“Postmodern media blur the boundary between reality and representation.” Discuss this idea with reference to media texts that you have studied.

Modernism started around the 1850’s. Modern art was driven by social and cultural agendas appropriate to the time; for example industrialisation, emancipation of women, universal education and the impact of war, religion and science on everyday life. This modernist perspective was often utopian. Modernism is viewed as having ended at some point in the 1960’s. Simply put, once Andy Warhol began painting pictures of soup cans, postmodernism became the term to use. Postmodernism reached its zenith in the 1980’s/1990’s although it is still a useful catch all term. It is used and misused to describe whatever you choose. George Ritzer suggested that postmodernism usually refers to a cultural movement such as architecture, art, music, films, TV and adverts. Ritzer was the theorist that came up with this idea that postmodernism displays the blurring of the distinction between representation and reality. This claim can be applied to many postmodern texts as hyper reality is used which is a situation where images cease to be rooted in reality so the audience can decided themselves whether what they see is real or is hyper real.

One film that I have studied which blurs the boundary between reality and representation is the 2011 film Drive. There are multiple hyper real aspects presented throughout the film which makes the whole environment seem very unusual and unrealistic. One particular aspect that is postmodern about the film is that the film is set in Los Angeles which is a huge city although it seems deserted as there are minimal characters. We are only introduced to key characters which we see throughout the film although we don’t see any other people in the background. The city is also used to represent the characters that are shallow and oppressive and also highlights the idea that it offers little comfort and no escape. This blurs the boundary between representation and reality as the characters seem to live in their own universe and everyone else other than themselves seem irrelevant. For example the police are irrelevant because criminals never seem to get caught even though the murders get increasingly violent throughout the film. Another postmodern aspect from the film is the lack of dialogue. The stylized characters show little emotion throughout the film in most situations, which is hyper real because this lack of dialogue creates a very sinister and uncomfortable atmosphere. We know very little about The Driver at the start of the film as he is very quiet, dark and insular and we do not know anything about his past or him ambition. Although we do know that he is a criminal as he starts off as a getaway driver for bad people. This was an intertextual reference taken from the 1978 film The Driver.  The Driver shows no emotion or reaction to anything that the other characters say to him which enhances his psychopathic traits because he takes long pauses before he says something or makes some form of movement. An example of this is the scene in the lift. This particular scene is self reflexive and includes both slow motion and a change in lighting. This draws attention the film as a text and introduces emotion for the first time. The connection between The Driver and Irene seems genuine and the audience witnesses the human aspect between the two which is very tender. Music is played along with the use of slow motion which emphasises the intense emotion between the two which almost makes it feel and looks like a dream or a fairytale. The scene is lit with a golden hue which represents the film’s idyllic heart and the utopian aspect.  When the romantic and calming music fades and the slow motion disappears, the violence resumes and brings us back to reality. Irene witnesses the other side to The Driver who is extremely violent and aggressive. For the first time, the audience can see the emotion and shock in Irene’s face when she leaves the lift and realises who The Driver really is. The slow motion and music is once again introduced which blurs the boundary between reality and representation because the use of slow motion and music presents the scene almost like a dream but when these two factors disappear, we as the audience are reminded that the situation is actually real.

