Showing posts with label Hyperreality. Show all posts

Postmodernism in The Interview


The Interview is a 2014 film best known for the controversy that it caused. In June 2014, The Guardian reported that the film had "touched a nerve" within the "notoriously paranoid" North Korean government. North Korea regarded the release of the film as "an act of war". The North Korean government threatened action against the US if Columbia Pictures released the film. This brought up issues over freedom of speech and the North Korean government challenging freedom of speech. As a result of the threat the film was pushed back to December and reportedly re-edited. The group "Guardians of Peace" those responsible for the Sony hack who had ties to North Korea, threatened terrorist attacks against cinemas that showed the film. As a result major cinema chains opted not to release the film. Instead Sony released it for online rental and purchase on December 24th, followed by a limited cinema release the  next day. 
Due to not being released in cinemas and the controversy surrounding it The Interview only grosses $11 million at the box office but grossed over $40 million in digital rentals. 

There are many different postmodern themes in the film The Interview, the main postmodern theme in the film is hyperreality. Hyperreality suggests that because everyone is exposed to different forms of news and media we all have a different view of the world which is not always a reflection of reality, In The Interview a hyperreality of the world and especially North Korea is being created. It is not known what is in North Korea or what polices they have, for this reason the rest of the world is left to guess what is in North Korea from what little we see of it. In the film a very Americanised view of North Korea is given. Some points that are made are obviously for comedy purposes, such as Kim Jong Un being a fan of Katy Perry, but other points are just the speculation of what North Korea is like by Americans. A further use of hyperreality in the film is the fake CIA that they have created. They make the CIA in the film live up to the expectations of the public and similar to what they have seen in other films or in the news. Because it is unknown what North Korea is really like filmmakers had to speculate. As a result they have based North Korea upon brutalist Russian architecture and they use propaganda similar to that used by Russia in this period. 

The Interview also uses parody to make fun of television newscasters and newscasters of trivial pop culture news. James Franco plays a newscaster for a fake news channel Skylark Tonight. To make the channel seem more real and to become hyperreal they use real celebrity cameo in the film. Various celebrates are seen on the fake show parodying themselves such as Eminem and Joseph Gordon Levitt. They attempt to create a hyperreality by putting the fake news programme alongside real news/interview shows. They also get real newscasters to comment on Skylark and the fake news channel when the news breaks in the film that he has landed an interview with Kim Jong Un. 
They use parody throughout the film. It has been styled in a similar way to popular action films like Mission Impossible or James Bond, but it has been styled in a humorous parody way rather than as a homage to the films or a pastiche. 

The film also uses intertextuality in the film and references pop culture. Lord of the Rings is mentioned numerous times by the main characters as metaphor for their relationship. James Franco's character often uses Frodo and Sam as a metaphor for his and Seth Rogan's character. He also compares North Korea to Mordor. Another feature of postmodernism seen in the film is the use of technology to move on a narrative. They use search engines such as google to look up fake news to move on the narrative. Another postmodern feature used in the film is self reference. There is a scene where the CIA go to the flat and try to get them on their side. The film has been stylised in a way which could be seen as sexist and stereotypical. They're seen staring at the woman inappropriately, this is later referenced by the characters in the film when Seth Rogan's character suggests that they are being 'honey potted'. The film is also self reflective as it talks about issues with the media and news and how it is not know what is real and what is not. It tackles the exact issues that the film creates. 

Another postmodern part of the film is the rise of pop culture and that pop culture could be responsible for the fall of the dictator. Kim Jong Un is seen in the film as being obsessed with celebrity and pop culture. Pop culture is referenced throughout the film, Miley Cyrus is mentioned in passing and there is confusion by James Franco's character between Stalin and the Sylvester Stallone. Part of the reason for the films controversy is that there is now boundaries on the jokes that are made in the film.  

The film could also be associated with the loss of the meta-narratives. Traditional universal stories of which people base their beliefs, such as the bible, have been replaced by place specific narratives. It is suggested that in North Korea people see Kim Jong Un as being like God. 

