Fifteen Million Merits Essay take 2

“Fifteen Million Merits is not a postmodern text”.

From my research into the drama ‘Fifteen Million Merits’, I understand the film itself may be modern. Very straight to the point, with linear narrative, and hints of reality. What is however interesting, is that it includes postmodern text, with a futuristic version of ‘X - Factor’, but renamed ‘Hot Shot’. The film also uses other pastiches, such as the ‘Wii’ avatar, and the ability to buy clothes and props for your virtual character. The film stresses the point of technological dominance, by locking the doors for commercials, and forcing you to watch the TV.

This sense of non-reality and dominance reflects and most probably pastiches The Wachowski brothers’ ‘The Matrix’ where the characters again are ‘plugged into’ a virtual world that all the others believe to be reality, and the only world. In ‘The Matrix’, the characters are actually plugged into the machine, whereas ‘Fifteen Million Merits’ is more of a hint of being plugged into the system.

We also learn as the film progresses that in ‘Fifteen Million Merits’, a character’s life is “A lifetime of Fame’ or ‘back to the bikes’, which shows either they get famous, or they are forced to work the ‘bikes’ to generate electricity for the modern world they live in. Another film that would refer to this make or break theme, would be the ‘Hunger Games’, as ‘Katniss Everdeen’ and ‘Peeta Mellark’ to name a few are forced by the ‘Capitol’ to fight for themselves, and either die or survive; this following a theme of another well known film ‘Predator’.

In all of these films, the moral is faith. If you have faith and believe in yourself, you can rise up out of the system. In ‘The Matrix’ Neo becomes a computer hacker, and as the world is computerised all around him, he tries to gain control of ‘The Matrix’; fighting the computer programme ‘’Agent Smith’. In the same kind of way, Bing in ‘Fifteen Million Merits’ fights the system of Judges ‘Hope’ ‘Wraith’ and ‘[empty content]’. With the ‘Hunger Games’ Katniss and Peeta are supposed to fight each other, but find a way through by defying the rules of the ‘Capitol’ in order to take control. Predator has this idea as well, as a group of people have to fight against the alien ‘Predators’ in another fight to the death, by outsmarting the enemy and defying the rules of defeat.

Evolving from the simulated ideas of ‘Fifteen Million Merits’ and ‘The Matrix’ comes films such as ‘Inception’ and ‘The Source Code’. These films all fit into the ‘parallel world’ genre, with Leonardo Di Caprio playing a mastermind who can hack and live people’s dreams, in another plain of existence. This would closely replicate ‘The Source Code’ as ‘Colter Stevens’ wakes up in a realistic simulation, only to find he is trapped in a computer program, and has to find out vital information in ‘the last 8 seconds’ of someone who was actually traveling on a commuter train, before it blows up. Colter Stevens also defies the laws of ‘The Source Code’ by finding love and arguing with the programmers that with one last chance he could live in the source code. Films such as ‘Tron’ and ‘Total Rekall’ also follow these conventions; a quest to find the truth whilst living in a simulated reality.

So is ‘Fifteen Million Merits’ a postmodern text or not?

Well, arguably, it is, because it uses a lot of conventions of post-modern theory; pastiches, hyper-reality, and a pointer to Hegemony. However, unlike ‘Pulp Fiction’ it is understandable, and runs to an obvious conclusion. To an extent, it even uses the ‘Hero’s Journey’ theory by Jean Francis Lyotard, his theory of ‘outmoded myths’.

‘Call to adventure’ would be Bing finding Abi, and saying her voice is ‘the realest thing I’ve heard’. He aids her by buying her an entry ticket to ‘Hot Shot’, hence the name ‘Fifteen Million Merits’ as he has just got this sum of merits, and it costs this to enter. For the challenge, Abi sings the song Bing had heard her sing. She then agrees to Wraith to partake in ‘Wraith Babes’, this creating the Abyss, the death of Bing’s dreams. Bing tries to kill himself as he has run out of merits and is forced by the technological dominance to watch Abi on ‘Wraith Babes’. Bing then works hard each day, on a mission to save up his 15,000,000 Merits, as the rebirth of the hero, he goes through the transformation when he buys the ticket. For Atonement, he says his piece about the world being ‘nothing but shit’ saying, you buy ‘shit’ and ‘confetti stuff’ in front of the judges. But that’s where the journey ends, as he is snapped up into the fame of the simulated world, creating broadcasts about the world being ‘shit’ and he could kill himself.

