Genre: categories media texts and have them placed in particular groups due to the codes and conventions which beings out this ‘identity’ of different mediums, furthermore the implied audience and the producer can also affect a media text being put into genre.

Genre theories that relate to my music video;

Narrative: The way events are put together to be presented to an audience. Moving Image products such as a music videos and short films are able to utilise many interesting methods in presenting the narrative to the audience.

Representation: a complex notion that deals not only with how factors (e.g. people, places) are represented, but also why certain representations exist and the effect of those representations on the mass audience. It explores the ideologies behind the representation.

Audience: Active producers of meaning, rather than as merely consumers of media meanings. They make sense of media texts accord­ing to their social position (in terms of their identity) – and their gender, race, class etc.

Media Language: the methods of communication that exist within all media products. All media texts are rich with meaning whether it be structural, symbolic or ideological. Producers rely on a generally agreed set of interpretations of the language by the audience in order to communicate their message.

What is wrong with postmodernism?

Many theorists have been very critical of postmodernism and what it says about society. For example many people have said it does nothing to help society: Noam Chomsky claiming that postmodernism is "meaningless because it adds nothing to analytical knowledge." Richard Dawkins also says that it has "nothing to say". I believe that some of these statements could be true because postmodernism is mostly used to critise the origonality of many texts, not to add anymore analysis of it.

There are also many theories that say postmodernism is very pessimistic, Timothy Bewes saying it's a "cynical reaction". I also believe that this idea could also be considered truthful because it claims that there are no more origional ideas anymore and that every media yext has been influenced by another. However, whether this is entirely a bad thing is another case because each media text inspiring one another could benefit some texts.

Another criticism of post modernism could be it's lack of set rules and structure as it is a very broad subject and can be hard to define. One critic argues that the "theory will always fail on it's claim to make good on it's claim to provide a set of rules...it therefore, by definition, can have no consequence."

Though I agree with many of these statements, I believe that postmodernism as a theory isn't "a load of rubbish" and can be a good theory to apply to a lot of recent media texts. For example, it applies very well to the film "24 Hour Party People."

Criticisms

Dominic Strinati - "Fetishised Hyperreality" where the simulation has lost all connection or objective with reality.

"Postmodernism tries to come to terms with and understand a media-saturated society. The mass media, for example, were once thought of as holding up a mirror to, and thereby reflecting, a wider social reality. Now that reality is only definable in terms of surface reflection of the mirror." - meaning society has become subsumed within the mass media, the term implies that there is a reality outside the surface simulation of the media which can be distored. This is the issue that postmodernist point out - how can we tell what is right if we no longer know what is real?

"Postmodernism is sceptical of any absolute, universal and all-embracing claim to knowledge and argues that theories or doctrines which make such claims are increasingly open to criticism, contestation and doubt." (Strinati) This links to Jean-Francois Lyotard's theory of Micro-Narratives where narratives are unpredictable which can often leave the audience open to interpret the reasoning or purpose of the text.

"Media images encourage superficiality rather than substance, cynicism rather than belief, the thirst for constant change rather than security of stable traditions, the desires of the moment rather than the truths of history." - meaning postmodern TV & film have become dominated by surface style and imagery rather than deeper underlying themes, which might relate to the "realities" of society.

Carla Kaplan (1987) identifies that music videos abandon narrative structure, they make no attempt to tell a story instead the power of a music video lies in the collage of images mixed with music - there is no deeper meaning or purpose it.

Frederic Jameson agrees with this calling it "Depthlessness" of contemporary cultural production - sees it as superficial cutting & pasting of ready-made images and styles which are abstracted from their true origins and reused in meaningless new combinations in the trivial commercialized space created by mass culture which will wear out with time. "The writers and artists of the present day will no longer be able to invent new styles and worlds... only a limited number of combinations are possible, the most unique ones have been thought of already."

Another criticism of postmodernism is that to what extent is using intertextual references copying what has already been done? A good example of this is Dan Black's Symphonies who used the theory of Addition, Deletion, Substitution and Transposition to create his music video taking everything bar the lyrics from previous texts. He makes it very clear that he is using intertextual references which are easy to spot to make a point that nothing is original, which brings up the question to what extent is this his own work. Some people are concerned that originality will become completely lost and through postmodernism we will be reusing the same references and jokes over and over again. 

Why are people not convinced by the idea of postmodernism?

