How is Lady Gaga a Postmoder Artist?

How is Lady Gaga a Postmodern Artist? on Prezi

Applying Johnathan Kramer's theory points 4 and 15 to real life examples.

• 4.challenges barriers between 'high' and 'low' styles - This relates to using an unusual cultural 'blur' that you would not expect to hear together or see together, for example, mixing classical music with pop music.
• - An example of this is within an avant-garde track from Lady Gaga's current album 'Born This Way' entitled 'Government Hooker'. She explained that the track was 'exploring the mix of techno rock with classical overtones'. You can hear the operatic and dramatic vocals at the start and as the more techno dance beat comes in, they overlap to create a 'postmodern' sound.

• 15. Presents multiple meanings and multiple temporalities - This means involving references to todays society that are temporary, for example, a link to a political leader in a rap song that may not be relevant in five years time and also involving references and different intercontextual links.
• - An example of this would be Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' feat.Beyonce. This intercontextual link is that in return for featuring in Lady Gaga's video, Beyonce asked Gaga if she would also feature on her track entitled 'Videophone'. So in theory, they did a 'phone swap'. The link to society is also that they are both strong female icons in the music industry today and the collaboration might not be so relevant in the future. Another intercontextual link in 'Telephone' is that it was a direct link from Lady Gaga's music video to 'Paparazzi', carrying on the storyline. I have posted all three videos below.

How is Lady Gaga a Postmodern Artist?

I decided to produce both a detailed prezi presentation for this task as well as an animoto presentation for beforehand.

Theorist Johnathan Kramer.

Media Theorist Jonathan Kramer says "the idea that postmodernism is less a surface style or historical period than an attitude. Kramer goes on to say 16 "characteristics of postmodern music, by which I mean music that is understood in a postmodern manner, or that calls forth postmodern listening strategies, or that provides postmodern listening experiences, or that exhibits postmodern compositional practices." 
According to Kramer (Kramer 2002, 16–17), postmodern music":

1. is not simply a repudiation of modernism or its continuation, but has aspects of both a break and an extension - This means not rejecting modernism, but building on what has gone before, this could link to how 'Postmodern & Modern are natural extensions of eachother'.
2. is, on some level and in some way, ironic - This is sort of a mocking humour, a knowing sense of playfullness and irony.
3. does not respect boundaries between sonorities and procedures of the past and of the present - This means the knowledge of there being no boundaries and not repecting the differences in genre and time.
4. challenges barriers between 'high' and 'low' styles - This relates to using an unusual cultural 'blur' that you would not expect to hear together or see together, for example, mixing classical music with pop music.
5. shows disdain for the often unquestioned value of structural unity - This releates to how songs traditionally have a set order of a verse chorus format, however, a postmodern artist may ignore this traditional order and produyce a song with a different structure for example, 'the Foals' sample alot of this mixed structure in their music.
6. questions the mutual exclusivity of elitist and populist values - In the case of music, the 'elist' would be considered to be classical music possibly and the 'populist' could be seen as a more commercial type of music such as pop. By questioning the exclusivity of the classical music and merging the two genres together, anything can work. For example, the Beastie Boys track 'Intergalactic'.
7. avoids totalizing forms (e.g., does not want entire pieces to be tonal or serial or cast in a prescribed formal mold) - This involves a piece of music hosting multiple sounds.
8. considers music not as autonomous but as relevant to cultural, social, and political contexts - This means to consider 'pop' usic especially as defining an era.
9. includes quotations of or references to music of many traditions and cultures - Sampling different styles of music from different cultures and traditions and merging them as one.
10. considers technology not only as a way to preserve and transmit music but also as deeply implicated in the production and essence of music - This is a link to how we listen to music, re-defining how we listen to it.
11. embraces contradictions - this means to involve anything unusual on a track for example, a strange acompaniment to the vocals.
12. distrusts binary oppositions - This means to go against the norm of binary pposites, possibly merging the two together or just sampling one of the two so there is no equal balance and thetrack may be sided more to a particular instrument for example.
13. includes fragmentations and discontinuities - this means to include anything that has a stuttery or broken sound to it, for example, in today's music industry, the effects that 'autotune' give to an artists voice can be used for artistical effects.
14. encompasses pluralism and eclecticism - This means for a piece to be eclectic and embracing that individualism.
15. presents multiple meanings and multiple temporalities - This means involving references to todays society that are temporary, for example, a link to a political leader in a rap song that may not be relevant in five years time and also involving references and different intercontextual links.
16. locates meaning and even structure in listeners, more than in scores, performances, or composers
Jonathan Donald Kramer (December 7, 1942, Hartford, Connecticut – June 3, 2004, New York City), was a U.S. composer and music theorist. 

