Notes

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Gregory Ulmer, Robert Ray, Nora Alter, Roger Beebe, Brian Doan, David Johnson, Laurie Taylor, Zach Whalen, and the reviewers at Reconstruction for their helpful comments on this project.

[1] The fractal nature of modularity makes it substantially different from previous structural models that relied on reuse of tropes, such as Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale or Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces. While previous models stemmed from the oral composition tradition of repeated tropes (as in Homer’s works), modularity integrates this structural practice fractally: at all levels. Thus, while folk tales are modular on the level of narrative, new media objects use modular narrative, construction, distribution, and storage.

[2] The times are estimated hours, minutes, and seconds ( HH:MM:SS ) from the opening credits of the film. Where possible, I’ve included screenshots of presented images.

[3] Holy Grail features a shot-reverse-shot sequence in which guards watch Lancelot charge toward their castle. Each shot of Lancelot uses the same footage; instead of getting closer with each reverse shot, he repeatedly crests the hill at great distance from the castle. Then he suddenly sets upon the guards.

[4] Eric Schaefer explains the evolution of the term as follows:

The term exploitation film is derived from the practice of exploitation, advertising or promotional techniques that went over and above typical posters, trailers, and newspaper ads. . . . During the postwar years, the designation of exploitation film was gradually expanded to include almost any low-budget movie with a topical bent. During the 1960s and 1970s, the term was modified to indicate the subject that was being exploited, such as for "sexploitation" and "blaxploitation" movies. (4)

[5] Images from Jaws have been cropped from widescreen format where necessary.

[6] On a personal note, the first film in which I noticed the re-use of a sound was Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. The clicking growl sound of the velociraptor is the same sound made by the title alien in Predator.

[7] The term blockbuster originally described a bomb big enough to destroy a city block. While bomb indicates a cinematic failure, blockbuster signifies a very successful film. Incidentally, blockbuster also carries meaning in real-estate circles. The term, used as an epithet, describes someone who sells a home in an all-white neighborhood to minority homeowners—a development that the term implies “opens” the block to minority families and will drive down property values.

[8] British Screenwriting lecturer Sue Clayton has published the “scientific formula” for the most popular British film. She says a film should have the following components: “30 percent action, 17 percent comedy, 13 percent good-versus-evil, 12 percent romance, 10 percent special effects, 10 percent plot and 8 percent music” (Associated Press).