Session Four Gen-X Cinema Department of Film and Audiovisual Culture Dr. Richard Nowell ¨14:20–15:50 ¨Screening: Mallrats (1995) ¨ ¨15:50–16:05 ¨Break ¨ ¨16:05–17:25 ¨Discussion: Gen-X Cinema mallrats_ver1.jpg reality_bites.jpg dazed_and_confused_ver2.jpg suburbia.jpg mallrats_ver1.jpg reality_bites.jpg true_romance_ver1.jpg singles.jpg before_sunrise_ver2.jpg empire_records.jpg waynes_world_ver2.jpg scream.jpg ¨US Indie Culture and Gen-X Sensibility ¨ ¨Hollywood and Gen-X ¨ ¨The challenge of subcultural cultivation ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ reality_bites.jpg mallrats_ver1.jpg 1.How does this film portray its Gen-X protagonists? 2. ¨2. How is the “mainstream” media portrayed in this film? ¨ ¨3. What roles do “mainstream” media texts play in the lives of these young people? ¨ ¨4. How do the makers of this film attempt to ensure that Gen-Xers will view it as “credible”? ¨ ¨ ¨US Indie Culture and Gen-X Sensibility ¨ ¨Hollywood and Gen-X ¨ ¨The challenge of subcultural cultivation ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ reality_bites.jpg mallrats_ver1.jpg ¨ ¨ ¨What does Michael Z. Newman identify as the distinguishing characteristics of American “Indie Culture”? ¨Subcultural disposition characterized by a specific manifestation of oppositional taste ¨ ¨Elitist left-liberal sensibility positioned as superior to the imagined “mainstream” ¨ ¨Mainstream: a mass culture caricature ¨1. Cynical, corporate production … suits ¨2. Stupefying, formulaic texts … trash ¨3. Mindless, conformist consumers … dupes ¨ ¨Embraces fantasies of authenticity and autonomy: products of integrity, made outside commerce hollywood.jpg fight_club_020.jpg twilight_fans.jpg ¨ ¨ ¨What does Oake suggest characterizes Gen-X as a distinct subculture? ¨A historically specific development within US indie culture: late 1980s to mid-1990s ¨ ¨A youth subcultural disposition based on a specific way of consuming media products ¨ ¨Hyper-media literate; cynical, detached, and ironic modes of media consumption ¨ ¨Media central to understanding the world ¨ ¨Like indie, is associated with middle-class, educated, white, left-liberal, anti-corporates ¨ reality-bites_300.jpg jason-lee-abd-will-skate-for-food.jpg before sunrise.jpg ¨1. What does Oake argue about the makers of Reality Bites’ attempts to portray Gen-X? ¨ ¨2. Do you agree with his assessment? ¨ ¨3. What would the motivation be for portraying this group in such a way? ¨ ¨ ¨In spite of his claims to neutrality, Oake is clearly shaped by his own Gen-X politics. ¨ ¨Reality Bites seeks to contain and disempower Gen-X, through domestication of protagonists ¨ ¨Hollywood cannot be true to this group, because it is essentially conservative in outlook ¨ ¨But why would commercial film producers reach out to an audience, only to condemn it? ¨ ¨Perhaps, Oake is missing the point … ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ realitybites_title01.jpg -Reality-Bites-Screencaps-ethan-hawke-958471_720_480.jpg realitybites_title02.jpg reality bites doily dress.jpg 1.How does this film portray its Gen-X protagonists? 2. ¨2. How is the “mainstream” media portrayed in this film? ¨ ¨3. What roles do “mainstream” media texts play in the lives of these young people? ¨ ¨4. How do the makers of this film attempt to ensure that Gen-Xers will view it as “credible”? ¨ ¨ ¨Reality Bites was made to appeal to Gen-X, a group of loyal but alienated media consumers ¨ ¨This film seeks to remind Gen-X that “mainstream” media is central to its identity ¨ ¨Emphasizes how Gen-X uses “mainstream”: nostalgia, ironic appropriation, quotation etc … ¨ ¨Also suggests that corporate media personnel might be unhip, but also love popular culture ¨ ¨Frames extreme Gen-X sensibility as a coping mechanism, too much is sad not bad! ¨ ¨ ¨ reality_bites_big2.jpg reality bites snacks.jpg reality-bites_169.jpg 1.How does this film portray its Gen-X protagonists? 