Paper structure:
-2 hour exam
-2 questions on coursework (25 each, out of 50)
-Media theory question (50)
-Total out of 100
Section A: Theoretical evaluation of production work (part 1)
-Skills developed
-Digital technology
-Creativity
-Research & planning
-Post-production
-Using conventions
-Production experiences (e.g. YouTube)
Section A: Concerning your production work in relation to... (part 2)
-Genre
-Narrative
-Representation
-Audience
-Media theory & language (two theorists for each concept)
Section B: Contemporary media issues (post-modernism)
-Case studies (films/ TV shows/ video games/ music videos)
-Issues & debates
-Independent research
-Contemporary issues
-Audience
-Industry
Definitions:
Modernism: Another theory or world view
Post-Modernism: A reaction against modernism in all disciplines
Possible Questions:
What are the different versions of post-modernism? With reference to: historical development, styles & theoretical approaches
What are the arguments for and against understanding some forms of media as post-modern?
How do post-modern texts challenge traditional 'text-reader' relations and the concept of representation?
In what ways do post-modern media audience and industries operate differently in a post-modern world?
How do post-modern texts/media relate to narrative and genre?
Show knowledge of:
-Historical development
-Contemporary debates
-The future of the theory
***
10/09/12
What is modernism?
-Experimenting with representing reality
-Early part of the 20th century
-Value judgments
-What is generally accepted ad 'the norm'
Postmodernism:
-Incredulity toward meta-narrative
-Take pleasure in playing with convention
Lyotard:
-Rejects 'grand or meta-narratives'
-All grand narratives should be viewed with suspicion
-Skeptical of what we view as 'truth'
Baudrillard:
-There is no longer a distinction between reality and its representing image, or simulacrum
-Hyper-reality: there is only surface meaning; the sign is the meaning
Jameson:
-Historical viewpoint, postmodernism is a development of modernism
-Catalogs key features of postmodernism culture, as self-referentiality, irony, pastiche and parody
-Refers to cultural recycling as historicism
Key Concepts:
-Generic blurring
-Intertexuality & bricolage
-Playfulness
-Hyper-reality
-Hyperconsciousness
-Electicism
-Death of representation
-Uncertainty and the loss of context
Traditional:
At best: Meaningful, engrossing, moving
At worst: Deceptive, sentimental
Postmodern:
At best: Playful, curious, startling
At worst: Detached, nihilistic, sexist, despairing, homophobic, racist, relativist
***
17/09/12
Popular Music and Postmodernism:
-Faith in grand narrative has collapsed
-Identity is fluid - sense of self not fixed
-Consumerism is a creative endeavour in which the self is constructed
-No distinction between the real and the simulated
-Convergenece of information technology and society
***
2/10/12
| Pastiche: | Self-referential, tongue-in-cheek, rehashes of classic pop culture |
| Flattening of Affect: | Technology, violence, drugs, and the media lead to detached, emotionless, unauthentic lives |
| Hyperreality: | Technologically created realities are often more authentic or desirable than the real world |
| Time Bending: | Time travel provides another way to shape reality and play "what if" games with society |
| Altered States: | Drugs, mental illness and technology provide a dark, often psychedelic, gateway to new internal realities |
| More Human than Human: | Artificial intelligence, robotics, and cybernetics seek to enhance, or replace, humanity |
***
5/11/12
Genre: The film upholds the 'film noir' genre because of it's consistant use of low key lighting within the rain drenched streets and dark sidewalks. The use of clashing neon lights within these dimly lit scenes also assists in the distorted styles of 2019 Los Angeles.
Representation: Themes of isolation and lonliness are exaggerated by the scale of the buildings and their donimant presence over the city. They appear to dwarf the people living in the 'lower levels' and create dark shadows that make the streets appear overcast and dismal.
Narrative:
