Simulacrum - Advertising.

Simulacrum is a copy of a copy without an original

Nikon, Emirates and Smirnoff adverts
These 3 adverts try to sell a product by selling a romanticised experience through music that the product can give you, specifically. They try to create an authentic experience however they are only simulacrums - fake experiences that are had by fake people as the characters are portrayed by actors. They are staged to look authentic but are not authentic however the audience are not always able to identify them as false.

The Ikea lamp ad is postmodern because it is cynical of the fake romantisiced experience that other adverts use to sell the product, it sets up a situation that makes the audience sorry for the lamp then points out its silly to be connected to a product which they then want to by. However as its advertsing the audience will then go and buy the new lamp anyway.

What is modernism & postmodernism.

Modernism was a cultural movement that has now changed and separated into different areas; literature, architecture, art, music or applied arts. Modernists identified a crisis in economics, politics, society and culture. They believed that not one could answer questions. This was caused by industrialistation (Fordism) which forces humans to abide to "clock time". This led to alienation, the further we get away from our essential nature, the more alienated we are from ourselves and each other (Marx)

Some modernist rebelled against tradition and questioned why it had to be the same, why we couldn't progress.

19th Century Romanticism art emphasied on the emotional, individual subjective experience. The onlooker would be emotionally manipulated by what they saw.

From this came Realsim which focused on the objective truth. Reality was portrayed and was more dominant over subjective impression. The onlooker would have a balanced opinion with no personal attachment being expressed by the artist.

Moral Crisis
At the end of the 19th Century under the influence Darwinism, Marxism and Fordism, some artists & writers began to respond differently to modernity. After WWI people started to question truth and objectivity - due to the production on machines and men to fight under orders.

Modernity is always a response to modernity which is constant - everything is being updated and "improved".

Postmodernism can be seen as a rejection of modernism or a return to earlier forms. Some people stopped believing in anything - religion, truth of politics etc.

Is it a retro fad or just a bit of fun?
I don't think postmodernism will wear out because if it is done right it can be very successful, clever, fun and more interesting to the audience who are used to being a passive mass rather than individual interaction. Play is something that society says you should grow out off by the time you become an adult however most people will want a destraction from everyday life - postmodernism allows the audience to interact and become active in the music video, art, film etc which is becoming more and more available through things like iPads & Smart Phone apps.

Simulacrum is a copy of a copy without an original it is the ulitmate captailist artefact which is completely divorced from nature and reality.

Zane Lowe - Insider Tour Mix

An example of destroying sonority by sampling and mashing together a wide variety of music genres:

• Drum & Bass
• The Beatles
• Chase & Status
• Nero
• Labyrinth
• Kanye West
• Rage Against the Machine
• A quote from the film Blades of Glory
• Benny Benassi
• Sex Pistols
• Swedish House Mafia

Representation essay.

"Representation in media texts are often simplistic and reinforce dominant ideologies so audiences make sense of them." Evaluate the ways you have used/challenged simplistic representations in one of the media products you have produced.

In the Good Life music video we used representation through the characters which would most appeal to the target audience. As the genre is pop rock with the original song by a mainstream band the music video had to reflect that and appeal to a unisex teenager to young adult audience. In the video we used simplistic universal representation by having a male and female character with the context of a romantic relationship. To some extent the roles of the characters challenged dominant ideologies by having the female character Katie as the more active. This challenges stereotypical representations in media texts that usually have the male character as the more active. However, to some extent Katie is passive because she does not connect to the audience through eye contact which means the audience view her as an object rather than a subject which uses simplistic female representation and backed up by Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze that says in media texts, especially pop music videos, females are viewed voyeuristically rather than as the “hero” and main protagonist in the story.

The target audience is mainly teenagers and young adults; this is reflected in the simple narrative and representation of the characters who are both young adults. As the narrative does not focus on more serious everyday life issues suggests it might not appeal to an older audience so we used representation to appeal to our target audience. This also reflects the genre of the music which is soft pop which tends use light-hearted topics.

As there is a strong city vs country divide the representation of regional identity is used in the music video. To some extent you could argue that we have used simplistic representations leaning on stereotypical ideologies that would be familiar to the audience. For example the city is represented as being an unfriendly, isolating place to be which is reflected though the editing of black and white in the video. This contrasts with the country which is shot in colour and is represented as a happier, lighter, free place to be. This is also reflected in the characters themselves, Katie is represented as a stereotypical country girl, with a long floaty dress that makes her look very out of place in the city. She is also seen riding a horse which uses the dominant ideology that life in the country is simpler and less stressful. This also links to the representation of social class of the characters. Bank being from the city is seen with a Blackberry which reflects high tech modern city life whereas Katie is rejecting the city in favour of the country. This also uses the stereotypical ideology that country people are not as up to date as city dwellers, and are more likely to have outdoor jobs which is reflected in the horse shots rather than an office job which is reflected by Bank who is only seen indoors. 

