Mixtape- Wish I Was There

This mixtape is a selection of songs I wish I had been around to hear at the time of release. The mixtape consists of pop, rock, country, and rock and roll music from 1958 onwards.

Postmodern adverts

This advert for Hyundai is set up to seem like a chase from a horror/thriller film. It features people running through a forest, being chased by bears, using the product (in this case a car with remote start feature) to escape. This advert is a parody however as once the product has been explained and the car has pulled away there is a short scene featuring the bears. The bears can talk and have a short conversation about the car and revealing they just wanted a hug. This can also be an example of bricolage (Levi-Strauss) as it uses a serious sequence similar to a horror movie and then adds in the element of humor at the end to engage with the audience.

This Pepsi advert features Pink, Beyonce and Britney Spears, using celebrity endorsement to advertise the product. The advert uses the well-known and popular song "We will rock you" as the song for the advert, the three well-known music artists performing it together. The advert is set in ancient Rome, with the artists dressed in very minimal 'gladiator' outfits. There is little mention of the brand it is promoting, only showing the Pepsi cans a few times in the video. This is postmodern as it is set in acient Rome however uses a modern song and musicians, as well as including a product that has absolutely nothing to do with the song, artists or setting.

This Snickers advert is part of an ongoing use of the Snickers slogan "You're not you when you're hungry". This advert includes a comedy scene, where Mr Bean is seen sneaking across rooftops loudly. He slips and falls, landing on a roof and falling through into a room full of soilders. He eats a snickers and Mr Bean is replaced with a soilder, able to escape. This is bricolage as it includes a well known character (Mr Bean) in an entertaining situation. The slogan is easy to recognise and people will know it from other adverts made by Snickers.

This is one of a series of adverts by BT including Rebel Wilson. These adverts often show 'behind the scenes' where the crew are seen, directing Rebel on what to do. These adverts could be conidered parodies as similar to the Hyundai advert it seems serious but at the end there is an element of humor. The advert seems to be making fun of other adverts by big brands, using a similar set and plan as they would for a serious advert but then showing the crew and making a reference to the use of special effects, one of the crew saying "We'll do it with effects" when Rebel says she can't do the splits.

This is a christmas advert for Cadburys chocolate. It uses bricolage as it uses the Thunderbirds themetune as the background music. This adds to the advert as they might otherwhise consider using christmas music as the background track.

This Specsavers advert is a parody of an advert by Linx (The Linx effect) where the deodorant attracts huge numbers of girls. This advert parodies this as it begins the same, you see groups of girls runing towards the man on the beach, but when they approach he puts on his glasses so he can see properly. The girls are instantly discouraged at the sight of his glasses and the 'Should have gone to specsavers' message is shown. Specsavers has a number of adverts similar to this, using the slogan so they are well known.

Explain how certain types of media can be defined as postmodern

One text that can be defined at postmodern is Drive. There are a number of aspects of the film that can be considered postmodern, the location, characters, music and genre.

The main character, The Driver or The Kid, is a mix between a hero and a villain. He works as a getaway driver for criminals, which is shown in the first scene. He doesn’t assist in their crimes only drives. He can be considered a hero of this story as most of his actions are to help other. He meets Irene and her son Benicio, who live next door. They become the only bright spot in The Driver’s life, something worth changing for. His relationship with Irene is very slow, innocent and almost childlike. There is very little contact within their relationship, the only physical contact being when they hold hands in the car and the kiss in the elevator. There is also deletion of general dialogue and sexual attraction within their relationship. The Driver has very little dialogue throughout the film and small changes in his facial expressions say the things he doesn’t. The lack of sexual attraction is an odd feature of this film as there is a well-known cast and in a similar film there might be more physical contact within the relationship.

The Driver could also be considered a villain as in the second half of the film he kills 6 people. Four of these could be considered self-defence and a number of them where to protect Irene and Benicio. Some may consider him a psychopath however I believe he is acting out to try and be a better person for Irene. When he meets them they become a big part of his life and near the end of the film he calls Irene and tells her she and Benicio were the best thing that happened to him. I think that although some deaths could have been avoided, most were unavoidable or needed to protect himself, Irene and Benicio. I think this makes the film postmodern as usually there is a clear difference between the hero and the villain, whereas here there is no clear definition.