Postmodernism is a response to and rejection of modernism. Modernists wanted to look to the future and ignore the mistakes of the past, Postmodernists argue that it is not possible to only look to the future and not look to the past because you'd be repeating the mistakes which stops progress. Postmodernists often create texts by chance for fun rather than design them for a purpose. All the text will often go against media conventions, mixing genre, breaking down boundaries "there is no genre less text" and ignoring traditional narrative structures, like Jean Francois Lyotard's Grand Narratives. By using work from previous media texts Postmodernists are able to create something new either to respectfully pay homage to it or to mock it for comedy as a Pastiche. However a criticism of their use of intertextual references is that the audience have to know the source or understand the issue otherwise they won't understand the context of the joke. For example comedy programmes like The Simpsons and Family Guy are constantly making intertextual references to other texts. The criticism is that this makes it less accessible as a movement because it won't connect to the people who don't understand the reference. This is why some people are not convinced by postmodernism. 

To add to this the use of hyper-reality in everyday is making things less meaningful. For example, video games take something that could be real but isn't and make it real for a computerised version of ourselves which is then exaggerated but still seems realistic. Call of Duty, for example, takes an ordinary person and turns them into a solider who has an unlimited amount of lives and can choose the battleground and difficulty level. Thepostmodern game Desert Bus points out the ridiculousness of "realistic" video games because it is actually realistic; in real time a bus journey to Las Vegas and back with the possibility of breaking down which results in having to be towed back in real time, the game can't be paused just like reality can't be paused. Although this highlights the lack of reality in other video games some people would argue that it is pointless because the whole point of hyper-reality in games is to escape reality and become someone else who can do things that an "ordinary" person can't e.g. a solider, play in a rock band, manage a football team.

Why are postmodern texts controversial?

One of the most controversial media texts at the moment is videogames. With games and gaming consoles becoming much more advanced, the graphics becoming better and more detailed. The art work becoming more realistic. To the real world.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, its not the Not the content in the game which is considered postmodern, but the playing experience what is postmodern whether the player/reader of the text/game is immersed in a set of practices. It immerses the player in a convincing, intricate and believable world, but the reality it represents is the stuff of films and other media. Taking on the character of the individual and live in a real city, is a profoundly hyper real experience. The Grandtheft

It was in the gameplay itself where Grand Theft Auto managed to break the mould in many ways. Grand Theft Auto contained free- from 'go anywhere you please' gameplay that saw you tied to a over-arching plot that contained various missions to complete but also left you free to explore the huge world in your own time, finding hidden packages and rampage icons, exploring the world and doing what you wanted. Decisions moral or not to wander around enacting acts of violence on pedestrians for no strategic purpose is made on the basis of prior experience (being a GTA game) learning and practising the skills you will need to progress in the game. But also this demonstrates a metalanguage about ways of being in the game. The mere fact that the game apparently gives you moral decisions to decide what you do in the game is criticised that the only way to progress in the game, to complete levels is to kill, do criminal activity and to take on the police. Thus these moral decision are taken away, and it is infact the game what is leading the gamer in what to do in levels.

The value of women in the game, have also been of hot topic. That it promotes sexism and degrades women in real society, that they are sex objects and that men are hierarchy. Those gamers may take these values and use them in reality, and treat girls the same way.

Theories and theorists

THEORIES OF GENRE

• Andrew Goodwin: Music videos tend to include typical genre characteristics. For example, a pop music video would be heavily performance based whilst a rap video would have bikini clad women by a pool and flashy sports cars. Music videos can also link to film genres, this is know as intertextuality. e.g. Many heavy rock songs are influenced by horror films.

• Levi-Strauss developed the concept of bricolage. He saw any text as constructed out of socially recognisable ‘debris’ from other texts. He saw that writers construct texts from other texts by a process of: Addition, Deletion, Substitution and Transposition.

THEORIES OF NARRATIVE

• Roland Barthes, French semiotic theorist: argued that: “The audience look for signs to help them interpret the narrative…. ….these deeply rooted signs are based on expectations the audience has due to their prior knowledge of old tales or myths."
• Barthes identifies 5 narrative codes which readers use to decode texts. He emphasises the active role of readers in creating meaning, and their ‘culturally formed expectations’. The narrative codes are: Action, Enigma, Semic, Symbolic and Cultural.
• Claude Levi-Strauss: Narratives are structured by pairs of binary oppositions.
• Tzvetan Todorov: Equilibrium – disequilibrium – resolution. Suggests that all narratives follow a three part structure. They begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt that equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when equilibrium is restored.

