Jean Baudrillard – Simulation, Hyperreality; Baudrillard observes that the contemporary world is a simulacrum, where reality has been replaced by false images, to such an extent that one cannot distinguish between the real and the unreal.

Essay Structure:

Define Postmodernism, define simulation and hyperreality, Take out examples from the example, then a concluding sentence saying what you think Postmodernism has come to.

definitions: Hyperreality – Being unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Postmodernism –

1. Deliberately playful, intertextual, reflexive
2. Fragmentation, disorder, displacement
3. A disconnection between cerebral and physical (ie mind and body Descartes – The Cartesian dilemma)
4. A lack of coherent time and place creates a world built around uncertainties and half-truths = a virtual world
5. A lack of knowledge and understanding
6. Lack of Metanarrative – the new postmodern world is structured and built upon complex and sometimes contradictory layers of organisations, instructions, ideas and individuals.
7. Individuals struggle to make sense and meaningful connections with this postmodern world.
8. No rational explanation, for cause and effect.
9. A loss of faith in scientific, empirical evidence.
10. Emphasis on repetition = Simulation – a series of simulated events, sequences and characters
11. Lack of overall Truth or coherent meaning
12. Memento represents a world of nobody’s living in nowheresville!
13. Individual and community alienation Individualistic / isolated narrative
14. Results in individuals becoming isolated and vulnerable
15. So individuals on focus on (understand, can cope with, are knowledgeable about) surface and style. As opposed to substance, content, cohesion, meaning, truth.
16. Individual personal pleasure and gain is the only significant motivating factor
17. Role of big organisations in dividing up society and individuals
18. pastiche (re-makes of familiar genre, Film Noir, Thriller or Who dunnit?) re-make
19. Fractured / split / multiple identity
20. hypperreality – it seems real, but unreal? exaggerated reality? an un-reality?

• Individual and community alienation Individualistic / isolated narrative
• Results in individuals becoming isolated and vulnerable
• So individuals on focus on (understand, can cope with, are knowledgeable about) surface and style. As opposed to substance, content, cohesion, meaning, truth.
• Individual personal pleasure and gain is the only significant motivating factor
• A disconnection between cerebral and physical (ie mind and body Descartes – The Cartesian dilemma)
• creates a world built around uncertainties and half-truths = a virtual world

STRUCTURE(9 marker)

first define/explain postmodernism

then define the key concepts and who said them

after that mention the print product and how it relates to the key concepts.(Futuristic, dystopia, individualism, escapism)

lastly, express thoughts on postmodernism itself.

Simulation-when reality is replaced with signs and representations.

hyperreality- where audiences cant tell the difference between simulation and reaslity

what is postmodernism?

what is the truth and knowledge behind it?

Structure – Define Postmodernism -> Define key concepts & theorists -> Link the CSP to postmodernism and it’s concepts

Simulacrum & Hyperreality – Baudrillard

Individuals focus on, understand, can cope with and are knowledgeable about surface and style. As opposed to substance, content, meaning and truth.

Creates a world built around uncertainties and half truths, its a virtual world.

First define / explain postmodernism —> Then define the key concepts and who’s said them. —> After that mention the print product and how it relates to the key concepts[Futuristic, dystopia, individualism, escapism ] —> Lastly, express thoughts on postmodernism itself.

Postmodern movies aim to subvert highly-regarded expectations, which can be in the form of blending genres or messing with the narrative nature of a film. For example, Pulp Fiction is a Postmodern film for the way it tells the story out of the ordinary, upending our expectations of film structure.

1. Pastiche =  a work of art, drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist.
2. Parody =  an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.
3. Bricolage = the process of improvisation in a human endeavour
4. Intertextuality = can be a reference or parallel to another literary work, an extended discussion of a work, or the adoption of a style.
5. Referential= of, containing, or constituting a reference
6. Surface and style over substance and content= although someone looks immaculately dressed or styled, behind the façade, there is no substance or content.
7. Metanarrative=  concerns narratives of historical meaning, experience or knowledge and offers legitimation of such through the anticipated completion of some master idea
8. Hyperreality= the inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality
9. Simulation (sometimes termed by Baudrillard as ‘Simulacrum’) 
10. Consumerist Society= a society in which people often buy new goods, especially goods that they do not need, and in which a high value is placed on owning many things.
11. Fragmentary Identities= multidisciplinary collaboration, involving visual communication, performative arts and fashion
12. Alienation= a withdrawing or separation of a person or a person’s affections from an object or position of former attachment
13. Implosion=  a situation in which something fails suddenly and completely, or the fact of this happening
14. Cultural appropriation= an inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.
15. Reflexivity= the fact of someone being able to examine their own feelings, reactions, and motives
16. Deconstructive postmodernism = deconstructionism is a challenge to the attempt to establish any ultimate or secure meaning in a text.

