Media Theorist Jonathan Kramer says "the idea that postmodernism is less a surface style or historical period than an attitude. Kramer goes on to say 16 "characteristics of postmodern music, by which I mean music that is understood in a postmodern manner, or that calls forth postmodern listening strategies, or that provides postmodern listening experiences, or that exhibits postmodern compositional practices."
According to Kramer (Kramer 2002, 16–17), postmodern music":
1. is not simply a repudiation of modernism or its continuation, but has aspects of both a break and an extension
2. is, on some level and in some way, ironic
3. does not respect boundaries between sonorities and procedures of the past and of the present
4. challenges barriers between 'high' and 'low' styles
5. shows disdain for the often unquestioned value of structural unity
6. questions the mutual exclusivity of elitist and populist values
7. avoids totalizing forms (e.g., does not want entire pieces to be tonal or serial or cast in a prescribed formal mold)
8. considers music not as autonomous but as relevant to cultural, social, and political contexts
9. includes quotations of or references to music of many traditions and cultures
10. considers technology not only as a way to preserve and transmit music but also as deeply implicated in the production and essence of music
11. embraces contradictions
12. distrusts binary oppositions
13. includes fragmentations and discontinuities
14. encompasses pluralism and eclecticism
15. presents multiple meanings and multiple temporalities
16. locates meaning and even structure in listeners, more than in scores, performances, or composers
Friday, 3 May 2013
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Rosenau
1) Postmodernism criticises the inconsistency of modernism but refuses to be held to norms of inconsistency itself
2) Postmodernism focuses on intertextuality as well as isolation.
3) Postmodernists contradict themselves by relinquishing truth claims in their own writings.
2) Postmodernism focuses on intertextuality as well as isolation.
3) Postmodernists contradict themselves by relinquishing truth claims in their own writings.
Friday, 19 April 2013
Levi Strauss
-Theory of addition, deletion, substitution in relation to the texts I have studied.
Addition: Swiss Lips of Frank Ocean's 'Lost' - a fan video made of three different videos.
Addition: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World - Inclusion of video games. Text on screen.
Deletion: Inglourious Basterds - Deletes all battle scenes.
Deletion: Deletes fear, The Basterds have no fear.
Deletion: Hobo With A Shotgun - Removes the backing story.
Substitution: Inglourious Basterds - Swaps history with a fictional history (hyper-reality).
Substitution: Kanye West's Gold Digger - Copy of a copy.
Substitution: Flight of the Conchords (Prime Minister episode) - Simon and Garfunkel impersonators.
Addition: Swiss Lips of Frank Ocean's 'Lost' - a fan video made of three different videos.
Addition: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World - Inclusion of video games. Text on screen.
Deletion: Inglourious Basterds - Deletes all battle scenes.
Deletion: Deletes fear, The Basterds have no fear.
Deletion: Hobo With A Shotgun - Removes the backing story.
Substitution: Inglourious Basterds - Swaps history with a fictional history (hyper-reality).
Substitution: Kanye West's Gold Digger - Copy of a copy.
Substitution: Flight of the Conchords (Prime Minister episode) - Simon and Garfunkel impersonators.
Thursday, 18 April 2013
'Media is communication' Discuss the ways that you have used media language to create meanings in one of your media products.
The product I have chosen to analyse is my music magazine which is titled 'Replay' and belongs to the genre of hip hop. The intended audience (teenage girls aged between 15-24) would expect certain attributes and conventions when reading this type of text regarding colours, fonts and images. The connotations connected to my magazine title 'Replay' hint at the idea of reading it over and over again which suggest that the reader won't get bored of the content. For my colour palette, I focused on the colour green as it connotes the idea of something 'fresh' and 'new'. The mast-head uses this green alongside a bold, graffiti-style font against a black background to reflect the rebellious nature of my magazine.
For the main image, I have used a striking head shot of my female artist. It attracted my target audience because she holds eye contact with the camera lens and appears to address the audience. John Fiske suggests that 'denotation is what is photographed, connotation is how it is photographed' I have demonstrated this theory in my photo as it denotes a young girl tyring to make it in the music industry however, her bold facial expression and street-style costume connote rebellion and passion.