Active as a music theorist, Kramer published primarily on theories of musical time and postmodernism. At the time of his death he had just completed a book on postmodern music and a cello composition for the American Holocaust Museum.

How is Donnie Darko Postmodern?

How is 'Donnie Darko' Postmodern? on Prezi

Donnie Darko Presentation Planning.

For my postmodern analysis presentation of  Richard Kelly's 2001 film 'Donnie Darko', I have decided to analyse and present the postmodern elemts of the following scenes:

• 'The Sparkle Motion Scene'
• 'The Cinema scene with Frank'
• 'The Car Accident Scene'
• 'The Ending Scene'

Everything Is a Remix

Everything is a Remix Part 1 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Two superb films by NY filmmaker Kirby Ferguson. Part 1 covers music and Part 2 covers film. Both essential viewing to gain a further understanding of the connectedness of things. This links to our discussions on postmodernism and intertextuality.

Johnathan Kramer: Postmodern Music Theory

A very interesting aspect of postmodern music theory. This will help you with your next essay.

Media Theorist Jonathan Kramer says "the idea that postmodernism is less a surface style or historical period than an attitude. Kramer goes on to say 16 "characteristics of postmodern music, by which I mean music that is understood in a postmodern manner, or that calls forth postmodern listening strategies, or that provides postmodern listening experiences, or that exhibits postmodern compositional practices."
According to Kramer (Kramer 2002, 16–17), postmodern music":

1. is not simply a repudiation of modernism or its continuation, but has aspects of both a break and an extension
2. is, on some level and in some way, ironic
3. does not respect boundaries between sonorities and procedures of the past and of the present
4. challenges barriers between 'high' and 'low' styles
5. shows disdain for the often unquestioned value of structural unity
6. questions the mutual exclusivity of elitist and populist values
7. avoids totalizing forms (e.g., does not want entire pieces to be tonal or serial or cast in a prescribed formal mold)
8. considers music not as autonomous but as relevant to cultural, social, and political contexts
9. includes quotations of or references to music of many traditions and cultures
10. considers technology not only as a way to preserve and transmit music but also as deeply implicated in the production and essence of music
11. embraces contradictions
12. distrusts binary oppositions
13. includes fragmentations and discontinuities
14. encompasses pluralism and eclecticism
15. presents multiple meanings and multiple temporalities
16. locates meaning and even structure in listeners, more than in scores, performances, or composers

Jonathan Donald Kramer (December 7, 1942, Hartford, Connecticut – June 3, 2004, New York City), was a U.S. composer and music theorist.

Active as a music theorist, Kramer published primarily on theories of musical time and postmodernism. At the time of his death he had just completed a book on postmodern music and a cello composition for the American Holocaust Museum.

