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Show Sold Separately: Promos, Spoilers, and Other Media Paratexts

Jonathan Gray 2017

Read the book on NYUP's Open Access Books portal

It is virtually impossible to watch a movie or TV show without preconceived notions because of the hype that precedes them, while a host of media extensions guarantees them a life long past their air dates. An onslaught of information from print media, trailers, internet discussion, merchandising, podcasts, and guerilla marketing, we generally know something about upcoming movies and TV shows well before they are even released or aired. The extras, or “paratexts,” that surround viewing experiences are far from peripheral, shaping our understanding of them and informing our decisions about what to watch or not watch and even how to watch before we even sit down for a show.

Show Sold Separately gives critical attention to this ubiquitous but often overlooked phenomenon, examining paratexts like DVD bonus materials for The Lord of the Rings, spoilers for Lost, the opening credits of The Simpsons, Star Wars actions figures, press reviews for Friday Night Lights, the framing of Batman Begins, the videogame of The Thing, and the trailers for The Sweet Hereafter. Plucking these extra materials from the wings and giving them the spotlight they deserve, Jonathan Gray examines the world of film and television that exists before and after the show.

ISBN(s)

9780814731956 (paper)
9780814731949 (hardcover)

Subject

Citable Link

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A satirical video from Onion News Network between newsroom anchor Michael Bannon and reporter Rorey Covey, discussing the 'controversy' around Paramount Pictures' plan to adapt the beloved Iron Man trailer into a full, feature-length motion picture.

Iron Man trailer Onion News Network Story, video

From Introduction: Film, Television, and Off-Screen Studies

A satirical video from Onion News Network about plans to adapt the Iron Man trailer into a feature-length film.

A video trailer for The Simpsons Game from 2007, parodying WWII war game trailers like those for Medal of Honor, in which various Simpsons characters fly planes, drop bombs, and shoot guns.

Medal of Homer advertisement for The Simpsons Game, video

From Introduction: Film, Television, and Off-Screen Studies

Medal of Homer, a trailer for The Simpsons Game that parodies WWII video game trailers.

A video trailer for The Simpsons Game from 2007, parodying Grand Theft Auto video game trailers, showing scenes of various Simpsons characters committing criminal acts while the song "Rock You Like a Hurricane" by Scorpions plays in the background.

Grand Theft Scratchy advertisement for The Simpsons Game, video

From Introduction: Film, Television, and Off-Screen Studies

Grand Theft Scratchy, a trailer for The Simpsons Game that parodies Grand Theft Auto video game trailers.

A video trailer for The Simpsons Game from 2007, parodying EverQuest video game trailers, depicting various Simpsons characters in a fantasy world fighting dragons and magical creatures.

Neverquest advertisement for The Simpsons Game, video

From Introduction: Film, Television, and Off-Screen Studies

Neverquest, a trailer for The Simpsons Game that parodies EverQuest video game trailers.

A video trailer for The Simpsons Game, parodying Pokémon and other Japanese games, depicting Homer and Lisa Simpson in a Japanese cartoon-style land, fighting various enemies.

Super Happy Fun Fun advertisement for The Simpsons Game, video

From Introduction: Film, Television, and Off-Screen Studies

Super Happy Fun Fun, a trailer for The Simpsons Game that parodies Japanese-style video game trailers.

A poster for the film, Walking Tall, depicting actor The Rock, a large, muscular man, dressed in dark clothing and holding a large piece of wood in his right hand with the tag line "One man will stand up for what's right."

Walking Tall advertisement, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

A poster for the film Walking Tall featuring The Rock. Design by Diane Reynolds-Nash.

A film poster for the film, Baby Mama, with actress Tina Fey looking skeptically at actress Amy Poehler, who is wearing pigtails and drinking a soda, with the tag line "Would you put your eggs... in this basket?" The poster also lists other actors in the film, including Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Steve Martin, and Sigourney Weaver.

Baby Mama advertisement, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

A poster for the film Baby Mama, featuring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Design by Crew Creative Advertising. Photography by Mary Ellen Matthews.

A film poster for the 2010 remake of the film Nightmare on Elm Street, with a close-up of the ominous character Freddy Krueger, reflecting firelight with a large claw-like metal hand with knives for fingers. The numbers "2010" and the website "www.nightmareonelmstreet.com" appear in red at the bottom of the poster.