The barcode, price and issue number are all typical conventions that are expected of all magazines, despite their genre. I have ensures that I included them in my magazine, putting the barcode and the issue number small in the corner as they are not the main focus of the magazine, they are simply standard requirements. The layout I have used attracts the reader as I have focused on the rule of thirds; thereby making it easy to look at and read. The main star is the focal point of the gold spiral, she is what sells the magazine.
The artist is styled with basic make-up. I wanted to reflect the concept of simplicity and how you don't have to look at certain, conventional way in order to enjoy a certain type of music. The message portrayed by my artist makes her admiral to my target market and perceived potentially as a role model. Despite the natural make-up, her hair styling is more extreme. A high side-ponytail style connotes her rebellion as this image alludes to hip hop star Lady Sovereign. In reference to Stuart Hall's reception theory, the preferred reading of the main image is that the artist is aspirational however an opposed reading could be that my artist is 'fake' and doesn't conform to expectations that the audience want to see.
The cover-lines of my magazine are written in capital letters in a bold font to appeal to the audience. I have mentioned names of well-noted hip hop stars and street dance crews that would be of interest to my target audience. These are also needed considering my cover star is supposedly relatively unknown therefore I have used other stars to help sell my magazine. Capital letters are more attention grabbing than lower-case as they are more demanding.
Overall, I have used media language to create several meanings in my music magazine. I ensured I used a colour palette with positive connotations and mise-en-scene to reflect the personality of the main star. It is important to conform to expectations of media language in order to appeal to the audience, if a media product is too different and strays too far from conventions, then it will only address a very niche market.
For the main image, I have used a striking head shot of my female artist. It attracted my target audience because she holds eye contact with the camera lens and appears to address the audience. John Fiske suggests that 'denotation is what is photographed, connotation is how it is photographed' I have demonstrated this theory in my photo as it denotes a young girl tyring to make it in the music industry however, her bold facial expression and street-style costume connote rebellion and passion.
The barcode, price and issue number are all typical conventions that are expected of all magazines, despite their genre. I have ensures that I included them in my magazine, putting the barcode and the issue number small in the corner as they are not the main focus of the magazine, they are simply standard requirements. The layout I have used attracts the reader as I have focused on the rule of thirds; thereby making it easy to look at and read. The main star is the focal point of the gold spiral, she is what sells the magazine.
The artist is styled with basic make-up. I wanted to reflect the concept of simplicity and how you don't have to look at certain, conventional way in order to enjoy a certain type of music. The message portrayed by my artist makes her admiral to my target market and perceived potentially as a role model. Despite the natural make-up, her hair styling is more extreme. A high side-ponytail style connotes her rebellion as this image alludes to hip hop star Lady Sovereign. In reference to Stuart Hall's reception theory, the preferred reading of the main image is that the artist is aspirational however an opposed reading could be that my artist is 'fake' and doesn't conform to expectations that the audience want to see.
The cover-lines of my magazine are written in capital letters in a bold font to appeal to the audience. I have mentioned names of well-noted hip hop stars and street dance crews that would be of interest to my target audience. These are also needed considering my cover star is supposedly relatively unknown therefore I have used other stars to help sell my magazine. Capital letters are more attention grabbing than lower-case as they are more demanding.
Overall, I have used media language to create several meanings in my music magazine. I ensured I used a colour palette with positive connotations and mise-en-scene to reflect the personality of the main star. It is important to conform to expectations of media language in order to appeal to the audience, if a media product is too different and strays too far from conventions, then it will only address a very niche market.
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Friday, 12 April 2013
"Representation in media texts are often simplistic and reinforce dominant ideologies so that audiences can make sense of them". Evaluate the ways that you have used/challenged simplistic representations in one of the media products you have produced.
