1. How do Post modernism media texts challenge additional text-reader relations and the concept of representation?
Challenges it, collapses it
Immersion
Gaming + Social Media
Black Mirror + Wreck It Ralph are post-modern BUT to a certain reason and EXTENT!! (Doesn't challenge text reader relations, film and old gaming we're invented years before) MODERNIST FORMS. They are stylistically post-modern (Intertexuality, nostalgia and style over substance) BUT theoretically uses PoMo ideas
"Post-Modern media texts don't challenge text-reader relations however Digi-modern texts challenge it massively." Mr Barton
Simulated (Sims, GTA etc.), fluid identity
2. How does PoMo make a text a richer experience for audience?
3. To what extent can some texts be considered PoMo?
• Commodity - Stealing money, consumerism, buying guns and cars etc.
• Power + Control ( Panopticon) - no power in real life, urges, society doesn't condone violence yet these videos do
• Voyeurism (sexual posters,violence against women)
• Grand Narratives - no belief that anything will get better, submerged in the game/the violence
• Audience + Text - control the outcome of the story.
There are 3 ways gaming can be postmodern:
1. Historical
2. Theoretical
3. Stylistic
Gaming is post-modern, filming and TV are modern.
When we're looking at stylistic, hyper-reality and simulation shows it is the most powerful way it can be post-modern.
DeBord tells us that we're buying fake stuff to express the fake real. The problem is that when your confronted with reality it will never live up to it.
Foucault tells us that fluid identities can happen when there is a loss of morality, we can become violent and different in games than what we are in real life.
What was postmodernist is now digimodernist.
DIGIMODERNISM
Digimodernism is a rejection of postmodern ideas. It is created from a development in technology. It is about the strengthening of simulation. Digimodernism has rejected morality and taken a trait of childishness. We've left post-modernism as it starts to decline, existing at the same state then going into Digi-modernism.
Cultural autism where we can't interact with other people.
Technology has brought us to a place in history that has allowed us to produce simulations (avatars, 2nd lives, Hyperreality, immersive reality) - this is postmodernism, the collapse of the real and artificial. Baudrillard suggested we could no longer tell the difference - we are lost in simulation. This opens us up to the concept through familiarity with virtual worlds/ virtual identities that reality itself is a Simulation. Ironically - by moving to Digimodernism (Post Post-modernism) we find ourselves in Plato's cave.
The postmodern audience has more control through showing something is popular. Social media gives you the ability to make something trend. Hierarchy gives the audience the power to choose something that is morally and not culturally good. The audience watch with a sense of irony (ironic position/detached position).
Do audiences like empty texts?
- We could argue this because of Black Mirror.
Has good narratives become important for audiences?
Post-Modern media rejects the idea that any media product or text is of any greater value than another. Anything can be art, anything can deserve to reach an audience, and culture 'eats itself' as there is no longer anything new to produce. There are three ways media can be post-modern, these are historical, stylistic and theoretical. The two texts that I will study are the film 'Wreck-It Ralph' and an episode from the Television series 'Black Mirror'. 'Wreck-It Ralph' is to an extent post-modern, as the Disney film includes elements of nostalgia which shows Jameson's theory that because we no longer believe in a better future, we are constantly recycling the past. Also, the use of intertextuality and parody throughout the film collapses the Grand Narratives. However, 'Wreck-It Ralph' can't be called a post-modern film as it is a Disney film intended to bring laughter and joy to young audiences and adults alike, not make them question society. In 'Black Mirror', the episode 'Fifteen Million Merits' shows a future where peoples lives are determined by how much 'merits' they have, in which they earn by powering energy from cycling. The dystopian world shows that the more 'merits' you have, the power you have. However what is disturbing about the episode is that the future isn't that far from the present day consumerism. Baudrillard's ideas of simulacra and hyper-reality are present in the episode from the Mii-like avatar's to the parody of the X Factor and all the lack of real-life in between. 