Applying narrative to your text

Applying narrative to your text

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Flight of Conchord (Prime Minister season 2, episode 7)

Postmodern elements


-Reference to Cars (film)
-Music video inserts
-Manipulates time and space *Barack Obama lookalike. *80's style cellphone (used by PM)- joke on New Zealand being a backwards nation - also the business cars 'I'm Brian, the prime mister of NZ'
-Elton John - can you feel the love tonight, hold me closer tiny dancer - speaks lyrics
-The real red art garfunkel appears
-The clothes Brett and Jermaine wear are similar to Simon and Garfunkel. Greatest hits ever
-Lookalikes - Bono
-Days are truncated - Days appear on screen (Manipulates time and space)
-Mel's husband Doug is dressed as Brett
-Brett - as Paul Simon at the end of the episode Graceland era Paul Simon
-The Matrix references - THE GLITCH (2 Elton Johns at the end)
-Brett and Jermaine are two actors playing versions of themselves, pretending to be two lookalikes (who don't look like S + G) who pretend to be Simon and Garfunkel.
-NZ only 18 hours from NY - poster


Parody, Bricolage, Hyperreal

Postmodern Media - The Future

-Taking something from original context into a film
e.g. 'Sketch' the toy is being made into a film - already has an audience. Toys used as basis for films.
*Transformers (big budget Hollywood, blockbusters/event movies, multi million $ budgets)
*G.I. Joe (big budget Hollywood, blockbusters/event movies, multi million $ budgets)
*Battleships (big budget Hollywood, blockbusters/event movies, multi million $ budgets)
*Cluedo (low budget, but first shown in cinema)
*Bratz (low budget, but first shown in cinema)
*Action Man
Can reboot sales for the toys again.


-'Obama slow jams the news' - Bricolage, postmodern.
*Mixes something serious with comedy & famous hip hop band.
*Will only he get away with it - do Americans accept the comedic, 'cool' side of Obama?


-'I'm still here' 2010, directed by Casey Affleck starring Joaquin Phoenix.
*Pretend to be in character all the time, is that fair?
*Joaquin Phoenix stayed in character in public the whole time 'I'm still here' was being made.
*Lady Gaga - always in character in public - 'Mother monster, Lil monsters'.
*Eminem (does the same with the person he has created in his music).
*Nicki Minaj - always in character, calls her fans 'Barbz'
Multiple characters personas - creates hyperreal world.
Is it fake?

Media Language

Lighting
Editing (special effects)
Sound (diagetic/non diagetic)
Camera shots
Camera angles
Setting (weather)
Mise en Scene (costume, styling, colour, house style (magazine), props)

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) Dir. Jason Eisener

1. Bricolage - typical grindhouse film - naked women
2. Hyperreality - trapped in the violence.

Homage/Pastiche - of grindhouse movies from the 1970s. - Hobo is reminiscent of films such as 'The exterminor' an exploitation movie about vigilante.

3. Acting/characters - over the top? bad?
- So bad it's good?
- The film sets out to be a bad/trashy film.
- Shocked? Or desensitised to cruelty on screen?

THE FUTURE OF MEDIA

1. Holograms of music stars. What other stars would this work with?
2. Films based of games/toys e.g. Hastro's transformed & Battleships.
3. Trailers of imaginary films being turned into real movies. E.g. Hobo and Machete.

*Deliberately meant to be a bad film
*Humour in the violence? - not a film to be taken seriously
*Effect on a physcological level?
*Typical American western narrative - a person goes into town - kills the bad guys & saves the day - like Drive? The hero is something you can relate to other films. -Bricolage     

• Drake - humorous in a bad way, typical 'bad' character (not realistic) - typical villain music, dark lare atmosphere.
• Music 'burn baby burn' humorous?
• In some parts they've tried to use realistic music in an obvious non realistic film - makes it bad?
• Some link to the Jews with 'The Mob'?
• List of people that The Plague have got rid off is unrealistic - e.g. Jesus.
• Idea of superheroes with 'Abbie' being the wonderwomen, making a speech, women's power? 
• All about a 'show' 
• The Plague - rewriting history?

POSTMODERN?            

• Difficult to call is pomo?           
• Irony - so gory that it's funny
• Humour - 'Bear speech', Lawn mower conversation, Gloryhole, Plague masks, Hobo is funny or is he an entirely serious character dispensing justice vigilnate style.
• Ridiculous - the two violent brothers and Drake
• Unexpected elements - Abbie losing her hand, Hobo dying at the end (heros death is like a trademark though).
• Homage to grindhouse films - harking back to an earlier type of trashy film - wee see the now in technicolour sign at the start of film.

Pastiche 

• Film titles look like they are from the 1980s.
• The music is reminiscent of John Carpernter's soundtracks from films such as Assault on Precienct 13 and Escape from New York.
• The brother's look 80s style.

Bricolage

• Not one genre - comedy/horror/thriller/exploitation/grindhouse.
• The Mob - seen in 50s/60s.
• Horror films such as Frankenstein, Dracula etc.
• Also seen in westerns from the same period.
• The vigilante or lone gun - seen in westerns and films like Rambo/Death Wish
• Similar ending to Drive?
• The TV appearance of Drake - Kickass, Batman Dark Knight.
• Snakes on a Plane? 'I've had it...' - similar to something we've seen before.

Hyperreality

• The octopus
• Distopia - everythings dark, gloomy in the city.
• The human pinata.
• The colour schemes - orange - outside the hospital, blue - the Drake's HQ.
• Characters overcome injuries quickly - Abbie's next wound.
• Bit like Funny Games.
• Subverts conventions.
• Team America speech - link to Abbie's speech.
• Ludicrious in parts.
• Some things are just ridiculous.

Semiology

Lang-Moving Image