Form
Postmodern cinema employs non-linear storytelling techniques, often flipping around the three acts of a movie to tell the story in an interesting fashion or includes a number of flashbacks (e.g.: Inception). Although there are some, who still follow the linear structure and are still considered to be postmodern. In fact, there is no limitation of creativity here: a film can be completely or just partially CGI, the story can be reversed or all mixed up. What still connects these different styles is generally the subject matter. The recurring theme of questioning reality, the subjective nature of the truth, the sarcastic mockery of reality and the self-reflexive construction. The acknowledgement of the deceptive nature of perception often comes up as the main theme. For example, in Inception, the audience is aware that what the protagonist tells us is just one point of view, not the whole truth. In Sucker Punch, it becomes clear that somehow the imaginary world is connected with reality and there really is one winner in the end, the one who escapes and wins the chance for a happy life.
Audience
Postmodernists argue that narratives become more and more episodic. Ien Ang15 considers TV as a main influence in decentralisation and fragmentation. Anne Friedberg counts it amongst the numerous symptoms of the current 'postmodern condition’. According to these two theorists, the control we get at home over the cinema, influences our way of living. The ability of stopping, forwarding and reversing DVDs and television results in changing our expectations of what a film or a programme should be. New moving image text very often end up in utter complexity or right the opposite: clean simplicity. Alain J.-J. Cohen has identified a new phenomenon in the history of film, the ‘hyper-spectator’. ‘Such spectator, who may have a deep knowledge of cinema, can re-configure both the films themselves and filmic fragments into new and novel forms of both cinema and spectatorship, making use of the vastly expanded access to films arrived at through modern communications equipment and media. The hyper-spectator is, at least potentially, the material (which here means virtual) creator of his or her hyper-cinematic experience.’ Therefore we assume that cinemagoers will need to be more sophisticated in films and filmmakers need to construct products which the audience (the new professionals so we could say) can appreciate.
However, critical appreciation is not everything a filmmaker can get. There is always some degree of fear for the unknown and new in society16. After the infamous Aurora massacre, Christopher Nolan had been accused of being ‘irresponsible’.17 Viewers claimed that making villains sexually attractive, such as The Joker played by Heath Ledger, influences young consumers to identify with their socially distorted ideas. In the past there were many films facing the same criticisms such as Fight Club, Child’s Play and Clockwork Orange. However, in most people’s view, one bad example doesn’t prove that the whole media is wrong.18
Future
What can we expect in the next few years, perhaps decades? Is postmodernism going to become a historical period, such as shall we say renaissance or modernism? After all, the name itself only comes from our habit of categorizing everything. Is this behaviour of labelling the new and weird going to make these films more acceptable for us? Or perhaps less interesting, because we will know what to expect?
It is for sure, that we can expect new attempts for regulations concerning the content of films because of the increased cinematic violence and of course the negative responses from the audience. In terms of future really anything could happen: we might all become cyborgs, time-travellers, spacemonkeys or who knows... even realize our dreams.
Notes:
15: Ien Ang, Living Room Wars: Rethinking Media Audiences for a Postmodern World, 1996
16: Frank Furedi, Culture of Fear, 2006
17: Todd McCarthy, The Dangers of Film’s Dark Side. The Hollywood Reporter (Aug. 3. 2012), p. 47
18: P. McClintock, How Going to the Movies Will Change. The Hollywood Reporter, (Aug. 3, 2012), p. 45
Form
Postmodern cinema employs non-linear storytelling techniques, often flipping around the three acts of a movie to tell the story in an interesting fashion or includes a number of flashbacks (e.g.: Inception). Although there are some, who still follow the linear structure and are still considered to be postmodern. In fact, there is no limitation of creativity here: a film can be completely or just partially CGI, the story can be reversed or all mixed up. What still connects these different styles is generally the subject matter. The recurring theme of questioning reality, the subjective nature of the truth, the sarcastic mockery of reality and the self-reflexive construction. The acknowledgement of the deceptive nature of perception often comes up as the main theme. For example, in Inception, the audience is aware that what the protagonist tells us is just one point of view, not the whole truth. In Sucker Punch, it becomes clear that somehow the imaginary world is connected with reality and there really is one winner in the end, the one who escapes and wins the chance for a happy life.Audience
Postmodernists argue that narratives become more and more episodic. Ien Ang15 considers TV as a main influence in decentralisation and fragmentation. Anne Friedberg counts it amongst the numerous symptoms of the current 'postmodern condition’. According to these two theorists, the control we get at home over the cinema, influences our way of living. The ability of stopping, forwarding and reversing DVDs and television results in changing our expectations of what a film or a programme should be. New moving image text very often end up in utter complexity or right the opposite: clean simplicity. Alain J.-J. Cohen has identified a new phenomenon in the history of film, the ‘hyper-spectator’. ‘Such spectator, who may have a deep knowledge of cinema, can re-configure both the films themselves and filmic fragments into new and novel forms of both cinema and spectatorship, making use of the vastly expanded access to films arrived at through modern communications equipment and media. The hyper-spectator is, at least potentially, the material (which here means virtual) creator of his or her hyper-cinematic experience.’ Therefore we assume that cinemagoers will need to be more sophisticated in films and filmmakers need to construct products which the audience (the new professionals so we could say) can appreciate.However, critical appreciation is not everything a filmmaker can get. There is always some degree of fear for the unknown and new in society16. After the infamous Aurora massacre, Christopher Nolan had been accused of being ‘irresponsible’.17 Viewers claimed that making villains sexually attractive, such as The Joker played by Heath Ledger, influences young consumers to identify with their socially distorted ideas. In the past there were many films facing the same criticisms such as Fight Club, Child’s Play and Clockwork Orange. However, in most people’s view, one bad example doesn’t prove that the whole media is wrong.18
Future
What can we expect in the next few years, perhaps decades? Is postmodernism going to become a historical period, such as shall we say renaissance or modernism? After all, the name itself only comes from our habit of categorizing everything. Is this behaviour of labelling the new and weird going to make these films more acceptable for us? Or perhaps less interesting, because we will know what to expect?It is for sure, that we can expect new attempts for regulations concerning the content of films because of the increased cinematic violence and of course the negative responses from the audience. In terms of future really anything could happen: we might all become cyborgs, time-travellers, spacemonkeys or who knows... even realize our dreams.
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