Source:Ford Media

Task: Postmodern and Music

Postmodernism and Music

1. The postmodern sensibility that anything can be considered 'cool' in an ironic 'I know it's bad, but it's so bad it's good' way - For example, when people usually have a guilty pleasure, they don't like to say anything about it as they are afraid that it would be seen as embarassing and hey are worried about what others would think of them after they learnt about their 'guilty' choice of music. For example, 'Jedward' are often seen as a guilty pleasure as they are viewed in the public eye as being typically anoying and childish whereby on the other hand, someone may enjoy their music and due to their reputation in the public eye, are scared of what people with think of them if they knew of their guilty pleasure.
2. Work that is created/based (entirely or in part) on older material. This incorporates sampling and will take you from the realms of hip hop culture, transporting you finally in today's modern fragmented musical landscape. You will have to listen to some of the artists to fully appreciate them and their work - For example, I believe that this is most relevant in hip hop and r&b genres of today as alot of songs are rapped and as a backing track, an older origional song may be used and sometimes even origional artist vocals. I have found reference to this in Sean Kingston's hit 'Beautiful Girls' which has direct relevance to Ben E King's 'Stand By Me'.
3. Audiences that are both niche and mainstream. E.g: Radio 1, 1Xtra, BBC6, XFM - Some artists are aimed at niche audiences and yet played on mainstream radio, for example, recetly, a song by alternative artist 'Goteye' entitled 'Somebody I Used to know' has become well played on Radio 1 and other mainstream stations. Nowday's this is usually due to iTunes and the number of downloads resulting in a song being played on national radio. 
4. The ways in which people engage and listen to music e.g: iPod, DAB, Mobie Phones etc - If I think about how I listen to my music, it would be in different ways depending on where I am at the time. For example, if I am at home I will on occasion listen to the radio although I prefer my aclectic choices of music apposed to mainstream all the time so then I listen to vinyls. I will sometimes use my ipod at home although my iPod is something I take with me so I can listen to my music anywhere I want. I believe that this is not affecting the music industry in a negative way, but only enhancing the ways in which we listen to music and therefore we buy more, don't we?
5. The legal issues surrounding sampling (Led Zepplin 'borrowed' heavily from old blues men and it took years for the songwriters to be credited and paid royalties. The same group took a hard-line stance initially to be sampled by hip hop groups) -  The media are well known for mamking strong comparisons between artists and their music and exploiting them as 'copy cat' ing. The most recent case of this to me would be the likening of Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' to Madonna's 'Express Yourself'. Despite the media likening Lady Gaga's image already to Madonna, the song held a similar melody and message throughout which caused the media to exploit. A video had circulated of both songs compiled together which I have posted above. In this day and age, it would be quite difficult to be completely original as every idea is, so therefore it is hard to press legal charges for such a  matter.
6. The state of the music industry incorporating any recent developments that change how weaccess/interact with music e.g : Spotify, X Factor, iTunes, illegal downloads, free cds with newspapers etc - This asks the question, 'are we living in an age now where music is all digital and soon we will have nothing to show for it?' In today's society, I would think firstly about buying my song on iTunes as its fast, you can do it from your own home without going to a music store or supermarket, and you can choose single songs that you wish to have from an album. Although it seems easier than buying a CD, I believe that we may loose the experience of 'having' music and having a physical collection of CD's or Vinyls. This is particularly the case with people who like to stream music through Spotify or other streaming websites where you pay a small fee and create playlists to listen to, I believe that this isnt the same and its taking over the music industry, music may be perhaps becoming too accessable?

Is Inglorious Basterds a Postmodern text? (2,054 words)