Nightmare On Elm Street advertisement, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

A poster for the 2010 remake of the film Nightmare On Elm Street. Design by Ignition and LA. Photography by Peter Tangen.

A film poster for the film Bachelor Party, showing a group of seven men coming through a door overflowing with streamers, carrying beer and champagne, who see a woman's leg in fishnet tights, a red garter, and black heels with the tag line "Shocking. Shameless. Sinful. Wicked. And the party hasn't even started." Underneath the title of the film is the additional tag line, "A man's tradition every woman should know about."

Bachelor Party advertisement, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

A poster for the film Bachelor Party. Design by B.D. Fox Independent.

A film poster for the film Serendipity, of a man and a woman (John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale) embracing in front of a city-scape superimposed with an image of a clock with the tag line "Destiny with a sense of humor" at the top of the poster and "Can once in a lifetime happen twice?" at the bottom.

Serendipity advertisement, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

A poster for the film Serendipity, featuring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.

A film poster for the film Home Alone, of a young blonde boy in a red sweater (Macaulay Culkin) holding his hands to his face, yelling, with two men in black learing over his shoulders and the tag line "But don't worry. He Cooks. He Cleans. He kicks some butt" above the movie title and the line "A family comedy without the family" underneath the movie title.

Home Alone advertisement, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

A poster for the film Home Alone, featuring Macaulay Culkin.

A film poster for Steven Spielberg's film E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial, of a child's index finger touching a scaly alien's index finger with the starry night sky behind them and the planet earth below them with the taglines "His adventure on earth" and "He is afraid. He is totally alone. And he's 3,000,000 light years from home."

E.T. advertisement, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

A poster for the film E.T.. Design by Intralink Film Graphic Design. Artwork by John Alvin.

A film poster for the film Jaws, with the words "JAWS" in large red letters at the top and a young woman swimming across the ocean beneath the letters. A large, great white shark, jaws open, comes up at her from below with the caption "The terrifying motion picture from the terrifying No. 1 best seller." The poster lists the actors in the film, including Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Jaws advertisement, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

A poster for the film Jaws, featuring the classic illustration of the great white shark. Artwork by Roger Kastel.

A film poster for the film The Blair Witch Project, of a woman's scared, watery eyes in front of a black forest with the words in white "In October 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary...A year later their footage was found." On the bottom of the poster in white letters below the woman's face are the words "The Blair Witch Project."

The Blair Witch Project advertisement, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

A poster for the film The Blair Witch Project.

A photo of an advertisement on a New York City subway train that says in capital purple letters "You and the woman in red have a shared secret." Beneath those words is the website "u-r-connected.com." Another ad on the subway features the tag line "Everyone is Connected. From JJ Abrams, Producer of Lost" with a graphic of 6 degrees beneath that includes images of 6 actors. Below are the words "Six Degrees. Premieres Thursday September 21 10PM. ABC 7."

Six Degrees advertisement 1, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

An advertisement for the television show, Six Degrees on the New York City subway.

A photo of an advertisement on a New York City subway train that says in capital purple letters "The man by the door will someday be your boss." Beneath those words is the website "u-r-connected.com."

Six Degrees advertisement 2, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

An advertisement for the television show Six Degrees on the New York City subway.

A screen grab from the Six Degrees website with the words "The guy at the coffee shop will soon be your good friend" written in white letters on top of a blurry, purple image of various people hurrying along a city street.

Six Degrees teaser 1, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

Screen grab from the Six Degrees teaser website.

A screen grab from the Six Degrees website with the words "Tell us a little bit about yourself and discover a new connection" written in white letters on top of a blurry, purple image of various people hurrying along a city street.

Six Degrees teaser 2, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

Screen grab from the Six Degrees teaser website.

A screen grab from the Six Degrees website with the words "Question one Who are you? I am my Work. I am the sum of my experience. I am my future. I am my contribution" written in white letters on top of a blurry, purple image of various people in downtown New York City on the corner of Fifth Avenue.

Six Degrees teaser 3, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

Screen grab from the Six Degrees teaser website.

Six Degrees teaser 4, image

From Chapter 2: Coming Soon! Hype, Intros, and Textual Beginnings

Screen grab from the Six Degrees teaser website.