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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)

9780814731949 (hardcover)
9780814731956 (paper)

Subject

Citable Link

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This 5 panel, top to bottom, image shows, in the first panel, a woman's hand on top of a series of black and beige maps and graphs with two text blocks, which read, in order, "Once Bennet sent me the specs on the satellite, I heard it--faintly whispering. It was encrypted. It was lousy with security, passwords and firewalls." In the second panel we see a woman's face from a window on a train. She has long brown hair and a thin, glowing face. Two texts blocks read, in order, "I had to go where I could talk to it. Where I could bypass the security." In the third panel we see a city street with various neon signs covered in what seem to be Chinese characters and a woman with short, dark hair and a leather jacket carrying a backpack. The text box reads "Like the arctic tundra, there are places where communications are easier." In the fourth panel another dark-haired woman is sitting on a small boat floating on a lake with a mountain and pasture behind her. The text box reads "And I had to make sure that this satellite heard my orders loud and clear." In the fifth panel we see a close-up of a woman's face, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, against a red, cloudy background. The text box reads "And for that, I'd travel as far as I would need to go..."

Heroes graphic novel, image

From Conclusion: "In the DNA": Creating Across Paratexts

A page from the Heroes graphic novel following the adventures of the transmediated hero Hana Gitelman.

This screen grab from the website for the show Heroes offers many options to travel to different areas of the site. The main section of the screen grab is dedicated to a section titled "Evolutions," which includes an image of 4 characters in a luminous bubble and the text "Go beyond your television screen and take the next leap foward with Heroes Evolutions. Dive into the Heroes universe with interactive mysteries, games, puzzles, character websites, and new stories you will only discover in the world of Heroes Evolutions. Online, offline, and on your phone, Heroes Evolutions brings the adventure into every corner of your world." Other links seen in this screen grab include "Heroes: Istory Interactive Series!" "Full Episodes," "Heroes Wiki," "Graphic Novels," "Heroes Rewind," and "Evolutions Official Sites."

Heroes "Evolutions" website, image

From Conclusion: "In the DNA": Creating Across Paratexts

The Heroes "Evolutions" website offers a portal into some of the show's many transmedia platforms.

A screengrab from the webpage titled "What Happened in Piedmont?" On the main part of the page (dominating the left 3/4ths) there is a blog-like post titled "Dr. Jeremy Stone." Beneath this title there is a line of text that reads "May 21st, 2008 10:33pm by Andrew / 8 comments / Trackback." There is then an image showing a picture of the fictional Dr. Jeremy Stone, several lines of official-looking text, a set of fingerprints, and a signature. Beneath this image are several lines of text that read: "Found another new access code for the Wildfire intranet... and this one unlocks the file on Dr. Stone himself: Jest or Enemy. Most of this information was already available on the website, but it's interesting all the same. It's also interesting that the government knew all about the ill will between Stone and Keene, though I'm not sure why they'd make a specific note of that in the Wildfire files. Unless, of course, Keene is also involved in this somehow. Based on this access code, it also seems clear that the personnel files, at least, are protected with anagrams... so the next thing is to figure out possible access codes for the file on Tsi Chou, the only remaining scientist on the team. Suggestions? Tags: wildfire, access codes, stone." The final 1/4th of the screen includes links to pages "Home, About Me, Access Codes," a section that reads " What's Going On? The government quarantined the town of Piedmont, UT in order to contain a deadly aliened virus codenamed Andromeda. The virus was stopped, but not before claiming a lot of lives. To read the short version of what happened, start here," an "email me" button, and links to various facebook accounts.

What Happened in Piedmont? blog, image

From Chapter 6: In the World, Just Off Screen: Toys and Games

A page from the What Happened in Piedmont? blog.

A video trailer for the video game The Simpsons Hit and Run, in which there are various scenes from the video game depicting the members of the Simpson Family driving cars, crashing into things, running away from things, and causing general mayhem.

A trailer for The Simpsons Hit and Run game, video

From Chapter 6: In the World, Just Off Screen: Toys and Games

A trailer for The Simpsons Hit and Run video game.

A video trailer for the video game based on the film The Golden Compass that mixes scenes from the movie and animated images from the game. The trailer first shows the main character, a young red-headed girl named Lyra, receiving the golden compass, then flying in a mechanical blimp-like device above a city, then fighting wolves and other creates in a snowy mountain region, then on a ship, then in a castle-like building, then riding a polar bear, and fighting other various dark creatures, including what look to be hunters, witches, etc. While these shots quickly move from one to the next these words flash across the scene in yellow: "A dangerous mission--to the edge of another world--a new hero emerges--explore--forbidden lands--uncover--a mysterious prophecy--defeat--brutal enemies--The Golden Compass."

The Golden Compass game, video

From Chapter 6: In the World, Just Off Screen: Toys and Games

A trailer for The Golden Compass video game based on the film.

1978 Star Wars 12-Backs, image

From Chapter 6: In the World, Just Off Screen: Toys and Games

Complete set of 1978 Star Wars 12-Backs, the first twelve figures released. From the collection of Gary Wines. Photograph by Gary Wines.

An advertisement for the television show Friday Night Lights displayed in three panels, top to bottom. In the top panel a a young, dark haired woman (on the left) is about to kiss a young man (on the right) wearing a blue and white letterman jacket. Both have their eyes closed and their mouths slightly open. In the second panel a black young man in a blue and white football uniform and helmet looks into the camera. His jersey has the number 20 on the shoulder pads. In the third panel four men wearing football uniforms and holding football helmets appear to be walking out of a dark, tiled tunnel and onto a football field. They face away from the camera and 3 of them have visible numbers on their jerseys: 20, 6, and 7. In between the second and third panels the title "Friday Night Lights" is written in yellow letters on a black background.

