Selling Laughs: How to Create Your Own Commercial Parody

by Bill Davis

Video Maker Magazine
February 2000

They can inspire, amuse or they can drive you nuts. Love ?em or hate ?em, commercials are hard to escape. Often, the commercials during halftime of the Super Bowl are more entertaining than the game itself. Television shows like Saturday Night Live and MadTV and have made an art form out of commercial satire.
In this article we?ll show you, step-by-step, how to create your own commercial parody that will not only teach you some video basics, but will also entertain your family and friends. One of the things that makes these humorous imitations so funny is their realistic nature. To create your own commercial you need to pattern your work after real commercials.

Whether it?s a tangible product, a convenient service or some kind of ideology, commercials all sell something. The first step in creating your commercial is to decide what it is that you?re selling. Although there are a variety of formats you can use, testimonials, expert witness, etc... most commercials follow the same basic formula. Introduce a problem (create a perceived need), present a solution (the product, naturally), and a call to action (Buy! Buy! Buy!) If this isn?t challenging enough, it all has to happen in 30 seconds.

The Product

For our purposes, we?ll use an imaginary product called the Knit-Co Nose Warmer. If you?d like to make one to shoot and edit this commercial, it?s easy. Find an old mitten or glove and cut off the thumb. Then attach a rubber band to it. The result goes over the nose like a tiny Halloween mask. Bingo! You?ve got your product.
If you want to get even more elaborate, you might want to create an instruction manual. This can be as simple as a dummy tri-fold brochure, or to add humor, you might take your phone book and make a fake cover for it. And, of course, a nice brochure instantly transforms your product into the Knit-Co Nose Warmer System and justifies the classic TV product price of "...just $19.95!"

The Problem

As a commercial producer, your first job will be to convince your viewers that they need the product you are selling. In this case, you?ll need to convince your viewers that their noses are cold. And when their noses are cold, they are miserable. Furthermore, cold noses are red and unattractive.
Here?s how your problem might look on screen. Since the Nose Warmer is designed for use outdoors in cold weather, you?ll want to make your establishing shots look cold and damp. A window looking out on a rainy day would be perfect. But if the weather isn?t cooperating, a hose and sprinkler outside of a window can work just as well.
Your talent, looking out the window at the yucky day, should look unhappy. You might use a touch of red makeup to accentuating a sore, cold nose. By using the natural light from the window, you won?t need much in the way of lighting gear perhaps a white bounce card or similar reflector to help soften shadows and make sure the red nose is clearly visible.

The Solution

You?ve established the problem, now you need to show how your product will solve it. The voice-over lists the benefits of the nose warmer, but the audience needs to see your product in action to believe it works. Of course, when your star wears the nose warmer, she is much happier and her life is exciting. The viewer connects her happiness with the use of the product. If she is so happy, they might be too (if only they had a nose warmer).
For scenes 4 and 5, you?ll move outside where you?ll show the talent wearing the product. Again, a reflector helps soften shadows and keeps the talent?s face clearly visible.

Showcase the Product

Now it?s time to show off the product. You can arrange the product and its accessories on a tabletop or counter in an attractive setup. Don?t forget to get shots of the group, as well as closeups of each component in the package. This is a great time to experiment with product lighting. Typically, broad, soft light sources work best. You might try diffusing the lights and/or bouncing them off light-colored surfaces. Scenes 6, 7 and 8 are product beauty shots.
Hit a high note by showing the happy people who?re using the product. Depending on how much talent you can scare up (and how many gloves you have available to cut up) you can get your friends and family join the fun all wearing their own Nose Warmers and giving a big thumbs-up, of course!

Call to Action

After you?ve created the problem and presented the product as the only logical solution, it?s time to ask for the sale. This is where you motivate your audience to pick up the phone and buy the nose warmer. This call to action usually comes in the form of a full screen graphic announcing a special (reduced) price and a phone number to call, "while supplies last!" You can use a titler or simply draw art cards to make the product name, the price and the fake phone number as big and bold as you can.
That?s all there is to it. Don?t be limited by the nose warmer idea, use your creativity to come up with your own silly products.

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