THEORIES OF REPRESENTATION

• Laura Mulvey and the virgin/whore complex and/or male gaze.  This theory suggests that the music video presents the audience with a representation of a heterosexual man’s perspective of the scene as it objectifies women.
• Saussure: A sign is made up of two fundamental elements: Signifier and Signified (Sd)

THEORIES OF MEDIA LANGUAGE

• Saussure: A sign is made up of two fundamental elements: Signifier and Signified (Sd)

REPRESENTATION OF AUDIENCE

• Laura Mulvey and the virgin/whore complex and/or male gaze.  This theory suggests that the music video presents the audience with a representation of a heterosexual man’s perspective of the scene as it objectifies women.
• Uses and gratifications theory

INDESIGN DOCUMENT

INTRODUCTION

• Postmodern media rejects the idea that any media product or text is of 

• any greater value than another. All judgements of value are merely taste. 

• Anything can be art, anything can deserve to reach an audience, and 

• culture ‘eats itself’ as there is no longer anything new to produce or 

• distribute. 

• The distinction between media and reality has collapsed, and we now 

• live in a ‘reality’ defined by images and representations – a state of 

• simulacrum. Images refer to each other and represent each other as 

• reality rather than some ‘pure’ reality that exists before the image 

• represents it – this is the state of hyper-reality. 

• All ideas of ‘the truth’ are just competing claims – or discourses and 

• what we believe to be the truth at any point is merely the ‘winning’ 

• discourse.

TRANSITION FROM MODERNISM TO POSTMODERNISM

Modernism	Postmodernism
Master Narratives and metanarratives of history, culture and national identity as accepted before WWII (American-European myths of progress). Myths of cultural and ethnic origin accepted as received. Progress accepted as driving force behind history.	Suspicion and rejection of Master Narratives for history and culture; local narratives, ironic deconstruction of master narratives: counter-myths of origin. "Progress" seen as a failed Master Narrative
Faith in "Grand Theory" (totalizing explanations in history, science and culture) to represent all knowledge and explain everything.	Rejection of totalizing theories; pursuit of localizing and contingent theories.
Faith in, and myths of, social and cultural unity, hierarchies of social-class and ethnic/national values, seemingly clear bases for unity.	Social and cultural pluralism, disunity, unclear bases for social/national/ ethnic unity.
Master narrative of progress through science and technology.	Skepticism of idea of progress, anti-technology reactions, neo-Luddism; new age religions.
Sense of unified, centered self; "individualism," unified identity.	Sense of fragmentation and decentered self; multiple, conflicting identities.

KEY CONVENTIONS OF POSTMODERNISM

• Hyperreality
• Bricolage
• Pastiche
• Parody

POSTMODERN THEORISTS

Jean Francois Lyotard
·         French Philosopher, Sociologist and Literary Theorist.
·         Born in 1924, France, died aged 73 due to leukaemia
·           He took part in the May 1968 uprisings (demanding the fall of the government under Charles de Gaulle and therefore the death of  capitalism), however he did not class himself as a Marxist, so he distanced himself by writing ‘Libidinal Economy.’ He did not agree with Marxism’s rigid structuralist approach.
·         Most of his works are identified by the persistent opposition to universals, meta narratives and generality.
·         He doesn’t agree with theories by Karl Marx or Sigmund Freud, claiming they both forget about representations.
·         Lyotard came up with the Postmodern Condition.
Ø  He argues that since World War 2, our technology has become so advanced that we have no need or desire for grand/meta narrative (a big story). A loss of faith in these meta narratives has an effect of how some will view science, art and literature.
Ø  He defines Post Modernism as ‘an incredulity towards meta narratives.’
Ø  He suggested that meta narratives should give way to more modest and localised narratives, which will give the subject more focus.