The scenes lit with a golden hue and slow motion is consistent throughout the film. For example the scene in the car with The Driver, Irene and Benicio. This once again shows the film’s idyllic heart and the utopian aspect as it shows how the relationship is growing between the characters and how The Driver is beginning to fit in with the family. The postmodern aspect of this is that Irene’s husband Standard seemingly accepts this which is very unusual and the audience is lead to believe that The Driver is interfering. Another intertextual reference of the film is from the video game Grand Theft Auto. The film is set in the modern day although 80’s style retro music is played which makes it feel like it is set in a different era. Bird’s eyes a shot are used to enhance the size of the city and makes the characters seem quite vulnerable and lonely. Maps are also used which is one link to the video game and also the use of the pink 80’s style font in the titles. The main reference to the video game is the idea that the environment is like a playground and the characters are very vulnerable because of all of the crimes and murders. Everything that the characters do seems like a mission that is set on the video game. The violence becomes increasingly worse throughout the film which is an intertextual reference to the 2005 film A History of Violence. The violence is reminiscent to that in Drive and is both real and hyper real because it is so graphic and brutal. Jean Baudrillard’s idea of simulacra and simulation can also be applied to the film. This theory involves the idea that current society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs  and that human experience is of a simulation of reality ‘like a movie’ and that we cannot separate the image from the reality. This backs up the idea that the film blurs the boundary between reality and representation with the use of hyper reality.

Another film which supports this claim is the 2011 film Kill List. Slow motion is a common postmodern element in the film which presents it more as a representation rather than reality. The slow motion enhances the idea of flashbacks which do not seem relevant at the time but fall into place by the end of the film. The camera always seems to be one step ahead and the sound and image overlap which makes it feel like the film is being fast forwarded. It seems like the scenes do not link as the transitions between shots are so separate.  The camera is also unflinching which leaves the audience to decide whether or not they want to watch because the music builds up a strange atmosphere although this helps involves the audience because they feel like they are a part of the film which makes the situation more realistic.  There is one particular scene where Jay’s partner Gal looks directly at the camera which is an example of him breaking the fourth wall so makes it clear that it is just a film. The story of the film is generally very hard to follow as the narrative is disjointed and it doesn’t make sense until the very end. The director explains the film as a trap and wanted the audience to use their own imagination as to what happens because the story is so confusing and there are so many unanswered questions. There is no closure even at the end of the film which leaves the audience very confused but this blurs the boundary between reality and representation as because the audience find it hard to relate to the story so find it very unusual and hyper real. There are many postmodern aspects used throughout the film which makes the film seem like a dream such as the stylised murders, the use of masks, zombies, change in language, unsteady camera, the cult, religion, and many more.

There are also intertextual references that can be identified from other films that fit into the same genre of black comedy and horror. One being Saw. The two hit men in the film have a boss called The Client who sets them tasks and refers to these as a reconstruction. He also calls the men cogs which emphasises how they are under his control and they work solely for him. This idea of having a villain makes you constantly feel like you are being watched which creates a very tense and claustrophobic atmosphere. Another intertextual link which makes the film feel more representation than reality is the idea of a cult like in Hot Fuzz. The characters reveal their true identity by taking off their masks and the story finally falls into place just like in Hot Fuzz.  At the end of the film they all gather together whilst chanting and the crowd clap when the girl is hung. This particular aspect is very unusual and hyper real as we as the audience do not expect such characters to be in the film because they seem irrelevant to the rest of the story. This idea of having zombies in the film also links to the film The Descent, particularly when they are being chased by them in the underground tunnel. The idea of fragmentation can be applied to the film as the family are clearly experiencing financial issues which are causing a huge strain on the relationship shown by the constant arguments and violence. Many theories can be applied to the film which helps explain this blur between reality and representation. One is John Fiske’s theory which describes how the audiences relate to film to other things that they have seen such as The Descent. Another being Talcott Parson’s theory that society has a structure although this particular family has no structure because of the constant arguments and tension in the household. Jean Baudrillard’s theory is also relevant because whilst watching the film it is easy for the audience to be misled by things that appear to be real but are not because it is so unusual. With Kill List, there are so many unanswered questions so it is important for the audience to use their own imagination. Another postmodern aspect of this film is that it is based around the director’s reoccurring nightmares as he tried to scare the audience and think of the worst things that could ever happen to him. The director also took elements from the 1974 film The Parallax View focusing mainly on assassinations but wanted the audience to focus on the story and not expect what they saw. The same idea worked with the film Race with the Devil. The director of Kill List took elements from what he could remember rather than copying elements directly from the film. He also took aspects from 1970’s and 80’s socio realist TV. Kill List blurs the boundary between reality and representation because the story is so unusual but the postmodern elements make the film seem like a dream but the audience do not expect what they see. The story is very hard to follow so this particular text seems more like a representation rather than reality because it is very hard to relate to.