The Arcade Fire - Sprawl II

The videos by The Arcade Fire can be considered postmodern because they blur the boundaries between producer and consumer. The viewer is no longer passively watching a structured video they are interacting and creating the action within the video. Traditional music videos are usually one of three styles; illustrative, amplified or disjunction which are viewed passively by the audience. For example, Mountains Beyond Mountains traditional version follows the conventions of a typical music video using a "narrative" in the form of disjuncture while performing the song by lip syncing. The audience's role is to watch and listen rather than participate in the film. However the interactive version, although set in the same setting with the same characters, is completely different and depends on the audience to participate and interact with the video for anything to happen. The audience controls the speed and movement which is possible through web 2.0. http://www.sprawl2.com/
The Wilderness Downtown uses hyper-reality where the viewer is taken into a simulation of their home town mixing the reality of the town from bird's eye and street views from Google Maps with animation scenes. There is no apparent purpose to the video except entertainment for the viewer which is made more personal with the fact it can be set in their home town. In the video the viewer can create their own postcard which encourages the audience to participate rather than just sit back and watch. http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/
http://www.beonlineb.com/ Neon Bible also requires audience interaction, with the audience able to control what they see happen throughout the song which leaves it totally up to the individual viewer. All of these interact videos are examples of anti-narrative because there is no obvious story or narrative structure. In The Wilderness Downtown the audience may interpret different meanings for the film as the viewer is portrayed in hyper-reality by the character who is either running around, to or from the town depending on how it is individual interpreted. Neon Bible and Mountains Beyond Mountains also have no narrative structure or apparent representation of the lyrics or music which make them look incomplete as the audience have to make up the rest of the action in the video.


http://blabla.nfb.ca/
The chapters show stages of communication: learning a language, making small talk, expressing emotions. It uses a mixture of techniques both traditional and hi-tech, this is a Postmodern aspect because it mixes the use of hand-made art with graphic animations. 
"BLA BLA uses xerogrpahy, drawing on paper, ActionScript generated animations, puppet stop-motion combined with real-time 3D mapping... I am inspired by projects that feel free aesthetically. I wanted BLA BLA to feel hand-made, imperfect, fragile so we forget about the technology."
The music and the visuals are used to create a mood for the viewer who is essential to the performance because without the audience interaction nothing happens. There is some structure to the website as it follows chapters and a lose narrative around the stages of communication. 
Although I liked the style of the graphics and the audience interaction I didn't really understand the purpose of it because it wasn't exactly entertaining or follow any conventions to make it a game. However I can see the possible development for the future - if this kind of interactive software could be used for children's books for example which would give the website and this type of audience interaction more purpose.


Vincent Morisset the director for these videos and the website: (possible quotes on Creativity for Section A) www.hypebot.com/
"Ideas always drive my projects, and I use the tools that are around me to achieve them. I think it's important that we understand the possibilities and the limitations of those tools, but for me, it's important that the projects are driven by ideas so that they don't become technology demos."
"I like to play with different mediums and to blur the lines and the codes of each of them. Using lo-fi and hand-made content to make you forget the technology in an interactive experience is another trick."
"One of my mottos is "The web is fun." I love this medium but the way we connect with images on our laptop is really different from the way we relate to images on a TV screen. Since I want to trigger emotions through my projects, I work hard so that we kind of forget we're in front of a computer."

In what ways can Scott Pilgrim be considered as Postmodern?

Scott Pilgrim can be considered a Postmodern film because it rejects typical modern film structure by mixing genres and its heavy use of intertextual references. Modernists believe that everything should be original, ignoring past work, which in terms of films mean the audience should not question the reliability and supposed “reality” that is represented in the narrative. This often does not leave much room for audience interpretation and has a set structure following conventions of genre, making the overview of the plot predictable to the audience who enjoy watching something where they know what is going to happen because human nature likes comfort and familiarity. However, in terms of films this can become dull which is why Postmodern directors, like Quentin Tarantino, have become so popular as their work is unpredictable and challenges typical Hollywood filmmaking. In Scott Pilgrim, Edgar Wright has make clear references to other genres not only of film but other media, TV programs, comic books and largely video games. The use of intertextual references makes it Postmodern because it encourages active audience participation with the audience looking for the references. 