'Black Mirror' is more post-modern as they use more theories to create a warning. Whereas 'Wreck-It Ralph' has a stylistic approach to create nostalgia. The Historical approach to post-modernism features the collapse of modern views on government and society that people started to lose belief in the system and saw that nothing would get better. It was the end of progress and the belief in grand narratives coined by Lyotard. Jameson's theories were a Stylistic stance to post-modernism, with his main idea about the fact that there is no progress so we recycle the old, which makes it nostalgic and retro, for example, the film 'Wreck-It Ralph'. The four theorists who took a Theoretical approach to post modernism are Lyotard, Baudrillard, Debord and Foucault. Lyotard believed in the death of the 'Grand Narrative' which means that we no longer believe in a better future, that we are just recycling things from the past. People didn't believe that there was any moral culture anymore and the growing consumerism has made the value of everything to become 'empty'. Baudrillard coined the theory which included hyper-reality and simulacra, which meant that people started to lose belief in reality, therefor there was a collapse between what's real and what's artificial. Escapism was the only way of coping. Debord believed in style over substance, that most things don't have meaning anymore. He wrote about this in his theory and called it the 'Society of the Spectacle'. Where consumerism in society leaves people wanting more. Foucault believed in 'The Panopticon', which is the idea that we are all captive in are own lives, under constant surveillance. His theory also tells us that the people in the power are the ones that hold the truth. 'Black Mirror' uses a theoretical approach to post-modernism which makes it more post-modern than Wreck-It Ralph's stylistic approach. Lyotard believed in the 'Grand Narrative' and the end of progress. He believed that when we lose belief that anything is going to get better we get simulacra and hyper-reality as a form of escapism. His theory came after modernism and was a rejection of people who believed in 'the system'. As there is a loss in faith in anything new we are recycling the old which is known as cultural recycling. 'Wreck-It Ralph' is an example of where boundaries collapse between genres. For example, when Ralph is tired of always being the villain, he decides to enter the game 'Heroes Duty' where he will gain the gold medal and become the hero. The game shows a world of dystopia that is the complete opposite to the world Ralph lives in.
"We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less meaning." - Jean Baudrillard.
STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE.
Society of the Spectacle
"Capitalism has reinforced its control over the masse through the transformation of culture as a whole into a commodity - something to be bought and sold. Thus the spectacle is not much a set of particular cultural or media events and images, - like say the X Factor final - but characterises the entire social world today as an illusion, a separate form, or masking of, real life" - Mike Googan.
NO BELIEF, STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE, CONSUMERISM.
Panoptic Postmodern Futures
"Reality TV is a collective expression of the Panoptic (obsession)...it offers a glimpse into the different potential futures that postmodernism can take. What is reality television then, and what makes it so appealing? Reality television occurs when Regular Joe People, like you or me, play themselves on TV. Of course this alone would be boring. So reality television consists of putting ordinary people into extraordinary and unexpected situations. Why is this interesting to others?...The watcher...performs an immediate reflexivity in which the watcher becomes, in their own mind, the watched" - Joshua Kane.
I think that the article is saying that 'Black Mirror' isn't just representing a future but parts of the present reality. The article explains that 'Black Mirror' was made to be so uncomfortable to watch because it could be our future if we carry on down the path we are on. 'Black Mirror' is post-modern because it highlights how we look towards television and technology.
Society of the Spectacle - work of Marxism, social networks mediate your relationships, consumerism/product, style over substance, POPULARITY, abandonment of morals = NO BELIEF (Lyotard)
Hyper-reality - reality that has been exaggerated, distorted, enhanced.
Simulacra - inability to distinguish between reality and simulation. Artificial etc.
Voyeurism - looking in order to gain pleasure, power, sexualised
Panopticon - prison under constant surveillance
1950's
MODERNISM - Traditional Values After the war, soldiers came back to find that they were still under rules, government, totalarilism.
We've become so okay with the sense of simulation/artificialness/fakeness that we've got a computer character who's become humanised.
Ralph is a arcade character transported into another arcade game.
Do you think Ralph references Tron?
- Intertexual reference of Wreck It Ralph,
- Baudrillard theories
Both Tron and Wreck It Ralph are Disney films which means they believe in happy endings and good and evil.
Discuss relationship of the film to Tron
How is the clip postmodern?
