if it is a genuine language. Intertexuality is used also when the Spirit of Jazz is defeated by being stabbed by the safety pin that Sid Vicious, former bassist of the punk band ‘Sex Pistols’, wore as a septum piercing. 
 

Explain why the idea of ‘Postmodern Media’ might be controversial. [50]

Introduction

To understand Postmodernism, one first needs to be familiar with Modernism. Modernism is the name given to the movement which dominated the arts and culture of the first half of the 20th century. Due to the creation of the camera, despite how well talented an artist is, a photographer could always do a better job, and therefore art had to adapt to become something completely different. Art became less about aesthetics and more about provoking a reaction. In the late 20th century, postmodernism came about as a criticism representing a departure in the fine arts, usually composed of the blending together of different artistic styles and media. To a postmodernist, all judgement of value are merely subjective statements based on ones tastes, as they reject the idea that any media products or texts are of any greater value than another. Controversy is often linked to the ideas behind ‘Postmodern Media’. I shall be explaining why the ideas of ‘Postmodern Media’ might be seen as controversial with explicit reference to Activision’s Deadpool, BBC’s The Mighty Boosh, Joss Wheedon’s Cabin in the Woods and David Bowie’s Stars are out Tonight.

Conclusion

To conclude, one could suggest that due to all media products being a product of the postmodern condition, audiences are no longer becoming affected by the controversy of postmodernism as postmodernism has consumed our society. Hence why society seems to be falling into a new authenticity; where people want to see good actors in films with good stories, they want to listen to good musicians who write good songs etc. As the shock factor for a lot of controversy has worn off, in recent years a lot of postmodern celebrities have acted in incredibly controversial ways to get publicity, such as Lady Gaga who in a recent gig had a model vomit all over her.

Microanalysis


Cabin in the Woods- The postmodern theorist Jean-Francis Lyotard defined postmodernism as ‘incredulity towards metanarratives,’ This is seen in Joss Whedon's 2012 metahorror film 'Cabin in the Woods' as the film is essentially a horror movie about horror movies; with a secret organisation who have a facility which houses every creature from every horror film imaginable of which they use to kill off groups of people as sacrifices to a God. This organisation itself may be seen as a satirical criticism of the power that the government holds over the general public; satire being conventional of postmodern media. The entire movie can be defined as a postmodern homage to the entirety of the genre of horror; as well as many horror subgenres as the creatures within the facility, such as Count Orlok from the 1922 German Expressionist horror movie 'Nosfuratu' and Pennywise the Clown from 1990 film 'IT', are nostalgic of horror. Where as some of the monsters have been slightly subverted, such as the Lord of Bondage and Pain who clearly resembles Pinhead from the 1987 horror "Hellraiser". This was either done as a way of not violating copyright infringments but to still be able to pastiche popular horror characters, or Whedon intended to parody the characters; after all this character has a humorous title and could be seen as mocking Pinhead for dressing in tight black latex which resembles that of bondage clothing. The film opens by parodying the cliche of all modern horror movies following the story of a whore (the film defines the character as this) a jock, a scholar, a fool, and a virgin, as they embark on a holiday together. This seems to be a direct parody of the 2005 'House of Wax' remake of which had five main teenage protagonist with the same characteristics; even having Holden, the 'scholar' character, as the only black person of both films. Other cliches are seen within this opening when the group come across a hillbilly on their way to stay in a cabin in the woods. Most postmodern films are very self aware. This is seen in the movie when Curt, the jock says that the group should "Split up" which is a cliche of horror movies which anyone familiar with the cliche will know always ends with one or more of the characters in need of someone to help them as they get into danger. The film is conscious of the fact that the audience will be familiar with this, so have the comic relief on the group Marty, the fool, to say "What? Are you serious?". This acts as the voice of the audience as they all know that to "split up" is a bad idea.