Therefore, based on this journey, the film is mostly modern, but the modern doesn’t quite add up, and there is a horrible twist at the end. For the journey to complete, the judges would have either given in, or Bing would go on to rebel against the system. Consequently, the film appears to be post-modern, as it contains elements of both, and we can’t strictly tell if it is one or the other. Whatever the intention of Charlie Brooker, the outcome of the film is still enjoyable, and quite forceful and emotive, attacking our emotions near the end.

Explain How Certain Types Of Media Can Be Described As Post-Modern

Post-Modernism can be seen as the trend for media to move away from the purely factual reality to a combination of hidden meanings, parodies, and imitations. By using well known themes and subjects, and distorting them, the users of post-modern media provide a system of delivering messages that are not as direct or truthful as factual statements and could be viewed as a superficial ‘reality’ where ‘we have lost all ability to make sense of the distinction between nature and artifice’ (Jean Baudrillard, post-modern theorist) . Where there is no distinction between the reality and its representation, this is known as simulacra (simulacra is the plural of simulacrum). An example of this would be the newspapers; considered a mirror of the real world that sometimes distort and sometimes make up the truth - in which case, actually create it! Newspapers and the media generally are particularly good examples of where post-modernist theories come into play. They are full of Lyotard’s ‘outmoded myths’ - simplified stereotypical judgements of people that make life easier to understand.

Other examples of the use of Post-Modernism in the media are as follows:

Types Of Media and Examples of Post-Modern

1. Advertising Media

Advertisement for ‘Demand More’ parodies the old class system: A stand off between two men with guns turns out to be bubble bath guns. Our expectations are set up because we recognise a familiar code, that is the gun duel, but then this is completely subverted by the guns turning out to not be real. There is a clear mixing of class codes and comic codes.

Another example would be the firm ‘Specsavers’, who take an original idea of a walk in the park and an elderly couple sitting down on a bench to eat a cheese sandwich. The scene then shifts as a rollercoaster harness suddenly clamps them into their seat, and they experience a horrible ride through water and doing loop the loop. There is also a final joke at the end, as the old man says ‘What sort of cheese sandwich was that?’

The reason this advert works so well is that it plays around with our sense of reality and expectations by setting up the reality of the park and suddenly making it collide with a completely different reality, ie a theme park. The advert freezes on a shot of the bewildered couple, with the strapline ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ which is the punchline. The whole advert is an effective example of simulation, as it blurs the boundary between reality and representation, and is also a pastiche (a term favoured by the theorist Jameson) as the opening scene is an imitation of the classic park bench scene.

2. Social Media

Facebook encourages narcissistic tendencies by constantly talking about oneself’s own activities in the belief they are of interest to other people. Facebook has almost turned into Twitter, with people ‘tweeting’ bland updates such as: ‘woke up and forgot to put my slippers on!’. This is an example of Baudrillard’s hyper-reality, as people are living their lives through a simulated online version of reality.

3. Films

James Bond demonstrates the post-modern concepts of intertextuality and parody by making comments that reference topics outside the film. For example, Bond says ‘Last man standing’ when he kills the enemy in Skyfall.

Pulp Fiction uses references from other films and doesn’t run a predictable course. Talks about irrelevant stuff before something happens; irrelevant dialogue between two people before they do something really big. – Bricolage and Parody

4. Magazines/Comics

5. Novels

6. Games

7. Music/ Music Videos

8. TV Programs

9. Artist Appearance

10.

Hot Fuzz Post-Modern Essay

Hot Fuzz is a 2007 action comedy film however it is very much a hodge-podge of genres as we see evidence of other genres such as `slasher and thriller’. This varied mix of genres is typical of a post-modern text. The film is directed and co-written by Edgar Wright, also co-written by and starring Simon Pegg. It is one of a trilogy of films known as ‘The blood and Ice-cream Trilogy’ and this name comes from the feature made of the purchase of a Cornetto ice cream in each of the three films, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The Worlds End. This use of the three flavours/colours of the Cornetto is a reference to Krzysztof Kieslowski’s three colours film trilogy. The film was extremely popular and successful for a variety of reasons; the directors/writers previous work, the cast of well-known and respected actors such as Bill Bailey, Edward Woodward, Martin Freeman, Timothy Dalton, Bill Nighy. I also think the film success stems from the fact that the film contains a lot of inter-textual references, parodies and comedy moments.