Quentin Tarantino is well-known for his direction of postmodern films with personal elements of himself reflected throughout them. Inglorious Basterds was no different, and released on 19th August 2009, the film was set in the Second World War which suggests a non fictional foundation for the film, however involved relevant trademarks linked to Tarantino.
As a director, Tarantino consistently likes to put himself into his films, for example, at the start of the film, the opening titles are shown in bright yellow text which links to the fact that it is Tarantino's favourite colour and the fact that this is so obvious could also be relevant to the fact that yellow does not connote a bloody world war and due to this, the text could be seen as the first reference to a postmodern text. This yellow text is also shown in some of Tarantino's other postmodern films, for example 'Pulp Fiction' starring John Travolta and Uma Thurman.
Although the film has a true setting and understory, Tarantino makes many references to the fact that the plot of the film is fictional. For example, 'Once upon a time in Nazi Occupied France...', the title of the first chapter of the film makes universal reference to a classic fairy-tale opening, and this film being far from a fairy-tale could ultimately suggest that Tarantino wanted to use this in contrast as a postmodern element, it almost connotes humour in a way also and links to Levi-Strauss' theory. There is also a link to the fact that Tarantino sectioned his film into chapters which connotes a fairy-tale story whereby each chapter is set in a different place.
The first chapter shows us panoramic views of the French mountains which holds direct reference to the opening scene of 'The Sound Of Music' starring Julie Andrews in 1959. The panoramic shots of the mountains are shown as very painterly which holds reference to 1950's and previous film sets whereby they would paint panoramic views such as this. 'The Sound Of Music' was also set in a Nazi occupied country which could suggest why Tarantino made reference. This intercontextual reference is continued also later on in the chapter with a shot of Shoshanna running through the long blades of grass in the direction of the mountains which in my opinion links directly to the panoramic shots of Julie Andrews singing 'The Hills are Alive' in 'The Sound Of Music'. The doorway shot of Shoshanna running from the La Padite dairy farm also shows direct reference to a shot from 'The Searchers' in 1956 where John Wayne stands silhouetted in a doorway. This is a shot that has been referenced to many other directors however the fact that Tarantino has chosen it for this film could be another example of his involvement of post modern elements. The western theme of 'The Searchers' in my opinion could be referenced to the spaghetti western remixed soundtrack to this chapter. Tarantino re-used original soundtracks throughout this film although in this chapter particularly, the intercontextual link to 'The Searchers' and the spaghetti western soundtrack could be seen as a postmodern element.
In this chapter, there are also links of self reflectivity again to Tarantino. For example, he is well known for liking to involve exposed parts of a film set in order to continue the knowledge to the audience that the film is postmodern and fictional and in this scene, he uses a birds eye shot of the La Padite household where the beams are exposed from the attic and the floorboards have gone. This is also shown later in the film and reminds the audience that the film is not real.
In the second chapter of the film, entitled 'Inglorious Basterds', we see the yellow text again during the 'Hugo Stiglitz sequence' where his name is bannered across the screen. This sequence almost seems out of place in a film set in the time of war and has reference to blaxploitation films aswell as spaghetti westerns. The music used in this sequence is also from a blaxpolitation film with a voice over by Samuel L Jackson, all of this adding postmodern elements to the film. As well as Brad Pitt's over exaggerated characterization of Also Raine, the 'scalping' of the Germans is also an exaggerated act from the Basterds although both could have link to Red Indian cultures from Spaghetti Western films. This would not only be yet another postmodern element, but a link to Aldo Raine's character as he says that he has descendants of the Red Indian culture.
The third chapter, entitled 'A German Night In Paris', involves Levi Strauss' theory of bricolage, whereby taking 'debris' from other media texts, you can apply reference to them in your own media text and make it postmodern. Strauss developed his theory further and saw that directors constructed texts from other texts by process of the following: addition, deletion, substitution, and transposition (transformation). In this chapter, music from the soundtracks of bloxploitation films are used in addition as well as create transposition by transforming the historical era of wartime1940's and making it postmodern.
'Operation Kino' is the fourth out of five chapters within the film and involves a significant postmodern link to Tarentino and his foot fetish. In other Tarentino films such as 'Pulp Fiction’, he makes it very knowledgeable to the audience that he has a foot fetish and is not ashamed to show everyone on screen, this is no different in Inglorious Basterds as at the end of the 'tavern' shoot out scene, we see Hans Lander pick up Bridget Von Hammersmark's shoe which could be seen as a 'Cinderella moment' and holds direct contextual link to fairy tales again. Although this reference is very traditional and universally known, Tarentino goes against the conventions of a traditional fairy-tale by having Hans Lander, the villain, pick up the shoe and have a 'prince charming moment'.
