Postmodernism

Perspective

I'm So PoStMoDeRn Essay

Knife Party’s ‘Centipede’ and the postmodern

After watching this disturbing video a few times I am convinced that it is indicative of postmodernism in many different ways. 

⦁ Pastiche: This video is emphatic in its use of pastiche. It references other forms of media (self promotion; ‘Tarantula’ – Pendulum) in the song intro, this could be a parody but at the same time it makes the comment that centipedes can kill tarantulas suggesting that the newly formed group ‘Knife Party’ beat the former ‘Pendulum’. It makes further references to Hitmen as the main character is a Centipede Killer which in itself is postmodern as it’s obviously not considered a profession.

⦁ Consumerism: There is no obvious visual product placement in this video as it is postmodern in an abstract way. However, the audio during the song intro promotes the artists further which is postmodern as regularly artists are judged solely on the music and do not stereotypically tell the audience directly, during the song, that they’re better than others.

⦁ Self-Reference: The self-reference as I’ve mentioned is one of the biggest issues in this music video which suggests that it is postmodern. It shows examples of rebellion and anarchy against the norms and this is acceptable in our postmodern world; as long as we’re ironic.

⦁ Appropriation of Identity-based-struggle: Knife Party are interesting for their pure ignorance of authority, and for suggesting that mainstream dubstep/drum and bass listeners are inferior unless they listen to this song. All of the members of Knife Party show their resistance not through the song or music video but through the band history  However, it can be argued that they themselves are to accepting authority in the fact that their faces are hidden behind individualized mask. But this a brief thought, as it can also be stronger argued that the masks are too highlight the fact that everyone is the same regardless of how they look. Behind this initial layer of anarchism and rebellion there is a still an individuated desires to become mainstream, given through the puns and references in some of the lyrics. They maintain a rough and edgy image in every scene of the video, an implicit message that “no matter how bad life gets and how we are expected to bend over backwards for authority that we do not have to there is strength in numbers.” Anarchist theory. Therefore their kind of anarchism is empowering to the weak. Furthermore, it portrays women as objects and keeps the male gaze on them as they are scantily dressed.

Postmodernism in Bladerunner character Batty

In the film ‘Bladerunner’ we are introduced to one of the main characters; Batty. Whilst Batty is a main character he severely lacks on-screen time. His movements during his scenes are very commanding and assertive which convey his clear dominance and power over the other characters. However he looks very comfortable with the other ‘Nexus 6’s’; still commanding his authoritative status, but treating them as comrades as they’re in this together. His motivation during the movie is solely to survive which is reflective of any human which somewhat allows the audience to feel compassion towards his character. Throughout the film he strives to find out his true insert date and thus his expiration date. His actions throughout are self-justified as he constantly confronts the characters, including Decker, to question about his life longevity. 

Being portrayed as a ‘bad guy’ in this film the audience are expected to dislike him as psychologically we are programmed to strive for the good to win however this changes towards the end of the film as we see him losing his power and slowly becoming more frail until finally he dies a peaceful death after having actually saved Decker and allowing him to live. The symbolic dove flying out of his clutches as he dies signifies the traces of good in him as, despite him not being human, the indicative dove connotes his soul leaving his body. We distrust him the whole way though the film as his murders seem unjustifiable but we reconcile when he dies having spared Decker in the face of death and we realise we can trust him to be somewhat compassionate for the essence of life. 

Ultimately he is a very complex character who shocks the audience at the end with his act of undying kindness and consideration… (Even though he DID die… )

Pulp Fiction as a postmodern text

A key factor in play throughout pulp fiction is Intertextuality. The film makes references to multiple genres throughout such as gangster, boxing, war, musical, romance, art-house and Blaxploitation (A 1970s genre of films specifically targeted at people of black ethnicity). A factor highly criticised by some but responded to by Tarantino’s quote at sight and sound 1998 ‘If you’re writing a black dialect, there are certain words you need to make it musical and “nigger” is one of them… Sam Jackson uses “nigger” all the time in his speech, that’s just who he is and where he comes from… Also I’m a white guy who’s not afraid of that word. I just don’t feel the whole white guilt and pussyfooting around race issues. I’m completely above that’. A key scene in the film is that in the trendy diner Jack Rabbit Slims and is full of references to 1950s movies and stars.

