What are the problems or criticisms of postmodern theory

What are the problems or
criticisms of postmodern theory

Intro Sentence: The concept of postmodernism has been heavily criticised as it is not the most orthodox of approaches to media text.

Things I would talk about in essay

I then explained both modernism and postmodernism giving examples and case studies that I will expand on later in the essay

Then I spoke about typical postmodern thoughts such as the fact that everything is open to interpretation. Instead of  talking about the advantages of this though, i spoke about how this could be a disadvantage as their is no set of rules and nothing to guide a or back a theory up by.

Then I also mentioned that there is no universal truth which also leaves an audience member in a state of confusion because they don’t know whats true and what isn’t.

Then I brought up my case studies and mentioned vital details such as when they were published and important names.

Things I would talk about in the ending:

In the conclusion I would talk about what I think will happen in the future, which is that postmodernity will become much more recognized and people will actually conform with the idea of postmodernity rather than look at its downfalls. However, realists and purists will always disagree. 

Why I chose my case studies

Video

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Postmodernism Essay on my chosen piece

Why is my chosen TV show/episode Postmodern and what characteristics does it withhold?

‘Pete Versus Life’ is a British comedy series written by George Jeffrie and Bert Tyler-Moore, broadcasted weekly on Channel 4. The program surrounds a man named Pete for whom nothing seems to be going right, and as the title suggests, the camera follows Pete as he battles the challenges of life. Pete is a sports journalist who is looking for work and his greatest accolade is interviewing Christiano Ronaldo’s gran.

The TV show itself is set out in the form of a football match. Constantly, throughout the program, commentators are shown who are narrating what is happening on screen. There are many times where split screening and action replays are shown, identical to how they would be in a football match. This is clear use of pastiche, as the tv show imitates a sporting broadcast, using all the elements of it, only adapting it in the form of a narrative. Regularly, a blue and red logo is shown in the top right corner of the screen with the title of the program, this again is identical to how a sports logo would be seen in the exact same position of a football game broadcast. Continuing this pastiche element, the characters of the show are introduced as ‘contestants’ at the beginning of the show, relating it back to a sports game.

Adding to this, hyperreality is highlighted very apparently throughout the show. The commentators that are shown on a regular basis, speak of Pete’s life and the happenings of the program in terms of a sports game. One noticeable example of this is when Pete is having sexual intercourse with a woman, and the commentators narrate what is happening, relating it to a football game with quotes such as “Pete’s reaching the finishing line earlier than he thought.” This is clearly suggesting that Pete has almost reached climax. This is similar to hyperreality’s significance as a medium to explain current issues such as consumerism, because of its reliance on sign exchange value (eg brand x shows that one is fashionable, car Y indicates one’s wealth) – example sourced from wikipedia.

The use of pie charts and data sheets throughout the show could signify possible simulacra as it shows the truth which is concealing Pete’s ability to succeed.

One could argue however, that the program itself is not at all postmodern nor does it have postmodern values as there is a constant time set that it is following. This is because each episode leads onto the next and the program is shown in order of time, following the basic guideline of time.

Faisal Choudhry

Question 1A

Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time

Having the task of creating my very own music magazine for my foundation portfolio coursework was much more of a challenge than one would expect. The planning, research, and use of real media texts was a lot of work. One thing I soon realised is that not only was I just designing a small magazine cover, but I was almost maintaining a small business, and I was the designer, editor, writer, photographer, and much more.

Being a graphic designer and web developer for a media agency, I already had some advanced skills in the software ‘Adobe Photoshop’. However, designing a magazine was something I had never done before. Therefore, I chose to research into magazine covers by buying several magazines and studying the positioning of certain items. I noticed that sell lines were mostly always on the sides of the page, whereas the masthead was always bigger than any other text and always places at the top. I then constructed my very own music magazine cover for my preliminary task, this helped me to practise and elevate my skills on the photoshop software. To create this I also had to conduct a small scale photo shoot in my school for which I used a Cannon 550D DSLR camera.

After creating my preliminary task, I had gained a lot more experience and knowledge in creating a music magazine, and one thing I realised is that I will need to be doing a lot more research and planning. Firstly, I decided to choose the music genre I will be using, this would help me to look at the codes and conventions that other magazines using the same genre have withheld, and also it gives me a deeper insight to the audience that I will be targeting. After careful consideration, I chose the genre of hip hop as it is a genre of music that I am interested in and that therefore gives me an advantage.

