Selling Laughs: How to Create Your Own Commercial Parody

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

Using the classic commercial formula, you'll need to establish how the product will benefit the buyer. An easy way to do this is to begin by defining the problem our product will solve.

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.