In the media products I have produced, I have both used and challenged representations. In my music video, the main character was an aspirational, relatable female figure. It was important that she was depicted as aspirational as I wanted my target audience of teenage girls to view her as a role model and take hope from the video after the relationship break-up narrative. I wanted to make her relatable and stereotypical as I felt that it would then make the narrative easier to relate to and sympathise with; if I had formed a complicated character, then the audience may have lost interest and not connected with her in the way I wanted them to. In creating these qualities in my music video, I am conforming to simplistic representations.
It was important that the correct connotations were carried by my character. I wanted her to be portrayed as innocent and vulnerable therefore, to achieve this, I ensured that her costume always consisted of natural, simplistic colours. As well as this, the location and mise-en-scene she was surrounded by also consisted of the same colour scheme in order to avoid distraction or mis-interpretation of meanings. This demure look ensured that my female character didn't conform to the male gaze as this is not the image that I wished to convey; I wanted her to appear innocent and potentially as a victim to the narrative.
Her character develops throughout the video, an establishing shot doesn't give much away, allowing the audience to make their own judgements. The fact that she takes up the majority of camera shots allows the audience to form a more broad opinion of her as the video progresses, the constant focus on star image means that the audience feel as if they get to know the character. Gaundlett says that 'Identities are constructed' linking to the idea that gradual construction breaks up and simplifies representation.
The male character in my video appears desirable and stylish however he is not given much camera time therefore the audience don't really get to know him and aren't able to relate to him. He is not presented in much detail, thereby making him a simplistic character representing 'any man'. The condensed narrative doesn't give him an opportunity of voice therefore the audience view him as the 'villain' in the story. Having the male role as a villain and the female role as the victim conforms to representations in media texts.
Stereotypes are used to enhance realism, however, Martin Marker comments on the idea that "stereotypes are condemned for misrepresenting the 'real world'". This could link to Baudrillard's theory of hyper-reality and how people are unable to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality. People expect certain attributes from characters, despite the fact that they are not always realistic. In the case of my music video, it is expected that the girl is depicted as weak and vulnerable in comparison to the male character.In conforming to expectations, I am using simplistic representations of media texts.
It was important that the correct connotations were carried by my character. I wanted her to be portrayed as innocent and vulnerable therefore, to achieve this, I ensured that her costume always consisted of natural, simplistic colours. As well as this, the location and mise-en-scene she was surrounded by also consisted of the same colour scheme in order to avoid distraction or mis-interpretation of meanings. This demure look ensured that my female character didn't conform to the male gaze as this is not the image that I wished to convey; I wanted her to appear innocent and potentially as a victim to the narrative.
Her character develops throughout the video, an establishing shot doesn't give much away, allowing the audience to make their own judgements. The fact that she takes up the majority of camera shots allows the audience to form a more broad opinion of her as the video progresses, the constant focus on star image means that the audience feel as if they get to know the character. Gaundlett says that 'Identities are constructed' linking to the idea that gradual construction breaks up and simplifies representation.
The male character in my video appears desirable and stylish however he is not given much camera time therefore the audience don't really get to know him and aren't able to relate to him. He is not presented in much detail, thereby making him a simplistic character representing 'any man'. The condensed narrative doesn't give him an opportunity of voice therefore the audience view him as the 'villain' in the story. Having the male role as a villain and the female role as the victim conforms to representations in media texts.
Stereotypes are used to enhance realism, however, Martin Marker comments on the idea that "stereotypes are condemned for misrepresenting the 'real world'". This could link to Baudrillard's theory of hyper-reality and how people are unable to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality. People expect certain attributes from characters, despite the fact that they are not always realistic. In the case of my music video, it is expected that the girl is depicted as weak and vulnerable in comparison to the male character.In conforming to expectations, I am using simplistic representations of media texts.
Pluralism
Pluralism argues that there is no answer to anything.
Normative Pluralism - this is the acceptance of all narratives and the idea that no narratives are better than another.
Secondly, there is a kind of PoMo which is pluralist in the sense that it accepts different views, without denying that something is better than other things.
