Macro and Micro postmodern elements of ‘Inglorious Barsterds'

When analysing a postmodern we can categorize postmodern elements into ‘macro’ and ‘micro’ features of a text. ‘Macro’ refers to an observation about the text which is in relation to something outside the film itself. For example, a representation of society or a text being intertextual. ‘Micro’ refers to a postmodern element that is just within the film itself, for example hyperreality or playfulness. ‘Inglorious Barsterds’, a film Quentin Tarantino is considered to be postmodern, which is shown through many different factor – it has both Micro and Macro features of postmodernism. A micro level of postmodernism in ‘Inglorious Barsterds’ is through the hyperreality that we are presented with. One scene which hyperreal is the scene when the character of the woman who owns the cinema is looking out of a window, looking down at a crowd of people and there is some very powerful non-digetic music playing. The style of the scene is shot very much like a music video, and an audience would straight away recognise this, it is also very different from the way the rest of the film is filmed. It is hyperreal as the way it is filmed is not in anyway realistic interpretation of the scene and situation, Tarantino using a media reality (a music video) to present the scene, it does not represent reality. This is a micro element as there are no influences or references from the outside world.

A macro level of postmodernism would be valueless and meaningless nature of the film. It is a film about the Fist World War and it could be argued that the film is very insensitive and here is no meaning behind the film, reflecting the postmodern theory that as a result of capitalism all text is meaningless and valueless. This is a macro level of postmodernism as it has influences from the outside world bringing the postmodern features. Inglorious basterds shows through many different areas of the film. It creates comic situations and characters out of a very dark and sensitive part of history. For example the character of Hitler and other German figures and made to be sort of charactertures of the real person. This also creates a very meaningless and shallow perception of the Second World War, it creates a very basic ‘badies’ and ‘goodies’ idea. This illustrates postmodern ideas, it shows how the film is created to please an audience, a western audience, Tarantino is creates this valueless insight to the war because that is what an audience wants to see. There is no want for value to the film, the audience wants to see Brad Pitt defeating the Nazis.

Notes on article 'Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants'

Here are some notes on the article 'Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants' by Marc Prensky. He is writing about the influence new technology and media has on young people minds, and whether it affects how they learn.

- The reason for the decline of education is because student have changed dramatically - "students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach"
- There has been a big change within young people, bot in there style or clothes but an unusual and singular quality has taken place - which has maybe changed things so dramatically that it will not go back - the arrival of digital technology.
- Our generation is the first to grow up with this - we have spent our entire live surrounded by it.
- On average college grads have spent 5000 hours of their lives reading and 10,000 on playing video games
- Through the new media of today young people "think and process information differently than before". - The difference goes further than educators realize.

- It is likely that students brains have physically changed.
- students are 'digital natives' of our era
- people who have not grown up with this same exposure to the digital world - "digital immigrants"- the older generation have a "different language".
- This could be a problem as less digitally able older people are struggling to teach the younger population that now speak a "different language".

-"Digital Natives" - young people are used to receiving information fast and having immediate gratification.
- the two different generations have different ways of learning, older generations don't believe that you can learn whilst listening to music because they did not do this or have practiced this unlike younger generations - teachers assume that there learning methods still apply to who they are teaching

- What can happen? can younger people (with the influence new technology has had on our brains and the ability to learn) learn the old fashioned way.

-Prensky believes teachers should learn to communicate in the style of there students, through method and content
- teach faster, less step by step
- need to teach more about and through digital technology, which students would find interesting.
- there needs to be a major shift in the method of teaching

- a video game was made called 'monkey wrench' to help people in the engineering industry to help understand new technology - it was phenomenally successful in getting people to understand the software.
- similar rethinking teaching methods needs to be applied to all subjects - need to make 'Digital Natives' methologies for all subjects.

Media Institutions

Here are some notes on different institutions in the media, I have looked at there funding streams, values, products and political affiliations.

ITV
Funding streams:
- has lots of different sources of funding
-'Sky' is a big shareholder
- There is a massive power struggle between the different shareholders
Values
- The official ITV website clearly gives its values which are:
- Commitment
- Boldness
- Integrity
- Excellence
- Commercial
- Some critics and the public complain that it always has a lack of good programmes and is not loyal.

Political Affiliations
- Does not have much political affiliations
- Just wants to make money, makes bad programmes (phoneline gameshows)
- Very capitalist and money orientated business, could sway more right wing
- originally was a more left wing organisation - the founder of ITV was more concerned with making quality TV rather than a more money orientated purpose, the founder had much more left wing values. However did not make much money and had to get more funding streams and the quality began to lack.

