Rewrite of 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. 

In Lady Gaga’s telephone, Throughout the whole video there is a high amount of product placement, whether it is there to be ironic or to celebrate public consumerism. Many of the products had paid to be apart of the video, this had funded for a large part of her video as her music video was highly cinematic and unlike any other conventional video. However some of these products may have been there for a reason, many people think that having all these products in the video is Lady Gaga’s way of saying that we live in a reality that revolves around consumerism and could develop into a grand narrative. However she could be ironic as she is using the products as well.

The intertexuality of Lady Gaga’s music video is also very strong, In this particular video she was directly inspired by Tarantino’s pop-art aesthetic and this is reflected through the strong colours and cartoon feel. This sequence appears to be similar to a film or television episode opening, which suggests a blurring of the line between reality or truth, and hints that this video will be more than the average one.

Tarantino’s reference also came into the video through the 'Pussy Wagon' from 'Kill Bill'.  Lady Gaga is a controversial artist, and by putting the car into her video she is likening herself to the character from 'Kill Bill' who is trying to get revenge on those who wronged her, suggesting Gaga is doing the same within the video.

She was inspired by Warhol's exploration of mass consumer culture and advertising , so Gaga challenged the gender stereotype of the "perfect housewife" portrayed heavily in 1950s pop culture, using Wonder Bread and Miracle. The art element is strong in the music video, and throughout the parts where there is no singing, the editing seems to follow the rules of continuity which also breaks the conventions of music video. 

Towards the end of the video, there are intertextual references to a news station where there is a report on Gaga & Beyonce being on the run. There is also a radio announcement in the video. The video is very American with shots of diners, motel rooms and outfits with the American flag on.  There is a wonder woman theme continued through, and having Beyonce (who is a major US popstar) feature in the video and feature on the song as well, she is creating a synergy between the two artists and therefore her market is widened as Beyonce's fans will want to watch the video/buy the song as well.

The video has a strong sense of feminism as she is trying to break the stereotypes of women in the pop music/music video industry today. 

In her video Born This Way, the video has a lot of spiritual symbolism and it contains many references to God. It starts with a ‘manifesto of mother monster’, which she references to herself. There are many references to God with phrases such, “as her mother telling her he made you perfect” and “‘Cause God makes no mistakes” it shows her belief in God’s existence. However Lady Gaga does not promote the traditional belief of religion but she tries to show it as a bad way of making excuses of things many people don’t believe in. She is basically saying that God is not allowing her to believe and behave how she wants. For example a direct link would be, 'cause baby you were born this way (emphasis added) No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgendered life” she declares any gender to be acceptable, and appears to side with nature in the nature verses nurture debate by saying people were born with a certain gender. Postmodernism is further evident not only by the acceptance of mixing worldviews but also promoting the legitimacy of any belief as long as it is your own.

Through out the video she is highly alienated as she has unnatural lights, distraught hair and lots of mixing visual effects. This symbolises her uniqueness and how she holds attention. The simulation is present in the video with the constant disfigure of Lady Gaga is deliberately creating a blur between human and simulation.

Another thing that makes this video post modern is the blurring of boundaries.  The culture of high and low culture has been eroded. A good example of this in the video would be the parts where lady Gaga and another actor are seen to have tattoos all over their face. However obscene it looked, she was able to make it look classy and ‘sexy’. This shows that there is no such thing as bad taste and you can do whatever you like without negative comments.