·        Criticism –
·         Manfred Drank (1988) Lyotard has failed to notice that an underlying condition for agreement is also a condition for the successful communication of his own thought. So, in putting forward a false argument against a rational harmony, Lyotard plays into the hands of the irrational forces that often give rise to injustice and differ ends. Worse, he is then only in a position to testify to that injustice, rather than put forward a just and rational resolution.
Jean Baudrillard
·        Born in 1929, Reims, France
·        He started his studies learning German language and later obtained a doctorate in sociology.·        Simulacra and Simulations: Baudrillard’s work consisted of a book called Simulacra and Simulations, Simulation meaning that it is simulating a process, display or imitating something real, and simulacra meaning the representation of another thing, object, person and any static object. Baudrillard uses these meanings to explain that today’s reality is not real and that we all live in something called a hyper reality. Baudrillard’s definition of hyper reality is ‘The simulation of something that never really existed’. ·         Hyper reality is taking something real, that has an original and natural quality, then exaggerating it to make it look so perfect it could become a fantasy of the imagination. In today’s post-modern culture for example, we have a pine tree at Christmas, but no one wants one from the forest that has been weathered over the years, but a plastic one that has perfectly spread branches and comes in any colour to suit you interior at home. Another example that has become a large issue today is what we are exposed to in magazines, posters and pictures of what an Ideal woman is supposed to look like. A woman that has been touched up with a computer to make her look like the ultimate mans fantasy. Hyper reality is detaching us from any real emotions and we are choosing to make are selves feel happier with the simulation of today’s simulacrum.·         ‘One that reflects a basic reality; one that masks or perverts a basic reality; one that mask the absence of a basic reality; and one that bears no relation to any reality.’( ·         Disneyland:
Baudrillard uses the idea of Disneyland to show simulation and simulacra, he says that Disney land is a perfect model and example of American simulation. The imaginary world that Disney has created is an illusion, a future world and has no physical reality. This pretend world is what makes it so successful it’s a miniaturized real America. There is a huge contrast between being inside the fantasy park and the reality to get to and from it, which enhances the enjoyment you get from being in the hyper real. For example you make the long journey to get to park in you car, you have to queue to get into the car park, you have to park and then queue again to get inside. On the other end of the spectrum you get the atmosphere and affection from the crowd. The actual rides, shows and gadgets are there to maintain this feeling of having that many people together. Baudrillard goes on to say that Disneyland is somewhat a replica of the United States but miniaturized and almost an unreal version. He says that Disneyland is trying to show the American values , there way of life and that it is so good that it is like living in a fantasy, which then makes us believe that the rest of America is like living in the reality, but infact it is not because of the hyper real and simulation. Disneyland is so far from reality that it seems like it has just been created to mask the fact reality today is no longer real. ·         Criticism: ·         Often criticized for his bleak interpretation of postmodern culture. ·         He has been called not postmodern or the other extreme, too postmodern.·         Featherstone is critical towards the approach to consumption and states that the foundation of such critique of mass culture on the part of intellectuals like Baudrillard.

MUSIC VIDEO
TV SHOW
FILM
GAME

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, postmodernity is a very popular and accepted theory in society, as audiences enjoy adapting old ideas into something new. However, I think that this will slowly fade away as newer audiences like things that are completely original and more serious as opposed to old and fun. I do however think that postmodernism will always remain a very influential theory and media texts will continue to stay postmodern.

Question 1A 1B 2 MOCK

Question 1A:

POST PRODUCTION

During the AS course I was required to design and create a magazine. The

magazine I decided to create was an indie/alternative music magazine called Alternate which was aimed at both females and males aged between 18-30. I used Photoshop to edit the images for my magazine as there is a huge variety of tools that you can use to make the images look more appealing and suitable for the magazine. Photoshop is very widely used by successful magazines in the industry therefore I felt that it was necessary to use it. I used tools such as the Magic Tool, enhancing saturation and colour levels as well as playing around with the Actions tools to create my desired look. I chose to remove the background from my image for the front cover of the magazine so that it was completely white, and enhanced the vibrancy to make my artist stand out amongst the page. I also used the refining edge tool to make the image look soft and professional. I also scanned in my handwriting and placed it on top of the newly white background to make it fit within the genre and make it look like the artists thoughts were exploding out of her.

 I used InDesign to create my magazine as it is a lot easier to use than Photoshop (which we used for our GCSE magazines). InDesign enables you to view the document as a magazine and you can use various different tools such as the Master page which quickly and effectively adds the same text to all of the pages. This makes adding page numbers and the website name of the magazine very easy and saved me a lot of time which I can instead use to improve my magazine elsewhere. Paragraph styles has also been very effective as it also saves time and matches the fonts up when necessary.  It was easy for me to import all of the images which I wanted in the magazine by clicking the “place” image where I was then able to scale the image to my desired size. In addition to this, InDesign allowed me to add a range of text boxes so that it was easy for me if I wanted to reposition the text. This also allowed me to set out my magazine in a professional manner through the use of three columns.