The Supergamers


The Supergamers was a documentary in the same series as Rise of the Superstar Vloggers. The documentary, presented by YouTuber Dan Howell, looked at eSports and the popularity of gaming. The show followed the lives of 3 British Gamers and how they are making a career out of eSports. eSports is a form of sports where the primary aspects of the sports are facilitated by video games. They are usually multiplayer games, the most popular eSports are League of Legends, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. What was surprising about the programme is how these games have become competitive sports and the size of the tournaments such as The International League of Legends World Championship. They are starting to be seen as spectator sports, in 2013 it was estimated that approximately 71,500,000 people worldwide watched competitive gaming. Viewership is made up of around 85% male and 15% female, with 60% of viewers aged 18-34. Due to the large audiences eSports has become a very lucrative industry. Teams have began to form who seek out the best players to play for their teams. One team mentioned in the programme was H2K. H2K share a flat in Germany where they play video games for over 12 hours a day in training. Because of where they stand in the league they earn around £25,000 for 6 months of work, they receive bonuses and increases in salary depending on how they do in the league and what tournaments they win. They earn so much money mostly because of the advertising and sponsorship, if a team is doing well businesses sponsor them. The tournaments make money through advertisements on the live streams and sponsorship. The boss of one of the biggest teams in eSports believes that it could get to a point when eSports stars will be as big as football stars such as David Beckham. He thinks there may come a point when they have training centre's where they train the eSports stars.

I think that The Supergamers can be applied to postmodernism mainly through hyperreality. Hyperreality is about the blurring of the lines between reality and simulacra. With eSports real life/physical sports are being replaced by people playing video games competitively. Large sports stadiums are being replaced by indoor stadiums with players at the front playing games shown on monitors. The Games most popular in eSports are also games which have fantasy and fictional elements to them which couldn't be replicated in real life. Similarly they are adopting features of 'real life' games, for example they now use commentators and shout masters to inform the crowd of what is happening. Below is an image of an eSports tournament, just from the image you can see how large these tournaments are. There is even now a bar in North London where you can watch people playing eSports. The gaming industry continues to advance and create games that replace real life activities. In the documentary Dan visits a games convention where he looks at the future of gaming and what is to come. He looks at a farming simulator which has been developed and a new way to experience games- through wearing goggles and sitting in a moving chair which replicates the movements you experience in the game (similar to 4D technology used in cinema).


The Supergamers can currently be watched on iPlayer: http://bbc.in/20nRj4l

Rise of the Superstar Vloggers



Rise of the Superstar Vloggers was a one off television documentary presented by blogger Jim Chapman on BBC 3 [1st February 2016]. The programme looked at vloggers and their rise in popularity over the past few years. When watching the documentary I could see how vloggers could be considered postmodern. One of the vloggers, Essena O'Neill. at the end of the programme explained why she has stopped blogging because of the impact that it has had on her life. She talked about how she has hundreds of thousands of followers on twitter and Instagram. She felt like she was living a fake life as all the images that she was posting had been specifically framed and edited to make it look like she had the perfect life, when in reality this was not the case.
"I have an insight into a world of social media that I believe not many people are aware of in terms of how it works in advertisements. I know a lot of other social media personalities and just how fake it all is. I had the "dream life". I had half a million people interested in me on Instagram. I had over 100,000 views on most of my videos on YouTube. To a lot of people, I'd "made it". Everything I was doing was edited and contrived and to get more value, and to get more views. And then here at nearly 19, with all these followers I don't even know wha is real and what is not because I have let myself be defined by something that is so not real."- Essena O'Neill 
This is something that a lot of the vloggers expressed throughout the programme. They all talked about how they were perceived by their fans to have a perfect life when in reality their lives aren't as perfect as they seem. They spoke about the issues on Youtube such as issues surrounding YouTubers taking advantage of fans e.g. Sam Pepper.
This can be related to hyperreality and the blurring of the real and simulacra. Fans of YouTubers cannot distinguish between their real lives and what has been staged and edited to look a certain way.

The programme is currently on BBC iPlayer:http://bbc.in/1WYfvVk
More information on Essena can be see here on her blog : http://essenaoneill.com/hello/
The Guardian wrote an article on Essena which can be found here: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/03/instagram-star-essena-oneill-quits-2d-life-to-reveal-true-story-behind-images

Postmodernism and Gaming


One of the main forms of postmodernism media is the gaming industry. Games are an alternative reality that people can interact within. Games can allow people to experience things that they wouldn't be able to do in real life.
An example is Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V)- this game allows the player to of things which they couldn't do in real life without having serious consequences. GTA subverts the traditional ideas about reality and simulation. Players are living their lives through a simulation, they are spending real time living in a simulated world which is similar to out own. The game has bars, night clubs, a gym and restaurants which the player can visit. Interactions such as these can alter the avatar the the person is playing as such as change in body size. This adds to the realism of the game and shows that actions can have consequences. In the game players can make the ideal version of themselves by making themselves rich and owning luxury items. The boundary between real life and virtual reality can become blurred- the game can be considered hyperreal. Jean Baudrillard described hyperreal as being "a condition in which 'reality' has been replaced by simulacra". GTA could be considered a simulacra as it is a representation of reality, this simulacra is replacing the players reality.
GTA V can also be considered a bricolage. It is set in the fictional city- Los Santos- which is based upon the real city of Los Angeles. The game uses a variety of real life thing that are brought together to make the game and the fake city.

