Lecture - Post-Modernism

Following Modernism our next Lecture was on 'Post-Modernism' I found this a lot more interesting and this time have actual legible notes (I'll also summarise the main points from the lecture which relate to my course):

Post-modernism is 'Notoriously difficult to define' but is known as following and responding to modernism, becoming a lot more frivolous and less serious and is generally said to begin in the 60's. Post-modernism could be said to be the opposite of modernism, having a disillusioned with the idea of absolute knowledge, therefore being pessimistic. Charles Jencks said on 15th July 1972 3:32 modernism died and post modernism began, with the demolition of the Pruitt Igoe - a 'Utopia' built by modernist thinking but resulting in crime and vandalism.

What interested me about Post-Modernism was it's pessimism helped create Dystopias which influenced films- for example Bladerunner (a Film i'm going to watch at some point in the near, near future. I have the Dvd... i just need to open it.) Where the technology hasn't helped the world (as modernist's believed it was) but instead leaves the world permanently dark. Post- Modern Film's were heavy influenced by different aspects of the past, and cherry picked ideas and imagery from older films - for example referencing different aspects of old detective movies. This idea of taking and copying things from the past conflicts with the 'forward thinking' modernist ideal.

Post-modernism is self-referencial and breaks the fourth wall, revealing that it is aware of what media it is expressed in. For example the video game Metal Gear Solid is self referential as it often breaks the fourth wall by referring to the fact it is a game, whilst video games are all in a way self referential (they will tell you to 'Press A' to do something for example), Metal Gear incorporates it into the experience, and uses it as part of the game. There is a moment where the back of the box the game came in has to be read in order to progress further. More examples  can be seen in the following Youtube clip. When Psycho Mantis instructs to put the control down, it 'moves it with it's mind'. This doesn't detach the audience from being involved in the game, but instead has the opposite effects and fully immerses the player - who feel that even outside the game they are being involved.