Nevertheless, Banksy’s painting had several pleasant things about it, the shopping trolley for instance was only half sunk into the murky water, the traffic cone was half in the water also, and only half of the bridge covered in moss was lighter than the other part. The lighter part may show the pleasant things in life and the darker part showing the horrible evil side of life. All of these good things about the picture could signify that there are still some things to look forward to in life even though the rest of the picture is horrible and miserable.
Intertextuality is also used in music videos. Jessica Simpson released a track called ‘Boots’. Many people, especially women, were insulted by Jessica’s video. From the beginning to the end of the video the main purpose of the video was women selling themselves to men and men looking superior and in control. Jessica’s video was filmed in a country bar where many old and young men were drinking, and women were serving them beer and flirting with them. Her video starts with a close up scene of her boots as she leaves her muscle car heading towards the bar. As soon as she enters the bar she picks up a tray with one beer bottle then starts to dance around men whilst singing. Another scene is where a man touching Jessica up she then slaps him and all the men start to fight over her. This shows how women can lead men into trouble.
Amongst the women that were insulted was Pink. After Pink released her own music video called Stupid Girl, which was a parody of Jessica Simpson’s video and many other music artists ’ videos. Pink’s video was about how the world assumes what women and girls are, and how women are not treated as someone, but as something. In her video the main purpose is to show young girls who still have a choice of who they want to be like and how they want to live life. The video starts with a young girl watching TV then an image of Pink appears as an angel at the young girl’s right side flowing by a devil Pink on the left hand side of the girl. The devil says to the girl to watch TV channels which influence girls to become something which are not beneficial in life, but angel Pink says to watch something that will make her someone big and someone that people will look up to, something that will benefit her in the future. Throughout the song there are many scenes of girls being something that is “stupid” an example of this in the video is a women dancing next to 50 cent as an item like all she cares about is the money that she is going to get paid.
Another scene is of a girl being something useful; a woman president. In Jessica Simpson’s music video there is a scene of Jessica washing a muscle car half naked trying to seize men. In Pink’s video there is the same muscle car but this time Pink is washing the car dressed as a look-alike of Jessica trying to look hot on top of the car whilst rubbing it but she falls and slips, again indicating stupidity. Jessica washing the muscle car may signify how hard women have to try in order to please the men as they have to wash the car in almost no clothes. This car indicates the male’s American dream; it may also suggest how a part of the American dream is to have a good looking woman that will wash your car.
Towards the end of Pink’s video, the young girl has a choice, a good and bad choice; play with her Barbie toy, signifying following the foot steps of being a Barbie Jessica Simpson, or pick up the rugby ball and play sport, signifying following the foot steps of someone successful in life. Jessica Simpson is successful but with no real value she is like; Paris Hilton, someone that’s only known for there stupidity. The girl chooses the rugby ball and the devil vanishes. Pink is trying to give girls an idea about being a girl. That being a girl is not something you abuse or use your gender to do bad thing? Such as attract men for your pleasure, or money. Girls should have better dreams, better choices, to become successful in life, like a president or even a doctor. They should be proud to be a woman, and the way you look. Pink speaks her mind and gives us opinion and makes us know that we are all beautiful in our own means, and not like the girls from playboy mansion girls, but that’s how God created us.
Intertextuality is not a new media technique. This technique has been used throughout history, even artists use the ideologues of the olden type music video, a very good example of this is a part in a film of Cool Hand Luke, there is a scene where there are prisoners digging in the country side. As they are digging there is a women at a house near by she is purposely showing of her body by doing many different actions, she is washing a car whilst doing this; she can see that the men are watching her but all she wants in attention. This scene is a copied by Jessica Simpson in her music video, where Jessica is washing a similar muscle car.
There are many other cases where intertextuality is used. Another example of this is a music video called Bitter Sweet Symphony which is a very famous British song and is mainly about anger. This video is a very depressing and expressive. The video is very straight forward and bold video, all it is about, is a man called Ashcroft strolling though the street barging any one in his way to the floor, he doesn’t care who it is, regardless if it’s an old woman or a large man. He is also wearing all black clothes indicating his dark selfish side. While Ashcroft is furiously walking he repeats several times “I can change, I can change” this could possibly mean that he had done something wrong in the past and wants to change and pleading for forgiveness, telling everyone he has altered.
Throughout the beginning of the video he walks on broken steps on the pavement, this is a sign of bad luck and may suggest a broken heart. In the middle it is also noticed how he only barges through adults but purposely excuses a baby on the pram, we can conclude form this that he blames people but not children as they are innocent for whatever has gone wrong in his life. He also crosses the road where he comes across a large black car with tinted windows; he looks in claiming he has changed. The black window instead of a clear window may again emphasis how much he is hurting and maybe the damage he has causes is very dark, bad, or an evil sin. Near to the end of the video they show the scene again this time he is walking on the pavement which is smooth, his voice is much louder and he occasionally shows a different expression on his face other then regret, the fixed pavement may also suggest that his slowly getting over the mistake his made. At the end of the video Ashcroft, who was once walking alone, is now walking with four other men, this could suggest that people have understood that he had made a mistake, and he has changed hence, “I can change” and that all people can change not just him and his not alone.
A band called Fat Les recorded a football song called Vindaloo which parodies Bitter Sweet Symphony video by The Verve. The video is recorded in the same street, and features comedian Paul Kaye as a Richard Ashcroft look alike wearing the same out fit forcing his way down the street. Unlike the original video, in which Ashcroft is alone, Kaye gradually gathers a large crowd of all type of people from men, to women, fat people, to skinny people, black people, and, white people which includes Fat Les, Matt Lucas and David Williams, sumo wrestlers, French maids, a French mime, a Max Wall look-alike, a priest, women dressed as girls from St Trinian's and many others who dance around him, some brandishing bags of curry which is where the name Vindaloo is from. Kaye walking with a variety of people could signify that he is not raciest or has any thing against all type of people, by the end of the video Kaye has joined in celebrating with the rest of the crowd.
This is the complete opposite of the original song Bitter Sweet Symphony where his only joined by four men, this song makes you feel joyful and cheerful; the verve version makes you wonder why his so irritated. The reason why Fat Les parodies Bitter Sweet Symphony could be because the verves version was dull and boring, but Vindaloo is much more electrifying an entertaining and makes you want to get up and sing.
In this essay I have explained in depth what intertextuality is and how it used and why. I have also explained the effect that intertextuality has and how it has become one of the most common technique used in the media industry.