The Sims 4 is another hame which could be considered a postmodern media. Sims itself is even named after the theme/genre of the game: simulation. To date thee have been four Sims games each with the same gameplay/aim. In the game the player creates Sims- virtual characters whose lives you control. As the Sims Games have progressed the characters/avatars have been made to look more realistic and to have more actions/ways in which you can control them. Sims 4 should be considered a hyperreal game as it is a simulacra which becomes reality so some people. Players are playing/living through a fictitious game which becomes their reality. Real people can become addicted to and deeply invested in the Sims game living vicariously though it.
EA set up a feature in the Sims games where people can have a blog where they can share life updates, videos/pictures and stories of their Sims. This allows other players to comment and share their thoughts back. There is also a feature in the game which allows players to create movies of their Sims. Many players make their own stories, others recreate stories from reality. This is an example of fan production as the fans are producing their own content. This adds to the realism of the game and leads to players becoming more invested in their Sims lives and the lives of other players Sims. A virtual reality has been created through the introduction of these features- another form of simulation/simulacra that has been created through the game.
Intertextuality, a common feature of postmodern media, has been used throughout the game. Many things that exist in real life such as TV programmes and stories have been incorporated into the simulated world making it appear more realistic and a reflection of reality. 

 Most simulation games could be considered postmodern as the player is playing in a fictional world similar to their own. Animal Crossing is a simulation game where you play as either a villager or mayor of your own world. The game allows you to create and name your own town. One of the key things that makes Animal Crossing and other simulation games postmodernism is that they adhere to Lyotard’s suggestion that postmodern texts reject metanarratives. Games such as Animal Crossing don’t have a main story or goal to reach, they are instead made up of a series of smaller narratives. Games have been designed like this because of the attention span of the player and how long they would like to play the game for. Smaller narratives allows the player to have a greater sense of achievement as it doesn’t take them long to achieve a smaller goal. For example, in Animal Crossing the goal may be to finish paying off the house mortgage or to build a feature in the town. This relates to Csikszentminalyi’s theory of the flow of video games. He stated that hard tasks are increasingly pleasurable as the player goes through the levels. The challenges in the game are achievable which hooks the player making them become immersed in game. Even though there are small narratives, there are many of them which lead up to larger goals, although you may complete the many goals, there is never an end to the game. 
Animal Crossing could also be considered as postmodern as it is a simulacra. The game emulates real life as it works in real time, the graphics and design of the game changes with the season and time of day. 

YouTube and Postmodernism



How could YouTube be considered postmodern? 
Jean Baudrillard said that 'the real no longer exists'. The mass media attempts to represent reality but the modern society sees this as reality. YouTubers appeal to people as they are 'real' people who have prefect lives. However, everything they put up on YouTube has been edited and selectively filmed. You only really see a fraction of their lives. The platform has grown rapidly over the past few years, more and more people are beginning to watch YouTubers. It is thought that soon more people will be watching YouTube than Television. As the platform grows more brands begin to work with YouTubers as they know that when they associate themselves with products they sell. As well as other brands using them to advertise YouTubers have began to bring out their own products. Some YouTubers have also taken part in their own stage shows, presenting premieres and television programmes and in their own films. YouTubers could be seen as creating a hyperreality. Their fans buy into the the hyperreality that they have created. Because you can't see which parts of their lives are real and what is not you can only take what you see as the truth.

Examples
Zoella (Zoe Sugg) has over 10 million subscribers and 665 million total views. In 2013 she was named as the ambassador for National Citizens Service and as a digital ambassador for Mind in 2014. YouTube has allowed her to go on to star on the 'Great British Bake Off', appear on 'Loose Women' to talk about anxiety and have her own beauty line- Zoella Beauty. As well as this Zoe has a book deal for two books with Penguin. Her first novel, 'Girl Online', was released in late 2014 and a year later her second book 'Girl Online: On Tour' was released. 'Girl Online' sold more copies in its first week than J.K. Rowling, selling 78,109 copies. She along with her Boyfriend Alfie Deyes and brother Joe Sugg took part in Band Aid 30. She was one of three YouTuber's to take part in the UK advertising campaign for YouTube. An advert starring her channel was broadcast on terrestrial UK channels. In late 2015 she and Alfie Deyes were turned in to wax figures at Madame Tussauds after being some of the most requested people of 2014.

Joe Sugg (Thatcher Joe) and Caspar Lee, who have over 10 million subscribers between them, have their own DVD. The film 'Joe and Caspar Hit the Road' set pre-order records on Amazon as the biggest number of first day orders on the site. The film was produced by BBC Worldwide and used previous producers and directors of Top Gear. The YouTube stars were even given their own red carpet premiere in Leicester Square for their film.

