Promoting Media Revision Homework Weeks 1,2

Week 1

Film Regulators: British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

TV and Radio regulators: Ofcom.

Advertising regulators: Advertising Standards Authoritiy (ASA).

Newspaper and magazine regulators: Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).

Video game regulators: Games Rating Authority (GRA).

Explain what a POSTMODERNIST film is. What features would it include? 

Pastiche - Means to combine, multiple elements. In postmodernist media this can be an homage to or a parody of past styles. It can often reference pop culture as part of the narrative. 

Spectacle – Television creates spectacle from time to time to grab attention and keep audiences coming back for more. 

Faux TV – Mockumentaries, television shows about television shows and fake news.

Magical Realism – is where the magic, the supernatural or ultra advanced technologies are often presented in real world mundane settings.

Anti-Hero – Postmodern productions often blur the lines between good and evil, light and dark, for both characters and viewers.

Examples of Post Modernism in Television

Pastiche

Life on Mars – Set 25 years before production, homage to British 1970’s cop shows. 

The Simpsons – US TV’s longest running sitcom, often uses popular culture references

Spectacle

The Jeremy Kyle Show – Sets up hapless/ uneducated guests to embarrass themselves in trashy situations and to fight each other.

Big Brother – Postmodern game show, mixes reality TV with dystopian novel 1984. Housemates, bitch, plot and scheme to win a cash prize.

Faux TV

The Office – Mockumentary sitcom parodying reality TV documentaries set in work places such as The Call Centre and The Airport

Modern Family – Mockumentary sitcom of a large extended family made up of stero-typical characters

Magical Realism

Humans – Drama set in modern world where life like androids are used as servants by the human population. 

Game of Thrones – Medieval set fantasy where dragons mix with political intrigue and ancient mythologies. 

Anti-Hero

Breaking Bad – Chemistry teacher Walt evolves throughout the series progression into drug lord. This driven by his terminal cancer and wish to cement a legacy.

Sons of Anarchy – Jax Teller rises to become leader of a motorcycle gang who use drug money to control the town in which they live.

Key Theorists

Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007) was a French sociologist, cultural theorist, author, political commentator. His best known theories involve hyperreality and simulation. Baudrillard described hyperreality as "the generation by models of a real without origin or reality”. 

Hyperreality is an inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in advanced postmodern societies. Hyperreality is seen as a condition of what is real and what is fiction are blended together so there is no clear distinction to where one ends and the other begins.

The Lego Movie is a POSTMODERNIST film. Explain how the The Lego Movie 

fits this term. The Lego Movie is a postmodernist film because it challenges genre conventions by by being a mixture of comedy, action and fantasy. Emmet and Wildstyle also challenge the typical 'hero and sidekick' duo stereotypes as Wildstyle is the sidekick but does most of the heroic acts whereas Emmet is the hero but acts more like the sidekick. Also, The lego Movie is a pastiche of The Matrix as both have common themes and similar characters. The Lego Movie is also use hyper-reality as the settings and characters are made out of lego which makes the audience aware that they are watching a movie as it is unrealistic. 

Week 2

1. Toderov claims that any film narrative can be divided into the following five steps:

• Equilibrium: Everything in the fictional film world is 'normal' but does not have to be good.
• Disruption of equilibrium: Something happens (usually initiated by the films main antagonist) to disrupt equilibrium. 
• Recognition of disruption: The protagonist realised there is something wrong in their world or discover the disruption.
• Attempt to resolve disruption: The main protagonist goes on a journey to resole the disruption or problem.
• New equilibrium: The disruption is resolved and a new normal is found (things are not the same as before the disruption but a new normal is created).

Explain how The Lego Movie narrative (storyline) fits Toderov's theory. At the start of the movie, the equilibrium is presented with the song 'Everything is Awesome' and the people (such as Emmet) are shown, following instructions. In the human world, the boy isn't allowed to play with his Dad's lego. The equilibrium is disrupted when Lord Business plans to 'fix' the world and Emmet accidentally discovers the piece of resistance and meets Wildstyle who changes his routine. The disruption

is recognised when Wildstyle tells emmet about the special one and they discover Lord Business' plan. It is attempted to be resolved when Emmet, Wildstyle and the other protagonists attempt to stop Lord Business. In the new equilibrium, creativity and teamwork is encouraged and Lord business is forgiven. The dad lets the boy play with his lego.