Products
- lots of merchandise
- trying to make the most money

Google

Political affiliations
- 98% of google employers gave votes to Democrats
- Conservative ads have been censored by google but not liberal
- Google has been bias through 'sponsored links' anti-religious and anti-Conservative ads in the past
- they are actively blocking advertisement

Funding streams
- Michael Mortis invested $12.5 million in 1999, there investment is now worth 3 billion
- he was promoted supporter of Obamas election

Products
- Google Chrome
- Google Earth
- Googlemail
- Sketch up (3D modelling programme)
- Google talk
- Youtube

Google is used hugely in Britain

Moral Panic and the Media

Moral Panic Notes

Moral Panic - Abstract concept used to make sense of "Irrational public hysteria" - it is unsure where it comes from or when it started, an example of a Moral Panic would be paedophilia.
- a public and academic debate on moral panic works on the assumptions that the media plays a significant role in determining the characteristics of a moral panic.
- It signifies complex processes that shape public perceptions of a perceived threat to the moral code of society.

Processual Model (Stanley Cohen article)
- Attends to process, argues there is an actual process to moral panics
7 different stages
emergence - when a form of behaviour becomes perceived as a threat
media inventory - explanation of threat is manipulated by media
moral entrepreneurs - groups or organisations speak out and offer solutions
coping and resolution - reactions of media, moral entrepreneurs and experts reads to legal reform
fading away - the condition disappears, submerges or deterines and becomes more visible
legacy - a moral panic has a long term effect and creates big changes policy, the law or society's views of itself.

Attribution Model - (Eric Goode and Nachman Ben article)
- "moral panics: the social construction of deviance"
- Claims those working in the media, political institutions and the legal system have an impact on moral panics trough "claims making"
- 5 elements or criteria distinguishing attributes to moral panics
1 Concern - a heightened level of concern, measured through opinion poll etc
2 Hostility - Increased hostility to a group or category - seen as 'enemy' to 'respectable society'
3 Consensus - a substational segman and and society agrees that the Moral Panic is real and caused by the 'wrongdooers'
4 Disproportionality - the reaction by the public is out of proportion to the actual harm
5 Volatility - the idea that the moral panics an volatile by nature, erupt quickly but also often subside quietly, each episode cannot be sustained for long


Here I have written some notes on different moral panics we have been studying and noted different areas of the processual and attribution model which could be related.

Moral Panic - Case Studies

"Video Nasties"
- First Introduced in the early 1980s, was a term used to describe violent content (emergence)
- Term used by religious organisations - Mary Whitehouse (moral entrepreneurs)
- 'Video Recordings act' 1984, provided tighter restrictions in video content
- was down to individuals who accused some films as "video nasties" (Coping and resolution)
- "video nasties" was blamed for the increase in violent crime, became a scapegoat for all areas of social ills. (Media inventory)

"Paedophilia"
- There was a big shift between 'Child Molesters' and 'paedophiles' - paedophiles were seen as organised (emergence) (media inventory)
- there was more of a rise in stories about paedophiles then there was in the crime itself
- the stories in he media and the whole moral panic could undermine the seriousness of paedophilia (media inventory)
- more precautions were taken in social care and paedophilia was cracked down on much harder (Coping and resolutions) (legacy)
- stories around paedophilia are still popular in the media and is still seen as a 'scare' (legacy)

Comparison between 'Somerstown' and 'Slumdog Millionaire'

In looking and researching British film we have been asked to research both 'Slumdog MIllionaire' and 'Somerstown', and research and compare the 'Britishness' of both films. 'Somerstown' is obvioulsly a much more blatent British film, it is a low budget Britsih film, but however has done very well. It is set and filmed in central London, and it represents the culture and socity of the time, it persifically represents the working class comunity. This is something which really emphasises it 'Britishness' as it is very common for British films to represent a certain social group ir culture in Britain, as we can see from other iconic British films such as 'Trainspotting' or 'This is England'. The film represent many fdifferent aspects of Britain and for that I think would be classed as a British film. The film has British actors and a British director - Shane Meadows who is a renoud British fim maker and a British writer Paul Fraser. I think the British influences on the film are very strong and generally it has a very british gritty feel, also a factor which makes it British. However the film is funded by Eurostar a non-British institution. This could be a factor which you argue make the film less British, however I think that the style and narrative of the film make it very typically British. 'Slumdog Millionaire' however is somewhat the opposite, it is funded by channel 4, a very typically British institution. But the stroy is originally written by an Indian author, and the book is set and about India. The story looks alot at Indian culture and the problems within India and has relation back to Britain. However the Director, like somerstown is a renound British director, who also directed 'Trainspotting' and '28 days later', so the style of the film may have British elements. Also the writer of the screenplay - Simon Beaufoy is a British writer and so the script may have British insluences in their. I think although the story is not actually about Britain and so in that respect it is not British, I think that becasue of the British input through the both the sirector the institution and the screenplay writer that there will still be also of British influence and when watching the film, like somerstown you really get a feel of the 'Britshness'