This film is a mix of a number of genres. It is mainly a crime film, though it doesn’t include much police involvement and focuses mainly on the ‘bad guys’. It could be considered that there are no ‘good guys’ in the film however I think for part of the film at least, The Driver could be considered a hero as he tried to change for Irene and Benicio. It is also partially an action film as there is a car chase and near the end of the film there are a number of fights between The Driver and the ‘bad guys’. There is an element of romance between The Driver and Irene, however their relationship is very slow moving and could be considered non-existent. There is very little physical contact which would be considered odd in any other romantic film.

There is an element of Neo Noir in Drive as it includes a number of similar characters to this genre. In this film we are on the side of the ‘bad guys’ such as The Driver. He is considered the ‘Tough Guy’ of the film, Cook and Shannon are the ‘Fall guys’ the most likely to die. There are villains, Nino and Cook, and ‘The Boss’, Bernie. Irene is the ‘Femme Fatale’, the girl the hero or tough guys is after and Blanche is the other (good) woman, the distraction, deterring the hero from his mission. This film could also be considered as a psychological/thriller film as it includes a lot of violence and fights throughout. The number of different genres this film could be makes it postmodern as it includes a number of different features of different genres, straying outside the boundaries of a normal crime film, which is the main genre of this film. It deletes certain parts from the genre, the involvement of police, a clear cut ‘good guy’ and changes the focus to the ‘villains’. There is a very narrow focus onto a small number of characters in a self-contained world and there is no involvement of the general public as there often is in crime or action films.

The location of the film could also be considered postmodern as it is set in L.A. however it seems to be s hyperreal version of the city. It is deserted and empty, the only scene with a number of other people being in the first scene, where The Driver hides amongst crowds leaving a sports game. There is a distinct lack or people throughout the rest of the film. The city itself could be considered a character in itself or relating to The Driver. It mirrors his quiet and empty character as he has very little backstory and limited dialogue. It is hard to distinguish a time setting for the film as there is no indication of a time period other than the use of mobile phones that suggest the past few years. This could be considered as postmodern as it is not set in a definite time setting or place as although the city resembles L.A. the lack of people suggests otherwise. This links to the hyper reality of the setting as the world seems self-contained, focused on a small number of individuals with no external involvement.

The music of this film is overall very similar. Throughout the film the use of 80’s disco/electro music gives it a retro feel and links the whole film together. However one song, towards the end of the film stands out as completely different. O My Love is a song used near the end of the film, beginning as The Driver finds Shannon dead in the garage and ending as he rams Nino’s car off the road. Although many would suggest that this song has no reason to be in the film to believe it does. The lyrics are the crucial part of the song as they link to The Driver and his struggles throughout the film. There are a number of references to light and dark which links very strongly to the idea that The Driver is battling to be a better man for Irene and himself all through the film. He was in a dark place and when he met Irene and Benicio they became a huge part of his life, the only bright spot, something he wants to live for. I think this is a huge link between him and the lyrics of the song as the main storyline is his fight to change and how things work out to stop him doing so. It shows how he has tried hard to change and how he has lost the fight, circumstances leading to his situation and the death of multiple people. He knows that the only way out it to kill Nino, to be free of the mess he made. This is why he kills Bernie and Nino, he wants to get rid of the money and keep Irene safe and uninvolved. I think the music can be considered postmodern as there is a steady use of disco/electro music until this song which seems almost like a Disney song. The film uses different songs from different genres and this song in particular is so separate from the hard, brutal violence of the rest of the film that make it stand out and makes this part of the film so significant.

I think Drive is a postmodern film as it uses a number of different features from different genres within it, in the music, location and characters. It is hard to classify as one specific genre as it includes things from so many different ones.

Another example of a text that could be considered postmodern is Django Unchained. This film includes a number of intertextual references to other existing texts. The main reference being to the original Django film. Franco Nero, who played the original Django, made an appearance in the film, meeting and talking to Django, making reference to his name (the D is silent). There is also a number of references to other existing texts within the costumes of the characters. The Blue Boy outfit, worn by Django when he becomes a free man is from The Blue Boy painting by Gainsborough. The green jacket and cowboy hat is a copy of Little Joe’s outfit from the cowboy TV show, Bonanza.

