Intertextuality

What's intertextuality? The shaping of texts/films based upon another, using cross references.

I will be using intertextuality in my title sequence to help portray my narrative even further for the audience to understand. By using references to other films it can help the audience acknowledge similar patterns and work out the ending or what's going to happen next. As my genre is a coming of age the name gives it away, "Coming" a verb meaning something is expected. Ultimately, showing the journey of a girl wanting to change her life for the better - just like Audrey Hepburn:

Movies, especially before the new millennium, focus a lot on the journey from poor to rich. I believe it's down to the sense of theatre is the only place where dreams and inspirations took off and escaping reality for 2 hours was the best feeling in the world. Movies like Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961), It Could Happen To You (1994) and Trading Places (1983) 

 

With cross references, I will be using Breakfast At Tiffany's as one of many inspirations of mine, its iconic narrative, soundtrack and cast makes it one of the best movies ever produced. I've even gone down with using the protagonist's costuming to help symbolise, "wealth". In Breakfast At Tiffany's Audrey Hepburn is wearing a black hat when she becomes richer, once you see her on screen you can immediately tell she's blessed with fortune. With context from its time, you can see her elegance, high class haute couture fashion.

As well with smoking, Hepburn rejuvenates the look of smoking from my perspective in 2015 - normally linking it with a dirty habit; yet Hepburn makes it look classy and tasteful. I will be using the idea of smoking but in fact, I will be using in a different manor. I didn't choose this but it's the opinions of smoking in the present era that has already depicted it for me. In the 60's smoking was only for the luxurious, now it's very common hence why I will be using smoking to show how my protagonist still has that urban vein running through her.

Smoking In The Sixties

Furthermore, I want to alter the opinions of race and beauty in my movie. Movies like this contain such iconic beauty that nearly every girl looks up to, such as Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. We already have Hepburn make smoking look stunning and we've also had Monroe make curves like ravishing but it's time to show black culture in a more exquisite lifestyle. Perhaps it will change the perceptions of beauty for others, it will also teach the audience not to limit beauty to a specific race.