Exam
(Q1a) Consider all areas of courework, including the 'journey' from AS to A2, based on the following:
- digital technology
- creativity
- research and planning
- using conventions from real world texts
ON BLOG: upload AS coursework and relate to above conventions
(Q1b) key concepts relating to your A2 coursework:
- genre
- narrative
- representation
- media language and theory
- audience
Structure
(A) 2 questions - both coursework based - 25 marks each
(B) media theory question - postmodernism - 50 marks
Question 2
Contemporary media issue - postmodernism
- case studies: film/video games/music videos/TV
- issues and debates: relation to key concepts
- independent research
- contemporary issues
- audience
- industry
Postmodernism
It is a complex theory with contested definitions which comes after the modernist theory, it reacts against all disciplines - e.g. Art, philosophy, film, etc...
Both modernism and postmodernism are BOTH current theories in contemporary society.
Modernist and postmodernist texts have shared conventions with both of them challenging typical conventional structures. The best way to differentiate between the 2 texts is to analyse the authors intent. Where post modernists look back nostalgically on the past using previous conventions, modernists tend to be quite critical. However there is both a pessimistic and optimistic postmodernist.
Generally speaking, it's a worldly theoretical view which states that we are in the 'end of history' with their being no further immediate development. A simple definition of it being " a style and concept in the arts characterised by distrust theories and ideologies and by drawing attention to conventions,"
Postmodernity is suspicious of meta narratives (big stories) i.e. Capitalism, heterosexuality, feminism, etc...
Post modernism theory is self contradictory as by it saying there is no theory, that is a theory within itself. However, they're interested in looking at the smaller things that are usually taken for granted.
Postmodernism is characterised by:
- irony
- playing with conventions
- intertextuality
- black humour (leaves you asking more questions rather than answering them)
- pastiche (pasting together and commenting on aspects of the past)
- magic realism (exaggeration)
- different perspectives (excuses all value of judgement)
Their idea of there being no meta narrative is criticised for there being no right or wrong - having no central belief system leads to a lack of morality.
