Postmodernism in Music Video

Media Magazine Theory Drop - Postmodernism

Create a new blog post called 'Postmodernism in music video: blog tasks'. 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?

Postmodernism is a cultural movement that distrusts all established philosophies and frequent experiments with the medium it is presented in. 

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

He suggested that "a writer’s opinions, intentions or interpretation of their own work are no more valid than anyone else’s."

3) What is metatextuality?

When a text draws attention to the fact that it is a text

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

Postmodernism is a cultural movement that distrusts all established philosophies and frequent experiments with the medium it is presented in. 

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

It merges real events/products and portrays it in media texts

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?

It references the economic recession during Thatcher's term, highlighting the real political distress in the UK at the time

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

Hammer Horror - the distorted high angle/low angle shots, the maniacal laughter, the red lighting and underlighting all convey the conventions of classic hammer horror

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

The blending of music genres, refusal of societal norms/traditional sexuality and breakdown of high and low culture in music are all elements of postmodernism

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

He uses dances and references from social media(especially tik tok) within the music video 

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 believe he was trying to highlight how unnecessary boxes are in creative industries, that as creatives we can really bend the rules as much as we like because our job is to make things that entertain people, interest them and is actually good, no matter what creative industry we are apart of. There is no box, live outside of it and you may end up with something unexpected(in his case it was a blossoming career .

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?