1) Clapper Board

In this screenshot a clapperboard is used as in a physically produced film with

the slate details of information such as the directors, the take number, who is
on the camera, the date, what scene it is and what film they are producing. This
shot is parodying the conventions of films, as The Lego Movie is animated and
therefore there is no need for a clapper board, etc and is Meta through doing so
as this displays a self-reflexive awareness of the text as an artificial construction.

2) Coffee Instruction Board

In this screenshot the board is showing the characters in the film how to
purchase coffee, set out in the same way as a Lego instruction board. This is
Meta due to the film being aware that it is about a product; the text has a selfreflexive awareness that it is an artificial construction. Furthermore, it is a parody
of the rules enforced on us in everyday life- suggesting that we are merely a
piece in the game of an institution- the purpose of this is to critique
consumerism, capitalist oppression and social conformity, however, there is a
paradoxical nature to this as The Lego Movie itself is an advert for two
multinational corporations The Lego Group and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

3) The Uniform Traffic

Here you can see the uniform traffic on the Lego streets in the film, with all the
cars moving in unison. This is once again a parody of reality, with the purpose of
it being to critique social conformity, consumerism and the capitalist oppression
that we live by, reflected by the oppressive rules of President Business. Once
again there is a paradox here due to the same reasons as mentioned previously.

4) Batman Striking the Gate Control First Time

In this shot Batman throws things to try and hit the button to open the gate
control many times, and when we finally succeeds he comments that he did it
first time to comedic effect. Evidently, through using a character from other
genres/mediums such as Batman the text creates a bricolage, makes an
intertextual reference and subsequently further makes it Meta as it is displaying
that it has a self-reflexive awareness that it is an artificial construction. In a way,
you could also infer that this is a parody of Batman as they take Batmans
seriousness as if he were in a Nolan film and put it into the farcical context of the
Lego Movie, making him a pastiche and a simulacrum (as he is not quite the
Batman the audience knows, he is mocked) almost. There is an ironic distance
between Batmans seriousness and the characters actual absurdity. Batmans
actions here could also be critiquing the genres that he is a part of normally,
pointing out how unrealistic they are with his skilful actions within them.
Furthermore, to have Batman fighting against Capitalist oppression is once more
paradoxical due to him being a character produced and used by a large,
capitalist organisation- DC Comics, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros.

5) The Micro Managers Descending from the Sky

In this scene the Micro Managers descend from the sky down into the streets in
order to freeze the Lego characters in position so that they must conform to the
capitalist oppression of Lord Business. This scene makes an intertextual
reference to The Matrix as the Micro Managers are similar to the Agents in it, who
all look the same and stop the people from escaping the Matrix. This
consequently has a bricolage effect and further makes the text Meta, as it has a
self-reflexive awareness that it is an artificial construction. Furthermore, it acts a
critique of capitalist oppression and subsequently creates a paradox as spoken
about previously.

6) Liam Neeson as Bad Cop

Liam Neesons character (Good Cop/Bad Cop) has two sides to him when
interrogating Emmet; he turns from Good Cop to Bad Cop. This makes an
intertextual reference to the psychological tactic used in interrogation and
negotiation in reality, and to the stock character Good Cop/Bad Cop, further
creating a bricolage and Meta effect. It also parodies this character and makes a
pastiche of it by presenting him as comical and farcical. The point of this
character is to once again display to the audience that the text has a selfreflexive awareness that it is an artificial construction.

7) Morgan
Vitruvious

Freeman as

In this shot
Morgan Freemans
character Vitruvious is displayed holding his magical stick. His character makes
an intertextual reference to Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, creating a
bricolage and Meta effect- making the audience once again aware that the text
has a self-reflexive awareness that it is an artificial construction. In a way this
reference to Gandalf can be seen as a homage to his character, however, it can
also been perceived as a parody and a pastiche due to the farcical context he is
placed in and his comedic portrayal. Perhaps this can be seen as a critique of
the typical seriousness in the fantasy genre by subverting the Gandalf-style
character into something more comical.