"Postmodern media blur the boundary between reality and representation".

Discuss this idea with reference to media texts that you have studied. The statement above suggests that postmodern media blurs the boundaries between reality and representation; I would agree with this. Postmodernism, as a theory, can be hard to define, but is commonly, and most easily, described as weird for the sake of weird. Postmodernist ideas consist of doing something new, different or innovative, in a comic or controversial, and sophisticated way through the use of new or recycled ideas. The postmodernist movement became influential within media from around the 1960 s, overtaking the Modernist movement; following the shift from an industrial society to an information society. The elements within a media text that allow for it to fall into the post-modern category are particularly hard to define, and cause for arguments against postmodernist theory, as these are mostly vague ideas that are in no way specific. Generally speaking, a post-modern media text can be anything that uses hyperreality, selfreflexivity, subverts or rejects modernist grand narratives (love, death, war, religion etc), opposes hierarchy, questions scientific reason, features intertextual references, embraces paradox, and/or employs a range of techniques and theories such as bricolage and pastiche. Many of these elements, specifically hyperreality, selfreflexivity, intertextuality and paradoxes, are based upon the idea that the film is representational and often help to provide the audience with a reminder of this. Hyperreality could be argued as one of the main features of postmodernism across various media texts and platforms; it is an entirely post-modern idea that suggests that some sense of a false reality has been created, and although it may appear real within media, it is in fact not. An example of this would be the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, directed by Edgar Wright; this film creates an entirely hyperreal atmosphere by placing the characters within a setting that reflects more of the gaming world than reality. This sort of hyperreal setting is an obvious element within the film that stands out as a different feature that is not conventional to film, making it easily defined as post-modern. Theorist Ritzer suggested that one of the ways postmodern culture can be signified is through the blurring of distinctions between representation and reality, supporting the statement above, this would also support the idea of hyperreality as a postmodern element and its importance within media texts. However, hyperreality is used over a widespread amount of media texts, other than film; it can easily feature in everyday life through branding and advertising, especially within internationally successful companies such as McDonalds and CocaCola, who create the illusion that their products will look, taste, and be the same anywhere and everywhere in the world. This view on hyperreality, as an everyday occurrence, could question the idea that it is a key feature of postmodernist texts; some people may believe this defeats the point of postmodernism being the label for different and innovative media texts aimed at literate audiences, as these sorts of hyperreal texts are designed to appeal to the mass audiences. However, this use of hyperreality does blur the distinction between reality and representation for the audience, supporting the statement that suggests this is a feature of post-modern media. Self-reflexivity is another element used within media texts that could be argued as a key feature that signifies postmodernism, which also confuses the distinctions between reality and representation. Self-reflexivity is a term that can be applied to any element in a media text where the text refers to itself as a text, a representational feature that provides a subtle, subconscious reminder for the audience that the film isnt a depiction of reality ; within film this could be anything from breaking the fourth wall or directly addressing the audience to showing elements of the studio set or cameras within a shot. An example of this within an existing postmodern text could be Quentin Tarantinos war film Inglorious Basterds, which features shots that pan across the studio set to reveal the set structures; this is a self-reflexive element that works effectively within the film as it provides a reminder to the audience that the outlandish storyline is not a correct account of historical events but instead a false idea or interpretation, which, in this case, could be argued against the statement as distinction is being made between representation and reality. However, these reminders within the text are subtle and almost subconscious in the recipients mind, meaning that they are unlikely to entirely take away the entire idea of reality from the film; distinctions between representation and reality are therefore, being blurred.