Religion (grand narratives) - laser beams going above - in space, to God. Wreck It Ralph sacrifices himself in the volcanoe
Collapse boundaries between 2 worlds - Tron character tries to break out of the prison, tried to believe in humanity, modern views but still worried that that world still has a system.
Heightened augmented reality -
Human or Technology ('User' or 'Programme')
Simulation (faces, clouds & cities, people)
Audience sense of nostalgia (Retro)
Synopsis of Tron
We see the evolution of MCP becoming more powerful, and eventually is able to gain enough knowledge to overpower and control Dillinger;
MCP wanted to kill Flynn in the computer world to prove his strength;
Tron, the program, is the real hero, not Flynn, the user;
Due to Tron’s success, not only is the “grid” safe, but he also saved the humans and “real-life” by killing the MCP.
'Wreck-It Ralph' is an animation based around an arcade game character Ralph, who's main goal is to become the 'good guy' by bringing a gold medal back to the 'Fix-It Felix' characters who consider him to be the bad guy. Nostalgia is seen straight away before the film even starts as an old Disney animation intro fits with the retro feel of the film. The introduction of Ralph shows post-modernism because we soon align with him, the 'bad guy' and not the other characters in 'Fix-It Felix'. The film shows styles of parody in the 'Bad Guys Anonymous' scene when the 'bad guys' of known arcade games are neutered down to people just like us, they become human-like and Ralph speaks up to say that he doesn't want to be the bad guy. This is creating a parody version of the way people have grown up with games and see the 'bad guys' in a different way. Pastiche is shown in the beginning of the film when Ralph is introduced. This is when the arcade game 'Fix-It Felix.Jr' comes to life through the film and shows hybridity because this wouldn't usually happen in real life. However because the film starts of with a arcade style look on the screen, which is a pastiche of the arcade games people grew up with, it helps to make the film enjoyable as you want to believe Anonymous happens in real-life. The common modern structure of narrative is broken in the clip, the Hero's Duty female character is portrayed as masculine and more dominant than Felix. As they are about to kiss she fires her gun and kills the romantic mood, this contrasts to modernism although during the clip we do see Felix saving her as she stares at him, this is the only part in the clip that follows rules of modernism. In the game 'Candy Rush' from 'Wreck-It Ralph' we see the racing track smothered with sweets, ice cream and chocolate. This can be viewed as a Bricolage between Mario Karts racing and Willy Wonka's candy land this is an example of Post modernism and intertextuality. The trailer from the film 'intertexuality', we see that hyper-reality hasn't been done before and even though the film is dated, it shows a future of simulacra where people immerse themselves in their video games rather than existing in real-life. In the clip we see humans that are animated, this is a feature of post modernism because we can not distinguish what's real or simulated, we see a simulated game with artificial humans, this collapses modernistic narrative structures and is also playful and ironic.There's more nostalgia in the film that might have been missed, which is at the very beginning of the film when the camera zooms in to the 'Fix-It Felix.Jr' game. However, included in the wide angle shot before this, is games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders, which are nostalgic to many adults who grew up playing those games. The retro computer screen fits within the feel of the film, which creates bricolage as the idea of abandoned arcade games blend with modern day animation. Post-modernism is present in 'Wreck-It Ralph' through nostalgia as it shows our lack of belief in human progress when we keep looking back in the past. Bricolage blends the idea of video games and films, and while we can control video games, we cannot control this film. This comes into the self-reflective side of the film which shows that there is no line between good and bad in people. The ideas that feature in Wreck it Ralph show eclecticism because it draws on more than one idea and does not go on just a set of assumptions. For example, we don't assume that all the villains are the bad guys, that there is good and bad in everyone, as even the people from 'Fix It Felix' show acts of bullying towards Ralph, who just wants to be the good guy, and fit in. There is a modernist view of the villain living in the dump, in the darkness alone, while the heroes live in the nice penthouses illuminated. (Light representing goodness and purity and darkness representing the opposite, it is clear that the grand narrative here is fairly modernist.) At Bad Anon, the villains show a degree of vulnerability, and not in the modernist way of being vulnerable. These emotions and feelings of self doubt are apparent, in a post modern way. A line from one of the villains (a zombie) is "labels won't make you happy, you must love you." Modernism was obsessed with labelling people, genders, sexualities, races. A post modern society tries to break down these labels and has even introduced people that don't identify with any of these labels. While it is a kids film, Disney still showing that it has a message in it, despite it's post modern qualities. WORDS: 815
This video shows a Japanese soldier choosing not to kill Wolverine, and in turn, Wolverine shows his gratitude by stopping the Japanese soldier from killing himself as the atomic bomb strikes. He is shown leading the soldier to shelter and protecting him from the atomic bomb. I think the relevance of this video is that even though there are horrors such as the atomic bomb killing thousands of people and leaving behind a wasteland, there is still humane people left in the world. Or at least that's what the director is trying to get across. However, this could be just a ruse, to fool the public into thinking everything will be alright in society.
