This week, the comedy mode we were exploring was parody, which in my mind seemed pretty straightforward, but proved to be more complicated than initially believed. The main aspects of parody involve studying the conventions of a specific form or genre and crafting something new that appears initially to be in that same genre. Crafting an idea for a short parody sketch was difficult, as there is such an abundance of different forms to parody, and without a specific angle, as there is in satire, it is difficult to come up with a clear idea. However, our group went through the steps outlined by Toplyn to try to create something, focusing on linking the associations of the topic and our own angle to create a punchline.
We also wanted to arrange the punchlines so that they would build throughout the script, which Toplyn also discusses. Once we had settled on doing a parody of a reaction YouTuber, we wanted the difference to be that sprinkled among the other videos, would be videos of the protagonist, each time becoming more and more concerning. The escalation went from just being filmed working, to being filmed in a drug deal. We also wanted to throw in some final twist, which was that the videos were not really from a stalker, but it was actually a joke pulled by the YouTuber.
In terms of responding to the style of video we were parodying, we decided to have a dramatic special effects intro and outro to the video. We also noted that the majority of these reaction YouTubers add little to no useful commentary, and are often reacting to the most obscure random videos possible, through a tiny box in the corner.
In my mind, parody is no different to a jokingly mocking comment to a friend, in the idea that it is often a hyperbole of what actually happens in the genre being parodied. Not to be confused with satire, which often uses parody to carry a message, parody is in essence, pointing a finger at a specific genre/style and going “How silly is [specific aspect] in this!”.
REFERENCES
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Neale, S. & Krutnik, F. (1990), “Definitions, genres, and forms” in Popular Film and Television Comedy. London: Routledge, pp. 10–25.
- Toplyn, J. (2014), “Parody Sketches” in Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV, New York: Twenty Lane Media, pp. 239–261.