How are music videos post modern?

How are music videos post modern?

Post modernity in music videos can be shown in many different types of elements; all elements are used to create a style and concept in the arts characterized by a distrust of theories by the drawing of attention to conventions. 

One way of music videos being post modern is pastiche this is when music videos references another media form. There are many reasons why artists use pastiche such as inspiration, changing meanings or subconscious development. For example in Madonna’s video ‘Material Girl’ the Mise en scene is almost identical to the one in ‘Gentlemen prefer Blondes’. They have similar pink cocktail dresses, they have props of hearts that men in tuxedos are holding and they also have similar choreography. The pastiche was not necessarily a tribute for Marylyn Monroe but more so for the Hollywood concept of the sexy blonde whose aims to get exactly what she wants which is the manner Madonna wanted to create.

An example of intertexuality would be the music video ‘Sabotage’ by the Beastie Boys, the camera work in this music video involved lots of quick cuts, montage of footage and lots of different low and high angles shots. This replicates the conventions of 1980’s cop shows.  The intertexuality was used to create a quick pace for the music video and to keep the audience on edge and engaged but also almost humorous.

Parody is another popular form of making music videos post modern; parodying has the intention of mocking a form of media/creation. Eminem frequently uses parody in many of his music videos. One example would be the use of referencing to Jessica Simpson. He parodies her by mocking her own video ‘Boots are made for walking’. He dresses up as Jessica Simpson and tries to act sexy but is clearly deliberately making her / himself look stupid. Parody is used to entertain the audience and it also blurs the boundaries of high and low culture as there is no divide between good and bad, meaning that Eminem can do whatever he pleases.

Bricolage is another example of how music videos become post modern.  Blending of different genres and styles is post modern as it distrusts the idea of having conventions for only one genre and it can all be blended. An example of this would be Lady Gaga’s telephone. It is a music video in terms of its purpose, however due to its high cinematography, the length of the video and different episodic scene and continuality it could also be a short film. Another reason why it is like bricolage would be that the music video follows on from the previous.