Moving onto the advanced portfolio, I had the challenge of adapting to new programs such as Adobe Premiere Pro which is a video editing software. I wasn’t very familiar with this program however when I got used to it I was fine. I used this program to add all of my footage onto the timeline as well as editing it. I also used Premiere when adjusting the time of the clips, slowing it down by about 20% to match the slow tone of the song. I also needed to make sure the timing was accurate otherwise the lip syncing would not match up.  I made sure that through the use of these professional tools, I was able to edit my video to allow it to look as professional and realistic as possible. As well as making sure the visuals matched up with the lyrics,  I had to make sure that the audience were pleased with what they were seeing as well. I did this by increasing the brightness and contrast of the clips, adding vintage and soft effects and positioning the artist in many different positions on the screen to avoid the audience getting bored. I changed the position of the artist and was even able to manipulate the type of shot shown to the audience by using the scale tool, where I was able to zoom in and out on the clip as it played.

Likewise with the AS course, I used Photoshop for my ancillary tasks – the magazine advert and digipak. Using this program again benefitted me greatly as I understood how to use it soundly. I was able to adjust the colours of the images to make them appear brighter and less dull. I also drew the shape of a CD disc onto the digipak to make it look more realistic. Furthermore, I also used InDesign to create my evaluation magazine for the A2 course, which is similar to what I created for the AS course evaluation. This magazine was able to include Question 1 of the evaluation questions which included a range of text and images. Again using InDesign allowed me to set out the evaluation exactly like a magazine, using columns and positioning my text around images.

Question 1B:

NARRATIVE

I am going to discuss theories of narrative in relation to my advanced portfolio. The music video I created was “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey, featured in the hit movie The Great Gatsby. I focused on narrative to ensure my music video had a structured start, middle and end.

In order to make my music video look as professional and realistic as possible, I drew conventions from real media texts to mine, in order to understand ways in which they conveyed certain concepts to their audiences. I looked at Sinead O’Connor’s music video for ‘Nothing Compares To You’, where Sinead is seen behind a infinite black background throughout the majority of the video, whilst being shot predominately in a close up. I chose to mimic this and put my own twist on it as I used a wider variety of shots, however likewise to Sinead’s song, I wanted to create emotion within the video by having a slow pace and dark image. To look at the video in depth, I compared it to Vernallis’ theory of how music videos are constructed around four concepts – Narrative, Editing, Camera Movement, and Diegesis. The video complies with bits of Vernallis’ theory of however does also challenge it.

For my music video, I looked at Vernallis also. Once analysing the lyrics of the song, I found that it was about a very beautiful woman who is insecure about a man leaving her when she begins to age and her looks begin to deteriorate, and she wants a man who will love her for the woman she is. Therefore, I have decided to create a narrative and performance video of the artist. Based on when the protagonist was younger, we will see her singing to the camera, putting on her makeup and getting more comfortable in her own skin as she progresses from a small studio to a big stage towards the end. The protagonist will then look back on herself from when she is older, happy with the person who she has become.

The narrative in my video will be fragmented, keeping the structure of the video disjointed which supported Vernallis’ theory that ‘the narrative is not always complete’. It also complies with Vernallis’ theory that ‘there is not necessarily a balance between narrative and performance’, as I plan to spend more time on the performance of the artist, whilst the narrative is almost hidden and can only be noticed once it has been stated – so I will still have an element of narrative. This is a convention of pop and indie music videos, which I hope to stick to as I want the audience to associate it with the correct genre.

I have also looked at a theorist called Andrew Goodwin who believed there was a relationship between the music and visuals. My music video will support this, as it is quite heavily performance based I will make sure that the artist sings in time with the music whilst illustrating what’s being sung on the screen. A lyric that I plan to use includes “Hot summer days, rock and roll” where the protagonist signals the rock sign with her hands.

On the other hand, although I do not plan to include a strong narrative story line in my music video, the different shots of the artist performing and the heavy reminiscing theme should still be able to drive the music video forward. This supports Vernallis’ theory that ‘Something drives the video forward, but often it is not the narrative.’

Another theory that supports my music video is Roland Barthes semantic code. I will be using some of the conventions of The Great Gatsby such as the use of costume and hairstyle, however with a modern twist. This means that there will be a deep meaning behind the decisions that the protagonist chooses to take therefore the audience will be able to link the protagonist with this.

