Postmodernism & Deutschland 83: blog task

TV: Postmodernism and Deutschland 83

Postmodernism is one of the more challenging ideas in A Level Media but fortunately Deutschland 83 provides a brilliant case study as a postmodernist media text.

We need to be able to look for postmodern ideas in the media texts we study - and some of that we've done already in our work on advertising and marketing, intertextuality and genre.

Notes and definitions

Postmodernism: a late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories. (Source: Dictionary definition)

A brief history
Postmodernism is linked to the premodernism and modernism eras.

Pre-modernism: up to late 19th century.
Religion dominates society.

Modernism: late 19th century to mid-20th century
Science dominates; religion questioned; distinct difference between high culture (e.g. art) and low culture; industrialisation.

Postmodernism: mid- to late-20th century to present
Blurring of high and low culture/art and popular culture; media-driven hyper-reality; style over substance.

Postmodernism and the media
Postmodernism is often defined by scepticism, irony, self-referentiality or intertextuality.

What does that mean? The Simpsons provides an example. The structure is a classic family sitcom but the content ridicules authority (including its media conglomerate owner) and is full of intertextual references to other films, TV shows and popular culture.

Further examples of postmodernism
An example in architecture would be Las Vegas; in art, Andy Warhol's pop-art of the 1960s.

Award-winning 1998 German film Run Lola Run (‘Lola Rennt’) is credited with revitalising German cinema with a postmodern take on crime drama that features a repeating narrative and a blurring of genres.

Postmodernism: theory and terminology

Strinati

Dominic Strinati identified five ways to define postmodernism:

1. ‘Media-isation’ of culture – we make sense of reality using media texts
2. Emphasis of style over substance e.g. celebrity, reality TV
3. Breakdown of difference between art and popular culture
4. Confusion over time and space – modern society is built on the instantaneous
5. Decline of meta-narratives or grand narratives (e.g. religion or political theories such as communism)

Key terms
There are some key terms we need to learn when studying postmodernism in media texts:

Bricolage
The juxtaposing of old and new texts, images, ideas and narratives to create new meanings.

Hyper-reality
Jean Baudrillard argued that audiences view the ‘copy’ of reality in the media as more real than the original. Fredric Jameson discussed the idea of ‘historical deafness’ by suggesting the media-isation of history means we only understand historical events through their media representation.

There are some key terms we need to learn when studying postmodernism in media texts:

Pastiche

This refers to media products that imitate the style of another text, artist or time period. Pastiche is an example of intertextuality and takes a positive view of the original source.

In contrast parody is similar but ridicules the original source (e.g. Scary Movie parodies horror).

Fredric Jameson on parody and pastiche

“Pastiche is, like parody, the imitation of a peculiar or unique, idiosyncratic style, the wearing of a linguistic mask, speech in a dead language. But it is a neutral practice of such mimicry, without any of parody’s ulterior motives, amputated of the satiric impulse, devoid of laughter.”

Jameson suggested pastiche does not offer up comment on society or history – it is simply done because it is ‘stylish’. He marks this as an example of ‘historical deafness’.

Deutschland 83: a postmodernism text

The following scenes of Deutschland 83 provide excellent examples of bricolage, hyper-reality and pastiche:

• Opening scene: 0.00 – 3.00
• Title sequence followed by archive footage: 8.10 – 9.15
• Running/supermarket scene: 17.10 – 18.10 

Postmodernism & Deutschland 83: blog task

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #54: Introduction to Postmodernism. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets - you'll need to save the factsheet to USB or email it to yourself in order to complete this at home. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) Read the section on Strinati's five ways to define postmodernity. What examples are provided of the breakdown of the distinction between culture and society (media-isation)?

The five different ways Strinati's characterizes postmodernity is by the models, for example, promoting can represent the moment of truth an organization regardless of the nature of the item they are selling, a low quality item can be economically effective on the off chance that it has incredible publicizing while a magnificent item can fall flat without it. Where once the truth of the item would make its prosperity or disappointment (for example how well it functioned), presently the media truth of promoting decides the achievement of items.


2) What is Fredric Jameson's idea of 'historical deafness'? How can the idea of 'historical deafness' be applied to Deutschland 83?

Identified with this, as indicated by Jameson, is the possibility of verifiable deafness. He contends that as mediaization increments so the way of life ends up losing a feeling of verifiable setting. History is presently 

decreased to 'talking heads' documentaries and verifiable learning is frequently founded on media portrayals. Anyway he likewise contends this is now and again countered by over the top cases for extraordinary snapshots of extreme feeling, for instance, the mutual social despondency after the passing of a superstar. Jameson claims that these passionate upheavals are a method for supplanting the shallowness of 'style over substance'

3) What examples and theories are provided for the idea of 'style over substance'?

individuals are affected more towards the brand as opposed to the genuine nature of the item, driving the group of onlookers to state high costs for these clothings. 

older sibling is another precedent as it can help relaunch big names professions.