Postmodernism can therefore be understood (more than other creative movements) as deliberate, intended, self-conscious play (about play?), signs about signs, notes to notes? 

 It may even be ironic, joking, or literally, ‘just playing’. However, it is always a deliberate copy (of the old).

 clearly entails a recognition (a nod and a wink) to what it was and where it came from.

INDIVIDUALISM’

, it may be possible to identify the extent to which our economic experience is now characterised by what we buy (consumption) than what we make (production). 

there is an argument that postmodern culture is a consumer culture

 the extent to which the UK and much of Western Europe has shifted from manufacturing economies to consuming economies – ie we are structured around consuming things more than making things.

it is possible to link postmodernist cultural expression with broader shifts in society, specifically around economics and politics.

Postmodernism:

Postmodernism says that there is no real truth. It says that knowledge is always made or invented and not discovered. Because knowledge is made by people, a person cannot know something for sure – all ideas and facts are ‘believed’ instead of ‘known’.

• It’s an approach towards understanding, knowledge, life, being, art, technology, culture, sociology, philosophy, politics and history that is REFERENTIAL  (in that it often refers to / copies other things)
• RE-IMAGINING= To recreate or form a new conception of by recreation
• PASTICHE=A work of art, drama, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist.
• PARODY= A work or performance that imitates another work or performance with the use of irony and humour.
• COPY
• BRICOLAGE= construction of media with a diverse range of available things ‘involves the rearrangment and juxtaposition of previously unconnected signs to produce new codes of meaning’(Barker & Jane, 2016:237)

Narrative theory:

• Structure: beginning, middle, end- equillibrium -> disruption of equillibrium -> equilibrium restored. (freytags pyramid)
• Propp; characters and their roles, the theory that all characters are reimagined from a set of character templates ~(hero, villian, helper, princess, false hero, father)
• Turner makes clear that the roles aren’t specific to a singular character as one character can fit into more than one of these templates; and it is determined by their functions and SPHERES OF ACTION
• Chatman splits narrative and plot into two main structures; satalights and kernels, kernals being something absoluetly essential to the plot to make sense or for the audience to know. Satalights being something not essential to the plot that can be taken out- yet are important for subtle progression such as character development/ non-essential background context
• Barthes talks about the different type of codes through the narrative. Proairetic code: action, movement, causation Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development Enigma code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised – which encourage an audience to want more information. We can relate chatmans Satalight ideaology to hermenuetic code as development.

Denouement – the final part of a play, film, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved

Exposition – it is the background information on the characters and setting explained at the beginning of the story

Tomb Raider:

The main character of tomb raider is a female who partakes in violence which is not a common theme throughout older generation games/films. Lara Croft is represented in exposed clothing to appeal to heterosexual men – Laura Mulvey ‘Male Gaze’

Metroid:

Metroid cover displays a dominant signifier of a ‘male’ looking character which is the gender opposite of Tomb Raider. As you progress throughout the game it is revealed that under the suit the character is a female.

Postmodernism:

• It’s an approach towards understanding, knowledge, life, being, art, technology, culture, sociology, philosophy, politics and history that is REFERENTIAL  (in that it often refers to / copies other things)
• RE-IMAGINING= To recreate or form a new conception of by recreation
• PASTICHE=A work of art, drama, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist.
• PARODY= A work or performance that imitates another work or performance with the use of irony and humour.
• COPY
• BRICOLAGE= construction of media with a diverse range of available things ‘involves the rearrangment and juxtaposition of previously unconnected signs to produce new codes of meaning’(Barker & Jane, 2016:237)

Narrative theory:

• Structure: beginning, middle, end- equillibrium -> disruption of equillibrium -> equilibrium restored. (freytags pyramid)
• Propp; characters and their roles, the theory that all characters are reimagined from a set of character templates ~(hero, villian, helper, princess, false hero, father)
• Turner makes clear that the roles aren’t specific to a singular character as one character can fit into more than one of these templates; and it is determined by their functions and SPHERES OF ACTION
• Chatman splits narrative and plot into two main structures; satalights and kernels, kernals being something absoluetly essential to the plot to make sense or for the audience to know. Satalights being something not essential to the plot that can be taken out- yet are important for subtle progression such as character development/ non-essential background context
• Barthes talks about the different type of codes through the narrative. Proairetic code: action, movement, causation Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development Enigma code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised – which encourage an audience to want more information. We can relate chatmans Satalight ideaology to hermenuetic code as development.

