What makes films postmodern?

What makes films postmodern?

Postmodernist films include concepts such as pastiche, flattening of affect, hyper reality, time bending, altered states and more human than human.

Pastiche is self-referential, tongue in cheek, rehashes of classic pop culture.
Flattening of affect involves technology, violence, drugs and the media lead to detached, emotionless, unauthentic lives.
Hyper reality is described in relation to where technology creates realities which are original or more desirable then the real world.
Time bending is used to connote the importance of time travel, as it relates to how time travel provides another way to shape reality.

Playfulness and self-reference:

When looking at a classical narrative, the narrative will try to hide the fact that it’s a fictional product, the film is usually edited in a way to get viewers to forget about any editing transitions to see what has actually taken place. Compared to a classical/modern film, a postmodernist film will jump up and down to draw attention to itself and its modes of construction.

Thomas Tyke’s film, Run Lola Run plays with its narrative structure, delivering a similar scenario three times with different conclusions. It has a cinematic style which includes animation, both video and film stock, colour changes, whip pans, zooms which quickly focuses on experimental editing. It also never lets you forget that it’s a highly constructed film using a number of storytelling devices. The film also makes references to other forms of popular culture, such as music videos and computer games and also positions itself in context of other media products. Compared to a classical movie, a postmodernist films include texts which keep us reminded that it’s a constructed or simulated reality which we experience in order to communicate to audiences that the text being conveyed through the movie isn't real.

Postmodernist film is also known to challenge the mainstream conventions of narrative structures and characterization, while also destroying the audiences suspension of disbelief in order to create a work in which a less recognizable internal logic forms the mediums means of representation and expression. For the film to convey their desired meaning, they are also known to maintain conventional elements to help orient the audience. Another example of where the film plays around with its narrative structure, is the film, The Time Travellers Wife, which plays around the narrative as Eric Bana’s character goes back and forth in time, trying to reach different conclusions within his life with his family.

 Generic blurring and intertextuality:

This is where films cross boundaries between different genres. Intertextuality is also, where the film makes reference to any other medium formats, such as Toy Story 2 refers to the shortage of Buzz Light year toys as an intertextual joke, which is connected to the manufacturers underestimated demand for the toy. This postmodern tendency towards generic cross reference and intertextuality creates a relationship with the audience by both playing with and complementing their knowledge of film. Another example of this is in South Park, when they make intertextual references to Harry Potter, The Lords of The Rings and the Dark Knight, when Cartman dresses up as the Coon to make a mockery out of the Dark Knight.

Poplar and commercial media meets high culture:
This means that the film or another type of media format uses popular culture is combined with high culture, which can be done through various ways such as having parts of high culture such as literature, art forms etc. An example of this is Pan's Labyrinth which contains cultural styles and times which are combined with each other, as it challenges the chronological history as it includes scenes of Captain Vidal involved in fascism and while at the same time addressing Ofelia's innocence when completing Pans tasks.  These could be considered as high culture elements and the text can be perceived as postmodern as it involves this and can be considered modern because it’s enjoyed by the masses.

Fragmentation and the death of representation:
This is where films use a range of fragments from other texts, genres and cultural influences, this fragmentation also applies to representation. Captain Vidal representation of someone who is perceived as violent as it can be argued that there's a death of representation as his constructed to be like a monster and the audience make a connection with fairy tale monstrous characters, which Ofelia faces and sees as an uncertain threat, the same can be said about how the antagonist in The lovely Bones.

Uncertainty and the loss of the context:
This can result in a sense of uncertainty and the shaking up of previously understood beliefs and roles. Postmodernist films can also make the audience feel there are no generic rules and that representations only make reference to other representations. Postmodernist film makers such as Christopher Nolan, Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch etc. challenge aspects of life or belief systems.

Other characteristics which are sometimes used in postmodernist films:
Postmodernist films are also known to include other key concepts when it comes to them being embedded into films. Such as postmodern films also include concepts like a pre-fabrication which is similar to how simulation is used in movies but this draws the audience closer to already existing and noticeable scenes, and these are basically reused in narratives, dialogue etc. A bricolage is also used, which is where a person such as a producer, editor or director usually builds a film like a collage of different film styles and genres. It also includes metafictional which is where someone within a film write someone writing within a film to demonstrate its functionality and is used for shifts in narrative, impossible jumps in time or to maintain emotional distance for the narrator. Historic metafictional is a technique referring to novels that fictionalise actual historical events and characters. Temporal distortion is the jumping of time backwards and forwards. Minimalism is a technique used to demonstrate characters that are unexceptional and events which usually occur. Postmodernist films are also known to use other characteristics such as techno culture, paranoia, maximalism, faction, participation and magical realism.