Analysis of three articles

Representing Contemporarty Britain
This article explores ways in which British cinema represents various issues such as; sexuality, class ethnicity and gender. It looks at many different films giving examples of different ways things can be represented. Through this also it explores how films over the decades have influenced eachotherand are also influenced by society and the changes with in it. It also explores how within British cinema there is a big political influence, for example in the section on 'sexuality' it talks about how the representaion of homosexuality reflects the political and societies resposes to it. The article gives many examples of different films over the years and and within this shows trends and patterns of how films represent the different aspects of society. The article is not really criticle but rather observes how representation has changed and how and why.

Richard Curtis Article
This article explores film can represent the ideologies and values of a society. In particular the writer looks at Richard Curtis and his films and the representaion of Britain he beliefs Richard Curtis is trying to create - 'Curtisland'. Everthing written about Curtises films is related back to politics, for example it talks about how the optimisim within Curtises films reflect the mood of Britain at the time. It is criticle of the picture of Britain it claims Curts tries to create - "Britain was suddenly a witty self-deprecating place, a Doris Day film by the Thames in which it was forever Christmas". The article looks at this Richard Curtis trend of films from 'four weddings and a funeral' to 'Briget Jones' and oserves the similarities of the representaion of Britain and relates it back to politics.

Meidia, Pleasure and Identity
This article explores how the media is used for the public to escape from the real world, also how different type of media are interpreted by audiences in different ways.

Media Practical Yr 12

Pitch -
Charlie Biggs is a sharp, attractive, impish, smooth talking, young man living in a working class area in North London. In trouble with the law, and various gangs around him he finds himself in a very sticky situation. To get away from his problems and lifestyle his only option is to move to rural Suffolk and live with his quirky great aunt on her 50 acre farm. The inevitable culture clash brings hilarious consequences but also love and happiness.

Synopsis -
Charlie Biggs is living in Camden in a small flat, unemployed and loving his care free life Charlie finds himself getting into all different kinds of trouble but somehow always seeming to get away with it, down to his charm and wit. Eventually Charlie finds himself in a situation which he can’t talk his way out of. Because he is in trouble with the law and a local gang, who are a lot bigger than him, his only choice is to move far away were no one can find him. Reluctantly he moves to rural Suffolk to live with his quirky great aunt, Enid.At first Charlie seems to despise his new life, not getting on with the locals and finding it very hard living with his slightly odd but very comic aunt. Eventually Charlie starts to appreciate the smaller things in life and begins to enjoy the company of the peculiar characters of the small town he is living in. Charlie, who has made quite and impression on the locals, falls in love with the land lord of the pub (were he works) daughter. When things are looking up for Charlie he is approached with the gang, who have found him. As well as Charlie being threatened with death unless he pays them the money, he is also disturbing the town and many of the people living are very distraught.

The Task
For the task we have to create a two minute opening to our film. We had to make the opening scene enthralling, exciting and most importantly make the audience eager to watch more. The

Group:
Elsie (Me)
Matty
Ibby

Influences
C.H.A.S.E was developed by a number of influences such as; Train spotting because of its thrilling chase scene. Our other influence was This is England, Kidulthood and this is England. The similarities between are two influences are that they have an British authencity and they represented life for the deprivated areas of England. These were all elements we were aiming to implement in our film. Also we liked the idea of how films sub merged genres so we wanted to add a love theme later on in the film which leads to the change of the protagonist.There were a few films that influenced into creating our synopsis;
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zKuhanoKds
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cDL8juJ5uBc

From these two intro’s we were confident we could combine the ideas and make our own effective opener in two minutes.The Storyboard. For the Storyboard me and the group decided to do a photographic storyboard. The storyboard contains the certain shots we are going to take, how long the shots are going to be and how we are going to sequence our opening two minutes. Below is a link to the storyboard.
http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=1137986&da=y

The Pitch Me and the group have to pitch our ideas to the media department in order to gain the integral equipment. Below is our pitch. Film Schedule The group and I have agreed to begin the filming process on Wednesday the 10th of December. furthermore, we have agreed to 11,15 and the 18th of Decemeber. All these dates are efficient for us because the group have free periods during some of these days and we have media lessons. The group are willing, to do extra days if needed to finish the task. We have agreed to locate our shots at 3 different places;