Django Unchained could be considered a Western however the main part of the plot is set in the South and there are scenes set in the mountains, these reference The Great Silence. There are no cowboys in the film and the main heroes are non-American, a German and an African-American. This is unusual as part of a Western as usually the hero is a white American. There are a number of links to other films such as The Great Silence, Django, Birth of a Nation and The Searchers. There are also a few elements of parody such as the KKK scene, where there is confusion and disarray amongst the group over their masks. There is also some over acting within the film, some of the actors such as Stephan and other black slave characters seem quite over the top or exaggerated. This can be considered a parody of older Westerns as the over exaggeration of certain characteristics such as loyalty to their masters makes fun of the way black characters were portrayed as this probably wasn’t the case at the time.

Genre questions

General

In what context did you encounter it? (web, film, TV etc)

I first encountered the genre of pop through music, from radio, TV and the web.

What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text?

I often encountered the text as music, later encountering music videos.

To what genre did you initially assign the text?

Pop

What is your experience of this genre?

I think pop is a very generic genre, it is based on repetition and reuse of existing work. Annoyingly catchy, sticks in your head.

What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with?

Romance is a big theme in pop music. There are a huge number of pop songs based on romantic experiences.

How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content?

My music video is typical of the genre as it includes an element of narrative and performance which is typical of pop music videos

What expectations do you have about texts in this genre?

Bright colours, catchy, repetitive, interesting/abstract music videos. Narrative or performance.

Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where)?

Pop, classification of similar music videos on websites such as YouTube

What generic labels have others given the same text?

Pop or popular music

Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?

Within my text there are conventions of the pop genre such as the performance aspect of it.

To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?

I think my text stretches the conventions of pop as most music videos show the name of the song and artist at the beginning however it follows a lot of conventions as it includes both performance and narrative. However my video does not include any synchronised dancing or bright coloured backgrounds.

Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?

My music video does not follow conventions of pop as it used a natural environment rather than a predominantly performance video filmed in a studio or lavish set.

Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))?

Using a natural environment could be considered a convention of Indie music videos

What familiar motifs or images are used?

I kept the guitar the whole way through the video and used it as the main image on the digipak as I wanted to create an image for my artist.

Which of the formal/stylistic techniques employed are typical/untypical of the genre?

I used a black and white filter over some clips and a coloured filter to adjust the look of the rest of the video. The black and white filter is not typical of the pop genre.

What institutional constraints are reflected in the form of the text?

I was unable to use all the tools available to a big record company, so my text is not as professional or as refined as it would be if it were created by a

What relationship to 'reality' does the text lay claim to?

I think my text can be seen as very realistic as it is in a natural environment rather than a bright, colourful studio or stage. There are no outrageous outfits used in the video or excessive props.

Whose realities does it reflect?

I tried to make my video reflect the reality of my audience, so it better appeals to them.

What purposes does the genre serve?

For people to listen to and enjoy, interesting music videos that draw you in and make you want to watch the whole thing.

In what ways are these purposes embodied in the text?

I created a narrative music video to try and keep the audience interested the whole way through.

To what extent did your purposes match these when you engaged with the text?

I think my purpose matched this as

What ideological assumptions and values seem to be embedded in the text?

I think the idea of a romantic relationship is shown in this text as the video shows the narrative of a couple who are separated and at the end of the video they meet again, suggesting their relationship will continue.

What pleasures does this genre offer to you personally?

This genre often creates relatable songs and interesting music videos.

What pleasures does the text appeal to (and how typical of the genre is this)?

I think the song I chose could be viewed as relatable and the video is interesting, using the narrative aspect to draw the audience in.

Did you feel 'critical or accepting, resisting or validating, casual or concentrated, apathetic or motivated' (and why)?

I felt critical of similar pop music videos as I wanted my music video to show my artist as having actual talent rather than relying on looks to become popular. I was accepting of other existing music videos because they had aspects I wanted to include in my own music video.