This trailer could be relevant to Media studies because back in the 1980's, this is what they imagined a hyper-reality in the Tron game to be like. The graphics back then were simple and didn't make the reality look believable. Therefore, the film wouldn't have had much of an impact on society as the public wouldn't have escaped in this world.
This trailer showcases the reboot of the classic RoboCop film, created in 1987. The intent of the film seems to set out to boost the decreasing popularity of cops, particularly the USA. The trailer also comes with a critic reviewing the trailer, who says the new RoboCop 'looks like a washing machine', this shows how people perceptions of the original RoboCop don't want to change, and most are still stuck in the past. The film shows that we are living in a future where we are constantly looking back on the past and nothing is ever truly original anymore.
WRECK IT RALPH
1. Why does it LOOK Pomo? (Jameson)
The look of Wreck It Ralph plays with the idea of recycling retro and combing it with the newer looking graphics of today. This way people familiarise themselves with the old game characters but are still able to watch a film which keeps up with the change of technology. Even at the beginning of the film an old Disney animation introduces the film, which triggers an emotional memory from viewers before they have even watched the film. Especially, in the last scene it shows how combining different intertextual ideas and creating a bricolage has become a new way of making “old” feel “new” and exciting. Bricolage blends the idea of video games and films, and while we can control video games, we cannot control this film.
2. Does it THINK Pomo? (Baudrillard)
The ideas that feature in Wreck it Ralph show eclecticism because it draws on more than one idea and does not go on just a set of assumptions. For example, we don't assume that all the villains are the bad guys, that there is good and bad in everyone, as even the people from 'Fix It Felix' show acts of bullying towards Ralph, who just wants to be the good guy, and fit in. There is a modernist view of the villain living in the dump, in the darkness alone, while the heroes live in the nice penthouses illuminated. (Light representing goodness and purity and darkness representing the opposite, it is clear that the grand narrative here is fairly modernist.) At Bad Anon, the villains show a degree of vulnerability, and not in the modernist way of being vulnerable. These emotions and feelings of self doubt are apparent, in a post modern way. A line from one of the villains (a zombie) is "labels won't make you happy, you must love you." Modernism was obsessed with labelling people, genders, sexualities, races. A post modern society tries to break down these labels and has even introduced people that don't identify with any of these labels. While it is a kids film, Disney still showing that it has a message in it, despite it's post modern qualities.
3. Is it AFTER modernism (what structures and boundaries - Lyotard)
It has a grand narrative. It follows the story of a good person trying to prove the world wrong about himself, fighting evil and in the end, the good wins. This is a typical, “happy ending” type of story, which according to post-modern views is very “modern”. Post-modern ideas explain that grand-narratives are being collapsed but this film does not support that. Therefore, you could argue that this is not a post-modern film but it only explains and demonstrates post-modern ideas.
APPLY TERMINOLOGY TO WRACK IT RALPH
Bricolage
Parody
Pastiche
Hybridity
Hyper-reality
Intertextuality
Style Over Substance
Self-reflexivity
This comes at the point in the film when Ralph accepts his status for what it is not what he does, as he hurtles himself into the volcano, "I'm bad and that's good". The slow-motion part shows hyper-reality as this doesn't happen in real-life.
