A parody is one of the most tried and tested types of viral videos. It is one of sure-fire types as well: most parodies do attract attention because they, like no other viral video type, bring up popular associations and well-known concepts.
Before actually taking a look at some of the best-executed online parodies, let’s discuss what a parody actually is. A parody is a work created to mock or make fun of an original work. It is usually executed by hyperbolizing some of the most distinctive patterns, styles or weaknesses of the original work and its characters for the purposes of ridicule.
The keys with a good spoof usually are:
- To brainstorm original (hot) idea
- To find the balance between imitation of the original work and variations on its patterns
- To create an outstanding and original execution.
Important! If you ever decide to experiment with viral parodies, be sure to have an in-depth look into this article on how to tell fair use from copyright infringement when dealing with parodies to stay out of the trouble.
Since copyright law prohibits the substantial use of a copyrighted work without permission of the copyright owner, and because such permission is highly unlikely when the use is to create a parody, it may be necessary for the parodist to rely on the fair-use defense to forestall any liability for copyright infringement.
Now, let’s get inspired! Some greatly executed online parodies!
1. Change the Topic: The Social Network Trailer Parodies
Why was the original movie dedicated to Facebook… not to Twitter? The following is (arguably) the best-executed amateur parody of all times.
That’s up to you to decide but it really IS funny. This line, for example, makes me laugh every time I hear it:
“If Twitter was as useless and as boring as they say, then someone would have Tweeted it.”
| The Social Network Official Trailer | Twitter Movie – Rated Awesome #2 |
Fun!
And what if it were about Youtube?
| The Social Network Official Trailer | Youtube Movie – The Video Website |
2. Spoof the Execution: Old Spice Commercial Best Parody
There have been a plethora of Old Spice popular Youtube ad spoof videos. It is hard to name the best one…. I chose the following one simply because of the brilliant execution: it copies the original format, expression, speech patterns, even voice perfectly:
| Old Spice Commercial (original) | Youtube Movie – The Video Website |
3. Spoof the Concept: Quora Parody Mini-Site
Quora service was launched about a yeah ago with quite some buzz following it: everyone was intrigued to see what the former facebookers were up to. Yet, many people met it with skepticism… for a reason.
The reason for that is perfectly visualized by this brilliant spoof:
| Quora | Cuora |
| “A continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it.” | “A continually spamming collection of unanswered questions created, edited and organised by no-one who uses it.” |
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| (click each thumbnail for a larger view) | |
4. Spoof the Whole Industry: Zombie Harmony
It is hard to get everyone talking about your dating site… unless you create a parody of the whole industry and launch a dating platform for Zombies.
After movies like Fido (which I adore) where zombies were at last accepted into the human community, this spoof looks even more real-life!
| Random Dating Site | ZombieHarmonie |
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| (click each thumbnail for a larger view) | |
5. Finally, Take Part in the Hot Meme and Become THE Source
Of all numerous Hitler parodies around the web (which also resulted in multiple copyright infringement claims by the way), this one is the closest to my heart because it actually explains how meme works.
It was too late to come in the game (otherwise it would have enjoyed a lot more exposure) but it still can be a great example of how “timeliness” doesn’t prevent a great piece from going viral (if it’s really that great). In this case, the video has become the way to summarize and explain the whole meme: a lot of powerful platforms covering the Hitler’s parody series are using this video to illustrate the whole idea.
Anyone unfamiliar with the parody series should be warned that most of the clips contain strong language.
| Hitler’s Downfall (with original subtitles) | What does Hitler think of the Downfall meme? |
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| (Embedding is disabled for both the videos: so click the video thumbnails to watch on Youtube) | |
Now to You
Do you have any great examples of online parodies to share? Please comment!
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Interesting post. An important element to consider when contemplating the production of a ‘viral parody’ is also doing it wrong. It’s difficult to up and make a successful viral video. So many parameters influence what happens once that freshly-minted parody is published; context to current events, timeliness, quality of writing, production value, etc. All this to say, don’t carry the expectation that if you build it, your great idea will take off. As with all content production efforts, test, learn, optimize, and then maybe you’ll get the big hit.
Hey Wesley, so true! Idea comes first – you can’t force it!
Great article. Parodies and remixes on youtube have been becoming more profesional-looking lately, and a must to every popular viral video, so it seems