Romeo and Juliet - Use of Imagery

The trailer for Romeo and Juliet explores the key features of post modernism, particularly as we see post modernism as being aesthetic. The trailer can be seen as kitsch throughout blending high art and culture effectively. A prime example of this is the costume choices as we immediately notice an astronaut costume and also an angel costume. This contrasts from Shakespeare’s original Romeo and Juliet as typically we do not expect to see this in a classic play. Again, this reinforces the kitsch aspect as intertextuality is used blend the high art and popular culture. This is a key example of a post modernism text as there is no respect given to the original text; anything can be constructed together.

The trailer, as a whole breaks the typical conventions that a romance trailer should stick to. Also, the fact it is based on the classical Shakespeare play, the audience has expectations of what it should be. People expect a slow pace trailer which has a calm tone and follows a typical structure of the romance genre; this is broken. The trailer increasingly becomes faster which overall changes the meaning of the content, balancing the classical aspects with the more modern content. Relating back to post-modernism, the trailer uses bricolage to construct and create new meanings from a diverse range of things.

Intertextuality is a key theme presented in the trailer which effectively works well in post-modern texts. Key aspects from the original Shakespeare are integrated throughout such as gun shots and fancy-dress costumes. This changes the text completely making it more contemporary and post-modern. Iconography also widens the trailer through the use of bricolage. For example, the use of a religious symbol constructs something from a diverse topic. The trailer follows a certain structure and uses repetition effectively to mould the trailer into a post-modern text.

Within my trailer, the use of repetition will be key to make sure the images are easy to decode and suit the needs of the audience. Despite the difference in genre, both trailers will follow a certain structure and have the same outcome.