If everything is made already, how do I make something completely original?

“The anxiety of influence”

– Harold Bloom

 

The truth is, nobody can really make something that is 100% original. Everything is influenced by something, even if just by a little. This worries a lot of people and Harold Bloom described it as the anxiety of influence. You must remember, that when creating something, the world around you, everything you’ve heard of and seen is a part of the idea, and that’s not something bad, or something that can be helped for that matter.

So what is intertextuality? Essentially, it is exactly that. When two works of art, overlap. In terms of film, it is where a movie overlaps with another work of art or literature or another film. There are two types of intertextuality, direct and indirect. Direct intertextuality is when the overlap, or reference, is obvious, like in The Simpsons, Black Mirror and Deadpool, all of which make explicit references to other forms of media. Indirect intertextuality is a little harder to spot, usually being the common theme or inspiration, like in all Pixar movies, which have similar looking characters and an underlying atmosphere which makes all of them signature to the company. Sequels, remakes, and reboots tend to use weaponized intertextuality by self-referencing. It could be an object, person, or situation within their franchise, but it is almost always there to trigger an emotional response. If done right, it is often quite delightful to find such a reference, as it brings back memories of the previous films and makes the viewer feel intelligent. However, references to things in the past can get tedious and boring, used as unsatisfying replacements for drama and action. They can also make the viewer feel annoyed if they become too repetitive.

When films use references, it can also be because they are a pastiche or a parody. A pastiche or homage is a positive imitation of a style, genre, or filmmaker, done as a celebration, and nod to a past franchise. Examples include The Lego Movie, Ready Player 1 and Stranger Things, the last of which references a whole era, including things like D&D, Star Wars quotes, ET vibes, and other 80’s pop culture references. A parody, on the other hand, turns a genre into comedy, often by exaggerating cliche’s within the genre, putting emphasis on certain aspects, or just making fun of the genre in general.

 

 

 

 

In our groups, we were asked to find some examples of films with intertextuality and explain them. Our group decided to stick with Disney since they have so many references and overlaps in their films.

 

 

 

 

I was reminded of something I saw on Pinterest, and although it wasn’t confirmed intertextuality, more like a crazy theory linking the whole of the Pixar universe, I still wanted to include it, to show the possibilities that come with including references. Little details that you hardly ever notice, but those who do, are inspired and amazed, creating the most wonderful and interesting concepts that make you rethink the films and their ideas. I think that this is one of the best reasons to continue using intertextuality in film, despite the fact that it is sometimes overdone, it’s still one of the best parts of experiencing a film.

 

 

 

 

The final thing we discussed was context. Historical context is the moods, attitudes, and conditions that existed ina certain time. It can affect the setting for an event that occurs and has an impact on the relevance of that event. We looked at some movies with historical context and talked about why it was important for those movies, and what affected its popularity in certain places around the world. Examples include Brave, Hairspray, Coco, and Schindlers List.