This week we discussed the mode, parody. A parody is “considered to be a funny imitation of an artistic work that typically wasn’t intended to be funny.” (Toplyn, 2014). When we were talking about parodies, many shows and skits I had seen over time came to mind (like many SNL skits), it seemed to me to be a common and well-known mode. Parody, unlike theories such as the comic frame discussed in week 3, “has its own techniques and methods, but no particular form or structure.” (Neale & Krutnik, 1990). This means that, creatively, parodies don’t need to follow a particular formula – this mode felt more open to originality and creativity when thinking about what to create for our sketches. Parody focuses on “aesthetic conventions” (Neale & Krutnik, 1990), such as making fun of nature documentaries and infomercials. What makes a parody funny, to my understanding, is the audience’s knowledge of the subject being parodied. The “audience needs to be already familiar with what you’re parodying if they’re going to get your jokes.” (Toplyn, 2014). A parody of a true crime documentary may not be understood to be funny by those who have not seen a stereotypical true crime documentary. It is important to parodies to have the audience’s own context and understanding of the original content in order to find the most humour out of the sketch/show.
The media artefact created this week parodied a Zoom-style group presentation. After COVID, it is pretty easy to assume the audience is no stranger to this type of scenario, proving Toplyn’s argument of audience familiarity. As well as the viewers being university students & tutors, we are all accustomed to an awkward group assignment. Our sketch parodies the misunderstanding of a project by a group member, who must present their argument regardless. The sketch aesthetically replicates the conventions of a Zoom call (Neale & Krutnik, 1990), with random face zooms and awkward silences.
Because we didn’t parody a specific genre, this week’s sketch didn’t have much crossover with other forms/genres. Despite this, in the reading this week, it was discussed how parodies and satire comedies are often mistaken for one another (Neale & Krutnik, 1990).
REFERENCES:
Neale, S. & Krutnik, F. (1990), “Definitions, genres, and forms” in Popular Film and Television Comedy. London: Routledge, pp. 10–25.
Toplyn, J. (2014), “Parody SketchesLinks to an external site. to an external site.” in Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV, New York: Twenty Lane Media, pp. 239–261.