Previous to this, the 'tavern scene' also holds a huge postmodern relevance to Spaghetti Western shootout films by having close up shots of the characters faces, much similar to the shots used in a Mexican standoff in a western film. The bartender also puts his hand under the bar to retrieve his shotgun which is almost comically similar to a western shootout, making yet again another postmodern link to spaghetti westerns.
Another element that could suggest a postmodern fictional film could be the fact that there is no real upset at the deaths of Hugo Stiglitz and Archie Hicox. This is strange from an audiences point of view as traditional war films would have a backlash or upset if a main character died, although this is consistent in some respects with the genre of multiple heroes and is similar in films such as 'The Dirty Dozen' and 'The Magnificent Seven' which both show link to 'Inglorious Basterds'.
In the last chapter of the film, entitled 'Revenge of the giant face', the 'projection box scene' holds significant relevance to postmodernism. This scene between Frederick Zoller and Shoshanna appears to have an unconventional take on a love scene in my opinion, much similar to the final scene of 'Romeo & Juliet' where they both lay dead next to one another and where one dies before the other which links again to another text suggesting postmodernist elements. Shoshanna is wearing red in this scene which contrasts Frederick's white uniform and typically both connote good and evil, love and purity, passion and innocence, or death and life perhaps? It is unusual to see that Frederick is the character wearing white, and although this was a Nazi uniform of honour, as an audience we would expect Shoshanna to be wearing the white as we are on her side. Shoshanna is also wearing no shoes in this scene, which could link back to the start of the film where she is running away from the La Padite dairy farm, it also holds outside reference to 'South Pacific' perhaps which is a musical film directed by Joshua Logan in 1958 where a sub story plot of a navy soldier who falls in love with a native island girl. This could also link to Tarantino's foot fetish. The Postmodern mix of music used by Tarantino in this chapter changes throughout. For example, before Frederick comes up to the projection box, a drum sequence is heard, reminiscent of the drums heard at battle, signalling that someone is going to die which would link to the fact that Shoshanna shoots Frederick soon after. This contrasts Shoshanna's death which is accompanied by a soft romantic score, the editing is also slowed down at this point which could suggest our empathy towards her. This romantic music is known as contrapuntal music as you would expect the romantic music to be before the killing, not the other way around. This suggests a postmodern element from Tarantino. Later on in the scene, Shoshanna's face is projected onto the cinema screen where the smoke surrounding her could be contextually referenced to fairy tales as well as the whole sequence being reminiscent of a scene from the 1939 film 'The Wizard Of Oz' where the wizards face is projected onto the screen to appear frightening.
Looking at Fiske, I can see that from an audiences point of view, we could consider 'Inglorious Basterds' to be a war film, just from watching other war films previously although we have never lived through the war ourselves. We can only apply conventions of what we have learnt and seen from other war films and apply them to Inglorious Basterds, which Fiske develops from Roland Barthes semic code (1987). For example, within the film there are important historical people that are characterized for example Adolf Hitler and Churchill as well as recognizable mise en scene such as the Nazi uniform designed by Hugo Boss. Despite this truth, at the end of the film, Tarentino claims his own version of how the war ended, or how it should’ve ended in his opinion. Although Tarentino's choice to change the outcome of the war could be seen as wishful thinking, his choices to change the outcome could have link to the fact that he wants the audience to remember that the film is postmodern and fictional, just as he had made obvious signals before such as the exposed sets and fairy-tale beginning. Due to this, the film has many possible genre categories it could be placed into such as a parody, war, or a gangster movie.
Tarentino's portrayal of war throughout Inglorious Basterds could possibly be viewed as a light-hearted approach to a serious and dark time in history. This could be relevant to the fact that in traditional war films, there is usually music related to war or no music at all, so the fact that Tarentino has chosen a postmodern soundtrack by incorporating the likes of David Bowie and music from blaxploitation films could be seen as him creating humour from the war. Usually the absence of music in a traditional war film marks the film as being more realistic. Another way in which Inglorious Basterds juxtaposes traditional war films is that it is character lead and not mission lead meaning that a traditional war film is based around a mission of war that the audience are involved into and want to know the outcome. Despite this, we as an audience still do not find out a lot about the backgrounds of characters in 'Inglorious Basterds' and they are very vague, in my opinion, Tarentino could've used this in reference to real historical war time where nobody was them self during the war and everyone had a uniform and a new purpose, forgetting and not needing to mention about their past before the war.
In conclusion, I believe that Inglorious Basterds is in fact a postmodern text that is based around and has some traditional conventions of a 'war’ genre film, however, the huge postmodern elements involved and incorporated by Tarentino show the bigheartedness of his belief in making a real war film and shows that he does not want audiences to view the film as being 'real'. Overall I believe Tarentino's biggest postmodern statement is his 'deletion' of true historical events by changing the course of history and showing his own fictional end to the war.

