PostmodernismAnalysing Funny Games

• Postmodernism is doing the unexpected in a knowing way. It is all about knowing the rules and breaking them.

• It is anything that challenges the traditional way of doing things, rejecting boundaries between high and low forms of arts rejecting genre distinctions, emphasizing pastiche, parody, Intertexuality, irony and playfulness.

• The term "Postmodern" was first used around the 1870s. John Watkins Chapman suggested "a Postmodern style of painting“ then as this theory went on it was said to be a style of culture, music, architecture, societyu, law, literature and film.

Influential postmodernist philosophers

• Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) • Jacques Derrida (1930–2004)• Michel Foucault (1926–1984)• Jean-François Lyotard (1924–1998)• Fredric Jameson (born 1934)• Douglas Kellner (born 1943)

Funny Games Analysis

• During the entrance of the trailer we are introduced with calming music, This symbolises the mood how ever it soonchanges into more adventurous and action like music. Thiscontradicts what is going on as the family are brutally gettinghurt. This is unusual because in most horror films/trailers theactions are accompanied by scary creaking music, linking tothe postmodernism theory. However the music in this trailer is very up beat and happy. It kind of gives the impression we are living in the mind of the villain as they are the only characters smiling and symbolising the music.

Due to the attacking in the trailer it is soon clear who the villains are, However they are dressed in all white this links to the postmodernism theory as it is breaking the rules of the ‘bad guys’ wearing dark and dull colours to highlight their negative energy. White suggest innocence and purity so it is very unusual and confusing as to why they are dressed in white as they don’t match their actions.

• Unusually there are no high or low angle shots to represent power or control. There is a lot of close ups which contrast the happiness and fear between and within each characters. A lot of villains are either mask or unknown however these villains are shown and seem to be very happy show in an extreme close up. There is also a point of view shot where you see the villains look at the family and the family look at each other. This emphasizes the emotional difference. The postmodernist theory is explored through the happiness and awareness of identification through the villains.

• This trailer explores simple editing techniques such as different pace, straight cuts and tone cards. Towards the end of this trailer the pace of the cuts speed up along with the music and events. As the events get more intense and violent the music changes pace. There is also an action match as the gun is shot and then it cuts to a blakc screen, this creates suspense as you don't know who's been shot and by who action. This follows the codes and conventions of horror films. The editing techniques of this trailer do not express the postmodernism theory, However it does link to structuralism as it uses the symbol of a gun to represent danger.