Intermediality in early cinema studies: An interrogation of a widely used concept for research practice

Abstract

The authors discuss the concept of intermediality for research in early cinema. After a general introduction to intermediality as research problem in media studies, the question is raised whether the concept of intermediality can be used in diachronic research designs and for media studies that deal with emerging media. The concept of cultural series (Gaudreault) and Intermoldaity (Elleström) are discussed in detail. Two case studies from the scholar’s research test the conceptual ideas. In the case of the Russo-Japanese war on Screen in colonial Indonesia (1903-1907), intermediality and transmediality helps tracing content in diverse media while allowing addressing the changing function of a news item. In the second case, media expressions of the Dutch neutrality policy in World War I are examined. Film, poetry, army performances mediate the same content in differently and borrow from each other. The authors call for a more differentiated view to the various functions that intermediality plays.