4) What examples from music are provided for the breakdown of the distinction between art and popular culture? Can this be applied to Deutschland 83?

The first class and amazing go towards high forehead excitement anyway popular culture head towards the majority. besides publicizing influences referenced to high craftsmanship so they to can sell more items
5) What is bricolage? What examples of bricolage can be found in Deutschland 83?

Bricolage is characterised as alluding to old and new messages, for example, pictures and story thoughts to make different types of significance. the primary model from deutchland 83 is the reality they are picked up motivation from government operative movies, for example, James Bond.
6) How can the audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 be linked to postmodernism? Read 'The decline of meta-narratives' and 'Media texts and the postmodern' to help answer this.

In lesson we spoke about Meta-accounts or excellent stories Lyotard actually signifying 'issues on everyone's mind are the thoughts and ideas that have been utilised to endeavor to clarify the manner in which the world is and the manner in which it ought to be. Mankind's history is brimming with these great accounts from religion to political/monetary speculations. This can be connected back to Deutschland 83 connections to the postmodernism since it takes key thoughts and ideas legitimate issues, for example, socialism and communism, and applies them to a more standard content. Which demonstrates the portrayal of Germany also.

7) Read the analysis of media concepts and postmodern approaches on page 3 of the 

factsheet. Choose three of the concepts and write an example from Deutschland 83. Clue: genre, representation, ideology and audience would all be good options for this task.

The genre In Deutschland 83, there is a wide range of classifications depicted in this arrangement. For instance one classification being shown is the covert operative sort, as indicated when preparing to be a government operative in West Germany he needs to figure out how to turn into a government operative, which speaks to the government agent type. Likewise, it could be introduced as a spine chiller, as the principal scene the utilization of riddle and activity codes makes a thrill ride sort with the utilization of tension and the trailer class appears to be going full bore, the more the arrangement advances. This returns to the reality postmodern writings play with kind codes and subvert them and shows how there is a blend of more than one sort, which isn't unpretentious as increasingly complex accounts, which could be numerous reasons why it did as such well. 

Narrative Postmodern stories explore different avenues regarding customary structures. Some postmodern accounts present occasions fragmentary that does not pursue a sequence. In Deutschland 83 the account is a significant straightforward one which is attempting to reproduce the virus war, and the war among East and Germany, with a cutting edge curve, which is very simple to pursue by and large, it could be contended that it is a multi-strand story as there could be two stories viewpoints running parallel between one another, between East Germany and West Germany.

Representation A postmodern portrayal subverts desires. Contemporary messages frequently play with traditional thoughts in portrayals, for example, making an unethical legend or a thoughtful miscreant. In Deutschland 83, the portrayal is to depict Martin as the saint, as he is sparing his mom by doing this mission, and furthermore battling for his nation aswell. The thoughtful scoundrel in this could be Moritz, as it was his business to catch Martin and do this mission, anyway it could be contended that he is equivalent to Martin as he is without his family, in the wrong side of Germany, along these lines the gathering of people will feel compassion towards the crowd.

8) Now look at page 4 of the factsheet. How does Deutschland 83 demonstrate aspects of the postmodern in its construction and ideological positioning?

The writings can be viewed as postmodern culture as current writings are viewpoints old the old writings.

9) Which key scenes from Deutschland 83 best provide examples of postmodernism? Why?

At the point when Martin was preparing as the montage can be connected to postmodernists and the intertextuality can be picked up from other covert agent movies, for example, James body and different movies, for example, rough who have numerous montage scenes when preparing.
10) Why might audiences enjoy the postmodern aspects of Deutschland 83? What audience pleasures might elements of bricolage or pastiche provide viewers?

I trust that crowds would appreciate the parts of bricolage and pastiche as they go about as a type of intertextuality. The gathering of people would appreciate the components of bricolage by the comparing of old and new messages, pictures, thoughts and accounts to make new implications, which is appeared by the scene when Martin was preparing to be a government agent, which interfaces back to the James Bond feel, and they attempt to make another importance out of this, while taking components of James Bond. Additionally another group of onlookers delight gave, is the component of pastiche which alludes to media items that mimic the style of another content, craftsman or time-span. Pastiche is a case of intertextuality and takes a positive perspective on the first source, this is done through key authentic occasions.

There is a lot of challenging work here - you will have over a week to complete it so take your time, read around the subject and re-watch the scenes from the first episode on All4 to help develop impressive academic answers to these questions.