Film Terminology

This is a list of some of the less commonly used terminology that I will comprise over time, during my research. More updates coming soon.

Feature Length: A film longer than 40 minutes.

Trailer: A short piece of film that usually advertises a feature length film.The name trailer comes from the tradition that these we shown at the end of other films.

Print Serial: An old way of advertising that featured various printed advertisements in a small magazine like booklet.

Cliffhanger: The practice of ending a scene, or film before a particular event has been resolved.

Auteur: A director of a film that influences a film so much, that they are considered it's author.

Censorship: The practice of removing or hiding sensitive content.

Blockbuster: A film that is released to wide audience, across many theatres at once. The purpose of these is to capitalise on the effect of the advertisement, while it's still fresh, to get customers coming to cinemas all at once.

"Voice of God": A powerful style of narration, coined by Don LaFontaine.

The History of the Movie Trailer

The Trailer...?

A trailer, or more specifically a movie/film trailer, is a type of advertisement that has developed over time to suit the needs of films, in their specific genres. They act as a the middle man between the cinema and the consumer, giving the consumer an idea of what the film might be like, and whether they should go watch it or not. This also gives the producer of the film an opportunity to reflect the film in they way they want. A traditional trailer uses clips from the film itself, editing them together in a genre specific way, usually without giving away important parts of the plot, which would render seeing the full film pointless. A voice over is often used to narrate parts of the trailer, to further allure the audience. The name trailer, comes from the convention that the advertisement "trails" behind a film shown previously at the theatre. This is because trailers were shown in between films at theatres in 1913, when the trailer was first invented.

Journal Update 3

A new school year has dawned, and posibilities are endless. You'll be happy to know I'm working trailer. I'll keep you up to date on the research I'm doing. Tell your friends!

Intertextuality

Intertextuality refers to the practice of merging two texts together. This can be done across various genres, and mediums. For example a music video could use intertextuality to reference a book, film, or simply another music video, echoing the connotations said book, film or music video.

Examples of intertextuality

As you can see, these image share similar qualities. The colours are largely similar, as are the props and costumes. Madonna (on the left) referenced the iconic Marilyn Monroe in her music video. This is a prime example of the use of intertextuality to convey meaning.

Quentin Tarantino used intertextuality to reference the 1978 film Game of Death. This added to the Japanese feel of the film, despite it's American background. Of course the abundance of samuri swords helped communicate the intention aswell.

Intertextuality is also used in advertising to convey meaning. Here carlsberg has depicted a pearl in a clam using bottle caps, and a drop of their beer. This gives the impression that the beer itself is valuable and precious, which is explained in the tagline "Probably the best beer in the world".

Why so Intertextual?

Referencing the past, other cultures, stories or elements of reality through intertextuality has become a huge part of media culture. This is inevitable at this point in the time line of the ever-evolving world of media. Take the example of Madonna's reference to Marilyn Monroe. Within media, once one thing has been done, other people will try to make it better. This is how new genre's develop. In a way Madonna tried to do a similar thing by recreating Marilyn Monroe through herself, changing aspects to make it her own. Future artists will go on to reference her in a similar way.

To look at it another way, simple references to pop-culture add another dimension to the media from the audience's point of view. Reminding them of past experiences and feelings, creating inception. In it's won way referencing itself has become pop-culture, adding a level of intelligence and ingenuity to media.  

The reason why audience crave certain references is the same reason why people still listen to the Beatles, or sit down and watch old movies from their youth. It reminds them of a given thing, or time. Unlike many other devices within media, intertextual references have a level of subjective meaning.

Jess Glynne- Hold my Hand

Journal Update 2

Off for the summer, but never fear I shall do my best to get a post out or two. I have been working on a Prezi, that I'm sure you'll find enjoyable.