Jean Baudrillard

Jean Baudrillard, born in 1929, in Reins, Paris is a postmodern theorist and a  sharp critic of contemporary society, culture and thought.  According to Baudrillard, our postmodern culture has become reliant on models and maps that we have lost all contact with the real world that preceded the map.When it comes to postmodern simulation and simulacra, Baudrillard suggests that postmodern culture is artificial, thus the concept of artificiality still requires some sense of reality against which to recognize the artifice. We have lost all ability to make sense of the distinction between nature and artifice. Hyperreality is a world of simulacra, without intermediary mass media. The "American dream" is an example of this, culture and media create and perpetrate the hyperreal.

Jean Baudrillard

Bio:

• Born in 1929 in Reins, Paris
• 1966 began teaching sociology
• His books gathered a wide audience during the 1980s and 1990s - he became an intellectual celebrity, he published frequently in the English and French speaking popular press

5 key works:

1. Simulcra and simulations
2. Utopia deferred: writings from the Utopia
3. The system of objects
4. Symbolic Exchange
5. The spirit of terrorism: and requim for the twin towers

 

"There is no theory of the media" - Baudrillard 'Requiem for the media' 1971

2005:

• According to the academic William Merrin Baudrillard isn't actually a postmodernist.
• Although, he borrows many ideas to describe this media saturated world, he's actually more interested in the way we connect, make meaning, experience and communicate.
• Baudrillard is first and foremost a sociologist, anthropologist and philospopher.
• He just happens to be living in an age where the media influence has significant parts of these topics.
• Baudrillard offers a radical anthropoligical critique of what he calls the semiotic and simulation - of an avant garde response to the world of simulation and our attempts to understand it.
• His ideas ideas are based on the work of the French anthropologist Emil Durkheim.
• Durkheim was concerned primarily with how societies could maintain their coherence in the modern era, where matters such as shared religious and ethnic backgrounds could no longer be assumed. . .

 

"The mass media are anti-mediatory and...fabricate non-communication - this is what characterizes them." -Baudrillard 'Requim for the media' 1971

The genre of my music video is classified as a mixture of alternative rock, indie pop and indie  rock. I would be applying my mise-en-scene to these genre conventions, thus there would be images of the band performing in the studio playing instruments from acoustic guitars to drums which are typically seen in indie music videos (performance based narrative - Andrew Goodwin/John Berger). The band members, outfits would be casual/boho. The location would be in a mountainous landscape. where the theme of adventure and freedom is evident. Naturistic settings are typical in indie music videos. There would be diegetic sounds of laughing and rain establishing a cinematic realism. Black and white grainy footage would be present to create a nostalgic ambience to the audience, along with flashbacks as if the audience are looking at memories (illustrative - Andrew Goodwin). The mise-en-scene holds strong connotations of the characters being strong and fearless (semantic code - Roland Barthes), creating a juxtaposition to the lyrics of the song "I wish I could be like the cool kids" (amplifying - Andrew Goodwin). Establishing the music video as progressive, thus in the beginning the characters were anything but strong and fearless (the action code - Roland Barthes). The progressive concept is reinforced with the music video beginning as slow paced and then building up as fast paced and then slow paced to emphasise the characters complete transformation. The flashbacks enforce the cinematic soap opera narrative by evoking hurt and bullying which makes them say "I wish I could be like the cool kids" and not fitting into the 'norm'. There is cliched icongraphy of adventure with the group of friends running around the mountains and the city (vesimilitude).