Another popular duo in the YouTube world are Dan Howell and Phil Lester (Danisnotonfire and AmazingPhil). In 2015 they released their book- The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire- and accompanied this with a tour of the UK. They rose to fame with their Internet Takeover show on Radio 1. They have gone on to host backstage for the Radio 1 Teen Award, Radio 1 Big Weekend, the coverage of Reading and Leeds and the Brit Awards. At Summer in the City 2015 (The UK's biggest YouTube convention) it was announced their channel DanAndPhilGAMES was the fastest growing channel in history. They have also voiced two characters in the UK cinematic release of Big Hero 6. The two collaborated on an app for Phil's YouTube tag The Seven Second Challenge with Mind Candy.

Postmodern Theories: Hyperreality


Definition: 'a condition in which "reality" has been replaced by simulacra'

What is Hyperreality? 
In semiotics and postmodernism, hyperreality is an inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in technologically advanced postmodern societies. It is seen as  a condition in which what is real and what is fiction is blended together so that people can no longer tell which is "reality" and which is not. 
The term was coined by Jean Baudrillard, he defined it as "the generation by models of a real without origin or reality". He suggested that the world in which we live has been replaces by a copy world, where we seek simulated stimuli and nothing more. 

 Application in the real world
Hyperreality can be seen throughout media in our world. The above image is a realistic image that has been digitally created by merging of two images. One of the images used is of a real place, the other image has been created digitally and merged with the real image. The image illustrates how the advancements in technology have allowed the boundary between what is real and what is not to become blurred. Some people would look at the image and think that it was real, its not unless you recognise the iconography in the image from Star Wars or unless you look closer that you realise that it is not a real image. 
Hyperreality can also be seen in TV news and the different place from which people get their information. Some newspapers report that global warming is a real process which is happening and is going to damage out world, other newspapers report that global warming is fake and that we shouldn't worry about it. Depending on which article you read you get two different views and pieces of information, so how do you know which is right and which is wrong? The answer is you don't, this is hyperreality, you are being given two different sets of information one which is fiction and one which is reality but they become blurred so you can no longer tell which is real and which is not. On TV news it can be seen when they televise news and wars as though they are reality TV. Wars are now reported in a similar fashion to reality TV. After the reports of terrible news have been shown they move on to a lighter segment such as entertainment news or an advert which shows a product being advertised happily. This can be seen as creating a hyperreality as the boundaries are being blurred. One moment you are being told that the world is a terrible place and the next you have a happy ad or news segment which is telling you the world is fine and everything is ok. How then can we tell the state of our world. People like TV to be this way because they like to know that they are ok and that their world/'reality' is safe, even when in another country others are suffering. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RwhEHzuulA&feature=youtu.be

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Poster


Print based media, as well as moving image media, can be considered postmodern. Here I have looked how the poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens could be considered postmodern. There are actually many aspects of the poster which could be considered postmodern, from the hyperreal elements of the poster to the aesthetic of the poster. On first glance you notice the main postmodern elements of the poster such as the layout of the poster and its similarity to the original posters, but on further inspection you can begin to see other postmodern elements in the poster such as how it disregards the metanarratives. 

What is Postmodernism?



Postmodernism is an art movement. It is a skeptical interpretation of culture which questions why things are the way that they are and aims to reinvent and redesign things from the past. Postmodernism can be seen in many different forms from cinema to architecture and from posters to pieces of art.

There isn't one set definition for postmodern which is what is important. There are may different ways in which postmodernism is defined. Numerous theorists have came up with their own thoughts and theories on what postmodern is. Baudrillard came up with the term hyperreality which has been used to define postmodernism and Lyotard believed that postmodernism was defined by the loss of metanarratives. One thing that many postmodern theorists believe is that postmodernism is the final art movement and that nothing will come after it. There are other theorists that believe that this isn't true however, they believe that it is simply an art movement similar to modernism and that something will come after it. Others would argue that postmodernism itself isn't a thing.

Postmodernism can be viewed all over society. There are many films that are said to contain postmodern element, almost any film you now see contains some sort of postmodern element. Although, the most popular postmodern films include Donnie Darko and The Matrix. There are also popular artists which are considered postmodern, Banksy is one of these artists. Banksy uses features of pop culture and famous iconography in his work that looks at topical issues. One of his recent pieces was a recreation of the Les Miserables poster to look at the migrant crisis in Europe ant the issues in the camps in Calais. In 2015 he also created his own temporary 'bemusement park' which looked at issues such as rioting in the UK and the migrant crisis. He recreated Disneyland but with art pieces such as a derelict Disney Land Castle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKomOqYU4Mw&feature=youtu.be
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