Media- Postmodern Film

1. THE HUNGER
GAMES AND
POSTMODERNITY

2. The Hunger Games Movies
The Hunger Games consists of 4 movies:
■ The Hunger Games, 2012
■ The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, 2013
■ The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1, 2014
■ The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2, 2015
The films are an adaptation of the science fiction trilogy by American writer Suzanne Collins
however, the producers made the 3 books into 4 films with the last book being split into two parts
of a film.
Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik produced the films with a budget of $493 million making $2.9 billion
in the Box Office.
The movie is the 15th highest-grossing film franchise of all time, having grossed over $2.9 billion
worldwide.

3. The Hunger Games Plot
■ It’s set in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, where the countries of North America once
existed.
■ The Hunger Games are an annual event where one boy and one girl aged 12-18 from each
of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a
televised battle to the death.
■ When a citizen turns 12 years old, his or her name automatically gets put into the reaping.
For every year until a tribute is 18, their name gets entered an additional time. Since many
families lived in poverty, one would be able to receive an extra tesserae (supply of grain and
oil for a year) in exchange for extra entries in the reaping. You can also opt to take an extra
entry for your family members so they don’t have to enter it.
■ For example, Gale Hawthorne, who has five family members including himself put his name
in the glass ball 42 times in order to replace his siblings and get extra tesserae.
■ These games were evented by the Capitol as punishment for a past rebellion.
■ The novel tackles issues like poverty, starvation and oppression.

4. How is it Postmodern?
The Hunger Games Film Series all have many features within them that link to postmodernity
such as:
■ Dystopian Narrative
■ Hyper Reality
■ Flattening of Effect
■ Hybridisation
■ Intertextuality
■ Panoptical
■ Hyperdermic Needle Theory

5. Dystopian Narrative
Definition: The values and practises of society have changed way beyond ours, futuristic theme.
A general lack of hope in the future.
This is split into three key features of the film: The Post Apocalyptic Setting, the Cruel
Government and the Restrictive World.
Post Apocalyptic Setting:
Panem was a peaceful country before the Capitol began the Hunger Games causing some of
the 12 districts to rebel leading to the Capitol fighting back and destroying District 13.
This lead to the Hunger Games as the Capitol created them to remind the citizens that they will
always hold power over them and as a reminder of what happened to District 13.
Post Apocalyptic Setting is a world that follows a disaster.
The Hunger Games is a result of the disaster and causes the districts to have a lack of hope for
the future. The games also link to a destruction of humanity as citizens forget their morals and
kill each other in violent ways for survival.

6. Dystopian Narrative
Cruel Government:
The Government that controls all the districts becomes horrific after the disaster due to this
they punish all the districts in many ways like making them suffer with deprivation of food.
The Hunger Games are controlled by an oppressive social leader aka the government.
Restrictive World:
After the rebellion and the Capitol taking charge, Panem split into districts rather than one
country as a whole which lead them to have:
■ No Power
■ Restricted Food
■ Restricted Supplies
Whatever they are told they must do and if they don’t do it correctly they will suffer to the hands
of the Capitol.

7. The Flattening of Effect
Definition: Describing a person’s detachment and lack of emotional reactivity,
Due to ‘The Hunger Games’ (which becomes a media sensation) those who watch it make up
the emotionless society to the plight of the individuals who participate in the games.
This then detached the citizens of the city in half. Half being those who became victims of
technology, violence and starvation from the capitol (lower classes) and the other half being
those that consumed the games and kept up to date with them as though people dying was
entertainment for them.

8. Hybridisation
The Hunger Games is a- Dystopian Sci-fi Action Adventure Film. It mixes all these genres to
create a unique genre of film, mixing all the conventions to make a thrilling film.
The Hunger Games … Intertextuality
The Future
Dystopian
Handmaids
Tale
High Tech Machinery
Sci-Fi
Iron Man
Hero
Adventure/Action
Lucy
Handheld Camera Movement
Action/Adventure

9. Intertextuality
How … The Hunger Game VS Big
Brother
Before they enter the games,
interviews take place to show them
off as people and create a first
impression for the audience.
Interviews
Both shows are being watched
24/7 thus the individuals in both
are aware of being watched and
act for the audiences.
Being Watched
The Hunger Games tributes have
people sponsoring them useful
supplies if they like them enough
to. Big brother have friends or
family to persuade audiences to
keep them in.
Being Sponsored
Definition: The process of creating references to any kind of media text via another media text.
The Hunger Games strongly links to Big Brother.
Friends &
family ring in
to vote to save
the celebs
from eviction.

10. Panoptical
Definition: