Postmodern Theory ApplicationIn Music Videos & Films

What is postmodernism ?- Is the idea that no absolute truth exits- Reaction against:Knowledge, rationality, progress and optimism

features of post-modernism in

Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan

The Penrose staircase is an impossible staircase . It’s a two dimensional staircase which has four 90 degree turns that are joined together to create a continuous loop made out of stairs. The term ‘impossible’ used to describe them comes from the fact that a person could climb them or walk up or down forever and get nowhere at all, it doesn’t exist in real life or in 3D. There’s a reference to the Penrose staircase in Inception , this expands the idea that the creativity of an architect in a dream can make anything possible with their imagination.

The hall of mirrors effect is also reflected in inception when Kane sees himself reflected a multiple amount of times in one mirror. This shows the idea that there are multiple worlds and the ones reflecting off the first one are all the other existing worlds, portraying the dream within a dream concept.

Hall of mirrors effect

Penrose staircaseIntertextuality

The film makes the audience wonder what the world would be like if you could actually read people minds . The time featured in each dream goes by much faster that the real world For example the scene where the characters bodies are in a van , at that same time they are building a new dream . The film shows two side of reality, hyper-reality and the actual reality which gives the audience a lot to think about, for example their preference , such as choosing which form of reality they would want to currently be in.

Time-bending

In the film there are many features of hyper reality , the film uses the theme of hyper-reality. The audience is introduced into another dimension, another reality, that comes across as far better than reality itself . The audience become convinced that the world is an authentic world.

More hyper-reality featured in the film:The characters going into a dream after a dream and so onNew technology to enter every dream world that the character enters

Hyper-reality

Features of post-modernism in Telephone by

Lady Gaga

Intertextuality

Lady Gaga’s music videos always tend to come across as cinematic as they use conventions of films , they are postmodern as they are pastiche because of the titles that are added to the videos. The visuals often open up with a title and end with credits just like a film does. Featuring this makes the video very postmodern because it uses features from other conventions of media and incorporates them into something different that isn't a film.

The features a Tarnation reference , once again its font related. The yellow coloured car that Lady Gaga and Beyoncé drive contains the word ‘Pussy Wagon ‘ in a very western font-style . The car was driven by Kill Bill that Tarantino lent Lady Gaga.

Bricolage

The scene where lady Gaga is in the kitchen takes inspiration from Warhol advertising through his Campbell soups . Lady Gaga is shown the role of a typical stereotyped housewife in the 1950s , however she features bricolage when she creates a whole new meaning after she poisons the food she prepares and kills everyone at the dinner portraying her initial thoughts on the stereotypical idea of a housewife.

Features of a Postmodern music video

• Irony• Playing with conventions • Intertextuality • Black humour- leaves the audience answering more

questions • Pastiche – commenting on thing of the past whilst

pasting together• Magic realism – exaggeration • Different perspectives – excusing all values of

judgement • Bricolage- construction/creation from a range of thing

available• Knowingness – cynicism • Hybridisation- An exchange of genres, combos, styles

and media• Eclecticism- drawing upon different theories to gain an

insight.