Postmodern Theory and The MediaBy Erika White

Postmodernism is a theory that allows producers to challenge conventions forms and ideology. This applies to literature, art, philosophy, architecture, fiction, and cultural and literary criticism, among many others.

“A late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories.” Oxford Dictionary

Elements that identify postmodernism in media texts include; meta narrative, hyper reality and intertextuality. These elements are seen in postmodern films which is known to challenge the mainstream conventions of narrative structures and characterization.

Postmodernism

Meta narrative challenges the main ideologies in society it questions whether modern progress is for the ‘good’ of society. Meta meaning ‘beyond’ or ‘about’ and a narrative is a story.

Hyperreality is described in relation to where technology creates realities which are original or more desirable then the real world. It’s to make audiences aware of alternative realities that challenge our ideas.

Most postmodern films are hybrids, which means they use a mixture of genres.

Intertextuality (or pastiche) offers updated ideas from old ones. It exists because any kinds of media can use it, its not just in film. Posters, adverts etc. all get their ideas from somewhere or use previous ideas as a guideline.

“I steal from every movie ever made” – Quentin Tarantino

Postmodern elements

Examples of postmodernism in the media

Quentin Tarantino makes a lot of postmodern films like Kill Bill, Django Unchained and Pulp Fiction. He relates to many other films and uses elements of pastiche, Hyperreality and meta-narrative. For example, in the trailer for Kill Bill 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBenCY-gRgw

He uses non-linear plots, old cinematic techniques, and builds characters from a cultural stand point, all these qualities are of a post-modern filmmaker.

Postmodern Director

Anime scene in Kill Bill Costume inspiration for Django Unchained

Genre is a French word that means ‘type’ or ‘kind’. It refers to the method based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed. This allows producers to meet and challenge the audiences’ expectations.

The genre theory- It was originally used by the ancient Greeks in theatre, it established a certain ‘quality control’ over types of play, where deviation was discouraged. This is a more rigid genre definition whereas you can get more flexible definitions.

Genres are conventional meaning they follow a structure, e.g. thrillers. The audience know what type of characters will be in the film and the basic structure of the narrative. However, postmodern films have a different approach and challenge the narrative.

For example, Nick Lacey believes that genre is ‘negotiated’ between producers and audiences. This has meant that genre has evolved by establishing more ‘sub genres’ and ‘hybrids’.

Postmodern theory allows producers to challenge genre conventions in a text by mixing or using a range of generic conventions or Hybrid genres.

Genre and Postmodern Theory

Dystopia definition- A futuristic, imagined universe in which everything is bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.

Themes of dystopian genre include a narrative set in the aftermath of a disaster usually caused by humans, e.g. nuclear holocaust, war, plague. The narrative also relates to societal fears like cold war, technology, medical advances, environmental change, economic crash etc.

Dystopia explores Postmodern themes through the challenging narrative themes; offering a hyperrealism of an uneasy futuristic nightmare and using pastiche to offer hybrid genres.

These types of films sometimes include sub genres like science fiction, post-Apocalyptic and horror.

In dystopian films the character types are usually a heroic male protagonist or a ‘pot-modern cowboy’ (a loner pushed into action), groups/tribes who are animal-like, human survivor group and the helper.

Dystopia Genre

Crime definition- the literary genre that fictionalises crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. This genre tends to be fast paced with an air of mystery.

Themes of crime films usually involve the solving of a crime, usually a mystery of murder. It will often revolve around the criminal himself, chronicling his rise and fall. Some Crime films will have a storyline that follows the criminal's victim, yet others follow the person in pursuit of the criminal.

There are many sub genres included within crime films, some examples are; post-noir, mafia, police/detective, femme fatales, heist etc.

Examples of crime films includes Silence of the Lambs, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.

Crime Genre

I’ve chosen to analyse Kill Bill Vol.1 trailer as it includes many postmodern elements.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot6C1ZKyiME

Kill Bill (2003) is about as close to a cinematic cultural appreciation as a film can get. This film has a fragmented narrative structure meaning that it has a beginning, middle and end but not necessarily in that order and that’s exactly what Tarantino does.

The characters in the trailer involve an anti-hero and antagonist which is common for a crime film.

Tarantino uses a logo used by the Shaw Brothers in 1970’s, this fits well into his Hong Kong/Japanese theme. His other main inspiration for making Kill Bill was Lady Snowblood which is a Japanese film made in 1973.

Crime Postmodern Film

Scene from Lady Snowblood compared to

scene from Kill Bill

Kill Bill Vol.1 Trailer

These are the antagonists in the trailer, you can tell because they’re wearing black costumes; this is stereotypical of any film.

This shot in the trailer shows hyper reality which tells the audience that this is a postmodern film.

Uma Thurman plays the main character, the audience know this because throughout the trailer the camera focuses of her. In this shot she’s facing directly at the camera. This shows postmodernism because she’s breaking the 4thwall.

In this trailer the main character is dressed in a brightly coloured, all in one suit. Tarantino copied this from Bruce Lee’s film. This is called bricolage, when a costume or prop is copied from a previous film.

British Crime Film (The Italian Job, 2003) Trailer

This is at the beginning of the trailer, it sets the scene and is stereotypical of Venice. It links perfectly with the title of the film; The Italian Job.

This editing technique looks as the camera is from the point of view of a gun. It also suggests to the audience that this character is the antagonist.

This is pastiche as it’s copying from the original Italian Job film. It also shows that this is a British crime film because of the iconic Mini and hectic car chase.

There’s a shot of gold and money in the trailer which shows a theme of corruption.

Crime Timeline

The Godfather, 1990Theme includes American Gangsters/mafiaGenre: Crime and Drama

The Shawshank Redemption, 1994Theme includes imprisonment and murderGenre: Crime and Drama

Memento, 2000Theme incudes more mystery and modern crimeGenre: Mystery, Crime and Thriller

Gangs of New York, 2002Theme includes corruption and revengeGenre: Crime, Drama and HistoryAs time goes on Crime films becomes a broader genre and expand to many other sub genres

Kill Bill, 2003Theme includes revenge, postmodernism and violenceGenre: Action and Crime

Sin City, 2005Theme includes corruption and dark tonesGenre: Crime and Thriller

American Gangster, 2007Theme includes gangsters, mafia and corruptionGenre: Crime, Biography and Drama

By looking back on the crime timeline, you can see the varied sub genres that occur over time. From the beginning it’s clear to see that in the 1990’s crime films were very much focused on gangsters and mafias. This shows how society was seen in those times. However, as it gets into the 21st

century, crime films become more creative in their narrative and begin to include different sub genres. For example, in Memento (2000) it includes elements of mystery and even thriller. Most storylines of modern day crime films don’t revolve around the old crime dramas. It’s based more on overblown violence and weapons.

The characters in crime films have changed over the years. At the beginning of crime films it involved the ‘tough guys’ (i.e. gangsters), then it began to change to the private eye. So detectives or the police force. But now in modern crime films the narrative is emphasised around the good guys winning and crime solving.

Crime Timeline Analysis