Learning Objective To understand the meaning of intertextuality, narrative enigmas and action codes, and how they can

be used in assessed work.

Intertextuality
Imitating or borrowing directly from a pre-existing media text a familiar media text appearing within a new one. Different texts may have intertextual links through stars, characters, settings, language, images, storylines and so on.

Intertextuality
Intertextuality is a key component in understanding how genre texts succeed by being at once both: Similar

and
Different Texts in the same genre are linked intertextually and we come to understand how a genre works in this way and what to expect. It also shows us when a genre is being different and challenging our expectations.

John FISKE
American Professor of Communication Arts, 2000s

A representation of a car chase only makes sense in relation to all the others we have seen - after all, we are unlikely to have experienced one in reality. There is then a general knowledge of the concept 'car chase' that is used by the viewer to decode it, and by the producer to encode it. (Fiske 1987, 115)

Roland Barthes said media texts contain...... Enigma Codes drives narrative by unanswered
questions or poses questions which makes audience curious. Who is the killer?

Action Codes drives narrative through anticipation

of an actions resolution. i.e. a car chase or a shoot-out. Both of these hook us into the narratives of media texts.

Enigma - Who are the shadows? What are they after?

A chase scene is a classic action code

Enigma Who are they? What are they running from?

Enigma What do all these images represent? Enigma Who is he? What is he running from or to?

Implies a countdown or suspense sequence which is another action code

Enigma -What does this mean???

Enigma - What is this? Why is reality distorted?

Poised ready for a confrontation another action code

Who are they? Are they criminals? A gang?

Discuss and conclude how the video clips are intertextual, which texts they may refer to and which enigmas and action codes they use.