Which elements of the text seemed salient because of your knowledge of the genre?

I think the narrative and performance aspects are most important parts of the text as they make up most of the video.

What predictions about events did your generic identification of the text lead to (and to what extent did these prove accurate)?

My generic identification of the next

What inferences about people and their motivations did your genre identification give rise to (and how far were these confirmed)?

My genre identification suggests that people will watch music videos like mine

How and why did your interpretation of the text differ from the interpretation of the same text by other people?

Other people had different opinions of my music video to me. Other people saw it as entertaining and liked certain parts about it such as the filters I used.

Mode of address

What sort of audience was your text aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)?

Young audience (14-24). This is typical of the genre as pop artist appeal to younger audiences.

How does the text address your classmates?

I think because it appeals to my target audience and they fall into this category they are able to view it as they would a similar pop music video.

What sort of person does it assume they are?

Young adults (14-24), interested in pop music, keep up with trends.

What assumptions have you made about their class, age, gender and ethnicity?

Young adults, any class,

What interests does it assume they have?

Pop music, similar artists e.g. Olly Murs, Ellie Goulding

What relevance does the text actually have for you?

The text is relevant to me as it shows my opinion of pop artists. My chosen artist, Sam Church, is shown both singing and playing guitar rather than just singing.

What knowledge does it take for granted?

Knowledge of existing pop artists and their music and videos means my video can look realistic and professional.

To what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that the text seeks to position you as?

I think I resemble the ideal reader as I consider myself part of the target audience.

Are there any notable shifts in the text's mode of address (and if so, what do they involve)?

No the video consistently uses narrative and performance to portray the song

What responses does the text seem to expect from your audience?

I wanted my audience to recognise my artist as a talented individual, being able to play an instrument and sing rather than just sing or perform a dance as part of the video.

How open to negotiation is their response (are they invited, instructed or coerced to respond in particular ways)?

I think my audience are able to react to my video however they want.

Is there any penalty for not responding in the expected ways (think in terms of enjoyment for the audience or consequences for the institution)?

No, my audience is able to react whatever way they want to the video depending on their opinion to it

To what extent did people find themselves 'reading against the grain' of the text and the genre?

I think the majority of my audience will see my music video as it is meant to be seen, a few might view parts of it as a convention of a different genre.

Which attempts to position your audience in this text do they accept, reject or seek to negotiate (and why)?

I have tried to make my music video relatable to the target audience so I believe they will accept the text as it includes a narrative they can relate to and the characters are similar to them.

How closely aligned is the way in which the text addresses you with the way in which the genre positions you (Kress 1988, 107)?

Relationship to other texts

What intertextual references are there in the text you have created (and to what other texts)?

I used a number of different ideas to create my music video e.g. narrative element from existing music videos/songs, James Blunt- 1973 gave me the idea for black and white vs colour shots for the video.

Generically, which other texts does the text you created resemble most closely?

Narrative love videos such as

What key features are shared by these texts?

Use of narrative, telling the story of the song through the video

What major differences do you notice between them?

My music video includes a mix of narrative and performance

Gender: Female

Age: 14-24

Hobbies and activities: Going to the cinema, going shopping and watching TV

Likes: Music, films, people and celebrities, fashion and magazines

Brands: Primark, Nintendo, Forever 21, New Look

Favourite artists: Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Taylor Swift, George Ezra, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5 and Olly Murs

Re-presentation

TASK 1

On your blog, select the 'characters' from your video and/or magazine and screen shot each main 'character'.

The characters in my music video:

Artist- Sam Church

Love interest- Chloe Chapman

TASK 2

Next you you need to decide what 'type' of character you have represented, generally there are just three 'types' as described below

Character Typing

There are three different kinds of character typing:

1. An archetype is a familiar character who has emerged from hundreds of years of fairytales and storytelling.

2. A stereotype is a character usually used in advertising and marketing in order to sell a particular product to a certain group of people. They can also be used ‘negatively’ in the Media – such as ‘asylum seekers,’ or ‘hoodies’.

