OK, everyone:
Please write one paragraph (make it something you'd be proud of, please) and discuss how This Is Spinal Tap contributed to television shows today. Think about shows like The Office. Extra credit to anyone who adds their favorite Tap lyrics.
You get an extra day. Due: Thursday, February 16.
“This Is Spinal Tap” is an American rock musical mocumentary directed by Rob Reiner. It introduced the concept of creating eccentric characters who attempt to justify their ridiculous actions in mock-serious interview segments interspersed throughout footage of their daily life. Essentially, this is the format of mocumentary style television shows such as “Summer Heights High” or “Modern Family”. These eccentric characters often develop distinctive speaking styles or habits (such as Nigel chewing gum), in order to create characters that are quirky and entertaining. This can be seen in “The Office” demonstrated by characters such as Stanley, who talks with an extended drawl or Kelly, who uptalks. The writers and creators of “This Is Spinal Tap” were also the primary actors in the film. This style has been imitated by Australian mocumentary Summer Heights High, in which creator Chris Lilley is the primary actor in writer in the series. It is evident that “This Is Spinal Tap” has been extremely influential to modern mocumentary television.
ReplyDelete“This is Spinal Tap” is a musical mockumentary, directed by Rob Reiner in 1984. Its innovative interview style attempts to highlight the quirkiness and outrageousness of each character, as they go about their “normal” day. The actors’ ability to be completely serious, when what they are saying is in fact a complete joke, is what makes this film so funny and successful. This filming style clearly contributed to television shows such as the aforementioned “The Office” and “Modern Family.” Both of these popular shows have similar character dynamic and sense of humor than that of Reiner’s film. The characters in both the film and these shows are well developed and all have specific mannerisms. Additionally, this film style draws a recognizable connection between character and viewer. With the interview style in the film, it feels as if the characters are telling personal accounts only to that viewer, which makes it relatable and intimate. This connection goes the same for the television shows that have been influenced by this style.
ReplyDeleteRob Reiner’s rockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” was the first of its kind, mocking both rock stars and the overzealous documentary’s typically made about them. Never before had the non-fiction documentary genre been manipulated in such a way; and as a result of unfamiliarity with this new mockumentary style, some mistakenly took it as a depiction of real life. This was due to the incredible verisimilitude and largely improvised scenes, both of which contributed to the appearance of reality. The ability of a mockumentary to so closely mimic reality has since become a television staple, with shows like MTV’s My Life as Liz, blurring the line and making it difficult for audiences to tell if it isn’t merely an above average reality show (I for one didn’t realize it was scripted until a few episodes in). There are other tv mockumentaries, like my personal favorite Arrested Development, that are clearly scripted but still have that documentary feel. This is a result of voice over narration, the breaking of the fourth wall, and realistic improve amidst the other dialogue. This allows the audience to recognize the true nature of the show, while still making us feel as though we are seeing into someone’s real world.
ReplyDeleteAnd although I have no way to integrate it, aside from the exceedingly inappropriate lyrics, my favorite would have to be “cups and cakes oh what good things mother makes” But perhaps that is only because I am eating a cupcake right now, cheers.
“This Is Spinal Tap” is a 1984 mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about a fictional hard rock band. The film was not the first of its kind to follow a day in the life of a rock band, and the film definitely took some inspiration from the film “A Hard Day’s Night”, but this film took the glorification and twisted it into self-deprecation. The filmmakers wanted the film to feel realistic and so they used shaky handheld camera work, and technique used in many contemporary television shows such as “Arrested Development” and “Modern Family”. The documentary feel helps to relate what is happening on screen to the viewer. Often the dialogue rambles onto the irrelevant, such as Nigel’s conversation about how his amp goes to eleven; these digressions happen in real life and so they are incorporated into the film (“Arrested Development” especially). Truly quirky and eccentric characters are able to be created without the feeling of forced eccentricity and quirkiness that many films often suffer from. A sense of self-awareness is also brought to the film, thanks to the tongue-in-cheek delivery of the actors, and this is clearly influential on almost every decent television show today. The film is given a sense of anarchy that is not always felt in perfectly scripted and shot films, but television (and films like “Spinal Tap”) often make up for their budget with creativity, and a sense of awareness is one of the best ways to do this.
ReplyDelete"This is Spinal Tap" is a mockumentary that was produced in 1984 by Rob Reiner that showed the life of a fictional rock band. Honestly the film was hilarious. The main reason for the film was to show the day day in the life of a stereotypical rock band. The way that the camera work was done with the handheld made the footage seem real and became extremely believable. The way that the film was created reminds me of all the reality and documentary shows on MTV or VH1 such as Behind the music. This mockumentary itself was a break through for the exact way that it was set up and portrayed, because there were films like it , but not exactly the way that Reiner portrayed his idea.
ReplyDeleteUpon its release, Rob Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap” was modestly successful, however, over time the film has gained the respect of critics worldwide and was even called "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and then archived in the US National Film Registry. With this being said, it is no surprise that the film has inspired mockumentaries since1984. The 21st century has seen several American television shows that have tried to embody the genre, many with the same hilarity experienced in “This Is Spinal Tap”. A good example is “Wildboyz”, a spin-off of “Jackass” that mocks the style of nature documentaries. The insanity and mood of the show mimics its real-life inspirations, but was also written and directed by the actors themselves, as was “This Is Spinal Tap”. Other examples include Comedy Central’s “Reno 911!” which parodies police officers much like the Spinal Tap band members poke fun at stereotypical rock stars, “Parks and Recreation” with a more modern take on mockumentary style, and even Nickelodeon’s “The Naked Brother’s Band”. Other shows such as “Glee” have strayed from their usual narrative style and incorporated interview style shots.
ReplyDeleteDirected by Rob Reiner in 1984 This Is Spinal is truly a legendary film. Although it is not the first film of its kind it definitely set the bar for mocumentary style films. Spinal tap showcases and follows a fake rock band around. Mocking the stereotypical band habits and creating a masterpiece is exactly what Reiner did. Especiall with the handheld camera work that was used to authenticate the film. There have been many shows that have been inspired by Spinal tap, for example the ABC sitcom modern family where the charaters are interviewed to give their commentary about the each situation. Or even the Tbs sitcom The Office which mock the stereotypical situatuions at an office.
ReplyDeleteThis is spinal tap is a hilarious, legendary film that has left its print within film television to this day.
This is Spinal Tap” is a mockumentary, directed by Rob Reiner in 1984, based on the life of a rock band. But, if you think about what it is in essence, a mockumentary, then you can understand how it contributed to a majority of televisions shows today. Most reality shows are mostly rehearsed, giving them the mockumentary aspect and effect. Shows such as Jersey Shore and Biggest Loser show things that couldn't have possibly been shot in real time, making them partially rehearsed. Another type of show that also has the mockumentary concept connected to it are most sitcoms, such as The Office, Seinfield, and other shows, because these shows are suppose to be based around the lives of supposedly "real" people, but was completely rehearsed and based on fiction. These shows also mock the conventional person's life, which is exactly what a mockmentary os suppose to do.
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