Postmodernism in music video: Blog tasks

 Postmodernism in music video: Blog tasks

Media Magazine Theory Drop - Postmodernism

Read ‘The Theory Drop: Postmodernism’ in MM66  (p26). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. Answer the following questions:

1) How does the article define postmodernism in the first page of the article?

If modernism is beginning to question authority, then postmodernism is making fun of authority to its face. Postmodernism takes this concept of questioning traditional structures, representations and expectations and pushes things a step further.

2) What did media theorist and Semiotician Roland Barthes suggest in his essay 'The Death of the Author'?

In the essay,  he challenged tradition when he said that a writer’s opinions, intentions or interpretation of their own work are no more valid than anyone else’s.

3) What is metatextuality?

Metatextuality is where a text draws attention to the fact that it is a text. It points to the process of its own creation.

4) What is the repeated phrase on the cartoon on postmodernism on page 28?

The repeated phrase is "Postmodernism is a cultural movement that distrusts all established philosophies and frequently experiments with the medium it is presented in."

5) How does postmodernism link to media representations and reality?

The nature of reality a frequent preoccupation in the content of postmodern narratives. As stated earlier, postmodernism tends to reject most aspects of authority, meaning, as Jean Francois Lyotard put it in The Postmodern Condition, ‘the grand narrative has lost its credibility’. It is easy to see how some institutions are

being questioned.

Music video CSPs and postmodernism

Now apply postmodern ideas to our music video CSPs by answering the following questions:

1) How does the music video for Ghost Town incorporate elements of postmodernism?

Ghost town incorporates elements such as bricolage through the cultural conviviality shown, involving both black and white characters in the car, which subverts traditional racial conflicts to show peace within the combination of both cultures, creating a new meaning. They also showcase pastiche as we see elements referring to social realism as society was facing a lot of change and struggle, including an economic recession in the 80s causing riots. This allows the music video to suggest the style of the 1980s through social realism. Ghost town also follows Strinati's ideas by shifting between past and present, adding confusion through montage editing and handheld camera shots. It also resists a narrative solution as it is a Road movie that goes nowhere since they end up throwing rocks in a river. 

2) What film genres are alluded to in the music video for Ghost Town? Which scenes in particular created these links?

We can see a merging of British film genres such as social realism, arthouse and hammer horror. 

This is seen through scenes such as the isolated and deserted shots of the buildings and streets of London. Additionally the facial expressions of the characters seem to be very still and blunt and there is a confusion of time (according to Strinati), which is seen through the montage editing which emphasises elements of these genres.

3) How does Old Town Road use postmodern elements in its music video?

Old town road uses post modern techniques such as pastiche as they imitate the style of the Western genre using conventions such as cowboy hats and horses to further portray the Western image. They also use bricolage by using binary oppositions such as historic Western and hip hop to create a new hybrid genre. Additionally, intertextuality is seen as they refer to brands such as Maserati, Fendi, Wrangler, Gucci and Porsche. 

4) How does the Old Town Road music video reflect technological convergence and modern digital culture?  

The Old Town Road music video reflects technological convergence and modern digital culture because it became popular through platforms like TikTok, combining music, memes, social media, and audience participation to create viral online content. It also reflects modern digital culture through its mix of different genres, humour, and shareable meme-style content, showing how online audiences actively remix and spread media across multiple platforms.

5) What do YOU think Lil Nas X was trying to say about reality and American culture in the music video for Old Town Road?

I think he may have been trying to explain that American culture is very diverse in terms of genre as he combines two opposite ones in his song and he may be referring to the idea that music and genres are not static and that they are constantly changing and are heavily influenced by audiences, media and society. This is because people can challenge the traditional features in reality to create new and innovative products just like he has done with Old Town Road.

A/A* extension reading: Medium article

Read this Medium article on the Postmodern Pop Artist. Do any of the ideas in this article apply to Old Town Road or Ghost Town? How? 

The ideas in the article apply to Old Town Road because the song mixes country and rap, challenging traditional music genres in a postmodern way. It also reflects digital culture through memes, social media, and audience participation, which helped make the song go viral.