3. A generic type is a character familiar through use in a particular genre (type) of movie.

Explain which type of character(s) you have used and connect to existing texts (i.e. music videos or films)

Artist- Sam Church

I think the artist in my music video is a generic type of the pop genre as he is similar to a number of existing well known pop artists e.g. Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith etc. He could be seen as 'manufactured' as a number of pop artists are, styled heavily to appeal to the target audience. He is styled to look appealing to the audience, his clothing and mise en scene used to give him a good image. However I think that my artist is slightly different because I made his guitar a big part of his image, emphasising that he can play as well as sing. A number of artists develop a motif or image to make them more recognisable however it is usually some part of their outfit or styling rather than an instrument.

Love interest- Chloe Chapman

I think this is an archetype as the 'love interest' is a familiar character/concept used in a number of narratives. I also think it could be classified as a generic type as this is an idea seen in a number of music videos and lyrics to songs. Romance is one of the main themes of pop songs so it makes sense that the 'love interest' is used so much in the accompanying videos.

TASK 3

Annotate your character screen shots with answers to the following questions (the codes referred to are narrative codes)

Key Questions about Specific Representations

1. What is being represented?
2. How is it represented? Using what codes? Within what genre?
3. How is the representation made to seem 'true', 'commonsense' or 'natural'?
4. Whose representation is it? Whose interests does it reflect? How do you know?
5. At whom is this representation targeted? How do you know?
6. What does the representation mean to you? What does the representation mean to others? How do you account for the differences?
7. How do people make sense of it? According to what codes?
8. With what alternative representations could it be compared? How does it differ?
9. A reflexive consideration - Why is the concept of representation problematic?

Digital Technology and Creativity - Potential Question 1a

Example Question from OCR

"Digital technology turns media consumers into media producers.” In your own experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions? (25 Marks - 30 minutes)

Ideas and theories to help you.

"A process needed for problem solving...not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people" (Jones 1993)

"The making of the new and the re arranging of the old" (Bentley 1997)

"Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed of three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain, and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation." (Csikszentmihalyi 1996)

"There is no absolute judgement [on creativity] All judgements are comparisons of one thing with another." (Donald Larning)

Themes and Questions

1. Is creativity an internal cognitive function, or is it an external social or cultural phenomenon?
Creativity is a mixture of things you see in your environment and your own ideas. You can find inspiration from things around you but you can develop the ideas to make them your own. I believe that most ideas are a mix of existing ideas or things in the environment around, however they are original as they are a mix of different things in a new way. Creativity does not have to be a completely original idea you thought up it can be mixture of ideas, experiences or things that already exist.

2. Is creativity a pervasive, ubiquitous feature of human activity, or a special faculty, either reserved for particular groups, individuals, or particular domains of activity, in particularly artistic activity?
I think anyone can be creative, it is not a skill reserved for certain people. Creativity comes in many different forms and is used by everyone. You do not have to be artistic to be creative.

3. Is creativity an inevitable social good, invariably progressive, harmonious and collaborative; or is it capable of disruption, political critique and dissent, and even anti-social outcomes?
Creativity can be both positive and negative. Different people have different views and opinions and creativity can be interpreted in different ways. Creativity can be meant to be good but could be viewed as disruptive or offensive by someone else.

4. What does the notion of creative teaching and learning imply?
Creativity can be learnt by anyone and it can be used to aid learning of other topics.

Benaji, Burn and Buckingham (2006)

1a Topics

The 1a topics are:

Creativity

Digital technology

Research and planning

Post Production

Real Media Conventions

Questions 1a and 1b (2010-2013)

In question 1a you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units and you may refer to other media production work you have undertaken.

In question 1b you must write about one of your media productions.

January 2010

1a. Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to the creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how your skills developed over time.

1b. Analyse media representation in one of your coursework productions.

June 2010

1a. Describe the ways in which your production work was informed by research into real media texts and how your ability to use such research for production developed over time.

1b. Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to genre.

January 2011

1a. Describe how you developed your skills in the use of digital technology for media production and evaluate how these skills have contributed to your creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how your skills developed over time.

1b. Apply theories of narrative to one of your coursework productions.

June 2011

1a. Explain how far your understanding of the conventions of existing media influenced the way you created your own media products. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how your skills developed over time.