Normative Pluralism - this is the acceptance of all narratives and the idea that no narratives are better than another.
Secondly, there is a kind of PoMo which is pluralist in the sense that it accepts different views, without denying that something is better than other things.
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Representation
"Representation in media texts are often simplistic and reinforce dominant ideologies so that audiences can make sense of them". Evaluate the ways that you have used/challenged simplistic representations in one of the media products you have produced.
Stereotypes
- Stereotypical female character for a country/pop genre. Makes her easy for the audience to relate to and understand
- Cliche couple in a pop video. Having troubles and break up
Setting
- Simplistic setting. Keeps the focus on the characters and narrative
- Neutral colours used to mirror the representation of the girl
Gaunlett (2002)
"Identities are constructed". From the first shot, only the appearance of the girl can be established. Over her time on the screen we see actions and behaviour that exress innocence and her demure youthful personality.
- Gradual construction breaks up and simplifies representation
Condensed Narrative
- Focus on main events (Happy couple, fall out, break up)
- Not enough time for all the details
- Simplifies reality
- Audience can recognise the situation from the information given.
Male Character
- Not much detail or camera time
- Appears stylish and desirable but could be any man.
- Simplistic representation.
Female Character
- Doesn't conform to the male gaze
- Her character develops throughout the video
- Natural colours used to convey her as innocent
- Aspirational role model
- Take up majority of camera shots (Star image)
- Relatable character
Stereotypes
- Stereotypical female character for a country/pop genre. Makes her easy for the audience to relate to and understand
- Cliche couple in a pop video. Having troubles and break up
Setting
- Simplistic setting. Keeps the focus on the characters and narrative
- Neutral colours used to mirror the representation of the girl
Gaunlett (2002)
"Identities are constructed". From the first shot, only the appearance of the girl can be established. Over her time on the screen we see actions and behaviour that exress innocence and her demure youthful personality.
- Gradual construction breaks up and simplifies representation
Condensed Narrative
- Focus on main events (Happy couple, fall out, break up)
- Not enough time for all the details
- Simplifies reality
- Audience can recognise the situation from the information given.
Male Character
- Not much detail or camera time
- Appears stylish and desirable but could be any man.
- Simplistic representation.
Female Character
- Doesn't conform to the male gaze
- Her character develops throughout the video
- Natural colours used to convey her as innocent
- Aspirational role model
- Take up majority of camera shots (Star image)
- Relatable character
Postmodern Audiences
- have audiences become accustomed to the stimulation and excitement of spectacular films/games and a sense of spectacle has become something that (young?) audiences increasingly demand from cultural experiences?
• Has narrative coherence become less important for audiences?
Battleships, Transformers, Hobo With a Shotgun
• In terms of ideas, has cultural material become more simplistic and superficial, and audiences are no longer so concerned with the process of understanding a text. Think here about a film like Moulin Rouge where the plot is in some sense irrelevant to the overall impact of the film.
Depthlessness memes. Nothing is good or bad, everything is equal
• has the attention span of audiences reduced as they become increasingly accustomed to the spectacle-driven and episodic nature of postmodern texts
• in its ‘waning of affect’, has postmodernism contributed to audiences become emotionally detached from what they see. They are desensitised and unable to respond ‘properly’ to suffering and joy.
When people film concerts when they're there or watch the big screens when the band is right in front of them. The world can only experience things second hand.
• has postmodernism contributed to a feeling among audiences that arts and culture does not really have anything to tell us about our own lives and instead simply provides us with somewhere we can escape or retreat to.
Alain J-J Cohen - 'Hyper spectator'. A viewer with deep knowledge of cinema and can pick up the intertextual references.
Anne Friedberg- We have control over what we watch and where we watch it. "Films have helped contribute to the postmodern quality of life by manipulating and playing around with our conventional understanding of time and space."
• Has narrative coherence become less important for audiences?
Battleships, Transformers, Hobo With a Shotgun
• In terms of ideas, has cultural material become more simplistic and superficial, and audiences are no longer so concerned with the process of understanding a text. Think here about a film like Moulin Rouge where the plot is in some sense irrelevant to the overall impact of the film.