Postmodernism:

• It’s an approach towards understanding, knowledge, life, being, art, technology, culture, sociology, philosophy, politics and history that is REFERENTIAL  (in that it often refers to / copies other things)
• RE-IMAGINING= To recreate or form a new conception of by recreation
• PASTICHE= A work of art, drama, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist.
• PARODY= A work or performance that imitates another work or performance with the use of irony and humour.
• COPY
• BRICOLAGE= construction of media with a diverse range of available things ‘involves the rearrangment and juxtaposition of previously unconnected signs to produce new codes of meaning’(Barker & Jane, 2016:237)

Narrative theory:

• Structure: beginning, middle, end- equillibrium -> disruption of equillibrium -> equilibrium restored. (freytags pyramid)
• Propp; characters and their roles, the theory that all characters are reimagined from a set of character templates ~(hero, villian, helper, princess, false hero, father)
• Turner makes clear that the roles aren’t specific to a singular character as one character can fit into more than one of these templates; and it is determined by their functions and SPHERES OF ACTION
• Chatman splits narrative and plot into two main structures; satalights and kernels, kernals being something absoluetly essential to the plot to make sense or for the audience to know. Satalights being something not essential to the plot that can be taken out- yet are important for subtle progression such as character development/ non-essential background context
• Barthes talks about the different type of codes through the narrative. Proairetic code: action, movement, causation Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development Enigma code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised – which encourage an audience to want more information. We can relate chatmans Satalight ideaology to hermenuetic code as development.

Linking narrative theory to the presentation of postmodernism

• You can see that the reiteration of historical events through modern media through concepts such as through parodys or pastiche have a strong link to techniques and ideas surrounding narrative structure and theory
• For example, the main goal for both these media forms would be to present a previous event and to educate the audience while keeping it less complicated and entertaining to provide a message that can be more widely taken on and accepted.
• Freytags pyramid- in reference of a historical event being presented via postmodernism, something catastrophically with many levels of details could be simplified to conform to the needs of a wider audience- a hisorical event such as World War One has many levels of depth and things that lead up to it, but a pastiche or

Narrative:

POSTMODERNISM
There is no “whole” “real” “you”, just collections of fragments. “You” as a concept is unstable and “schizophrenic” (disrupted). This is a source of exhilaration as it allows you to be free to construct yourself, however it can be a source of anxiety as well as you do not know who you are on a fundamental level.

NARRATIVE THEORY
Peripeteia – an unexpected reversal of circumstances (the tables have turned)
Anagnorisis – a revelation of the protagonists identity or actions
Catharsis

1. Linear – Happens in a set order
2. Chronological – The story happens in the order that it occurs
3. Sequential
4. Circular structure – The story ends where it begins, a loop where the characters have transformed somehow.
5. Time based
6. Narrative arc
7. Freytag’s Pyramid – The stages of a story, shaped like a pyramid (hence the name). Exposition -> inciting incident -> rising action -> climax – > falling action/denouement -> resolution
8. exposition – telling the story
9. inciting incident – The incident that begins the story
10. rising action – The slow rise of action towards the climax
11. climax – The emotional/action high point of the film
12. falling action – The slow fall of action towards the resolution
13. resolution – The problem is solved and the end of the story
14. denouement – same as falling action & resolution
15. Beginning / middle / end –
16. Equilibrium – Everything is balanced
17. Disruption – An event that disrupts the balance of the equilibrium
18. Transgression – often disequilibrium is caused by societal / moral / ethical transgression (ie challenging Aristotelian virtues)
19. New equilibrium – The return of the equilibrium after the resolution of the story
20. The 3 Unities: Action, Time, Place
21. flashback / flash forward – A time skip that shows the audience information
22. Foreshadowing – Hinting at an event that is going to happen
23. Ellipsis
24. Pathos
25. Empathy
26. diegetic / non-diegetic
27. slow motion
28. In Media Res – starting in mid-action
29. Metanarratives – drawing attention to the process of storytelling – A narrative that references it’s creator/that it is just a narrative.
30. Quest narratives

Post Modern Theory

Many Films and Television Programmes exhibit postmodern traits. Descriptions of the most significant Postmodern themes in Television and Films are below:

pastiche is a work of art, drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist

parody is a work or performance that imitates another work or performance with ridicule or irony

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”.

What is Baudrillard theory?

Baudrillard claims that our current society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs, and that human experience is a simulation of 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.

What makes a text postmodernism

Criticism of metanarratives – postmodern texts usually try to distance themselves from traditional ways of making meaning, and will break the rules of existing metanarratives such as religion or science

Rejection of high culture – postmodern texts will often use a deliberately ‘trashy’ aesthetic

Breaking rules – postmodern texts often break fundamental rules of making media, for example by ‘breaking the fourth wall’

Intertextuality – postmodern texts often routinely make reference to other texts, cultures and times

Style over substance – surface meanings are seen as more important in a postmodern text than any deeper meaning

Peripeteia – a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances.

Anagnorisis – where a character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or true nature.

Catharsis – the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

1. Bricolage  – Bricolage is a technique or creative mode, where works are constructed from various materials available or on hand, and is often seen as a characteristic of postmodern art practice.
2. Intertextuality – can be a reference or parallel to another literary work, an extended discussion of a work, or the adoption of a style.
3. Referential –
4. Surface and style over substance and content –
5. Metanarrative – theory that tries to give a totalizing, comprehensive account to various historical events, experiences, and social, cultural phenomena based upon the appeal to universal truth or universal values.
6. Hyperreality – something that give a representation of characters that aren’t socially normal or acceptable. eg disney world. exaggerated otherness
7. Simulation (sometimes termed by Baudrillard as ‘Simulacrum’)  – an image or representation of someone or something
8. Consumerist Society – a society in which people often buy new goods, especially goods that they do not need, and in which a high value is placed on owning many things.

Narrative

a spoken or written account of connected events; a story.

Peripeteia – a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances.

Anagnorisis – where a character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or true nature.

Catharsis – the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

The Three Unities

– Action: a tragedy should have one principal action
– Time: the action in a tragedy should occur over a period of no more than 24 hours.
– Place: a tragedy should exist in a single physical location.

Tripartite Narrative Structure

Equilibrium – a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced.

Disruption – disturbance or problems which interrupt the balance.

New Equilibrium – a new and possibly different state of balance.

Freytag’s Pyramid

first three lines – demonstrate that you know what postmodernism is

postmodernism is a shift in society in terms of culture and people

next few lines – knowledgeable that these two terms come from Jean Baudrillard – define

next half of a side – cherry pick some examples from the csp about what postmodernism is

end line – conclusive sentence on what you think of postmodernism

half a page on simulation / half a page of hyperreality

9 marks – 12 mins

Analyse Figure 1 using the following postmodern ideas:
• simulation
• hyperreality.
[9 marks]

Indicative content
This question assesses the ability to apply knowledge and understanding of
the theoretical framework of media language to analyse media products,
particularly focusing on:
• how the different modes and language associated with different media
forms communicate multiple meanings
• how the combination of elements of media language influence meaning
• how audiences respond to and interpret the above aspects of media
language.
Baudrillard’s ideas and theories on postmodernism:
• simulation
• hyperreality.
In the analysis of the video game cover for Gears of War students are
expected to apply ideas of simulation and hyperreality to analyse the meaning
of the images in the product.
Answers in the higher bands are likely to deal critically with the ideas in the
question whereas answers in the lower bands are likely to only offer
examples from the product. There is no requirement for students to deal with
both ideas equally.
The content below is not prescriptive and all valid points should be
credited. It is not expected that responses will include all of the points listed.
In their analysis of the Gears of War cover, students may discuss:
• the cover is an example of hyperreality constructed through a series of
simulations of armed forces
• the visual codes and construction as they relate to concepts of hyperreality
and simulation (mise-en-scène constructed of exaggerated human/robot
figures, war-torn setting, costumes and weaponry)
• the relationship between the title and the imagery – the dehumanising of
soldiers as gears, a simulation of the real world
• the blurring of the line between fantasy and reality is evident in the
representation of armed forces as machines, drawing on a mix of mediated
images (sci-fi) and reality (implosion)
• the human element of the soldier – foregrounded by the direct address to
the audience – contrasts with the robot-machine construction of the body.
Accept any other valid analytical responses. Answers must link to the focus
of the question.