film studies - parody as film genre

7/28/2019 Film Studies - Parody as Film Genre

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PARODY AS FILM

GENRE


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DEFINITION

An intertextual, self-reflexive genre that

recontextualizes a target text by transforming

its elements, thus creating a NEW text; the

main aim of parody is to amuse


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Etymology

(Gr.)paroidia = counter-song

Para = AGAINST

= BESIDES

the parody both incorporates and mocks the

target


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Parody types

Type of target

general - general parody

specific - specific parody

Attitude towards target

critical parody - cannot be taken

seriously

reaffirming parody - less obvious, easily

confused with target genre


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Task one: Look at the following titles of film

parodies and try to identify the target using

linguistic clues.


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1905 The Little Train Robbery

1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights

2001 Not Another Teen Movie

2001 Shriek if You Know What I Did Last

Friday the 13th

2008 Meet the Spartans


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Task two: Look at the following posters of film

parodies and try to identify the target using

linguistic and visual clues.


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The Silence

of the Hams


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THE EFFECTIVE PARODY

- there is a constant interplay between

generating surprise and fulfilling viewers

expectations

by manipulating

LIGHTING, SHOTS, CAMERA MOVEMENT,

SOUND, and EDITING

by using and abusing conventions of thegenre


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TECHNIQUES

EXAGGERATION- takes an aspect of thesource text and renders it absurd throughexcessive emphasis- technical, narrative,

linguistic levelsREPETITION- technical, narrative, linguistic

levels

SELF-REFLEXIVITY- cinematic & linguistic

devices make the audience aware they arewatching a film


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LITERALIZATION- literal interpretation oflinguistic or technical elements

UNDERSTATEMENT/ OVERSTATEMENT- level ofacting- unusual actions of characters upset theviewers expectations

MISDIRECTION- the conventions of the sourcetext are used to create a set of expectations,which are reversed or transformed


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Young Frankenstein

1974,dir. Mel Brooks Baron Van Frankensteins entire family fortune, including

a castle, a secret library and the equipment used in hisstrange experiments is passed on to his great-grandson,Freddy Frankenstein, a famous scientist andneurosurgeon, who has cut off all contact with his

relatives, changed his name, as he wants to get rid of thestigma of his great-grandfathers reputation.

He has to go to Transylvania to inspect the estate, and heis guided by a funny servant, Igor, and an appealing lab-assistant, Inga.

As he comes across the secret library and the diarydescribing his great-grandfathers experiments, hebecomes obsessed with the idea of reanimating dead tissue,and he creates a scary creature with a huge body and anabnormal brain


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SCENE Exaggeration Repetition Self-reflexivity

Literalization Under-statement

Over-statement

Misdirection

1.

CLASS

2.

Station

3.

BOOK

CASE

4.BODY

5.

BRAIN

film studies - parody as film genre

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