Depthlessness memes. Nothing is good or bad, everything is equal
• has the attention span of audiences reduced as they become increasingly accustomed to the spectacle-driven and episodic nature of postmodern texts
• in its ‘waning of affect’, has postmodernism contributed to audiences become emotionally detached from what they see. They are desensitised and unable to respond ‘properly’ to suffering and joy.
When people film concerts when they're there or watch the big screens when the band is right in front of them. The world can only experience things second hand.
• has postmodernism contributed to a feeling among audiences that arts and culture does not really have anything to tell us about our own lives and instead simply provides us with somewhere we can escape or retreat to.
Alain J-J Cohen - 'Hyper spectator'. A viewer with deep knowledge of cinema and can pick up the intertextual references.
Anne Friedberg- We have control over what we watch and where we watch it. "Films have helped contribute to the postmodern quality of life by manipulating and playing around with our conventional understanding of time and space."
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
"Postmodern media manipulates time and space" To what extent does this defination apply to texts you have studied?
Postmodern media is set in the future, a time which does not exist until after it happens therefore this in itself is manipulating concepts of time.
Inception is a film which manipulates time and space to create something postmodern. The film explores the ideas of dreams and dreams within dreams; thereby creating a seemingly complex narrative which may at first be difficult to comprehend. The song 'Je ne regrette rien' is played throughout the film at different speeds, indicating how many layers into the dream the characters are, the slower the music, the deeper into the dream they are. When Ariadn is put into a dream state, she manipulates space by pulling up a section of the town and resting it above the ground they are on, forming a sky-less world where gravitational expectations are challenged; they are able to walking up the vertical road effortlessly. These manipulations of time and space allow the film to conform to Baudrillard's theory of hyper reality. This inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality is shown by the characters need for a totem; an object which allows them to recognise whether they are in the real world or a dream state. However even the audience loses track of what is the real world and what isn't; the continuously spinning totem at the end of the film leaves doubt in the viewer's mind about whether the characters made it back into reality or if they are still stuck inside a layer of the dream.
Scott Pilgrim Versus The World also manipulates time and space. This is most apparent in the fighting scenes where often the sequence is slowed down allowing the audience to see punches being thrown and 'points' being scored. The points appearing on screen infer that the characters are inside a video game and not living in reality, this is further supported by items such as the 'pee bar' appearing and Scott receiving an 'extra life', both things we'd expect from a video game. Julia Kristeva states that intertextual references 'shape meanings of new texts. This is true in this film as it implies that Scott's life is a game and that he isn't living in the real world. Many sound effects from the well-known video game 'Zelda' are included throughout and the introductory Universal logo uses arcade style music playing over the top; hinting from the very start that the film is set inside a video game.
When being introduced to the characters in Scott Pilgrim, a small profile appears next to their heads, replicating a video game where you choose the character you wish to play with. I could also be alluding to 'Fight Club' in which the main character looks around his flat and next to each item, an ikea-style fact-file pops up. Both of these are looking at hyper-reality and the manipulation of time and space; it demonstrates the idea of the dream world interfering with the real world and being unable to distinguish the two.
Many postmodern texts do manipulate time and space as postmodernism looks at breaking conventions. Virtual worlds and video games alongside augmented reality are traits of postmodern media which he audiences find intriguing. Changing concepts of time and space create enigmatic narratives which challenge viewers to solve.
Inception is a film which manipulates time and space to create something postmodern. The film explores the ideas of dreams and dreams within dreams; thereby creating a seemingly complex narrative which may at first be difficult to comprehend. The song 'Je ne regrette rien' is played throughout the film at different speeds, indicating how many layers into the dream the characters are, the slower the music, the deeper into the dream they are. When Ariadn is put into a dream state, she manipulates space by pulling up a section of the town and resting it above the ground they are on, forming a sky-less world where gravitational expectations are challenged; they are able to walking up the vertical road effortlessly. These manipulations of time and space allow the film to conform to Baudrillard's theory of hyper reality. This inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality is shown by the characters need for a totem; an object which allows them to recognise whether they are in the real world or a dream state. However even the audience loses track of what is the real world and what isn't; the continuously spinning totem at the end of the film leaves doubt in the viewer's mind about whether the characters made it back into reality or if they are still stuck inside a layer of the dream.