My narrative will go against Todorov’s five stage narrative structure. His first stage is ‘equilibrium’ which is essentially where everything is good, however my music video starts with the protagonist when she’s older, acting completely neutral, challenging what Todorov says. He then goes on to say that there is a something happens that ‘disrupts the equilibrium’.   My music video will not involve any kind of disruption, but a solution to the artist being neutral – she will gradually progress throughout the video, and then look back at herself.

To conclude, I am able to create a music video that is primarily performance based, however still involving elements of narrative. My video supports most of Vernallis’ theory on narrative, as well as Barthes, but goes against Todorov’s theory on narrative structure.

Question 2:

POSTMODERNITY

Postmodernity is a very complex theory. Modernity refers to the modernist movement with everything we know today however postmodernity means “coming after modernity”, and in fact contradicts itself. There are a few characteristics of postmodernity, including pastiche, parody, intertextual references and flattening of effect.

Two key examples of postmodern films are both Blade runner and Pulp Fiction. These are very popular exams of postmodernism in the film industry. Firstly Blade Runner is possibly the most popular postmodern film. Ridley Scott's 1982 film is about a future dystopia where "replicates" have been invented and are deemed dangerous enough to hunt down when they escape. The film highlights to be playing with time (the various types of clothes) and culture and genre by mixing them all together to create the world of the film. "The postmodern look of Blade Runner is therefore the result of recycling, fusion of levels, discontinuous signifiers, explosion of boundaries, and erosion. The disconnected temporality of the replicants and the pastiche of the city are all an effect of a postmodern, post-industrial condition: wearing out, waste." Moving on pulp fiction is another popular example of a postmodernist film. The film tells the interweaving stories of gangsters, a boxer, and robbers. The film breaks down chronological time and demonstrates a particular fascination with intertextuality: bringing in texts from both traditionally "high" and "low" realms of art. By focusing on intertextuality and the subjectivity of time, Pulp Fiction demonstrates the postmodern obsession with signs and subjective perspective as the exclusive location of anything resembling meaning.

My first case study is The Lego Movie (2014) which was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, produced by Warner Bros. Lego is a very popular franchise therefore it’s known to be a postmodern film without even trying.

The Lego movie is set in an animated world and isthe heroic journey of regular-guy Emmett and his quest to stop Lord Business from destroying the world with his super weapon The Kragle. On the other hand, the boy is set in reality attempting to play with his dads Lego while his dad wants to maintain complete and absolute order, not giving in to the creativity of Lego. There are layers of reality, and only the main hero is able to see both completely. Built within this multiple-layered-reality are iconic figures like Batman and Star Wars characters, as well as eclectic combinations such as Unikitty. Pastiche is highlighted to us throughout the film. It is never taken too seriously and the script reads like it has been written by a young child, allowing the audience to relax and enjoy watching the film. Moreover intertextuality is displayed bringing characters in drawing iconic personalities that we already now. A prime example of this in the film is the character Batman as we do not need any explanation of who Batman is and why he does certain this as we already know this from previous experience. Flattening of affect is suggested through the character Emmit where he lives in a world of popular music, formulaic television, and people who always follow the instructions. At first it seems like an evil corporate plot, but when we pull back and see the father-son relationship in the framing narrative, we realise that this isn't exactly the case. This is because the Lego franchise creates many different characters for their toys for children to play with such as Batman.

My other case study is the music video “California Gurls” by Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg. The video begins with an image of a board game. This, as well as the pink, candy floss clouds suggests an element of hyperreality. There is a play of words – ‘Candyfornia’ instead of ‘California’.