Friday Night Lights advertisement, image

From Chapter 5: Spoiled and Mashed Up: Viewer-Created Paratexts

An ad for the television show Friday Night Lights.

Wikiality website, image

From Chapter 5: Spoiled and Mashed Up: Viewer-Created Paratexts

A page from the Wikiality website featuring Fox News.

This video combines scenes from the Lord of the Rings movies that depict various characters' obsessions with the ring, mainly Gollum, and the lengths they will go to obtain the ring, including diving into volcanoes, killing others, attacking others, etc.

Hopeless, video

From Chapter 5: Spoiled and Mashed Up: Viewer-Created Paratexts

Hopeless by Luminosity.

This video combines moving-sketch animation and film clips from famous movies and television shows to play with movement, colors, and video. The clips come from movies and shows such as The Matrix, Startrek, Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman, Lord of the Rings, V for Vendetta, and others.

Us, video

From Chapter 5: Spoiled and Mashed Up: Viewer-Created Paratexts

Us by Lim.

This video combines many clips from the end of the first season of the television show Dexter. Important clips include a man in a hazmat suit entering a hotel room that is covered in blood, he then falls down and splashes into a pool of blood on the floor, multiple people being murdered, Dexter solving criminal cases, various disembodied Barbie-doll body parts found in random places (a drawer attached to a set of keys, in a fridge, etc.), someone's chopped off fingers, a child covered in blood screaming and crying, male friendship, and blood falling as rain.

Blood Fugue, video

From Chapter 5: Spoiled and Mashed Up: Viewer-Created Paratexts

Blood Fugue by Luminosity.

This video edits together footage from the Star Wars films that involve Obi-Wan Kenobi's relationship with both Luke and Anakin Skywalker. Such clips involve both a young Obi-Wan and the older version of him talking and fighting with Anakin (later Darth Vader), Luke, and other villains. There is also a compilation of death scenes from several of the films.

Sick Cycle Carousel, video

From Chapter 5: Spoiled and Mashed Up: Viewer-Created Paratexts

Sick Cycle Carousel by Wolfling.

This video edits together footage from the Lord of the Rings trilogy of a beautiful blonde-haired character, "Éowyn," and her uncle, an older long-haired character, "Théoden." The video shows many tender moments as she tends to her uncle, leaning over his dying body, stroking his old, wrinkled hand, bringing him drink, etc. The video also shows her mourning her dead brother and various scenes in which she is alone and upset. We also see her preparing to battle, unsheathing a sword, riding into battle, and killing another character by thrusting the sword into his helmet. The video ends with a shot of a falling white flower.

Winter, video

From Chapter 5: Spoiled and Mashed Up: Viewer-Created Paratexts

Winter by Wolfling and Magpie.

In this film clip from the movie Batman Begins Bruce Wayne (played by actor Christian Bale) and Ducard (played by actor Liam Neeson) are fighting on an iced-over lake in the mountains using swords. Ducard knocks Bruce Wayne down multiple times as Bruce Wayne fails to adequately defend himself until finally he succeeds in knocking Ducard down and Ducard is pleased.

Clip from Batman Begins, video

From Chapter 4: Under a Long Shadow: Sequels, Prequels, Pre-Texts, Intertexts

Bruce Wayne is laid low and punished by Ducard in Batman Begins, paying for the crimes of Batman and Robin while earning his right to be Batman.

A split-screen image, the top of which features actor Andy Serkis crouching in front of a rocky background wearing a white body suit with his face exposed in a Gollum-esque expression. The bottom image shows the CGI-created Gollum character who looks remarkably like Andy Serkis.

Lord of the Rings Split-Screen DVD Feature, image

From Chapter 3: Bonus Materials: Digital Auras and Authors

A split-screen feature shows how Andy Serkis's performance determined the CGI Gollum's performance, further suggesting that special effects following human ability, not vice versa.

A menu screen elision overlaid on top of a hand-drawn map showing where in New Zealand certain aspects of the fictional "Middle Earth" were filmed. The menu allows the watcher to choose "Play all," or to pick from the following options: Emyn Muil, The Dead Marshes, Rohan, Edoras, Ithilien Fangorn Forest, Helm's Deep, or Main Menu.

A Two Towers DVD, image

From Chapter 3: Bonus Materials: Digital Auras and Authors

A Two Towers DVD elision of New Zealand and Middle Earth showing where in New Zealand certain aspects of the fictional "Middle Earth" were filmed.

A short clip of a talking-head style interview from the documentary "J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle Earth."

J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle Earth, clip 2, video

From Chapter 3: Bonus Materials: Digital Auras and Authors

Musical cues in the J. R. R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle Earth documentary draw from the film's score to elide Tolkien's and the Fellowship's respective journeys.

A short clip from the documentary "J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle Earth" that cuts between various old photographs of Tolkien and his friends/contemporaries and the Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford, England and the talking-head style interviews of Rayner Unwin, Tolkien's publisher, and another scholar.

J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle Earth, clip 1, video

From Chapter 3: Bonus Materials: Digital Auras and Authors

Musical cues in the J. R. R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle Earth documentary draw from the film's score to elide Tolkien's and the Fellowship's respective journeys.

A DVD box set made to look like two framed pictures, one of three cloaked travelers walking through a wooded glen towards a figure shrouded in mist and the other of a hand-drawn map featuring mountain ranges and many circuitous roads and dashed lines.

The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers box set, image

From Chapter 3: Bonus Materials: Digital Auras and Authors

The box set for The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers Platinum Series Special Extended Edition DVD box set

The Biggest Loser's website, image

From Chapter 3: Bonus Materials: Digital Auras and Authors

A page from The Biggest Loser's website.