The Mighty Boosh- Similar to that of postmodernism in music videos, the same sort of conventional themes appear to exist thought out postmodern television programmes. An example of a postmodern convention of TV is pastiche: they tend to be tongue in cheek and contain tribute to popular culture. It also contains other themes such as spectacle: they tend to be in a constant competition to get the most viewers, often victims of shallowness in order to get attention, Faux TV: This is often shows about other TV shows, or fake news programs; often known as mockumentaries, and Mystery: This often related to eclectic or unusual searched for the unknown; often involving philosophical, spiritual or technological themes. An example of a contemporary Television programme that is said to be overtly postmodern is the BBC surreal comedy series, ‘The Mighty Boosh’. As well as conventional themes such as playfulness, the entire show seems to revolve around this idea of pastiche; with overt references to popular culture, for example in the episode ‘Hitcher’, Bryan Ferry, the lead singer of the rock band ‘Roxy Music’, is a tribesman who lives in the forest. In this same episode, a bear in the back of the zoo van that Vince and Howard, the shows protagonists, and driving is angered when Howard plays a Jazz song on the radio, but is calmed down and begins singing and dancing when Vince puts on the 80’s hit ‘Cars’ by Gary Numan; this song appears a few times within various series’ as Gary Numan is Vince Noir’s favourite artist, and in fact has a cameo appearance in series 3. Also, Vince Noir, played by comedian Noel Fielding, is a man who always craves fame; always changing his look from one subculture to the next per episode in order to keep up with fashion. One episode he’d be a Mod, the next a Punk and the next a Goth.

Another theme that is present throughout the show is parody. In the series 3 episode called “Journey to the Centre of the Punk”, a parody of the Victorian children’s book ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ by Jules Verne, Vince, who is now the frontman of the fictional punk band ‘Terminal Margret’, who perform a song called ‘I did a shit’ which in itself is a parody of the simplistic, aggressive lyrics and tunes of punk songs. Playfulness is also seen in the episode when Vince is possessed by ‘The Spirit of Jazz’ after eating swallowing part of a jazz record; Vince begins to speak in ‘scat’, a style of Jazz singing, which Howard Moon says he can speak as if it is a genuine language. Intertexuality is used also when the Spirit of Jazz is defeated by being stabbed by the safety pin that Sid Vicious, former bassist of the punk band ‘Sex Pistols’, wore as a septum piercing. 

David Bowie- Postmodern music videos tend to consist of a range of different themes; for example, light hearted themes such as parody and playfulness to deeper themes such as paranoia. The artists within postmodern music videos are arguable more self-aware and narcissistic than that of ‘normal’ music videos, however many theorists say that our society is currently living within Postmodernity; that different aspects of culture; ranging from art, to fashion to music to food has been corrupted by postmodernism, so it is arguable that all music videos are to some degree postmodern. An con temporary example of a postmodern music video is David Bowie’s 2012 song entitled 'The Stars Are Out Tonight' is a clear. The video was directed by the Canadian-Italian director Floria Sigismondi; famous for directing The Runaways, and has directed many music videos since the 90’s that are associated with postmodern artists; such as Bjork, Katy Perry, Marilyn Manson and various other David Bowie songs before this song. The video begins in a very normal, relatable way; illustrating a normal day for a happy couple, which is than disturbed when the couple go on a trip to the supermarket, the couple are stalked by two ‘celebrities’ who soon corrupt the wife by turning her into a ‘celebrity’. Although beginning realistic, the video becomes very surreal, with themes of transvestism; in the form of a young woman dressed up as Bowie as a younger man, which could be interpreted as Bowie himself being very self-aware at the fact that he, or at least his younger self, is a major celebrity. This may be interpreted as Bowie criticising himself. The video also consists of sexual and paranoid imagery; paranoia being one of the conventional themes of postmodernity in music videos.

The video appears to tie in with Baudrillard's theory of 'Hyperreality'. Baudrillard defines this theory as “A condition in which ‘reality’ has been replaced by simulacra”. Celebrities who reach a point at which every aspect of their lives is taken care of by someone else are said to live in a hyper real world as they lose the ability to interact with people on a normal level and are cocooned in Hyperreality. Normal people often try to copy this. The lyrics to the song replicate this theory, especially the lyric “And they know just what we do/That we toss and turn at night/They’re waiting to make their moves/But the stars are out tonight”. This theme may provoke an emotional reaction with an audience, as the narrative of the song appears to represent an exaggerated version of the way in which celebrities can shape and even corrupt a person’s life; however also appears to illustrate what life would be like if celebrities obsessed over the general public, the way they do over celebrities which may create a sense of paranoia for an audience.

Criticisms 

• Jameson rejects postmodernism as he views pastiche as it's defining characteristic. He believed that pastiche is a "weak" form of art, mimicking anything intelligent. 
• He said that "The writers and artists of the present day will no longer be able to invent new styles...the most unique ones have been thought of already."