Intertextuality in Music Video's

Intertextuality - text which alludes to or references to another text

Julia Kristeva (1969), literacy critic and sociologist

"The shaping of texts meaning by another text."

"The use of an intertextual reference in any text is the absorption and transformation of another."

Some referencing is iconic and therefore the audience can easily remember and recognise the style. This referencing can often work due to nostalgia and familiarity. 

Telephone - Lady Gage ft. Beyonce

Below I have underlined some of the key references to other films, comics, tv, etc.

Jackie Brown - Quentin Tarantino movie

The music video uses a very similar text for the opening credits as this iconic text from this Jackie Brown movie poster.

 

 

 

Roy Lichtenstein - US pop artist 1960's 
Lady Gaga's hair and makeup has been done in this scene to look like a comic book/pop art drawing, such as Roy Lichtenstein's art.

 

Thelma and Louise - 1991 feminist road movie
At the very end of the music video, Lady Gaga and Beyonce both hold hands and drive off a cliff, like at the end of the movie 'Thelma and Louise'.

 

 

 

 

Iconic US Comic Book Hereos - Towards the end of the video, Lady Gaga and Beyonce are doing a dance performance in a cafe, wearing outfits in the style of the american flag, iconic to that of Captain America and Wonder Woman.
 

There are also other refrences towards other media texts that are used within this video, such as Pierre and Gilles  french fashion and photography when Lady Gaga is wearing the police tape and the scene where Lady Gaga is taken to her prison cell being iconic of scenes such as that from Green Mile and many other movies set in a prison.

 

Beastie Boys - Intergalactic

This televised bard style music video uses intertexuality to to create a sci-fi story whilst also referencing and parodying iconography used within other sci-fi movies such as Godzilla, Star Wars and Back to the Future.

Star Wars Episode IV Opening Scene - The opening scene in this music video is a recreation of the iconic opening shot of the star destroyer from Star Wars.

 

 

 

 

 

Doc. Brown in Back to The Future - One of the scientists' costume clearly refrences the mad scientist type hair that was made iconic by Doc Brown from the Back to The Future movies.

 

 

 

1950s-1960s Japanese Monster Movies - The main narrative of this music video is a parody of class japaenese monster movies of the Kaiju genre, featuring movie monsters like godzilla, mothra, king kong, etc.



 There are probably other refrences to sci-fi movies within the video and different aspects of the iconography in sci-fi movies and television.