1b. Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of audience.

January 2012

1a. Describe how your analysis of the conventions of real media texts informed your own creative media practice. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how your skills developed over time.

1b. Analyse media representation in one of your coursework productions.

June 2012

1a. Descibe a range of creative decisions that you made in post-production and how these decisions made a difference to the final outcomes. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how your skills developed over time.

1b. Explain how meaning is constructed by the use of media language in one of your coursework productions.

January 2013

1a. Explain how your research and planning skills developed over time and contributed to your media production outcomes. Refer to a range of examples in your answer.

1b. Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of narrative.

June 2013

1a. explain how your skills in the creative use of digital technology developed over time. Refer to a range of examples in your answer.

1b. Apply the concept of representation to one of your coursework productions.

Uncool shuffle playlist

1. One Republic- Counting Stars (Folk)
2. McFly- Everybody Knows (Pop Rock)
3. Bruno Mars- Just The Way You Are (Pop)
4. Tinie Tempah- Pass Out (Hip-Hop)
5. Christina Perri- Butterfly (Pop)
6. Joshua Radin- I'd Rather Be With You (Folk, Acoustic)
7. Olly Murs- Busy (Pop)
8. Little Richard- Good Golly Miss Molly (Rock and Roll)
9. Augustana- Fire (Pop Rock)
10. Christina Perri- One Night (Pop)
11. Lily Allen- Smile (Pop)
12. Razorlight- Before I Fall To Pieces (Indie Rock)
13. Corinne Bailey Rae- Put Your Records On (R&B, Soul)
14. Alesha Dixon- The Boy Does Nothing (Pop)
15. McFly- Room On The 3rd Floor (Pop Rock)
16. Chuck Berry- No Particular Place To Go (Rock and Roll)
17. Ed Sheeran- Photograph (Pop)
18. The Fray- How To Save A Life (Pop Rock)
19. Kenny Loggins- Footloose (Pop Rock)
20. Eddie Cochran- C'mon Everybody (Rock and Roll)

Postmodern artist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ7nmMuLTwQ

How can Django Unchained be viewed as a postmodern film?

Postmodernism suggests that nothing is original, everything is created from existing ideas or is a mash up of a number of existing products. Postmodern texts often include intertextuality and may reference or use other texts.

Django Unchained is the story of Django, a slave who is freed by Dr King Schultz, a German bounty hunter who takes Django on as a partner. The two partner up as bounty hunters and eventually take on the task of rescuing Django’s wife Broomhilda, from Candieland, a plantation owned by the ruthless Calvin Candie.

This film has a huge number of intertextual references, as is often seen in Tarrantino’s work. It pays homage to the original Django film (1966), using the original theme tune in the movie and also including a cameo appearance from Franco Nero, the actor who played Django in the 1966 film. Django meets Nero’s character in Candieland where he is asked to spell his name. When he explains the D is silent, Nero’s character says, “I know”. This is a reference to the fact he played Django in the original film. This is a use of homage as it is a sincere use of the first film.

There are a number of other intertextual references throughout the film. When Django becomes a free man, he chooses his first outfit. The outfit he wears is a replica of the outfit shown in the painting, The Blue Boy, by Gainsborough. Another intertextual reference in costume is Django’s later outfit which includes a green jacket and cowboy hat. This is a copy of the outfit worn by Little Joe in the TV western, Bonanza. These outfits are examples of Pastiche as they imitate the original texts and use similar, if not exact copies of the outfits for the character.

One example of parody in Django Unchained is the raid scene. This is similar to scenes from birth of a nation and show an early form of the KKK. This scene is a parody as it shows them as unorganised and unthreatening, as some fall off their horses and most are caught in the explosion of the horse drawn wagon. They are also shown having an argument over the poorly crafted masks before the raid. This is meant to show them in a bad light and parody the usual image of the KKK as being organised and dangerous. Another example is the acting of certain characters. Characters such as Stephen and other black slaves throughout the film seem to be over exaggerating their actions. They are extremely obedient to their owners and don’t seem particularly bothered about being slaves. Characters such as Django and Broomhilda are more active in trying to gain freedom. They frequently try to escape their owners which led to them being separated in the first place. The other slaves seem to have accepted their fate and follow their ‘masters’ orders. This could be seen as over exaggerating acting as in reality they may not be quite so accepting of their new roles.

