Post-modernism

Post-moderism is a late 20th Century movement in the arts and architecture. After learning about it in several of my Alevel subjects I decided I would like to include some of its concepts in my piece.

Hyperreality
I have, in a sense, used hyperreality in my video. Although my video is realistic as it is a band playing and it is a natural location, my use of colours, effects and choice of editing techniques create a hyperreal atmosphere. This means that although my footage is realistic my effects, such as the mirror, aren't, and the combination of blending the two could make the audience question which is reality and which isn't. However, this wasn't something I intentionally set out to do, it was just something I noticed when watching my video back. I don't want my audience to be confused, just perhaps questioning parts of my video.

Brian De Palma
A big part of my video inspiration came from Brian De Palma and his film adaptation of the Stephen King novel Carrie. Brian De Palma is probably one of the most post-modern film directors of the idea as his ideas were so different and controversial to what people were used to. Carrie included several split screens in the climax of the film, which added to the build up of suspension and tension; a technique he later became renowned for. He also plays around with film conventions, being creative with his choice of camera shots in order to give his work more tension and suspense or create an atmosphere in a way the audience won't expect. I feel that my video pays homage to De Palma, as I have taken his use of split screens and made it more creative by using different, bright colours, creating a different effect to De Palma.

Intertextuality
The final post-modern technique I have used is intertextuality. I chose to recreate some of the footage from the original video to include in my own. I was originally planning on using it as a parody of the original, but in hindsight it is more of a homage as it isn't an over the top copy. I feel this was particularly effective, especially opening my video with some of it, as people will instantly recognise it and see it was a funny element to include. Another example of intertextuality was having my talent perform in a theatre, as some of my audience feedback told me it reminded them of The Beatles' video for "Help", in which they are recording in a studio, which has a similar layout to mine. Although I had not seen the "Help" video before I created my own piece it is still classed as intertextuality as members of my target audience have picked up on it.

Alongside these, I also feel I have used smaller, but just as effective, elements of post-modernism. For example, instead of having a unified narrative throughout my video I chose to be more creative and go for a montage anchored by music. I believe this has made my piece more effect as it is more fun and upbeat, as well as ideal for my target audience. I have also given my piece a professional sheen, making it glossy and appealing to the eye, rather than leaving it grainy or purely sticking to the footage.
I am glad I chose to use post-modernism in my video as, in hindsight, it has made my piece a lot more effective, and without it I believe my piece would be quite boring to watch.