Post modernism in music videos

Post modernism in a music video

There are several music videos that use the idea of post modernism and intertextuality within their narrative and performance. This is the idea that takes something well-known from the past and using it in some kind of recent media. This could be a piece of famous art work or a reference to a famous franchise or movie.

 
 
 
 
 
An obvious example of an artist that uses this is Eminem in his music video for ‘Without me’. In this video there are strong intertextuality links to the superhero ‘Robin’ from the batman franchise. Although there is no direct link, the audience are aware of this through the costumes and setting shown in the music video. Eminem wears a similar costume that Robin wears in his films. This is the artists ways of creating a strong link with the audience through a well-known character that they may have seen on television or in a book. This also gives the audience the satisfaction of linking the music video to the batman franchise; therefore a higher chance of them being attracted to the video is created.

 

 

 

Eminem’s ‘without me’ also uses the structure of the song to create ideas of post modernism. During most of the shots in the video, there is the theme of a comic strip shown on screen. The audience know after seeing this that the artist is referencing the superhero comic strips that were sold to adults and young teenagers. This creates a larger target audience within the video as it is targeting both these age groups, and everyone who reads comic books or knows what one is. Eminem has used these intertextual links to create a sense of familiarity between the video and its target audience.