Joanne Perry

A2 Media Studies
Intertextuality
Whilst carrying out research for my advanced
portfolio, I came across two film posters which I
found great similarities with due to the
intertextuality which has been induced to ensure
the success of these films. High School Musical
was a very successful Disney trilogy featuring
heart throb, Zac Efron. The final High School
Musical, was released in 2008 and was proven
just as successful as the others, if not more
successful due to this film being shown in the
cinemas, as oppose to the first and second, only
been shown on Disney Channel. 17 Again was
released in 2009, not long after High School
Musical 3, ensuring that the film was still new and
present in peoples minds.
17 Again was released with the same protagonist
as in High School Musical, Zac Efron. This ensured
that the film, 17 Again, immediately had an audience due to him
being the teenage heart throb of that present time and making sure that the audience who watched
High School Musical, would also go see this film.

Not only did 17 Again gain success from its already established actor, it also used forms of
intertextuality within its advertising to gain more
attention from lovers of High School Musical. Within
both film posters, it is made very clear of the
intertextuality through not only the protagonist but also the use
of colours. The
colours red and black was symbolic within High School
Musical 3 due to
their graduation gowns reflecting their school colours.
Within the poster
for 17 Again, it has used these same colours to appeal
to the same, large audience. This would ensure that
when people saw these colours, they would
remember High School Musical 3 due to these colours
representing their brand image and if they were a fan of
the film, they would immediately take interest with 17
Again as it has been represented similarly.
The title positioning differs within the posters to represent the
target audience. As High School Musical 3 was to appeal to a
younger target audience, the canted angle of the title
and characters represents the film as fun.
Moreover, 17 Again is aimed at an older, teenage
target audience and has represented the
positioning on its poster simple, straight and serious.
The font is also the same
to represent the intertextuality further. As High School Musical began in 2006, the target audience
grew up watching these films and therefore once 17 Again was released, a majority of them were
old enough to see it therefore maintaining the same target audience as High School Musical whilst
also gaining a larger audience of an older age who this film will also appeal to. The expansion of its
target audience was proven successful due to its $40 million budget and $136.3 million box office.
Creating my film, I have chosen to use intertextuality through the TV series Gossip Girl and Pretty
Little Liars. By using intertextuality, I am developing an already existing target market and therefore
ensures that, if I were producing this film for a large conglomerate, we would save on marketing
allowing us to spend more of our budget on ensuring the film is up to a professional standard. By
using an already established target market, it immediately ensures the films success due to the
success of both TV series, if done properly. I aim to create a film poster to market my film and
therefore will use intertextuality of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, similarly to 17 Again and High
School Musical 3 film posters by inducing a title with similar font and colours to make it
recognisable to the existing target market by representing their brand image.