I think the thing with references in general is that they need to either a) work on their own even if someone DOESNâT understand the source material and/or (preferably and) b) are brief enough that someone who doesnât understand them most likely wonât notice them, instead of stopping the story shut in its tracks for a minute so you can wink at the viewer and say âgeddit? eh? eh?â⊠metaporically speaking.
Example: in Shrek 2, Shrek sees an old poster in Fionaâs old room in the castle.
When I was a kid, I genuinely didnât recognize that this was supposed to be Justin Timberlake, because I wasnât that up on celebrity stuff (and he already wore a full beard at this point). But I still smiled, because even if you DONâT recognize the celeb it still is a solid joke even without that, narrative is still easy to recongize that Fiona as a tween had a crush on some male celebrity, and it ties into character development of Shrek feeling insecure because heâs not human - so it fullfills point a).
And in addition to that: that shot? It lasts for THREE SECONDS. Itâs a quiet scene (except for music), noone makes any mention of that poster, thereâs no dialog or callback or anything. If you donât get it, you miss absolutely nothing. So it fulfills point b) at the same time.
andulkaphoto
blakekathryn
prguitarman
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
jacobvanloon
dailybridgerton
ellievsbear
pixelskylines