Genre of 'Cool Kids'

Genre:

Alternative rock

indie pop

indie rock

Juxtaposition to uncool to cool kids - progression

Mise-en-scene:
Folk guitars, drums - indie
Mountains - nature - indie juxtaposition alternative rock - the city
Clothes - normal - indie - boho

Cliched Icongraphy adventure - freedom, mountains, nature, group of friends running around

• Images of band performing
• Cinematic soap opera narrative - bullying
• Diegetic sounds - laughing, raining - cinematic realism

"I wish that I could be like the cool kids" wishful thinking realises she is one

• Studio setting

Black and white grainy footage - nostalgia to audience, memories, flashbacks

Connotes characters as strong and fearless

Slow paced, builds up to fast, slows down to create emphasis and then builds up for conclusion

How my music video will link with Narrative theories

To provide an initial insight to what my music video will be like visually:
 It would look disorientated, the theme of adventure is evident, there are silhouettes, with city pictures and natural landscapes displayed evoking the locations I would film my music video. All in all, the music video conveys adolescence and nostalgia of the teenage years.

Performace oriented visuals cue viewers that the recording of the music is the most significant element - John Berger

Conceptual - methaphors, multiple meanings

Narrative and performance - Steve Archer "cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band" "acting as a narrator and participant at the same time"

Andrew Goodwin - illustrative
Amplyfying - repetition
disjuncture - ignoring meaning of song

Roland Barthes - the semantic code - the audience is directed towards an additional meaning by way of connotation
 the action code - the audience is excited by the need to resolve a problem

vesimitulude

juxtaposition/contrapael - mountains vs. city - all teens the same no matter where you came from

POMO VS. MODERN

Lyrical Analysis of Cool Kids by Echosmith

Ariana Grande - Problem feat. Iggy Azalea

Pomo

Ariana Grande - Problem feat. Iggy Azelea

Bricolage
60s GOGO girl mise-en-scene
Mixed with rap, pop

Media Language

Media language from chelseaharper

Representation

Representation from marymedranag321

Genre

Genre music video analysis from Farida Islam

Key Concepts Overall

Key concepts & theories for a2 from snortontaylor

Key Concepts

Applying Key Concepts to Music Video from Sally Pickford

Narrative

Narrative

Music video narrative from ksomel

Goodwin's Theory

http://loretob1group2.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/andrew-goodwins-narrative-examples/

Goodwin's Theory

http://loretob1group2.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/andrew-goodwins-narrative-examples/

Question 1B - Key Concepts and Theories

Structure of Exam

2 Hour exam

2 Questions on coursework = 25 each = 50

Media theory question= 50

Total out of 100.

Section A:

Theoretical evaluation of production work (2 questions)

You will be asked to reflect on:

Skill development:
•Digital technology
•Creativity
•Research and planning
•Post production
•Using media convention (medium)
•Relation to real world texts

Your production experiences- in and out of school- extra

- curricular AS/ A2

 

Part 2:
 

Question concerning your production work in relation to:

•Genre

•Narrative

•Representation

•Audience

•Media theory and language

The question will ask you to discuss one or more of these in relation to your production
work.

It could be the concept does not nicely fit your production. In this case you have to argue
how the theoretical concept does NOT directly affect your production work. You have to
demonstrate that you understand the concept

Section B:
Contemporary Media Issues- Postmodernism
Subject :  Post – Modernism
This will include:
•Case studies- films/ video games/ tv/music videos
•Issues and debates
•Your own independent research
•Contemporary issues
•Audience
•Industry

Generally a world view/ theory -
“ A style and concept in the arts characterized by distrust of theories and ideologies and by
the drawing of attention to conventions”

Characterized by:

•Irony

•Playing with conventions

•Black humour

•Intertextuality

•Pastiche- paste together/ comment

•Magic realism

•Different perspectives

•Playing with conventions

•Black humour

•Intertextuality

•Pastiche- paste together/ comment

•Magic realism

•Different perspectives

 

 

AS/A Level Specification

http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/81037-specification.pdf

POST MODERNISM.

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.
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A complex theory with contested definitions. “post” mean after – “modern” = after

modernism –  after the modernist movement.

Modernism = another theory or world view. Postmodernism is reaction against modernism

all disciplines – art, philosophy, film, literature, history etc.

Postmodernism from anniapple