When researching through magazines, I realised that the models in the front cover always had perfect skin and everything was aligned and organised. Therefore when conducting my photo shoot I made sure to look at the small details such as positioning of hair. When importing the images into photoshop, I airbrushed my models using the ‘surface blur’ tool, this created a very smooth look on their skin. I also used the hue/saturation tool and colour curves to add a slightly purple tint on my models, this would match the purple magazine cover.

As far as magazine’s go, everything that has to be done can be very structured. However, in my A2 media coursework, there were no limits on how creative you can be. Firstly, I started my own online blog using www.blogger.com which allows me to upload content, diaries and footage on the internet so I can log my progress and apply my theory in creative ways. Having blogged before, I felt right at home starting up a new blog. With new technology moving as fast as it ever has, being able to update my work through the internet allows me to post my ideas no matter where I am and what I am doing. A great example of this is when I saw some equipment that is used to film music videos, I was so inspired by this technology that I took a picture using my mobile phone, and uploaded it instantly to my blog from my mobile.

Creating a music video was my project for the second year of media studies. To film a music video, it is a stereotype that the biggest and best music videos are shot on heavy, big and expensive camera. However, this is seldom the case as smaller DSLR camera’s such as a Cannon 5D, record amazing HD footage and can take in more frames per second. I therefore used a Cannon 550D to shoot both my music video and the test shots. Researching into different types of camera shots and angles such as extreme close up and panning helped me to see which shots would look good for my video. The aperture setting on the DSLR camera allows you adapt the focus on the lens and gives a high quality effect on the focal point of your scene.

Overall, though I had some skills in certain software, I built a lot of experience and skill development after working on a more advances scale when it came to photoshop. Also, using brand new digital technology such as DSLR camera’s helped me to gain a better understanding of how to create amazing imagery. Above all, I also learnt things that I had no idea about before such as movie editing software and green screen special effects.

Blade Runner and Genre

Film noir is a cycle of mainly American films of the 1940’s and 50’s exploring the darker aspects of modernity and usually set in a criminal milieu or exploring the consequences of a criminal act.
The word ‘noir’ is a French word known as black. This is relevant because Film Noir was originated from French film critics who noticed the new dark style of film and media through American crime and detective films.
Fear and paranoia is the essence of film noir. When Blade Runner was released in 1982, Reagan’s Second Cold War was underway, and the United States was coming to the end of a economic recession. In Blade Runner’s future, Japanese businesses and culture have overrun Los Angeles, and the world in general is a bleak, inhospitable place. Virtually all animals have died, leaving lonely humans to design and build artificial creatures for companionship. Classic noir suggests that increased industrialization breeds alienation, and in the hyper-industrialized world of Blade Runner, this is especially true.
Blade Runner certainly merges common tropes identical to noir and incorporates them into a futuristic setting. Harrison Ford’s character Rick Deckard is a stereotypical private detective and the film’s general atmosphere engenders a ‘sense of pervasive and impending doom’.

Deckland is seen to be a human by first glance but if you analyse his characterisation and look deeper into his speech and actions you can see his unhuman characteristics. Deckard being a replicant can be seen in one quotation from Gaff. At one point Rachael asks Deckard if he's ever taken the test himself (Deckard dozes off, however, leaving the audience to ponder the question). Also, at the end of the movie, Gaff tells Deckard: "You've done a man's job, sir!"

Science fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories often tell about science and technology of the future. It is important to note that science fiction has a relationship with the principles of science—these stories involve partially true-partially fictitious laws or theories of science. It should not be completely unbelievable, because it then ventures into the genre fantasy.

Science fiction and fantasy both answer the question, "What if?" Science fiction takes our current understanding of how the universe works and imagines ideas and technologies that we haven't seen yet, but still could fit within that understanding. It's fiction that expands on what we know about science, operating on familiar principles.

Like all drama, science fiction explores the human condition, but it can look at it from unexpected angles. Science fiction imagines strange challenges and opportunities for us in order to delve deep into human nature. That's why some of the most provocative science fiction starts with men and women very similar to us - what these people do when faced with unusual crises speaks directly to who we are in our everyday lives.

Blade runner can almost be seen as a typical science fiction film as it has all of the elements that some may say constitutes to create the perfect sci fi. The Los Angeles 2019 city space automatically lets the audience know that this film is set in the future. The city within the film and film itself shows a very dark side to technology, expelling modern tones of skyscrapers and city centres.
The city is very chaotic and over-crowded which is a reasonably forseeable outcome of future in the perspective of the audience which allows this film to be seen as scientifically fictional, but almost believable in a sense.