An emphasis of style over substance.

The second point Strinati conveys is that there is often within post modernist texts an emphasis placed on the style over the substance of the work. This isn't to say that post modern texts lack substance but that the images and visual style are as important in defining the work as the pure story being conveyed.

24 Hour Party People is mainly concerned with the style and look of the film focusing on nostalgia and paying homage to the Manchester music scene of the 80’s and 90’s. Audiences who are old enough to remember the period can relate to the film due to the visuals, even if they are not familiar with the Manchester music scene. The film itself is first and foremost a comedy, the information we are given may be factual, although it is important to remember that a lot of the film is stretched to fit its genre and entertain its audience therefore the visuals and music used within certain sequences present stylistic information rather than factual information.

The film itself is made up of a number of different elements which include animation, archive footage and reconstructed comedy scenes, this makes it difficult to differentiate between the real and the drama. However it does make the film suitable for any viewer to watch, and create their own perception of the time concerned.

Compared to a traditional documentary film “24 Hour Party People” has less substance and information for the viewer, instead like most postmodern films and texts, it focuses on the aesthetics with the use of strong cinematography, iconic music, and always mirroring other types of media with this being used it evokes nostalgia in an attempt to connect the viewer with time frame that scenes are set.

Here is an example of the use of animation, breaking the 4^th wall, imagination, real even reconstruction and comedy from “24 Hour Party People”

This also highlights another aspect of post modernism, bricolage, which is the re-use of previous styles and genres and the mixing up of these to create a new twisted take on something that has gone before. We can also see in fashion examples where many styles from the 50's, 60's and 70's have become popular again as people mix styles to create a new take on something that had been fashionable before but within a new context. Thus the creators are more interested in presenting a style rather than telling the story.

Strinati’s view about style over substance can also be seen in the opening sequence of ‘Fight Club’ there are many extravagant camera moves throughout which are mainly created by special effects, although they do create a unique and distinctive style within the film, however they are not integral to the plot or structure, the style within this type of film is strong which overrides the actual matter of the film.

The viewer may get lost with the narrative of the film due to the style and tone used throughout “24 Hour Party People” as there is more focus on visual effects and music than telling the story of ‘Factory Records’ or the musicians of the time. However this is not critical, as the film is created to conjure up the feeling of nostalgia, where it is important for the viewer to bring their ideas and understanding to the entertainment which they view. The viewer is as important as the director within this type of film, it is important for the director to create something which is relevant to the audience, however it is just as important for the viewer to dissect the film and bring their ideas to the film, therefore every individual viewer will see the film in a different way.