In this essay I will be discussing how the film ‘Hot Fuzz’ could be described as post-modern media and the reasons for and against this. I will be looking at and picking out the post-modern characteristics such as inter-textuality, parody, pastiche, etc. and explain and discuss their use. I will also be looking at conventional vs postmodern film and I will challenge the text/audience relationship.

The film does have conventional characteristics as it follows a clear linear narrative and has a beginning, middle and end: unlike some post-modern films (e.g. Pulp Fiction continually displaces time, leaving the viewer somewhat unsettled and confused). The viewer gains security from knowing the direction of the narrative and this is the case in Hot Fuzz, as we watch a story unfold and resolve at the end. In watching the film we also form an emotional attachment with the characters and this is a convention of modern text. We are manipulated, almost from the outset, into feeling sorry for this hard-working, career-orientated cop who is almost ‘punished’ for his dedication to the force. We meet Sergeant Nicholas Angel at the beginning of the film as he addresses us directly, states his name and shows us his ID. He also talks about his time in the force, and achievements he has won. An attachment to characters and being able to engage the audience in experiencing the trials and tribulations of their lives is something that we feel in this film.

In the opening sequence we see the main character, Sgt Nicholas Angel, played by Simon Pegg, stride purposefully through the police station and into the office of his boss. Simon Pegg plays the part of a highly motivated copper who is about to receive the news that he is being transferred to a ‘perfect’ village. This is because his outstanding work is putting the other officers to shame, so he is seemingly kicked out. At the beginning of the film Sgt Nicholas Angel addresses us directly, states his name and shows us his ID. This is a characteristic of a post-modern film as we see this character break the barrier between the audience and the storyline. The editing technique used as he walks through the police station to the inspector’s office is very quick and abrupt. This allows the audience to pick up on the super-cop parody. There are endless inter-textual references in the film and these include Die Hard, Bad Boys 2, Chinatown, Chuck Norris, Point Break, Lethal Weapon and many more. Many of the films paid homage to/parodied, are action/cop films and these are used as the audience enjoy the hermeneutic feel that this gives them. Audience interpretation is a key factor in the enjoyment of this film as with much post- modern text. The audience’s prior knowledge of other films and media forms greatly enhances the enjoyment and understanding of this film. This is different for a modern text, an example being Wuthering Heights where you can read this and not need to have read or viewed anything else. The film is essentially created from non-realities as it constantly references and looks at other films even those already made by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. We know this from the scene that Simon Pegg goes into the store, and there is a Shaun of the Dead dvd on the stand. We also know the police do not really live as they do in the film however we are engulfed by this non-reality and witness the constant reference to non-reality throughout the film. This is known as hyper-reality as the media text feeds itself and so the line between reality and non-reality becomes increasingly blurred.

To conclude, I would definitely say that ‘Hot Fuzz’ is an example of a post-modern film. As discussed above, it does have certain conventional characteristics, however there are many more post-modern techniques used in the film. Films such as Blade Runner are far more post-modern but they do still fall into the same category.

Lady Gaga - Paparazzi Music Video

Lady Gaga’s music video includes many of the post-modern characteristics. The video is presented in an old film noir way, with the opening shots setting the scene in a very expensive and lavish looking mansion. The typeface used is a fashionable retro style and this takes us back to the old fashioned era. The music video appears to resemble/pay homage to the film ‘Sunset Boulevard’ as a narrative follows the troubled life of a doomed starlet and follows a murderous plot line. Lady Gaga also appears to pay homage to Madonna, as one of her earlier dresses are styled in the same way, with pointy... you know what I mean! Also, when Gaga is falling into the vertigo, this is a nod in Austin Powers’ direction, as the same happens with the 90’s to the 60’s portal. There is a sense of voyeurism as we watch the couple on the balcony through the eyes of a person who is obviously watching them. This gives the video a James Bond feel to it and again pays homage to the films. The video itself is presented as a high and low culture video. The mise-en-scene of the house and the well kept gardens gives the idea of a high culture video, with the video turning low culture as the video turns to sleazy footage, and while Gaga is ‘dead’ the paparazzi seem to swarm around her, rather than just taking pictures.

