Definition of Intertextuality:
Intertextuality: The various ways media text references other media texts, often through the borrowing, modifying, or recycling of elements of those media texts. Types of Intertextuality: -1. Indirect Intertextuality: Indirect Intertextuality is when traces of other media can be found in a media text, but they are not explicit or necessarily even intentional. It acknowledges that every producer is inevitably going to be inspired by every piece of media they have ever seem. -2. Direct Intertextuality: Direct Intertextuality is when an explicit reference to a media text is made in another piece of media. The producers make these references intentionally, often to allow the audience to make connections between the two pieces of media for a reason. -3. Weaponized Intertextuality: Weaponized Intertextuality is a term coined by literary critic Harold Bloom that describes the intentional self-reference and fan service done by media texts. It often involves long-running media franchises making references back to its past history. Intertextuality Examples: -1.The Hidden Fortress and Star Wars: It is well known that Star Wars creator George Lucas was immensely influenced by Japanese samurai films (for example the Jedi are basically just Samurai). Lucas was especially influenced by the work of Japanese filmmaker Akira Korusawa. Specifically, Lucas took heavy inspiration from Korusawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress, in terms of both the plot and look of his film. At the bottom of this post is a side-by-side comparison of a shot from The Hidden Fortress and a shot from Star Wars, and it is easy to see the similarities in both the framing of the shots, positioning of the characters, etc. This is likely an example of indirect intertextuality, because the shot in Star Wars is not an explicit reference to Korusawa’s film, but the influence is apparent. -2.You Only Live Twice and Austin Powers: The Austin Powers movies are complete parodies of the James Bond movies, especially the Sean Connery era films. An example can be found in the main villains from each franchise, pictured at the bottom of this post. Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies is a prime example of direct/deliberate intertextuality for the sake of parody, as he is a complete ripoff of the 007 villain Blofeld. Both characters share many similarities, like the scar on their faces, similar outfits, pet cats, and evil laughs. -3.The Matrix and Shrek: The Matrix was so influential when it released in 1999 that it inspired a wave of imitations and parodies throughout the 2000’s. An example of this can be found in the 2001 film Shrek, which is known for parodying and referencing other pieces of media. That movie features a parody of the scene in The Matrix where Trinity does a slow motion karate kick in the air, as the camera pans 360 degrees around her. This is an example of direct/deliberate intertextuality. Both the original and intertextual version are shown below.
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Exercise: Look at a magazine cover. What can you tell about the type of magazine it is; what kinds of articles it contains; who is likely to read it? Why?
- From the magazine cover you can tell that this is obviously an edition of Time magazine. You can tell it is a magazine that covers a wide variety of current topics, from entertainment to global affairs. You can tell it features articles on Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance in the film Lincoln, an article about how Steven Spielberg directed the movie, an article on a recent BBC scandal, and one on an ultra-right uprising in Greece. Time magazine is one of the most widely read magazines in the world, so it is hard to narrow down its readership to a specific group, but based on the content advertised I’d say people who are interested in current media and news would read this. This exercise is likely to elicit responses which focus on: The visual elements, such as figure, costume, colour, pose, typography, layout. - The figure and main subject of the magazine cover is academy award winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis. He is costumed in modern clothing, and not dressed as Abraham Lincoln, implying that the focus of the magazine is more on Daniel Day-Lewis than on the movie he was in. The magazine has a black and white color scheme, with red used as a border and to accentuate certain keywords. Day-Lewis is posed up close, staring directly at the camera/reader, implying that the content of the magazine will be very personal in regard to him. The typography is kept fairly simple to avoid distracting from the main subject, and the masthead is consistent with Time Magazine’s iconic aesthetic. Certain headings such as “The World’s greatest actor” are bolded to draw the reader’s attention, while the less important text is kept normal and small. The layout is pretty identical to Time Magazine’s usual layout, with a thick red border, large masthead, and taglines that surround the subject while not distracting them. Linguistic elements – the title, lexicon, use of ‘teasers’ - The title is used to draw the reader’s attention, because making a claim as bold as calling someone the greatest actor in the world may cause a potential reader to buy the magazine, in the hopes of finding out if this is a valid statement or not. The lexicon, in this case the Time masthead, is used to invoke a sense of respectability out of the magazine, because Time magazine is one of the most well-known magazines in the world. It is common knowledge that great/respectable people are featured on Time magazine covers (usually), so the masthead associates that reputation with the subject of the cover, in this case Day-Lewis. Lifestyle – what kind of lifestyle is ‘on offer’? How is it offered? -The lifestyle of a suave, sophisticated, and talented actor is offered in this magazine. This is portrayed mainly by the way Daniel-Day Lewis is dressed, which is in simple clothes with a fancy scarf. The idea that he is very talented comes from the title “The World’s greatest actor”. This information is offered in the tagline “How Daniel Day-Lewis became Abraham Lincoln”, because it implies the reader will get insight into his lifestyle and acting method. Representation – how are people and places constructed and presented through these technical elements? -The person in this magazine (Daniel Day-Lewis) is presented in a respectful and classy way, using the costuming (classy clothing), and the title (The World’s greatest actor warrants some respect). The design of the magazine is fairly minimalistic, so no places appear to be presented. Mode of address – how is a particular audience being addressed by these elements? How is a potential reader encouraged to see her/himself as the addressee? -This particular audience is addressed as being familiar with Daniel Day-Lewis, because the design of the magazine relies on them being able to recognize him, since his name is written small. The audience is being encouraged to see themselves as the addressee by the magazine’s choice to use a picture of Day-Lewis staring directly at the camera, and subsequently at the reader, which makes them feel like the articles are directed towards them. Rhetoric – what is the potential reader being persuaded to buy/accept? How? -The potential reader is being persuaded to accept that Daniel Day-Lewis is the World’s greatest actor by the eye-catching wording placed to the left of his face. The reader is also being persuaded to accept that Day-Lewis has earned this title from his performance in the film “Lincoln”, as the magazine appears to be promoting that movie. |
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