"Define Post-modern media with examples."

Post-modern media, is media that originates from another time or existing piece, it defies the rules of context and meaning, by formulating creations that use any combination of components. Nothing can be wrong. Works can be full of depth and depth-less at the same time. They steal, change and warp current concepts and manipulate the viewers perception of reality. Post-modernism is based on the concept that the possibilities of the media have been exhausted and therefore we are left with regurgitating the past. 

Post-modern media is media that can be regarded as unoriginal, a it is usually based are pre-existing works and features referencing. Post-modern theorist such as Kirby Fergusson, suggested everything is a remix and therefore all new media is post-modern. This is the concept that all new media projects are connected with no originality and creativity relies on the ability to copy, transform and combine current pieces. This idea of continuous transformation can be witnessed in real world texts, for example; The song 'Gold Digger' by Kayne West is a remix of the song 'I got a woman' by Ray Charles, which is in turn a remix of the song 'It must be Jesus' by The Southern Tones. Although it may be viewed that each of these new songs are unique as these merely use elements of one another and are ultimately original, however these pieces are regarded post-modern, as not only do they use elements of backing track etc. but they also warp the meaning of the song taking it out of context and completely changing the original message, this is an example of Levis Strauss 'Bricolage.' The original song goes from being about the wonderful acts of Jesus, to the kind acts of a girlfriend to the degrading song about a Gold digging girlfriend. No consideration of context is applied.

Post modern media has become popular in recent years and many professional set out to purposely create post-modern work. One such individual is the director Quentin Tarintino. His film 'Inglourious Basterds' alone, contains multiple post-modern elements. As the opening credits run Tarintino selects the background music to be that of a spaghetti western track, a piece of music created after the film is even set. This element is an example 'Bricolage', bringing separate material together and placing it in a new context with no consideration to its previous relevance. The chapter one setting also references a similarly set film 'The Sound of Music', this focuses on the process of transposition, taking familiar scenery from an originally heart warming scene and transforming it to a new setting, to give it a more sinister feel, something considered post modern. The use of hyper-reality is also a frequent element within this film, such as Tarintino explicitly showing scenes as sets and not real places, with the use of over-head shots. This is post-modern as illustrates that the fake reality usually portrayed as being real, is being portrayed as fake, it is both creating and destroying the sense of reality. Further to this Tarintino also frequently uses Intertextual references of past works within his film, most of which derive from his own projects. Such referencing includes; High levels of gore, similar to 'Reservoir Dogs', the female glamour combined with weaponry and action seen in Jackie Brown, and also army camp scenes that are almost a pastiche of scenes from the 'Dirty Dozen.'

Post-modern media can also be presented in the form of a Parody, an imitation intended to mock past works. This can be seen in films such as 'Hobo with a shotgun'. This film can be regarded by some to be purposely bad and therefore exaggerate the ridiculous elements of other films, to formulate a piece that is totally bizarre. Such examples within the film include the over-the-top acting that attempts at some points to evoke emotion but is too fake to be taken seriously. The levels of gore within the film are also unnecessary and gruesome, such as a girl having her arm ripped off by a lawnmower. This within another film such as that of 'Saw' might be horrifying, however in the parody context it is simply unrealistic. The result of such media is that it makes you reassess how you ever found the original texts entertaining. 

Post-modernism is often criticised for producing copies that lack the substance of the original creation. This idea was presented by theorist Baudrillard and is described as Simulacrum. This concept is frequently seen within advertising campaigns that attempt to present a product in its most appealing light, such as a McDonald's poster, however the real product that you can purchase bears no resemblance to the artificial image. These advertisement create a an illusion of reality and present an unattainable reality. The claim is that there is no direct link between reality and its expression in words and pictures e.g. your Big Mac looks nothing like it is 'supposed' to.

To conclude, modernism was considered to stress the creativity of individual ideas, focusing on integrity and authenticity. However media nowadays is almost destined to be post-modern, with most works being influenced and formulated by multiple people, it is also available all over the world to download and view. Unlike a piece of artwork which usually exists in its original form alone, media such as films and TV are intended to be broadcast and spread in its copies far and wide. Therefore the only form of media we can view is that of a copy and media cannot exist in its pure modernist form.