Not only do films blur the boundary between reality and representation but TV programmes do too. One example is The IT Crowd. One episode that I have studied was called ‘Moss and The German’. The theme tune of the programme is reminiscent of the 80’s computers games which is relevant to the programme because it is based around the environment of technology. This is one particular postmodern element which is hyper real as the characters have created their own comedy universe and everything seems to be based around their office. This blurs this boundary because the audience can relate to the reality of working in an office although the representation of them being surrounded by technology and being involved in this comedy is portrayed as a representation because it is very hyper real. The parody of the piracy advert is also relevant to this representation and the idea of technology. There are also references made to the Soviet scenes which are taken as far as possible being enhanced by the strong Russian accents, music, costumes and lighting changes. There is also a scene in the episode where Jen talks to Moss and gives him advice as if she is a psychiatrist. This introduces humour as the audience can relate the reality of people like her in their work environment. Stereotypes are also used which portray the representation aspect. The German is extremely stereotypical because of his clothing and the food he eats such as ‘schweinefliesch’. Throughout the episode there are many intertextual references to other films and programmes such as Hannibal Lector, Morecambe and Wise, Fine Young Cannibals, The Pink Windmill Kids and Gorky Park. The programme blurs this boundary between reality and representation as it seems like everything revolves around their office which is very hyper real although they do have social lives so there is an element of reality which is still present.

Music also blurs the boundary between reality and representation. One example of an artist that does this is Lady Gaga. She echoes classic 1980’s pop and 1990’s Europop and constantly reinvents her sound and image. She recontextualises elements from other artists she finds inspirational and makes them into something new and more modern such as from David Bowie and Queen. For example her song from her first album ‘Boys Boys Boys’ was a mash up of  Motley Crue's ‘Girls Girls Girls’ and AC/DC’s ‘T.N.T’. The album that she released in 2009 ‘The Fame Monster’ has an element of pastiche and said to include seventies arena glam, perky ABBA disco and sugary throwbacks like Stacey Q. She blurs this boundary as she can sing in a number of different languages including English, French, German and Spanish and also covers a range of diverse genres such as opera, heavy metal, disco and rock and roll which is an example of bricolage. Although she is very unusual and represented as being so unique because of her choice of outfits, there is an element of reality as she writes songs about her personal experiences so help her fans get through difficult times on their lives. She also does a lot of charity work to help others.  Brian Eno’s theory of the ‘death of uncool’ can be applied to Lady Gaga as some people find her very unusual but have got use to her over time but there is the argument that she is all surface and no depth according to Jean Baudrillard’s claim. Audiences could agree that she is ‘so bad she’s good’ because she is so unique and represented as a huge iconic star now because of her success. Music is constantly changing as there are so many styles around that are mutating all of the time. This is with help from developments in technology, sampling and easier access to music. The use of holograms are predicted to be the future of music  as they constantly reinvent artists and bring them back to life. An example is the Tupac hologram which was shown at Coachella in 2012. This is not the first hologram which has been made but is becoming more and more popular, particularly with such iconic artists such as Elvis Presley. Although this could also ruin the success of such artists and take away the impact of these holograms because they will lose their value. This blurs the boundary between representation and reality as it brings artists back to life as they look realistic although they are only a representation.

Postmodern texts do blur the boundary between reality and representation because it is hard to identify what is original and what is just recontextualised from other texts. They deliberately play with meaning and generally believe that there are no new or original ideas and that everything is connected in some way with intertextual references. This idea shows that postmodern texts usually enhance more representation rather than reality because if audiences are not literate they may not be able to identify the intertextual references in reality.