A Filmmaker's Guide to: Parody

In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re actually going to be learning about literature and film together. I understand that many of you are sitting in university during difficult times and finding it increasingly hard to study and I understand that many of you who are not at university or not planning on it are possibly stuck of what to do, need a break or even need to catch up on learning film before you get to the next level. This guide will be brief but will also contain: new vocabulary, concepts and theories, films to watch and we will be exploring something taboo until now in the ‘filmmaker’s guide’ - academia (abyss opens). Each article will explore a different concept of film, philosophy, literature or bibliography/filmography etc. in order to give you something new to learn each time we see each other. You can use some of the words amongst family and friends to sound clever or you can get back to me (email in bio) and tell me how you’re doing. So, strap in and prepare for the filmmaker’s guide to film studies because it is going to be one wild ride.

Parody

What is it?

When a book/film/artwork etc. makes fun of an original one through themes or using deeper, satirical meaning.

Some of the most famous parodies in literature include books like "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" where even the first line makes fun of the opening comment of the book:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."

It has been changed from the original:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Obviously, it is relative to satire as satire pokes fun at larger, more popular subjects than literature and is often seen as something with deeper meaning than just parody. TV Shows such as "Saturday Night Live" has been famous for using parody and satire combined to create sketches in which they would poke fun at things that are culturally relevant to the day especially, during these times, the US Presidential Elections.

What about in film?

Parodies are different to spoofs as spoofs make fun of generics such as "Scary Movie" making fun of horror film types and tropes. Parodies are more specific. Parodies include films like:

- Young Frankenstein

Starring Gene Wilder, this film made fun of the movie "Frankenstein" that came before it. The line "it's alive!" is famed for being relative to the book "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley despite never actually being uttered in the book at all. It's not even said in the Boris Karloff starring film, actually it is only uttered by Gene Wilder in the parody. So you know it has had some serious effect when its mistaken for being an actual line from the original book or film.

Other films include:

- Robin Hood: Men in Tights

- Vampires Suck

- Shaun of the Dead

- Meet the Spartans

and many more.

Parodies don't just come in movies though, they can also come in radio shows, music, other works of literature (such as: "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters", a parody of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility"). There are many parodies that are well known in the music community with Weird Al Yankovic possibly being the most famous for his award-winning parodies of songs by Michael Jackson, Madonna and many more artists.

Let's take a look at some further reading where we'll explore some key texts of the genre. This will also include parodies of other things you probably have not heard of including the Ladybird Books, The Famous Five and hopefully, you haven't heard of Twilight (and if you have, then I feel you and I'm sorry. I am so very sorry. Whether it is the books or the films, they are both awful and honestly, the parodies are better than the originals...)

Further Reading:

• Grahame-Smith, S (2009). Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. USA: Quirk Books.
• Hazeley, J (2019). A Ladybird Book About Donald Trump. USA: Michael Joseph.
• Lampoon, H (2009). Nightlight: A Parody of Twilight. UK: Constable.
• Vincent, B (2020). Five Go Absolutely Nowhere. UK: Quercus
• Winters, B.H (2009). Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. USA: Quirk Books.