2. ¨2. How is the “mainstream” media portrayed in this film? ¨ ¨3. What roles do “mainstream” media texts play in the lives of these young people? ¨ ¨4. How do the makers of this film attempt to ensure that Gen-Xers will view it as “credible”? ¨ ¨ ¨Sympathetic Gen-Xers are contrasted to unlikable characters (youths and adults) ¨ ¨Uses self-reflexive depictions of media to reach out to Gen-X, and insulate itself from critique ¨ ¨“Mainstream” media portrayed as: ¨Sometimes a product of “autonomous” personnel ¨Capable of “authentic” expression ¨Enabling consumer discrimination and choice ¨Enabling challenging/empowering consumption ¨ ¨Stresses an alternative to oppositionality! ¨ ¨That a gen-X-friendly subculture can exist – because it does exist – within the “mainstream” ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ Kevin-Smith-Mallrats-1024x550.jpg lee.jpg Mallrats-kevin-smith-1759483-601-336.jpg mallratsr2cap6.jpg ¨Oake claims Gen-X was invented by media, which then sought to discredit it: hokum! ¨ ¨Gen-X preceded media interest; this interest simply cemented Gen-X’s traits and identity ¨ ¨Youth-oriented blockbusters of mid-1980s gave way to period of youth market decline ¨ ¨Not in Hollywood’s interest to further alienate Gen-Xers; they were avid media consumers! ¨ ¨Moreover, independently released films clearly indicated the commercial power of this group slacker.jpg clerks.jpg karate_kid.jpg satisfaction.jpg ¨Commonly argued that early1990s Hollywood abandoned youth in favor of families/children ¨ ¨Also argued, that only in late 1990s did Hollywood return to youth-oriented product ¨ ¨But, Gen-X films were part of Hollywood’s ongoing cultivation of American youth ¨ ¨These films also included tales of ghetto life, and a number of films that failed commercially ¨ ¨These tend to be overlooked as youth films, as they are not about middle-class white teens! ¨ ¨ home_alone_ver1.jpg mrs_doubtfire_ver2.jpg clueless.jpg boyz_n_the_hood.jpg ¨Clerks Trailer: ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlfn5n-E2WE ¨ ¨Reality Bites Trailer: ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDYGo0UgIVM ¨ ¨Mallrats Trailer: ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOd5zJLsZEc ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨Their failure is indicative of the challenge of Hollywood’s courting subcultural sensibilities ¨ ¨Skateboarding booms take place in the late 1970s, the mid 1980s, and the late 1980s ¨ ¨Each time, a Hollywood company sought to tap into this pastime but with no success ¨ ¨Like other sizable subcultures, skateboarding has not translated into strong box office ¨ ¨Hollywood usually fails to undermine its status as an “Other” of many subcultures skateboard-movie-poster-1977-1020253862.jpg thrashin.jpg gleaming_the_cube.jpg tony-alva-08.jpg ¨Failure of Gen-X films prompts Hollywood to rethink cultivation of Indie sensibility ¨ ¨Miramax’s successes, especially with Pulp Fiction, indicated Hollywood was the problem ¨ ¨Conglomerates that own Hollywood studios set up specialty divisions to handle indie films ¨ ¨These companies enjoyed some success from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s ¨ ¨Hollywood continued to remind young people mainstream media is central to youth identity pulp_fiction.jpg rushmore_ver1.jpg american_pie.jpg juno_ver2.jpg ¨Where Gen-X films were scorned as inauthentic appropriations of a subculture, this romanticizes independence and Otherizes Hollywood ¨ ¨Hollywood clearly intended to reach out to the declining young market ¨ ¨The films were used to “remind” cynical media-literate Gen-Xers that “mainstream” media was central to their identities and their lives ¨ ¨Here, mainstream media was presented as offering an alternative, and as accommodating supposedly autonomous talent and authentic visions ¨ ¨This strategy struggled due to Hollywood’s status as a key foil against which audio-visual subcultures define themselves: as the enemy ¨