Postmodernism in music video: blog tasks

1) How does the article define postmodernism in the first page of the article?

Modernism is a movement which came to popularity in the ealry part of the 20th century and it is the loss of belief in things which we once placed our trust in.

2) What did media theorist and Semiotician Roland Barthes suggest in his essay 'The Death of the Author'?

He said that a writers opinions/intentions ect of their own work is no more valid than anyone elses.

3) What is metatextuality?

This is when a text makes self reference to itself or makes it clear that it is a text such as "breaking the fourth wall" such as when Deadpool talks to the audience in his monologue scenes for example.

4) What is the repeated phrase on the cartoon on postmodernism on page 28?

Postmodernism is a cultural movement that distrusts all established philosophies and frequently experiments with the medium it is presented in.

5) How does postmodernism link to media representations and reality?

Hyper reality can be used to reveal that people often question what is real and what it is not as nowadays people make sense of the world through the media.

Music video CSPs and postmodernism

Now apply postmodern ideas to our music video CSPs by answering the following questions:

1) How does the music video for Ghost Town incorporate elements of postmodernism?

Ghost town focuses on the main genre of a long road journey however this is played on as there is no definitive ending.

Intertextuality is also used to suggest links to other movies or ideologies.

Bricolage is used to infer and create new meanings.

2) What film genres are alluded to in the music video for Ghost Town? Which scenes in particular created these links?

The blur between high and low culture and the creation of new meanings through Bricolage by having no definitive narrative leaving the audience clueless as to what the main narrative is overall.

3) How does Old Town Road use postmodern elements in its music video?

Blur between hip hop and country, the Riff which was purchased from a creator on youtube and saw popularity through short tik tok videos. The Yeehaw agenda of cowboys also shown in the music video. There is also a reference to a character in the red dead redemption game from rockstar.

4) How does the Old Town Road music video reflect technological convergence and modern digital culture?  

Through the use of showing the people filming the girl on top of the horse dancing technology can be seen which merges country with technology. Moreover, the racing of the horse and car also blurs and blends modern culture with country/western genre.

5) What do YOU think Lil Nas X was trying to say about reality and American culture in the music video for Old Town Road?

In my opinion I believe that he was trying to make a stand for himself and other black artists revealing that country is not a genre only for white people, Moreover he is trying to reveal that black people were also apart of country as roughly 25% of cowboys were black. He could also be saying through the phrase "Old Town Road" that he has been through this road in his head many times and doesn't feel like he is getting anywhere or achieving anything which references directly his music career as at the time he was still living with his sister moving from couch to couch trying to make his songs sell until Old Town Road gave him a highway to success.