Pulp Fiction tends to use fairly traditional forms of editing for continuity and cinematography by conventional editing and lighting. However there are several disruptions to the Hollywood style for example shots of the backs of Jules and Vincent’s heads, some unusually long takes and probably most notable of the entire scene in which Mia mimes drawing a square which then unexpectedly appears on the screen.

Another element of postmodernism in the film is the lack of any specific setting in location or time in history. However the present or early 1990s seems to be referenced ambiguously in the McDonalds chat scene, Jules cellular phone and the talk of body piercing. However there are a lot of retro culture references such as music from the 60s and 70s, Vincent’s 1974 Chevy car and the style of some dialogue create an ambiguous area of no time.

The tone in the way the film deals with feelings and emotions about killings is disorientating. Vincent is killed absurdly on the toilet reading a piece of fiction just as Butches toaster alarm goes off and his pop tarts pop up. Other scenes feature off hand shootings in which the killer will not even be looking at the victim in a shocking juxtaposition.

Say Goodnight - Bullet For My Valentine Postmodern analysis

The music video for “Say goodnight” by Bullet For My Valentine uses multiple narrative strands that interweave and share thematic values to create a detailed storyline but remaining vague enough to allow the audience to impose their own views on the story.

The main protagonists in the video both have distinct linear narratives. Their narratives are cross-cut together until one pivotal moment when they converge; staring into each others eyes and the split down the screen fades away to reveal they’re actually infront of each other.

There are also various flashbacks included throughout which may be construed as confusing to the linear narrative but the obvious effects of blurring and reconstitution make it believable. 

All the diverse effects used in the editing stage of the video creates metaphors for isolation and alienation toward the main male protagonist.

All of these elements contribute to the music videos postmodern standpoint.

Presentation Write Up

A key factor in play throughout pulp fiction is Intertextuality. The film makes references to multiple genres throughout such as gangster, boxing, war, musical, romance, art-house and Blaxploitation (A 1970s genre of films specifically targeted at people of black ethnicity). A factor highly criticised by some but responded to by Tarantino’s quote at sight and sound 1998 ‘If you’re writing a black dialect, there are certain words you need to make it musical and “nigger” is one of them… Sam Jackson uses “nigger” all the time in his speech, that’s just who he is and where he comes from… Also I’m a white guy who’s not afraid of that word. I just don’t feel the whole white guilt and pussyfooting around race issues. I’m completely above that’. A key scene in the film is that in the trendy diner Jack Rabbit Slims and is full of references to 1950s movies and stars.

Pulp Fiction tends to use fairly traditional forms of editing for continuity and cinematography by conventional editing and lighting. However there are several disruptions to the Hollywood style for example shots of the backs of Jules and Vincent’s heads, some unusually long takes and probably most notable of the entire scene in which Mia mimes drawing a square which then unexpectedly appears on the screen.

Another element of postmodernism in the film is the lack of any specific setting in location or time in history. However the present or early 1990s seems to be referenced ambiguously in the McDonalds chat scene, Jules cellular phone and the talk of body piercing. However there are a lot of retro culture references such as music from the 60s and 70s, Vincent’s 1974 Chevy car and the style of some dialogue create an ambiguous area of no time.

The tone in the way the film deals with feelings and emotions about killings is disorientating. Vincent is killed absurdly on the toilet reading a piece of fiction just as Butches toaster alarm goes off and his pop tarts pop up. Other scenes feature off hand shootings in which the killer will not even be looking at the victim in a shocking juxtaposition.

   Jean-François Lyotard

Postmodernism is a general and wide-ranging term which is applied to many disciplines, including literature, art, economics, philosophy, architecture, fiction, and literary criticism. Postmodernism is largely a reaction to scientific orobjective efforts to explain reality. There is no consensus among scholars on the precise definition. In essence, postmodernism is based on the position that reality is not mirrored in human understanding of it, but is rather constructed as the mind tries to understand its own personal reality. Postmodernism is therefore skeptical of explanations that claim to be valid for all groups, cultures, traditions, or races, and instead focuses on the relative truths of each person. In the postmodern understanding, interpretation is everything; reality only comes into being through our interpretations of what the world means to us individually. Postmodernism relies on concrete experience over abstract principles, arguing that the outcome of one's own experience will necessarily be fallible and relative, rather than certain or universal.