Scott Pilgrim Versus The World also manipulates time and space. This is most apparent in the fighting scenes where often the sequence is slowed down allowing the audience to see punches being thrown and 'points' being scored. The points appearing on screen infer that the characters are inside a video game and not living in reality, this is further supported by items such as the 'pee bar' appearing and Scott receiving an 'extra life', both things we'd expect from a video game. Julia Kristeva states that intertextual references 'shape meanings of new texts. This is true in this film as it implies that Scott's life is a game and that he isn't living in the real world. Many sound effects from the well-known video game 'Zelda' are included throughout and the introductory Universal logo uses arcade style music playing over the top; hinting from the very start that the film is set inside a video game.
When being introduced to the characters in Scott Pilgrim, a small profile appears next to their heads, replicating a video game where you choose the character you wish to play with. I could also be alluding to 'Fight Club' in which the main character looks around his flat and next to each item, an ikea-style fact-file pops up. Both of these are looking at hyper-reality and the manipulation of time and space; it demonstrates the idea of the dream world interfering with the real world and being unable to distinguish the two.
Many postmodern texts do manipulate time and space as postmodernism looks at breaking conventions. Virtual worlds and video games alongside augmented reality are traits of postmodern media which he audiences find intriguing. Changing concepts of time and space create enigmatic narratives which challenge viewers to solve.
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Representation Theory
- Marxism
- Feminism
-Postmodernism
- Stereotypes
Marxism (ideologies and representation)
- Hegemonic view of society - idea that there are fundamental inequalities between social groups. (e.g. rich and poor)
Ideology - a set of ideas that show a partial view of reality.
Michel Maffesoli (1985) identified the idea of 'urban tribe' where the members of small groups had similar worldwide views, dress styles and common behaviours. Decline of individualism.
David Gauntlett (2002) - argues that 'identities are not given but are constructed and negociated.' 'Identity is complicated.Everybody thunks they've got one. Artists play with the idea of identity in modern society'
Rosalind Brunt (1992) - ideologies are never simply ideas in peoples' heads but are indeed myths that we live by and which contribute to our worth'.
Laura Mulvey (1975) argues that the dominant point of vue is masculine. The female body is displayed for the male gaze to provide pleasure of the male. (Voyeurism)
John Berger 'Ways of Seeing' - 'men act and women appear.Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.' 'Women are aware of being seen by a male spectator'
Stereotypes are used to enhance realism
Martin Barker (1989) - stereotypes are condemned for misrepresenting the 'real world'
- Feminism
-Postmodernism
- Stereotypes
Marxism (ideologies and representation)
- Hegemonic view of society - idea that there are fundamental inequalities between social groups. (e.g. rich and poor)
Ideology - a set of ideas that show a partial view of reality.
Michel Maffesoli (1985) identified the idea of 'urban tribe' where the members of small groups had similar worldwide views, dress styles and common behaviours. Decline of individualism.
David Gauntlett (2002) - argues that 'identities are not given but are constructed and negociated.' 'Identity is complicated.Everybody thunks they've got one. Artists play with the idea of identity in modern society'
Rosalind Brunt (1992) - ideologies are never simply ideas in peoples' heads but are indeed myths that we live by and which contribute to our worth'.
Laura Mulvey (1975) argues that the dominant point of vue is masculine. The female body is displayed for the male gaze to provide pleasure of the male. (Voyeurism)
John Berger 'Ways of Seeing' - 'men act and women appear.Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.' 'Women are aware of being seen by a male spectator'
Stereotypes are used to enhance realism
Martin Barker (1989) - stereotypes are condemned for misrepresenting the 'real world'
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