You Know It's Wes Anderson If...

Here are some Wes Anderson videos:

A good one breaking down the visual elements of TGBH:



For fun! Does this make him seem more or less postmodern?



 And this one also provides a good overview of his style in a fun and humorous way:



 And this one? Well, I couldn't help myself. Have you seen Isle of Dogs yet?!

#PostmodernMedia #FilterBubble

From this Rolling Stone article on the late Roger Ailes:

What most of us are buying when we tune in to this or that channel or read this or that newspaper is a reassuring take on the changes in the world that most frighten us. We buy the version of the world that pleases us and live in little bubbles where we get to nurse resentments all day long and no one ever tells us we're wrong about anything. 

~ Taibbi, Matt - 2017.

 Sounds familiar... keep revising!

Mr. M.

HyperNormalisation and Fake News

Ex-student George Turner emailed me and suggested that we would find the programme: HyperNormalisation by Adam Curtis, both relevant and interesting. Having watched the first 30 minutes, so far, I am inclined to agree.

Please watch the programme on BBC iPlayer and make notes. It is quite long, so you might want to break it up into sections. This Wikipedia article has a good synopsis of the different chapters.

In reading about the show and watching it, it also got me thinking about Fake News and misinformation. Please read through the following articles and make notes. This will add to your understanding of hyperreality and provide you with a current and evolving case study for your essays.

• Fake News (Wikipedia)
• What is Fake News? (The Guardian)
• Wikipedia bans Daily Mail (The Guardian)

Under the Influence: Barry Jenkins on Wong Kar-Wai

It is always interesting to see how one director influences another...

In this video, Barry Jenkins discusses the influence that Wong Kar-Wai had on his work.

Here is a side by side comparison of shots from 'Moonlight' and various Wong Kar-Wai films.

Wong Kar-Wai is one of my favourite directors. Every film student must watch 'In the Mood for Love'. It is a masterpiece of cinematography, mise-en-scene, sound and editing working in unison to make a true work of art.

Both videos were found via: FilmSchoolRejects, which is a fantastic site that regularly shares interesting articles and videos about film. Consider following them on Twitter or Facebook.

'Bring on the female superheroes!' - TED Talk by Christopher Bell

As we are taking our first tentative steps into 'Postmodern Media' please listen to this passionate TED Talk by Christopher Bell, Ph.D in which he asks 'where is all the female superhero stuff?'.

Consider the questions he raises about the way in which 'the media' exacts control over public perception and how easily women are 'erased' from the narrative.

He also uses some key terms including 'media saturation' (which we began discussing yesterday - see Dominic Striate quotes in the introductory doc) and 'public pedagogy' which we will be discussing regularly throughout the course.

Kubrick

A look at the cinematic experience of Stanley Kubrick. His work is a tour-de-force of symbolism, narrative exposition and cinematography. His attention to detail may only be matched by Wes Anderson and his editing is without a doubt meticulous.

Much can be learned here, both in terms of your own production work but also in terms of Postmodern Media. Enjoy!

A2 Revision: Intertextuality

Another nicely timed video that is useful for revision. In this case, The NerdWriter discusses 'intertextuality' and there are some great examples in the video. Watch, make notes and enjoy.

There are more great film and media related videos on his Tumblr; go check 'em out!

Everything is a Remix: The Force Awakens

This is a fab caveat to your Ferguson/Matrix/Blade Runner case study, brining it bang up to date. Check out his original post for more info and links.

This post by Austin Kleon also posits some useful thoughts and additional links/resources (scroll down!).

A2: 'Star Wars Is A Postmodern Masterpiece'

Detailed article by Forrest Wickman, exploring the postmodern make-up of Star Wars.

It will further your understanding of pastiche and bricolage. If you know the original trilogy well it could also serve as an additional case study.

'May the force be with you, always.' ;-)

Everything is a Remix - Remastered (2015)

Kirby Ferguson has remastered his seminal series 'Everything is a Remix' as one single video. This continues to be the starting point for our study into Postmodern Media.

Please watch and make detailed notes. We will begin our study of Postmodern Media on Thursday 1st October.

'From 'Clueless' To 'Fancy' - Pop Music Videos Inspired By TV & Film'

The relationship between film and music videos has a long history, not least due to the fact that many film directors started their careers making music videos.

The influence works both ways though and ex-media student Jess Mockler shared the following link to a post about music videos that have been inspired by films: http://www.capitalfm.com/photos/music-videos-inspired-by-film/

Click through and take a look. This is a good intro into one of the many facets of postmodern media - remember 'everything is a remix'!

Postmodernism and The Media

Virtual Reality - The Next Big Thing?

This Fast Co.Design article, following Facebook's acquisition of Oculus VR, asks whether virtual reality could be the next big thing?

With reference to classic Sci-Fi texts including The Lawnmower Man and The Matrix, the article considers the potential convergence of wearable technologies, social media and virtual reality.

#CyberPunk #FTW!

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Cameron Phone Call Meme

Article tracking the various stages of the David Cameron phone call meme.

Wes Anderson (Follow Up)

Following on from my previous post, Matt Zoeller Seitz has completed the set of videos based on his book 'The Wes Anderson Collection'. Anderson's films make a fantastic case study in postmodern film-making and Seitz's videos do a great job of illustrating this.

Quote!

"Editing is manipulative; it forces us to see what the filmmaker wants us to see."  

Hill, J., & Church Gibson, P. (1998) The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

(via Joshua Gray)

Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson is a fantastic film maker. Without a doubt postmodern, his visual aesthetic and referential style are worth careful study.

This essay by Matt Zoller Seitz is a great place to start. He has been following and writing about Anderson's work since he made the short film 'Bottle Rocket' with regular co-writer Owen Wilson. He recently published a book about Anderson titled: 'The Wes Anderson Collection', and is now publishing each chapter as a short video. The first three are available now on Vimeo.

*If you have never seen a Wes Anderson film, I suggest that you begin with 'The Royal Tenenbaums'.

A Postmodern Case Study into Arrested Development

Arrested Development a short lived American sitcom on Fox, lasting for only 3 seasons, until it was picked up by Netflix for a 4 season; collected a cult following due to its postmodern style of television.  It was, and still is, a ground breaking television show that uses: Intertextuality, Self-Reference, Hybridisation and Bricolage to create cross episode and season narratives, with a firm foundation in the Postmodern arena.

Here are some interesting articles about Arrested Development and Postmoderism.

There’s Always Money In The Banana Stand: A Genre Analysis of Arrested Development

Why Tobias Is the Best ‘Arrested Development’ Character

Top 10 'Arrested Development' Running Gags


Postmodernism in Arrested Development

Rolling Stone's Boston Bomber Cover Is Brilliant

Interesting take on the 'Boston Bomber - Rolling Stone' cover. Draws attention to the intelligence, exploitation and hypocrisy that co-exist in 'The Media'.

cc. @slate