The whole video seems to imitate the classic film ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939), through the use of pastiche, with Katy taking on the role of Dorothy as she saves three candy characters (who are replacing the characters of the tin man, the lion and the scarecrow as she skips across a candy lane (the yellow brick road). The video is heavily based on candy and all things sweet. The audience are then introduced to featured artist, Snoop Dogg, who is dressed as ‘Sugar Daddy’ in a sweet patterned suit. Through mise-en-scene, his clothing can be intertextually linked to Gene Wilder’s costume as Will Wonka in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971). Audiences will immediately identify the similarities of their sweet patterned clothes and brown cane, associating Snoop Dogg with the hyperreal sweet land. By placing him over the game board, and close up shots of him putting Katy Perry into the game, which creates a God-like status. This hyperreal candy land is based in Hollywood which is an intertextual reference. This also references the board game ‘Candy Land’, with much of the set decorated with cupcakes, ice creams, cotton candy, and lollipops. There is also a lot of teddy bears and dream-like scenarios; Katy is seen to be conforming to Laura Mulvey’s theory of the Male Gaze as she is seductively eating candy floss, lying bare on a pink cloud and using direct address to the camera by giving eye contact. The lighting is very bright and everything is colourful to make the video seem like a fantasy. Katy wears a lot of eccentric outfits, such as a corset and tutu with a lot of sweets stuck to it as she wonders around a forest of candy. She’s wearing a purple wig which makes her seem very childish in a teenage dream. We can also see Katy waving to over-sized gummy bears who appear to be alive which uses personification. An element of parody is seen in the music video, as the references to Willy Wonka is reinforced as Snoop Dogg is followed by these gummy bear workers. This is an intertextual reference to Willy Wonka as his workers are ‘Oompa Loompas’ so the audience can relate to the bears and gain an understanding of what their purpose is. We can see that Snoop Dogg is rolling sugar dice; controlling Katy on a board game which signifies that the video is not real. Other props involve Katy’s friend floating in a bubble gum balloon and Katy saving her with her stiletto heel – which is clearly very unrealistic. The candy canes at one point turn into snakes which symbolizes that even a dream has it’s faults. Katy then proceeds to climb the candy cane and is floating in a candy floss cloud. Whilst in the cloud, Katy is nude which signifies her growth within the video, in contrast to her previous child-like behaviour. At another point, Katy crosses another candy cane over a very dark ‘town’ which is actually chocolate. The gingerbread man is saved by being given a heart by Katy to make him happy – similar to the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz who doesn’t have a heart. Half way through the song, Katy switches outfits into denim daisy dukes and a bralet which is like cupcakes and cream; the lyrics match the visuals of the music video. The next person she saves is stuck in a sweet wrapper. They then proceed to find a castle which is like Emerald City and she then stays in this wonderland. The director uses pastiche to self-consciously imitate the ‘fembot’ scene from film ‘Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery’ (1997). This is reinforced through the use of mise-en-scene where the Katy’s hair is styled in a similar way and she fires whipped cream at the gummy bears from her chest. She quickly defeats the army after which the stunned king throws down his staff and surrenders. The video ends with "Sugar Daddy" buried up to his neck in the sand by the women, nonetheless admiring their beauty and wishing that women everywhere could be California girls. Various California landmarks appear in the video, such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Sign and some West Coast beaches which were all made out of confectionery. 

Lastly, another postmodern medium I will be discussing is video game. A well-known example of postmodern video game is Grand Theft Auto which immerses the player in a convincing, intricate and believable-world, but that the reality it represents is the stuff of films and other media. Another example is The Sims is a strategic, life simulation video game series developed by Maxis and later by The Sims Studio, and published by Electronic Arts. It is one of the most successful video games series of all time. The player creates virtual people called “Sims” and

places them in houses and helps direct their moods and satisfy their desires.

Hyper-reality is seen throughout the Sims where you can create characters

however you want to. You can recreate your image as something completely

different and plan their life for them. Baudrillard argued that a simulacrum is not

a copy of the real, but becomes a truth in its own right. This is the case in the

Sim's with the language that they use - Simlish. It's not a copy of any language

but has its own meaning in the game. There is no proper translation for the

language and to us sounds like random noises and sounds. This is the creators

trying to imitate what it's like when we hear an unknown language that we don't

speak or understand, as to us it then becomes a range of noises and sounds. In

addition to this !he Sims uses intertextuality to make the game seem more

realistic and therefore includes features from reality that we can associate with.

 !hey do this very subtly through the use of different television shows available

for the Sims to watch and also the music they can listen to. They change the

language to Simlish but they are still the same TV shows and songs we listen to

and would recognise. They also have new expansion packs to add to the game

and well known celebrities such as Katy Perry, which shows how

she is still recognised in the game for her talent. As well as the features which we

see in the game The Sims have created a large number of different games. One

prime example of this is the Katy Perry edition. In this game we see that the sim

being used to play is Katy Perry and the whole game features her, her music and

custom features all to do with Katy, including all of the props noted when discussing the Katy Perry music video above!