The music video is a hodge-podge of different genres: Film Noir, Thriller, Detective/Crime, Romance/Comic/Murder/Spoof/. The video has some random moments when Gaga is dressed in a silly mickey mouse onesie. There is also evidence of hyper-reality in the opening credits of the video, this being perfectly looked after roses, with ‘rain drops’ emphasising the freshness of the flowers.

There is an eclectic taste in the video, as it covers many themes, because it goes from obsession with stardom, fashion, money, and extravagant lifestyle, and also other quite taboo subjects that make us feel uncomfortable, such as murder, disability, physical closeness between two people and other disturbing subjects. The music video emphasises the blurred boundary between fantasy and fiction, much of it is exaggerated and a touch camp. The actual video has been created to shock the audience. This is a good example of post-modernism as Lady Gaga is taking risks by producing this video and she has done this by merging the quirky fun elements with the more serious elements. In a very typical post modern way, Gaga is exhausting ideas from the past and putting her own twist on them.

Post-Modernism Essay

What is Post-Modernism?

Post-Modernism is a phase that comes after Modernism, Where the choices in a modernism layout and structure are questioned and challenged. Modernism is where buildings and strategies were created just for the use, and no other means. For example, an aircraft tower, an army bunker, a council house, and more. These were constructed for a specific purpose; the aircraft tower to control air traffic had to be tall, and ugly. The army bunker would have had a priority task of protection and attack, and the council houses would be cheap, nasty interiors for people to live in.

An example of a Post-Modern building would be the Sony building in New York (formerly the AT&T tower); this has roots of a modernistic building, a skyscraper fit for office purpose, but has been played around with at the top, resembling a grandfather clock, with a slight part of the building below to signify roman architecture. Post-Modernism plays around with the ideas of the Modernistic approach, and challenges them. This could apply to art, architecture, media, films, and other forms of Modernistic media. Essentially it is a mix of many different styles. Some examples of post-modern TV programmes are Family Guy, Simpsons, American Dad, Mighty Boosh, The Community. These are post modern because they constantly make reference to other TV shows, celebrities, films, books etc and so they’re constantly feeding off non reality. So we are constantly living in a virtual world where the divide between real life and reality is less defined.

Post-Modernism has been used in buildings and films so that when the target audience views the structure of the piece, whether it is a building or a film, they can have many different reactions. Most of these reactions would be something like if you viewed ‘Quantum Leap’ up close. A very good interpretation of Post-Modernism, but you wonder why on earth the council would ask for that made entirely out of concrete. Or you may find funny references in films such as ‘Hot Fuzz’, and a few more. You may be left entirely in the dark while people laugh at a funny reference, but you haven’t seen the film, or read the book. Post-Modernism to an extent actually relies on the vast amount of media that has been viewed by the target audience. A Post-Modern film itself has no originality. Yes, it acts like a normal film, but most of the ‘good ideas’ in the film will have been based on another film. For example, the part where Officer Angel (Simon Pegg) walks into the hotel, there is a creepy old woman behind the desk. He says he’s here to check in, and she says without looking up “but you’ve always been here.” This is a reference to the film ‘The Shining’, where ‘Johnny’s wife says that to him. This is reinforced by the lady looking up at Officer Angel, and saying “Oh sorry, I thought you were my husband!”. There is also a ‘He-Man’ reference where Officer Angel and ‘Danny’ find a farmer with a massive stash of guns. They exclaim “By the power of Greyskull!” twice. Another interesting reference would be the supermarket used for ‘Hot Fuzz”. Seem like ordinary Somerfields? It was actually a mainstream play on ‘Summerisles’ where Police ‘Sergeant Howie’ visits to save a girl from a horrible sacrifice in ‘The Wicker Man’. Above all, the film parodies slasher films like ‘Scream’.

The point to Post-Modernism then, is no point. It is just a parody of life. Like someone deciding they don’t want to build a beach hut. They’d rather scribble all over the drawing and scrawl Jack Sparrow’s hat in the corner.