Intertexuality

Intertextuality

What is intertextuality? 

The concept of intertextuality was coined by post-structuralist Julia Kristeva in 1966. She introduced the notion that 'any text is the absorption and transformation of another.' Intertextuality using two different pieces of media texts and using them together to create new text or form of media. 

Intertextuality this is a form of parody and pastiche. Madonna and Michael Jackson are the biggest examples of intertextuality in music videos. Artists and produces use intertextuality for reasons such as popularity as making a reference to a popular film or book will boost the amount viewing the music video. Intertextuality is often hard to incorporate into a music video since it has to be used smartly and usually the thing that is being incorporated has to be well known, easy to create and has to have a meaning for the music video to work.

I will be using the examples of Marilyn Monroe and Madonna to explain what I have learnt about what intertextuality is. In the two videos below we have Intertextuality from the Madonna music video 'Material Girl'.                      



A scene in a the film from 'Gentlemen prefer blondes' from 1954 was used as a focal point in Madonna's material girl music video. The intertextual image is not necessarily of Marilyn Monroe but of the Hollywood archetype of the sexy looks who uses her appearance to get what she wants. In Madonna's music video she makes a clear references to Marilyn Monroe in "Diamonds are forever" in the way that she dressed and the background. In the footage Madonna is dressed in a similar pink dress, same hair cut, similar jewellery and men around her doing as she wishes.

Another example of intertextuality is in the music video ''Sabotage" by Beastie Boys this was directed by Spike Jonze in 1994. This music video contains intertextuality through the use of television as a point of reference and is a homage and parody of 70's crime drama TV series such as 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'Starsky and Hutch'. The video is portrayed as the opening title sequence to a fictional 70's-style police show called Sabotage. They use the band members from Beastie Boys as characters in the video.