Leni Riefenstahl.

Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (German pronunciation: [ˈʁiːfənʃtaːl]; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will), a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party. Riefenstahl's prominence in the Third Reich along with her personal friendship with Adolf Hitler thwarted her film career following Germany's defeat in World War II, after which she was arrested but released without any charges.

Bricolage: The 2 Bears - Church

The video for The 2 Bears track Church utilises clips from the Care Bears cartoons. The Care Bears were a 1980s phenomenon, particularly popular with young girls. The 2 Bears are a London-based musical duo formed in 2009 composed of Joe Goddard (of electronic band Hot Chip) and Raf Rundell. The duo produces original material amalgamating various styles including 2-step, house, hip-hop and soul and also host a radio show on Ministry of Sound Radio entitled "Follow the Bears".



The Bears – Raf Rundell and Joe Goddard – first began crossing paths in DJ Booths. Straight Outta Brompton (well, Putney) Joe spends his time away from The 2 Bears as a producer, remixer, solo-artist and one fifth of an obscure outfit called Hot Chip; fellow Sarf Londoner Raf divides his time between club promotion, DJ outings as Greco-Roman Soundsystem, radio show hosting and artiste management.
The pairs DJ booth banter, soon led to a shared enthusiasm for house music and vague plans for a musical collaboration. Raf’s existence at the music industry coal face and first hand experience of the business’ financial travails, would make Sade’s When Am I Going To Make A Living a suitably irreverent subject for their first musical foray. So began several months of hanging out, making music ‘for the fun of it’ and ‘portamental’ arguments about obscure synths, that would wind up forming the 'Follow The Bears EP'.
Characterised by the hitherto untapped vocal stylings of Raf himself (Joe: ‘I didn’t know Raf could actually sing!’), the Bears have already received radio support from Annie Mac, Rob da Bank, Giles Peterson and Toddla T, drawn towards The 2 Bears 21st Century take on house, disco and everything in between.

Source: http://www.southernfriedrecords.com/artists/the-2-bears/

Postmodern theories and texts.

Postmodernism theories and texts

View more PowerPoint from raybloggs

Notes

• Apply Genette to my Inglourious Basterds Essay.
• Then read pages 13-17 and apply Baudrillard and Lyotard to Inglourious Basterds. These theorists will be very helpful when answering my essay question.

Inglourious Basterds Essay Question Task.

• In what ways can Inglourious Basterds be considered postmodern? (2000 words)
• Refer to notes made in class and research you have conducted.
• Essay is due first lesson back after half term.

Postmodern Film Presentation Task.

The next task is to choose a film, watch it and then make a presentation on the postmodern aspects of the film. You need to focus on the postmodern elements in your film. Choose three or four scenes to illustrate your points. Find clips on Youtube if possible or just add the trailer so we can see what the film is like. Use the post immediately below this one to help with terminology. Apply theory as often as possible.

In order to complete this task, I have chosen Donnie Darko (2001).

Deadline: Second week back after half term.

Inglourious Basterds - Chapter 4 - Operation Kino.