Cherwell School (North Site)
Cornmarket St (Town)
Paradise Square (Town)




Evaluation -

Genre- Urban Action Thriller

Our two minute entry to the film “C.H.A.S.E” was initially going to be and have the conventions of a romantic comedy, however when we started filming we decided that it would be more interesting and easier to portray an action drama. We tried to portray a typical British urban based action thriller such as films like ‘This is England’ or ‘Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’. Generally the progress in making the piece went well and I am pleased with our end product. In our preliminary task we did not have a very clear story board, this made it hard to know exactly where to start in our filming and our filming was not ordered and that it much harder to edit too. From this we learnt that we must make a very clear storyboard to base our filming on. To try and organise the group and the actors we a made a film schedule, we gave one to each of the actors and then had one ourselves. It told everyone when and where we were filming and really helped in getting the group organised. We used the shots of the run down area and the graffiti at the beginning to portray the ‘edgy’ feel and to connote the working class area we wanted to show. We wanted our film to represent a sub culture that are involved in drugs, violence and gang culture. The protagonist represents a young working class boy involved in this culture – but who is also bright and very charismatic. We tried to portray this thorough the costumes chosen for our characters, with them wearing ‘hoodies’ which stereotypically represents this social group. The music we chose was typical of the genre as it is intense and fast and makes the piece more thrilling, a viewer may associate it with the particular social group being represented. We wanted to create a feeling of suspense in our product which is typical of an action drama. Our first few shots of our protagonist running were fast cut which not only matches the shots of him running, but gives a feel of the action that would be in the rest of the film, we got this idea from the British drama ‘Trainspotting’.We wanted our product to have conventional aspects of an action drama, so the first two minutes were very action based; we used fast editing and thrilling music and it was a chase scene. However we still did want to show the romance, so we challenged the conventions slightly by including a suggestion of a romance, this also set out an idea for what will happen in the rest of the film and an introduction to he principle characters. The girl represents an opposing social group; she is a well educated middle class young girl which we hope the audience will recognize. To try and portray this we made an obvious difference in their appearance having the girl in smarter clothes which were more suitable for her character, we gave her with a middle class accent. We wanted it to be clear that there was a difference of background because this is something that would be addressed in the rest of the film. I think that the institution that may want to distribute our film would be a British institution perhaps one like Film Four. Film Four has a lot of films which styles are similar as ours. They tend to have more independent films rather than high budget films which is what ours would be, it also often has British films and British film makers which we wanted to be a part of our film, such as film like ‘This is England’ - which is distributed by Film Four, we wanted our film to portray British culture which Film Four does often. Film Four attracts the type of audience we would want to attract. Our product would probably attract a young adult audience as the themes and issues of our film do generally attract a younger audience. Younger people are represented in the film which would also attract the target audience because they will be able to relate with the characters. At the start we used fast cuts and intense music in hope to drawing the audience in and get their attention strait away. At the end the audience is left at a ‘cliff hanger’ which makes them want to keep watching. We tried to make our product as thrilling and tried to create as much tension as possible to attract the audience and make them want to keep watching.To edit our product we used ‘i-movie’. This at first was hard as we did not no how to use the programme, but as we started editing more though we found it easier to use. The editing programme is not as advanced as some programmes, so it did limit us in some areas – for example we could not use effects or advanced editing tools. However this did not limit us as we did not want to use effects as our product was a realistic drama and we thought special effects would not be appropriate. When filming we used different equipment to help us; we used for example tripods to keep the camera at eye level giving the piece a more personal feel. It also helped us make the piece look more professional as the camera stayed in one place. Editing helped us in creating ‘mise-en-scene’, we chose to add the non-digestic sound making the chase scene have a more exciting feel and make it more conventional to the genre.The target audience would be people from the ages of 15 up, but not particularly aimed at a much older audience. We chose to use the hypodermic needle model of audience theory, this was illustrated in the first few scenes involving the chase by immediately creating this feeling of suspense and thrill which catches the audience’s attention and makes them aware of the action that would be in the rest of the film, this is conventional of the genre. We also considered bathes action and enigma codes, we used this in the scene where villain is looking for Sam, it is ambiguous why they are chasing him, this draws the audience and potentially making them want to keep watching. I think that overall are final product went well, I think that it conveys the genre and what we were trying to show overall. To improve however I think we could of made the scene with ‘Harriet’ more realistic as I think that we have not conveyed the relationship very well. From our initial idea of a Romantic Comedy I think that we have progressed a lot and there is a nice mixture of both genres which work well together.