advanced portfolio research

1. INTERTEXTUALITY IN FILM

2. WHAT IS INTERTEXTUALITY?
If you're perusing the listings for this summer's big blockbusters, you
might come to the conclusion that Hollywood is out of ideas due to
the endless onslaught of remakes, reboots and sequels. You might be
surprised to learn that even the most iconic and original films might
have borrowed heavily from another source material. This is due, in
part, to a little thing called intertextuality.
Intertextuality is the point where two works of art overlap. In terms of
film, it's where a movie overlaps with another work of art, whether
that be another film, a work of literature, or another art form. Since
no art is created in a vacuum, intertextuality occurs throughout most
genres of art, not just film. Another way of thinking about
intertextuality is the way in which works of art purposely or
accidentally connect and intersect.

3. DELIBERATE INTERTEXTUALITY
Deliberate intertextuality occurs when an artist intentionally includes
and/or refers to other art forms. In Jordan Peele's 2017 debut Get
Out, the director uses subtle references to classic horror films to
create an ominous atmosphere. For instance, while navigating a
subdivision, a character says, ''Man, I feel like I'm in a hedge maze
out here,'' referencing the hedge maze in The Shining. In another
scene, a villainous character is seen strumming a ukulele, similar to
the boy plucking the banjo in Deliverance.

4. Shrek is a well-known animation series of films, distributed by Dreamworks
Pictures. In the film there is a lot of Intertextuality and references to
characters from different Disney films. This Intertextuality makes the film
more familiar to the audience especially the young children who would
know these characters and these characters are used to intertwine with the
story lines.
The characters nature and personality are borrowed and transformed into a
different take to make the connection with the character and the audience,
for example Sleeping Beauty may not look like the Disney original but in
Shrek she is always portrayed as tired, Rapunzel has the long hair, Snow
White is accompanied with her seven dwarves, Cinderella wears glass shoes
and the Ugly Sister is ugly. These intertextual references repeat in all the
Shrek films to familiarize the characters with the audience.
Disney princesses- Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and
an Ugly Sister.
Puss in Boots as the character Zorro. The Gingerbread man, from the
children’s rhyme.

5. ALLUSION
Allusion is common form of deliberate intertextuality where an artist
references another work of art directly. Sometimes, allusions come in
the form of brief references, like easter eggs that many directors
leave in their movies for sharp-eyed fans. Disney included an easter
egg in its animated feature, Moana, when the character, Sven, from
its film Frozen appeared for a brief, flashing moment.
Deeper, less obvious allusions can be found in other films, and are
not always references to other movies; many directors use classic
literature as inspiration. Clueless, for instance, is a fun, teen comedy
about self-absorbed Cher from Beverly Hills trying to find her friend a
boyfriend. Look a little deeper, however, and you'll see its characters
and story-line are lifted directly from Jane Austen's classic novel
Emma.

6. PASTICHE VS. PARODY
Pastiche is a deliberate recreation of the
style of another period or another artist.
Quentin Tarantino is known for his
pastiche of other genres His film Kill Bill is
a prime example: Uma Thurman’s
character “The Bride” gets revenge in a
series of elaborate fight scenes, borrowing
heavily from Chinese Kung Fu films and
cheap pulp novels. The Bride even wears
Bruce Lee’s yellow jumpsuit from Game of
Death throughout much of the first film.
A Parody is a film that mocks through
comedy other films often of a particular
genre. Hot Fuzz is a recent British film that
makes fun of the genre of cop action
films. Another example is that of Vampires
Suck which explicitly mocks the Twilight

7. WEAPONIZED INTERTEXTUALITY
In a time when endless sequels, remakes, reboots, adaptations,
shared universes and franchise-builders populate the Hollywood
system, intertextuality is the new re-enforced norm in big-screen
storytelling. It’s the silent first reveal of the Millennium Falcon seen in
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” or the presentation of the red rose,
alongside the words “Be Our Guest,” in the first trailer for the live-
action “Beauty and the Beast,” just to name two recent examples. The
emotion of the movement is felt from what we’ve seen and felt
before, whisked back in our collective memories as they’re re-
introduced in their modern format.
These are now, as our narrator puts it, “objects, people or situations
explicitly meant to trigger an emotional response.” So, it’s not merely
intertextuality these days; it’s “weaponized intertextuality.” And that
might be a problem, as filmmakers today are starting to use this
more-and-more as “a dramatic substitute” for the real deal. And at
worst, the results can be a little cheap, and disturbingly pretty empty.

8. But it’s not all that bad. But more importantly, when it’s done right, the
use of intertextuality can add humor, drama and a connection with a
viewer – you feel like you’re in on an inside joke. Take away the big-
budget financial speculation, the setting-up-for-sequels, the cheap
thrills of recognizing a character or image – and what you have left is a
filmmaking tool for creating familiarity and instantly eliciting certain
emotions. I will, for one, be more aware of the impact of this
‘weaponized intertextuality’ in my writing and not simply brush it off as
a dirty trick used by Hollywood blockbusters. Because moments of
familiarity is good, especially when the material is fresh and foreign.