Analysing 'Inglorious Basterds' tavern scene
For Lights, Camera . . . , we ask a craftsperson to talk about a specific scene in his or her latest film. This week, Sally Menke,Sally Menke, film editor on " Inglourious Basterds," talks about the shootout scene in the basement tavern.
Quentin Tarantino told the multiple stories of "Inglourious Basterds" in five distinct chapters, and we knew from the script stage the film would hinge around the set-piece in the tavern La Louisianne. The daunting task of putting a 25-page dialogue sequence, spoken almost entirely in German, in the middle of the film, weighed heavily on everyone's minds, and it all had to come together in the cutting room. Just mentioning the name La Louisianne created tension among the crew, but we needed that tension to transcend to the audienceIn La Louisianne, the Basterds meet their German movie star contact, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) for the first time, and they must all pretend to be old friends by posing as Nazi officers. Much to the Basterds' surprise, they not only find Bridget in the dangerously cramped tavern, they find the basement bar filled with drunken, celebrating Nazis, one of whom happens to be enamored with the German movie star and continually pesters their table. The tension in the group runs high as we watch the real Nazis begin to question the origin of the British Archie Hicox's (Michael Fassbender) strange accent, and we hold our breath.
La Louisianne required detailed attention to character development as well as numerous story points, all the while using the device of language to create tension. Quentin and I felt it was essential to have the characters not simply drive the scene toward a plot point, but to be fully nuanced characters, while continually building the tension that would culminate in an explosive gun battle that kills all but one. We knew the gunfight would work all the better if we could carefully manipulate and build the tension through a give and take of emotions, playing a cat-and-mouse game with our characters -- and our audience.
Our editorial intentions had to be completely clear in how we wanted the audience to feel at any specific moment in the scene -- the Basterds are screwed, wait, no, they're OK, oh, no they aren't, this Nazi knows, he's on to them, no, no, they are OK -- until Hicox makes the fatal error that unequivocally gives them all away as impostors. Every line had a layer of tension, and we needed to play their reactions to the lines as much as the lines themselves to build it properly. Every beat counted. Every second someone delayed their response gave the audience a chance to think, "Did they figure it out? Do they know?"
We obsessively controlled every moment so that in contrast, when the climactic gun battle finally does erupt, it explodes in the loudest, craziest and most shocking way possible. But again, while doing this, we always had to return to the human element -- our character development. Hicox gets a bit of a tear in his eye when he realizes he will live no longer, and if we have done our jobs correctly, so will our audience.
Another challenge was to seamlessly integrate a lot of key information for upcoming plot points without them feeling perfunctory, heavy-handed or pedantic. For example, we needed to show a close-up of Bridget's shoes so there was no doubt in the audience's mind who it belonged to later on when Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) discovers the shoe while inspecting the aftermath in the bar. We can't draw attention to the shoe in a way that says, "We're showing you a close-up of a foot," but we do need to make enough of a point of it so the audience knows it's Bridget's -- instantly. The solution was to use the shoe as character introduction, to show the style and glamour of this movie star/double agent whom we, the audience and our characters, meet for the first timeThe tavern music was another way we developed a character. The music at first works environmentally and emotionally in the scene but then functions to locate a yet-to-be-seen, off-screen character, the Gestapo Maj. Hellstrom, who, when revealed, we see has clearly been controlling the music selections. We also now know that without a doubt Hellstrom had been listening to the Basterds' conversation the entire time, and we now use the absence of that same music when Hellstrom purposefully removes the needle from the record player to show that he has taken control of the scene. The Basterds, and our audience, are now in Hellstrom's hands.
The last issue we had to contend with was the length. A nearly 25-minute dialogue scene that starts 69 minutes into the film can be a potential challenge for audiences, as most scenes by this point play considerably shorter. But it was our belief that if we could hold the scene's tension, we could not only develop character and attend to the story but actually stop the scene to allow Hellstrom to play his King Kong card game, a story in and of itself, which cinematically alludes to another oppressed group, the slaves in America. I could go on about many other layers that needed our attention, but, unfortunately, in this situation I am not the editor with final cut and must end the piece here.

Inglourious Basterds Soundtrack (2009)

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds: Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's motion picture Inglourious Basterds. It was originally released on August 18, 2009. The soundtrack uses a variety of music genres, including spaghetti western soundtrack excerpts, R&B and the David Bowie song "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)".^[6] This is the first soundtrack for a Quentin Tarantino film not to feature dialogue excerpts. The french "The Man with the Big Sombrero" was recorded for the movie. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, but lost to Slumdog Millionaire (soundtrack).

1. "The Green Leaves of Summer" - Nick Perito & His Orchestra
2. "The Verdict (La Condanna)" - Ennio Morricone (mislabled "Dopo la condanna")
3. "White Lightning (Main Title)" - Charles Bernstein (Originally in White Lightning)
4. "Slaughter" - Billy Preston (Originally in Slaughter)
5. "The Surrender (La resa)" - Ennio Morricone
6. "One Silver Dollar (Un Dollaro Bucato)" - Gianni Ferrio
7. "Davon geht die Welt nicht unter" - Zarah Leander
8. "The Man with the Big Sombrero" - Samantha Shelton & Michael Andrew
9. "Ich wollt' ich wär ein Huhn" - Lilian Harvey & Willy Fritsch
10. "Main Theme from Dark of the Sun" - Jacques Loussier
11. "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" - David Bowie (Originally in Cat People)
12. "Tiger Tank" - Lalo Schifrin (Originally in Kelly's Heroes)
13. "Un Amico" - Ennio Morricone (Originally in Revolver)
14. "Rabbia e Tarantella" - Ennio Morricone

Tracks not on soundtrack cd that also appear in the film.

1. "L'incontro Con La Figlia" - Ennio Morricone
2. "Il Mercenario (ripresa)" - Ennio Morricone
3. "Algiers November 1, 1954" - Ennio Morricone & Gillo Pontecorvo / The Battle of Algiers
4. "Hound Chase (intro)" - Charles Bernstein
5. "The Saloon (from Al Di Là Della Legge)" - Riz Ortolani
6. "Bath Attack" - Charles Bernstein
7. "Claire's First Appearance" - Jacques Loussier
8. "The Fight" - Jacques Loussier
9. "Mystic and Severe" - Ennio Morricone
10. "The Devil's Rumble" - Davie Allan & The Arrows
11. "What'd I Say " - Rare Earth
12. "Zulus" - Elmer Bernstein
13. "Eastern Condors" - Ting Yat Chung
14. "3 Thoughts" - Einstürzende Neubauten (In the beginning of the trailer)
15. "Comin' Home" - Murder by Death (trailer)

Wikipedia LINK

Are We Living In a Postmodern World?

We frequently hear it said that ‘we are living in a postmodern world.’ Are we? How do we know? And how is postmodernism as a theoretical perspective applicable to Media Studies?

Where do we start? How about some definitions? George Ritzer (1996) suggested that postmodernism usually refers to a cultural movement – postmodernist cultural products such as architecture, art, music, films, TV, adverts etc.

 Ritzer also suggested that postmodern culture is signified by the following:

• The breakdown of the distinction between high culture and mass culture. Think: drama about Dame Margot Fonteyn, a famous prima ballerina, on BBC4.

• The breakdown of barriers between genres and styles. Think: Shaun of the Dead a rom-com-zom.

• Mixing up of time, space and narrative. Think Pulp Fiction or The Mighty Boosh.

• Emphasis on style rather than content. Think: Girls Aloud.

• The blurring of the distinction between representation and reality. Think, Katie Price or Celebrity Big Brother.

The French theorist Baudrillard argues that contemporary society increasingly reflects the media; that the surface image becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish from the reality. Think about all the times you have heard an actor on a soap-opera say, that when they are out and about, people refer to them by their character’s name. Look at The Sun’s website and search stories on Nicholas Hoult when he was in Skins: he is predominantly written about as though he is ‘Tony’, his character in Skins.

Key terms
Among all the theoretical writing on postmodernism (and you might like to look up George Ritzer, Jean Baudrillard, Jean-Francois Lyotard, Frederic Jameson and Dominic Strinati), there are a few key terms that you’ll find it useful to know. These terms can form the basis of analysis when looking at a text from a postmodern perspective:

• intertextuality – one media text referring to another

• parody – mocking something in an original way

• pastiche – a stylistic mask, a form of self-conscious imitation

• homage – imitation from a respectful standpoint

• bricolage – mixing up and using different genres and styles

• simulacra – simulations or copies that are replacing ‘real’ artefacts

• hyperreality – a situation where images cease to be rooted in reality

• fragmentation – used frequently to describe most aspects of society, often in relation to identity
 
This article first appeared in MediaMagazine 32, April 2010.

G325 - An Introduction to the Exam

G325 an introduction to the exam

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Inglourious Basterds (2009)

 In Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the "Basterds", a group of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl's plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.

Cast:

• Brad Pitt - Lt. Aldo Raine
• Melanie Laurent - Shoshanna Dreyfus
• Christoph Waltz - Col. Hans Landa
• Eli Roth - Sgt. Donny Doniwitz
• Michael Fassbender - Lt. Archie Hicox
• Diage Kruger - Bridget von Hammersmark
• Daniel Bruhl - Fredrick Zoller
• Til Schweiger - Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz
• Gedeon Burkhard - Cpl. Wilhelm Wicki
• Jacky Ido - Marcel
• B.J.Novak - Pfc. Swithson Utivich
• Omar Doom - Pfc. Omar Ulmer

Facts and Figures:

Source: IMDB  

Release Date: 19 August 2009 (UK) 

Also Known As: Bastardos sin gloria

Budget: $70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $38,054,676 (USA) (21 August 2009) (3165 Screens)

Gross: $321,455,689 (Worldwide) (17 December 2009)