Although Django Unchained is a Western, it is set mainly in the south and Quentin Tarrantino prefers it to be called a southern. Some aspects of it are in the West however a large part of the film is set in Candieland, a plantation in the South. There are a number of aspects that suggest this film is not a western. Part of the film is set in the mountains, in snow. This environment was taken from the film, The Great Silence, which was a western set in a snowy environment. This is not typical of most westerns as they are often set in the desert. There is also a lack of cowboys which is a huge part of westerns, Django and King Schultz are bounty hunters, not cowboys. Although at some points in the film there are characters such as sheriffs the film is mainly set around a variety of plantations and farms as the two hunt down wanted criminals. Most westerns use Americans as the heroes however in Django Unchained, the Americans are the ‘bad guys’ whereas Django and Schultz are the heroes of the film. This is an unusual feature of a western as usual the foreign/European characters, such as Schultz, are the villains and the American hero has to defeat them. It is unusual as an African-American is the main character and ultimately, hero of the story and the German is one of the only characters to treat slaves with respect and kindness. At the beginning of the film he frees Django and gives him work and also gives the other slaves traveling with him the key to their shackles and a gun to kill the white Americans who were transporting them. This kindness continues throughout the film as he partners up with Django, helps him save his wife and finally gives his life by killing Calvin Candie. The American characters in the film were only ever cruel to the slaves which contradicts the general format of existing westerns.

Throughout the film there are references to other films. The original Django theme tune is used along with the same font as the 1966 film. Franco Nero also makes an appearance, referencing the film. The snowy scenes and Django’s target practice on the snowman are taken from The Great Silence, and the KKK raid scene was taken from the film, The Birth of a Nation. This shows the use of bricolage as the film is a mash up of inspiration from a huge variety of existing films. The title of the film came from a number of different films such as Django and Hercules Unchained. Stephen is left in Candieland before it is exploded and his final shouts at Django are cut off by the explosion. This is a reference to the final scene in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly where a character is cut off mid-sentence. There are a number of Westerns in both TV and film that influenced Django Unchained, from the shooting of Calvin Candie to the scene where Django and Schultz ride into a town together.

It can be argued that Django Unchained is not a film, instead it is a mash up of scenes and ideas from existing media. Jameson suggests that postmodernism is “vacuous and trapped in circular references” and that it is “nothing more than a series of self-referential ‘jokes’ which have no deeper meaning”. While this is partially true, as postmodern films reference a number of different texts, I do not believe this makes them unworthy of being called films. Django Unchained is a mixture of Western influences, in a southern setting with southern melodrama. It is a revenge film were the heroes are African-American and German. It includes a number of references to Quentin Tarrantino’s other films along with cameos from Tarrantino and Franco Nero. However I think that it is a film, a postmodern film. It is influenced by other text, reusing old material however it should be classed as a film because it is different. I has taken a number of aspects from different media genres and created something that works well. A lot of aspects of the film have been done before but they have not been done in this exact way which should be credited. I think this is a postmodern film as it uses homage, pastiche, parody and bricolage. There are a number of intertextual references included in the film, referencing a number of existing texts throughout.

Django Unchained research

• What is a western?

A film, television drama, or novel about cowboys in western North America, set especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

•  What is a spaghetti western?

A western film made cheaply in Europe by an Italian director

• What is a blaxploitation film?

Action films that were aimed at black audiences. Featuring African-American actors in lead roles and often having anti-establishment plots, the films were frequently condemned for stereotypical characterization and glorification of violence.

• Which THREE films does Django Unchained take its name from?

Django (1966)
Hercules Unchained (1959)

• Why does Franco Nero appear in the film and what is the significance of his dialogue with Jamie Foxx?

The lead actor from Django (1966), the movie which inspired this one, has a cameo as the owner of the slave that fights against a slave owned by the character played by DiCaprio (the screenplay gives his character the name Amerigo Vassepi). After being asked to spell his name, Django explains, "The 'D' is silent". Nero replies, "I know".
This links to the original film Django (1966) in which Franco Nero played Django.

