To what extent can the set episodes of Humans and Les Revenants be seen as postmodern?
Postmodernism- Baudrillard
-Human experiences our a simulation of reality rather than reality itself.
-Contemporary media is responsible for blurring the line between important and things that have been commercialised to be important.
Postmodernism and breaking the rules
Several aspects the make a text post-modern can be characterised by breaking the rules and conventions media texts.
Metanarratives: Post modern text usually try to distance themselves from traditional ways of meaning and will break the rules of metanarratives to be so. E.g. Religion and science.
Rejection of high culture: Often uses a deliberate trashy aesthetic.
Breaking rules: Often breaks fundamental rules of making media.
Intertextuality: Makes reference to other media types, banding some together and manipulating the meaning of others.
Style over substance: Surface meaning is more important than the deeper meaning.
Postmodernism
-We are constantly in a media saturated world.
-The distinction between reality and media becomes blurred.
-Media reality is the new reality.
Hyper-reality - Baudrillard
-Semiotics, that signs represent, ideas, people and places.
-There is no longer an 'original' thing for a sign to represent, the sign is the meaning.
-Simulations of reality have replaced 'pure' reality.
-'Pure' reality is then replaced by the hyper real, where the boundary between real and imaginary is eroded.
TO WHAT EXTENT CAN THE SET EPISODES OF HUMANS AND LES REVENANTS BE SEEN AS POSTMODERN?
Knee Jerk reaction: Yes, to an extent.- both Humans and Les Revenants. Both deliberately break rules, challenge audience and make us question reality.
(PLAN)
Opening scene:
-House is slightly messy- "if you don't clean up some of those, i'm going to throw them on the bonfire."- stereotypical dad, house is hegemonically normal, relatable. Stereotypical white middle class household. Create a strong binary opposition with house;s state before and after Anita- emphasises her hyper-reality.
-Cut scene showing mise-en-scene of house, warm tones to women wrapped in bag, cool tones- paradigms of sci-fi culture. Jump between genre's is a confusing mode of address which in postmodern.
-Using shopping centre as a stereotypically consumerist setting, normal and relatable. He is asked to sign a contract before purchase- alluding he is making an expensive purchase. This scene positions us in an exciting mode of address, Anita is almost represented as a new car.
-Sophie asking "What if shes not pretty?" Sophie is objectifying Anita, seeing her as a doll.
-Revealed to the audience through a montage of close up shots which builds up expectations for the audience. Sophie's question is a hermeneutic code- the audience want to know if shes pretty too. We are no longer objectifying her but sexualizing her- example of male gaze. She is hegemonically beautiful- symmetrical face, no blemishes e.g. Sophie is mouth open in delight. Joe is anxious, looking her up and down (sexualization).
-Anita is East-Asian. Anita is so perfect its almost disturbing- she is out of place.
-Close up shots of Anita and Joe holding hands- romantic connotation.
-"That means she's ours!" Allegory of slavery.
-Joe handed 18+ leaflet. Anita is both a slave in the Hawkins household but a sex slave.
-The character of Anita and a hyper-real representation deliberately challenges the audience to consider the nature of humanity. What makes a human human ?
-Humans is deeply complex and controversial TV show which appeals to a niche audience.