'Postmodernism is a term that describes the postmodernist movement in the arts, its set of cultural tendencies and associated cultural movements. It is in general the era that follows Modernism. It frequently serves as an ambiguous overarching term for skeptical interpretation of culture, literature, art, philosophy, economics, architecture, fiction and literary criticism.
Other information about 'Post-modernism' include:
- The era from the 1970's to the present day.
- The breakdown of barriers between genre and style.
- The breakdown of distinction between binary divides e.g. human and machine.
- Mixing up time, space and narrative.
- Emphasis of style over content.
- Blurring of fiction and reality/representation and the real.
- Becoming more use to a mediated version of reality, than reality itself (hyperreality).
As well as the facts about post-modernism, there are also some key terms of post-modernism, which I can relate to specific music videos. These are:
- Intertextuality - One Media text referring to another.
A good example of the use of 'intertextual references' is the music video for 'Bob Sinclar - Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now). The music video makes intertextual references throughout the whole video, most particularly, the 'Thriller' music video and the anti-gravity jumping and sliding scene from the music video for 'Cry Me a River' by Justin Timberlake.
- Parody - Mocking a form of art in an original way.
The most common uses of parody in music videos comes from the artist Weird Al Yankovic, who is most known for his mockery to big pop songs.
A particular example is 'Eat it' by Weird Al Yankovic. The video is constructed as a frame-by-frame to the Michael Jackson video for 'Beat it', but in a more humorous and absurd approach. Other mockery music videos include Nicolas Cage's remake of 'Wrecking Ball' by Miley Cyrus and Bart Baker's remake of 'California Gurls' entitled 'California Boys'.
- Pastiche - An artistic work in a style that honors or appreciates that of another work, artist or period. This is a self-conscious imitation. A clear example of this is 'Material Girl' by Madonna, which pays tribute to Marilyn Monroe, in pastiche to the film 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'.
- Bricolage - Mixing up different styles and genres. An example of this, used in film is the 2013 film 'Scary Movie 5' which is dubbed as a horror film, which features a comedic side to the narrative. Other bricolages include Romantic Drama, Animated Adventure and Comedy Thriller.
- Homage - Imitation from a respectful standpoint.
A clear example of 'homage' being present is in the music video for 'I Found U'by The Wanted, where they pay tribute to The Beatles. They took their inspiration from The Beatles famous performance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show', where they geared themselves up in slick suits, retro guitars, playing to an audience of screaming fans.
2 Examples of Post-modern music videos:
A great example of a post-modern music video is 'They Come to Get Us' by The Death Set. The music video incorporates intertextuality of several characters e.g. Batman and Superman, as well as an approache of pastiche in the setting. The setting is the same as the famous scene shown in the film for 'Back To The Future'. The music video pays homage to the film, in addition, appealing to the target audience of the film. No parody is used in the music video.
Another example of a post-modern music video is Peter Kay's Animated All-Star Band with 'The Official BBC Children in Need Medley'. The music video features intertextual references of past and present children's TV characters e.g. The Wombles, Paddington Bear and Bob The Builder etc. The music video uses bricolage from other artists to make a collection of classic songs e.g. 'Don't Stop' Fleetwood Mac (rock) and 'Can You Feel It?' The Jackson 5 (Disco).
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