• What song plays over the final credits and how does this film connect to the original film Django?

Django, the original theme song from the original film Django (1966)

• Which other song from Django features in Django Unchained?

La Corsa

• Who or what is Mr Ed?

A horse that was able to move its mouth to show that it was talking.

• What is the significance of the red mask worn by Zoe Bell as Django murders the killers of d’Artagnan?

There was intended to be more storyline behind her character but this was never included in the film.
"Yes and there was a little sneaky secret under the mask," Zoë explained when asked if she was ever intended to be unmasked. "Part of my face was missing."

• The name of the saloon in which Schultz and Django drink is called Minnesota Clay, why?

When Django and Dr. Schultz are in Daughtrey, Texas (near the beginning of the film), the saloon they are in is called "Minnesota Clay's Saloon". Minnesota Clay (1964) is the name of Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci, the same director of the original Django (1966).

• Who is Ennio Morricone?

An Italian composer, conductor and orchestrator who has worked with Tarantino on a number of films.

• What connects him to both Django Unchained and director Sergio Corbucci?

Ennio Morricone wrote music for both adaptions of the film, Django (1996) and Django Unchained

• What sequence has made the 1903 film "The Great Train Robbery" so iconic?

One of the wanted posters calls for the apprehension of Edwin Porter for train robbery. Edwin Porter was the filmmaker who directed The Great Train Robbery.

• What is the significance of the name Von Shaft?

Broomhilda's last name is von Shaft - a direct ancestor of the 1970's blaxploitation character Shaft, according to Tarantino. Samuel L. Jackson, from this film, also starred in the 2000 remake of the film.

• What TV western does Django's western style outfit pay homage to?

Bonanza! (1957) 
In the screenplay, Tarantino describes one of Django's outfits as a little like Elvis in Flaming Star and Little Joe Cartwrigth from Bonanza.

Postmodernism definition 3

"Postmodernism is cultural movement that came after modernism, also it follows our shift from being a industrial society to that of an information society, through globalization of capital. Markers of the postmodern culture include opposing hierarchy, diversifying and recycling culture, questioning scientific reasoning, and embracing paradox. Postmodernism is a term applied to a wide-ranging set of developments in critical theory, philosophy, architecture, art, literature, and culture, which are generally characterized as either emerging from, in reaction to, or superseding modernism"



"Postmodern style is often characterized by eclecticism, digression, collage, pastiche, and irony. Postmodern theorists see postmodern art as a conflation or reversal of well-established modernist systems, such as the roles of artist versus audience, seriousness versus play, or high culture versus kitsch."



By R. Lee from Media Studies 180 Hunter College, Sections 102, 103

Of course, intertextual references are often found in postmodern texts.

Postmodernism definition 2

Label given to Cultural forms since the 1960s that display the following qualities:



Self reflexivity: this involves the seemingly paradoxical combination of self-consciousness and some sort of historical grounding

Irony: Post modernism uses irony as a primary mode of expression, but it also abuses, installs, and subverts conventions and usually negotiates contradictions through irony

Boundaries: Post modernism challenges the boundaries between genres, art forms, theory and art, high art and the mass media

Constructs: Post modernism is actively involved in examining the constructs society creates including, but not exclusively, the following:

• Nation: Post modernism examines the construction of nations/nationality and questions such constructions
• Gender: Post modernism reassesses gender, the construction of gender, and the role of gender in cultural formations
• Race: Post modernism questions and reassesses constructs of race
• Sexuality: Post modernism questions and reassesses constructs of sexuality

Postmodernism definition

Postmodern texts deliberately play with meaning. They are designed to be read by a literate (ie experienced in other texts) audience and will exhibit many traits of intertextuality. Many texts openly acknowledge that, given the diversity in today's audiences, they can have no preferred reading and present a whole range of oppositional readings simultaneously.
Many of the sophisticated visual puns used by advertising can be described as postmodern.
Postmodern texts will employ a range of referential techniques such as bricolage, and will use images and ideas in a way that is entirely alien to their original function (eg using footage of Nazi war crimes in a pop video).