Scott Pilgrim can be considered Postmodern because it is a bricolage of different genres taking intertextual references from what can be considered popular and elitist “geek” culture. Reference from recent and old action computers like the original Super Mario Bros, Pokemon and Zelda mixed with pop culture films with references to Kill Bill in the end fighting scene and a reference to Seinfeld, an American TV sitcom in Scott and Wallace’s flat, creates the potential to appeal to an audience from both the mass and niche audience groups. References to popular geek culture like the parody of Superman, Brandon Routh who played Superman in the recent remake playing a character with Super Vegan powers who then gets killed by green lazers which is a reference to kryptonite which is fatal to Superman. This is aimed to appeal to a mass audience because it is well known, this is mixed with more niche “geek” culture like the reference to the rare early 90’s NES game “Clash at Demonhead” is aimed to appeal to a niche audience. This links to the theory of normative pluralism as the film makers are showing that all “geek” culture is equal, popular mass culture like Superman is not considered lower because everybody knows about it and equally unknown niche “geek” culture is not elitist just because very few people have heard of it. The rejection of boundaries between genre, and popular and elitist culture can be seen as a good tactic to draw in a wide audience because references to Superman and Tarantino’s Kill Bill attracts more attention and brings something different to the film, making it stand out from other recent comic book adaptations, like Thor and Captain America for example. However it is not always successful because it relies on the audience to know the original source to get the joke and large part of the audience might not recognise the more niche references. For example, not being an avid gamer I did not recognise some of the references to Zelda and older NES games, however missing the references did not matter too much as a lot of the gaming references where universal to most games, the level bars and power ups for example. The good thing about Postmodern films is that they do not require the audience to recognise every reference and detail which is something only a niche group will be able to do. This is why some criticise postmodernism for being exclusive to those people who get the in-jokes. This leads some critics like Frederic Jameson to believe that postmodern society, films in particular, can not progress any further than they already are because they are made up of “nothing more than continuous self-referential jokes which have no deeper meaning or purpose” which if used constantly in media will eventually wear out. In terms of intertextual references working in Scott Pilgrim, it could be successful if the narrative of the film had a wider appeal as well. The film failed at the box office for several reasons; the movie was marketed in accurate representation of the film - the trailer included gaming references and text signifying the sound in action scenes which would have put off solely mainstream audiences off as it seems “hipster”. In some ways this film is hipster because it goes out of its way to depict the characters, especially Scott and the Sex Bob-ombs, as geeks with the niche gaming references however to a niche “geek” audience they do not classify as geeks because they are in a band making “cool” indie music. It also missed out the older group of the 4 quadrant because it is essentially about a group of early twenties slackers which is not likely to appeal to a large audience of over 30’s. This becomes a problem when the references involved are more likely to be recognised by this group because they might remember the original NES game and Seinfeld references and could easily identify the 8-bit Universal introduction at the beginning of the film which the average teenage audience would not. Josh Tyler, a film critic, stated that “it is a broad movie built on a lot of different niche elements and as much as we’d like to believe moviegoers are open-minded enough to step outside their comfort zone, most of the time they won’t.” I think this shows how aspects of Postmodernism can be seen as a negative in film making especially if it is deterring an audience.


The large emphasis on intertextual references to geek culture in the film, which fits with the genre as the story is taken from a comic book series called “Scott Pilgrim” suggests that style is more important than content in the film which applies to George Ritzer’s theory. The intertextual references is the most dominant aspect of the film and is considered more important than the plot in attracting the audiences’ attention because without the intertextual references the narrative is fairly typical of action films - the hero of the story fighting evil for a girl. The narrative structure follows a modernist structure in terms of containing typical narrative aspects like Claude Levi-Strauss’ binary opposites with Good vs. Evil, Good triumphing over Evil, the hero getting the girl which is quite predictable to the audience who are used to seeing these themes in narratives throughout media backed up by typical Hollywood movies. There is also a self-referencing aspect with the graphic novel scenes that explains Ramona’s past which is drawn in the same style as the original comic books and the use of words to explain and enhance the action is self-referencing to the comic books. This can also be seen as an example of hyper-reality. Most modern films will go to great length to make action scenes look as real as possible with the use of “realistic” visual and sound effects. Dominic Strinati’s theory of Fetishised Hyper reality can be applied to Scott Pilgrim and the use of text within the action. By including comic book text the action no longer looks “real” creating a hyper-real situation within the narrative. For example, the first fight with Matthew Patel almost stops the “reality” in the film and blocks out the crowd at the concert in the style of comic book fighting with the words appearing on the screen to explain the sound. In addition to this the mixture of very different genres creates a hyper real situation, for example the Bollywood dance performed by Matthew Patel cutting in between the comic book fight scene. This is done for comic effect, and could be seen as a Bollywood parody, which is totally unpredicted by the audience who laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. However within the parody the director references this ridiculousness by having a shot of Scott’s sister looking confused at the situation. This is considered postmodern because within the film it is being self-referential and self-critical this is to cue to the audience that the film-makers do not take it seriously so the audience should not either. The purpose of the film is for fun rather than to hide a deeper meaning. Furthermore this blurring of the boundaries between representation and reality is postmodern because it is not trying to hide the origin of the story, being self-referencing to show the audience that Edgar Wright knows that it is a film not reflecting reality. Another example of self-referencing is the fight scene with Ramona’s ex-girlfriend in the alley, in the scene Edgar Wright references the postmodernism within his own film by having Scott question the originality of  Roxie’s words; “I’d love to postpone darling but I just cashed my last rain check” to which Scott says “Where is that from?” This shows that the film makers know that the audience will be participating in the film in this way, questioning the references and sources throughout the film. Although some may see this as clever comic effect by acknowledging the audience in this way, some critics, like Roseau, dislike how postmodernist contradict themselves by relinquishing the truth of their own work and see self-referencing as meaningless. However as well as acknowledging the postmodernism of his own work, Edgar Wright acknowledges modernist Hollywood films with the character of Lucas Lee who is a big film star making a non-existent film within the narrative, which is another example of hyper reality. This is an example of how modernism and post-modernism can overlap because this is a postmodern film that reference pop culture, including mainstream culture that has modernist values. Frederic Jameson would argue that this mix however “encourages superficiality rather than substance” and will lead to the media becoming meaningless.


In conclusion, Scott Pilgrim can be considered Postmodern in many aspects as it is a bricolage of genres and different media with a large amount of intertextual references from popular and what could be argued elitist culture. I think the use of intertextual references are clever and make the plot, which is quite typical, more interesting. However I can see why it was not very successful in the box office because some of the references where too niche and aimed at an older audience who did not find it appealing because of the narrative. Postmodernism can work very successfully in a film if it is not seen as being too niche or referencing elitist media however to some extent the fact it does not have mass mainstream appeal does appeal to some people. In Scott Pilgrim’s case it was labelled as a hipster film because of the niche references to the “uncool” gaming culture which is why many did not go to watch it. Since then it could be argued that it has become a “hipster” film because  it is branded uncool by the mainstream it has gained following from people who find the uncool cool. 

Criticism of Postmodernism

Dominic Strinati - "Fetishised Hyperreality" where the simulation has lost all connection or objective with reality.
"Postmodernism tries to come to terms with and understand a media-saturated society. The mass media, for example, were once thought of as holding up a mirror to, and thereby reflecting, a wider social reality. Now that reality is only definable in terms of surface reflection of the mirror." - meaning society has become subsumed within the mass media, the term implies that there is a reality outside the surface simulation of the media which can be distored. This is the issue that postmodernist point out - how can we tell what is right if we no longer know what is real?


"Postmodernism is sceptical of any absolute, universal and all-embracing claim to knowledge and argues that theories or doctrines which make such claims are increasingly open to criticism, contestation and doubt." (Strinati) This links to Jean-Francois Lyotard's theory of Micro-Narratives where narratives are unpredictable which can often leave the audience open to interpret the reasoning or purpose of the text.


"Media images encourage superficiality rather than substance, cynicism rather than belief, the thirst for constant change rather than security of stable traditions, the desires of the moment rather than the truths of history." - meaning postmodern TV & film have become dominated by surface style and imagery rather than deeper underlying themes, which might relate to the "realities" of society.


Carla Kaplan (1987) identifies that music videos abandon narrative structure, they make no attempt to tell a story instead the power of a music video lies in the collage of images mixed with music - there is no deeper meaning or purpose it.


Frederic Jameson agrees with this calling it "Depthlessness" of contemporary cultural production - sees it as superficial cutting & pasting of ready-made images and styles which are abstracted from their true origins and reused in meaningless new combinations in the trivial commercialized space created by mass culture which will wear out with time. "The writers and artists of the present day will no longer be able to invent new styles and worlds... only a limited number of combinations are possible, the most unique ones have been thought of already."