Tarantino is a director renowned for self-reflexivity within his films, Inglorious Basterds is a prime example of this, and his recognisable postmodern style is made clear within the very roots of this film as a fictional representation of war. The films opening credits are an immediate reminder of the fictional basis of the film through the use of a chapter structure a common feature within Tarantinos films which suggests a fairy tale structure that emphasises the fantasy and fictional elements of the film. The mixture of fairy tale genre conventions within a war film is an example of postmodernism as it combines the expected historical references from within the time period with fantasy fairy tale elements and a fictional narrative. However, this also emphasises self-reflexivity within the film, as it allows the text to refer to itself as the text. Yet, being a Tarantino film, this is not done in a simplistic way, as the use of a chapter structure draws upon conventional elements more generically found within literature, as opposed to film; Tarantinos use of this convention within the film, again mixes conventions, but also blurs the boundaries and distinctions between different types of media texts. A more specific example of self-reflexivity in Tarantinos Inglorious Basterds is a scene towards the end that shows Shoshanna getting ready before the film premiere in her cinema; at the end of the scene she leaves the room and walks downstairs, as she does this we are shown a birds-eye view shot of the set, which clearly demonstrates the idea of self-reflexivity. However, there are also other elements within this scene that show self-reflexivity, as well as other postmodern features, and allow it to be defined as postmodern, which in turn allows it to stand out as a key scene within the film. Throughout the scene, the music is a key element; the song played in the background is a 1982 track, from the film Cat People, by David Bowie called Cat People (Putting out Fire). As this song was released several years after the tim e in which the film is set, this creates a subtle self-reflexive element to remind the audience of the films fictional basis; this also means that the music stands out, in this case emphasising the importance of the scene and helping to build up the tension for the final scene. This music would also not conventionally be associated with war films, showing, again, Tarantinos ability to blur boundaries between genres, an idea associated with postmodernism as supported by Ritzers theory that postmodern culture can is signified by the breakdown of barriers between genres and styles. The blurring boundaries and distinctions between genres could be described as a key element with postmodern media texts; this is the sort of feature that commonly occurs within film, as described within much of Tarantinos Inglorious Basterds. This is also an evident feature within Nicolas Winding Refns film Drive, as this contains many similar features to Inglorious Basterds within both self -reflexive elements and the breakdown of genre conventions. Drive has an extremely brutal violence element, that often allows the audience to decide for themselves the boundaries between defensive and murderous, not to dissimilarly to Inglorious Basterds. When the violence first appears in the film it is extremely sudden and unexpected from the character, as up until this point the audience perceives him as a calm, pacifistic character. The most distinct scene within the film is the lift scene, in which the main character brutally and murderously kicks in a mans face as the female character Irene watches; this is where the audience sees the complete change within the characters nature. Up until this point the character remains calm, with only occasional glimpses of his brutal side which appear almost like schizophrenic elements within his personality, such as the dinner scene when he threatens to kick someones teeth down their throat. The lift scene is the climax of the characters monstrous and psychopathic edge, the abrupt violent actions of the main character are so outrageous that it appears unrealistic and reminds the audience of the fictional narrative; this is a clearly selfreflexive element. Alongside being self-reflexive, this extreme violence, and all other evidence of murderous violence within the film, can be described as representational; however, the way in which brutality is depicted within the film often has the same reaction from the audience as if it were real. This is therefore an element in the film that supports the statement by providing an idea that blurs the distinctions between representation and reality. The lift scene also has other self-reflexive elements such as the kiss between the main character and Irene; the whole atmosphere of the film changes within this moment - the action is slowed down and the lighting changes - these features are clearly unrealistic and remind you that the story is fictional, a more representational element, that pulls away from the idea of reality. This slowed down element within the scene also helps to emphasise the sudden brutality of the main characters actions, which can make it appear very

real to contrast the representational basis of the scene; as well as this, the change in atmosphere relates to the fictional and fantasy elements of the film, making reference to the fairy tale influences within the film. The hyperreality, and fantasy setting and style of Drive are the focus of the film, with very little dialogue featuring within it; this could support Strinatis ideas that suggest emphasis of style over substance and context is a feature of postmodern media texts. Lack of dialogue to explain action also creates some kind of enigma code for the audience, as identified in Barthes 5 narrative codes, allowing the audience to piece together much of the story themselves through their own interpretation of the text. This can also be seen as representational, as the action represents the spoken narrative elements that are missing due to the lack of dialogue; however, the use of some dialogue helps to add realistic element within the text by reassuring character relationships that would be expected to occur in the situations depicted, were they real. Again, this shows evidence of blurring the distinctions between representation and reality, supporting the statement above. Overall, I believe that the blurring of distinctions between reality and representation is an important feature within postmodern media texts. The way in which the blur is created can vary greatly, through the producers of postmodern media texts applying combinations of postmodernist ideas, theories and ideologies; however it is the manipulation of reality and representational or fantasy elements that, in many cases, creates the postmodern basis for a media text to build upon.