Music Videos and

PostmodernityBy Aimee, Alisha, Esme and Sarah

PostmodernismPostmodernism is a style and concept in the arts characterized by destruction of theories and ideologies and by the drawing of attention to conventions.It can be characterized by: • Irony• Intertextuality • Playing with conventions• Magic realism (exaggeration)• Black humour (leaves you answering more questions) • Different perspectives (excusing all values of judgement)• Pastiche (pasting together and commenting on things of the past• Bricolage (constructions/creation of a work from a diverse range of things)

Jessie J - Who’s Laughing NowThroughout this video there are many features of intertextuality through the lyrics and the characters that are featured within. The first, most noticeable reference is the opening scene to the song that shows a group of girls dressed head to toe in pink staring at a girl and whispering about her as she walks down the corridor. This highlights the plastics from ‘Mean Girls’ as it looks just like a scene from the movie which is further emphasised by girls being dressed in pink.

Another example of intertextuality in this music video is within the lyrics when the girls in pink mock Jessie's younger self by saying "Hey Jessica, you're so funny you've got teeth just like Bugs Bunny." This line of the song uses this reference and the image of bugs bunny to create an insult. This cartoon imagery also enhances the playful/childhood aspects that are featured within the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsxSxF3JKeU

Hyper Reality- An inability to distinguish reality from a stimulation of reality.

Throughout this music video Jessie J is seen playing lots of stereotypical characters as well as herself including students, teachers, a cleaner and a dinner lady. Moreover, this is an example of hyper reality because the camera is constantly cutting between both Jessie J and the younger version of her showing how time is being used effective. As the camera is cutting this makes the audience question whether they are viewing the video from young Jessie's or older Jessie's perspective. This causes postmodern irony because none of what we are watching is real as we can't tell if young Jessie is a flashback from older Jessie or the older Jessie is a figure of young Jessie's imagination.

The whole video is quite playful with Jessie acting out as the different characters and younger Jessie having the exact same hairstyle as older Jessie. Moreover, the whole ironic theme present throughout the video adds to it being a postmodern video due to the constant media and celebrity references. This idea of celebrity status is a grand narrative and ironic seeing as Jessie J is already a celebrity and is singing about how her struggling in school made her the woman she is.

In my opinion, this video is postmodern because the video constantly jumps from Jessie as her younger self to Jessie now which builds up irony and leaves the audience to question what is real. Additionally, this leads the audience to be confused as to whether the older Jessie is young Jessie's imagination or the older Jessie is looking back on her young self in her school days.

Ed Sheeran – Don’t

I believe that my music video can be related to post modern texts as it plays with the traditional conventions of male/female. In the music video, once the male meets the female be becomes as seems, whole. He suddenly becomes happier, the vibrancy in the picture becomes brighter. He also becomes wealthier. This reflects Sheeran as fragile in some forms as he is reflecting the male (mirroring an experience that Sheeran went through) as vulnerable, and dependant on the female.Also, the woman is presented as financially dependant on herself, with owning a spacious house with food to reflect how she is economically stable. Typical stereotypes reflect the male as the provider, however post modernity aims to be different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD2rhdFRehU

The swearing in the repetitive chorus uses the flattening effect. This is used to shock audiences by highlighting how post modern aims to be different. However, with Sheeran describing a personal story he has experiences, this could reflect the bitterness he feels towards his ex, Ellie Goulding. With Sheeran concealing Goulding’s name, this allows him to use the technique of ‘surface play’, as it is not factual that the song is about Goulding, meaning it is not directly being spiteful.

Don't ‘fuck’ with my love

The protagonist appears to have dislocated shoulders in which he is using to dance. He is also jumping from roof tops and into swimming pools which reflects an element of post modernity, as this shows the protagonists identity to be defined by the way he is dancing and moving from house to house, which is called, ‘identity as image’. With the protagonist not able to speak, a personality can be ‘decoded’ by the audience from his movement and the way that he is performing.

Swearing

Identity

Watching into the music video, the first clip is a pan of a poor, wrecked village. The whole aesthetic of the music video is melancholy (as shown by the close ups of the family’s dim expressions), however, as the music video continues, slowly the protagonist gains wealth on his journey and transforms his life from a cramped house, to a luxurious mansion, with however no company. The mood of the music video is brightened and the expression on the protagonists face is happier. This evokes an alternative theory, with the theory of mixing and matching being used, reflects new combinations, and challenges ideas of originality. In this case, the new happiness is wealth moreover than being surrounded by loves ones.

Consumerism

Coldplay – Up&Up

For a music video to be considered as post modern, it would have to allude to certain ideas that fall under this concept which include parody, playfulness, parody, pastiche, intertextuality, narcissism, hyper consciousness, perspective, irony, digression and collage.

The main postmodern idea that predominantly runs throughout the music video of Up&Up by Coldplay is playfulness. This video is essentially a surrealistic montage which alludes to contemporary issues, some of these ideas including a turtle swimming through a subway, popcorn erupting out of a volcano, synchronised swimmers swimming in a tea cup and an enormous eagle swimming beneath a boat. Having around 70 different ideas that challenge real life, this causes confusion by the audience which results in a interesting video has it has effected who’s viewing it. By placing objects where they shouldn't be or couldn't ever be, makes this music video seem like an unrealistic world, or shows ideas that you would dream about, again, supporting the idea that these concepts are very playful.

Another important postmodern concept that I think is displayed continuously throughout the music video is different perspectives. This is an obvious one, being played with a lot as it plays a significant part in making this music video so successful and effective. They have taken the main singer from Coldplay, Chris Martin, and enlarged them into an enormous towering size, placing them on a landscape which looks abnormal and surreal. There are other examples where they have played with perspective, which makes the audience question what they are viewing and the way in which they see things as they are unsure of which way to look at it.

They have also included a few different styles together, being an example of collage which is a concept which falls under post modernism too, mixing the old and new styles and ages together.

This music video is unconventional considering that what is first presented are the credits in the beginning, giving the sense that its similar to a short film, being a similar structure that the postmodern artist Lady Gaga has done. The reason that this can apply to the idea that this video is postmodern, is because it goes against the general structure of music videos, and yet again breaks the rules. The idea that it has a short film feel is continued to be suggested considering that a series of ideas are shown one after the other, being the same kind of structure to a short film, each clip/idea creating a story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPNTC7uZYrI

Lady Gaga - JudasIn my opinion I can say that this music video relates to postmodernism as it shows a sub-culture ‘bikers’. The sub-culture comes across intimidating riding along an empty motorway. It shows that Lady Gaga is leading the group along with the boy she is intimate with. This shows her power which converts our idea of a boy being the ‘leader’.

Along side this, Lady Gaga dances in her underwear surrounded by men. Which would not of even be imagined in old music videos

As well as this, her makeup goes against the trends as she’s making a statement and she also has a unique sense of fashion and style.

The music video talks about the love she has for Judas and how ‘He’s a king with no crown’ we are shown that she respects him and values him.

We are shown that she is relating to the story of Jesus as on the biker jackets there are the names of the disciples. This mixes up the image of the story and she converts it in her own way making it seem like they’re ‘bad’.

The music video expresses her passion as for example she stares directly into the camera connecting to the audience on an emotional level. Making us understand her love for Judas.

The music video shows Judas as a king as he has thorns on his head/a crown. As well as Lady Gaga which can also show us that they are together as some sort of couple. They are connected together with some sort of object or item. Which would originally be a ring or some sort so this makes the video unique and different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wagn8Wrmzuc