Style
Fast Forward was noted for its fast paced satirical comedy which particularly lampooned the media, in particular film and TV, with its precise parodies of well known television shows (such as Kung Fu, Lost In Space, The Munsters, A Current Affair), personalities (such as Clive James, Jana Wendt, Hinch, Geoffrey Robertson) and commercials (such as Amex, Nescafe) .
It subjects were also Australian politics which it attacked through various political impersonations ( including John Howard, Paul Keating), and also using the political puppets, Rubbery Figures, previously seen in small segments on the ABC, and based was based on Peter Nicholsons political cartoons.
Another key distinguishing feature was the use of simulated channel surfing to switch from sketch to sketch, often in the middle of a sketch, sometimes after the punchline. Particularly a sketch would abruptly switch to a momentary segment of static, followed by another sketch, simulating the effect of the viewer repeatedly switching channels. The channel surfing device became a distinctive hallmark of the show that helped move quickly from sketch to sketch.
The television and multimedia subject matter of the sketches, pace, style and devices were real points of difference from predecessor sketch comedy shows of the time, particularly earlier shows such as The Mavis Bramston Show, The Naked Vicar Show, Australia You're Standing In It, The D-Generation, The Comedy Company : Fast Forward was more media-focused and parody-focused; a real difference, and the binding force for the whole show, was the now-famous channel changing device. The white noise and on-screen static that represented the channel change became the modern television equivalent of a curtain being drawn at an old-fashioned vaudeville show.
Fast Forward was also well known for its excellent musical parodies, particularly of current music video clips, many of which featured Gina Riley. Some of the better known music parodies included ABBA, Cher and Dannii Minogue.
Read more about this topic: Fast Forward (TV series)
Famous quotes containing the word style:
“Each child has his own individual expressions to offer to the world. That expression can take many forms, from artistic interests, a way of thinking, athletic activities, a particular style of dressing, musical talents, different hobbies, etc. Our job is to join our children in discovering who they are.”
—Stephanie Martson (20th century)
“Style is the man himself.
[Le style c’est l’homme même.]”
—Leclerc, George-Louis Buffon, Comte De (1707–1788)
“As we approached the log house,... the projecting ends of the logs lapping over each other irregularly several feet at the corners gave it a very rich and picturesque look, far removed from the meanness of weather-boards. It was a very spacious, low building, about eighty feet long, with many large apartments ... a style of architecture not described by Vitruvius, I suspect, though possibly hinted at in the biography of Orpheus.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)