Moving Pictures: Difference between revisions

 

* An end to the practice of [[Klingon Promotion]] by the wizards of Unseen University due to Mustrum Ridcully taking over as Archchancellor, and therefore a single recurring faculty cast appearing in later books.

* The start of a theme that would run until ''[[Discworld (Literature)/The Truth|The Truth]]'' of ideas or inventions from our modern world (or magical analogues) threatening to break the Discworld's [[Medieval Stasis]], but this usually being subject to the [[Reset Button]] at the end. Other books to use this include ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Men At Arms|Men At Arms]]'' and ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Soul Music|Soul Music]]''.

* The last book to use the idea of the [[Cosmic Horror|Things from the Dungeon Dimensions]] invading as a generalized threat - later books would shift the idea of extradimensional threats to the [[The Fair Folk|elves]] and others, while former are simply used as reasons why Wizards are careful about using magic.

* [[Damsel in Distress]]: Ginger always plays this.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Gaspode.

* [[Duct Tape for Everything]]: Invoked, but as tape doesn't exist yet, Gaffer Bird cites string instead.

* [[Early Installment Weirdness]]: This is the first appearance of the UU wizards who would later be a recurring cast of comic characters. Although they are already quite well formed here, there's one inconsistency where the Chair of Indefinite Studies is described as the enormously fat one, while in later books the Dean would have this description.

** The Dean is also shown as the most conservative and rules-following member of the Faculty, reluctant to go out and see the Clicks until the other members push him into it; in his future apppearances, he is usually the most eager to get involved in whatever weirdness is going on.

** The Bursar is also, strangely enough, the [[Only Sane Man]] in the University, a role that's later taken by Ponder Stibbons (who also appears in this book as a very minor character lacking in the traits he gets in the later books); Bursar's not the insane, [[Cloudcuckoolander]] we see in later books, but it's implied that Ridcully is slowly driving him to madness, so it might be justified.

* [[Executive Meddling]]: CMOT Dibbler's role as the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] who will stop at absolutely nothing to work [[Product Placement]] into the Clicks is an in-universe example.

* [[Fluffy the Terrible]]: When you finally fully understand what is going on, it puts a ''very'' sinister slant on the phrase "the magic of the silver screen".

*** see also a much later use of the name "King of the Golden River" for a VERY different character...

* [[On One Condition]]: The reason Victor's still a student. The condition is that he must get above a certain mark on every test to keep getting his inheritance - so Victor carefully answers just enough questions correctly that he gains his inheritance but never actually ''passes''.

{{quote| '''Chair of Indefinite Studies:''' It's a Victor all right, but not our Victor. Says here he's "Victor Maraschino".<br />

'''Lecturer in Recent Runes:''' Oh, that's just a click name. They all have funny names like that. Delores De Syn and Blanche Languish and Rock Cliffe and so on... Or so I'm told. By the porter. He goes to see a click nearly every night. }}

** subverted in that Ginger rejects her name, presumably having never heard of Fred Astaire and....

* [[Subliminal Advertising]]: CMOT Dibbler is introduced to the idea and persistently tries to work it into ''Blown Away'' after being sponsored by Harga's House of Ribs, for instance putting fireworks in the city set so they'll go off when it's set on fire and spell out "Hottest Ribs In Town". He also seems to get the wrong end of the stick, reasoning that if one single frame of advertising can do it, five full minutes will be even better!

* [[Super Wheelchair]]: Windle Poons' wheelchair.

* [[Talking Animal]]: Several, most notably Gaspode. The animals are all unhappy with their increased intelligence.

* [[Theory of Narrative Causality]]: This always exists on Discworld to some extent, but this book incorporates movie and movie tropes into a universe where previously only oral and written stories existed. As the climax is about a [[Genre Savvy]] dashing movie star and his love interest saving the world from a giant inter-dimensional monster attacking the city while the town people watch, this trope gets turned [[Up to Eleven]].

* [[Timmy in A Well]]: Parodied with Laddie and Gaspode. When Victor and Ginger are trapped in a cave, they go to a troll pub to get help. Gaspode, who can speak, tries to tell the trolls about the problem, but they don't listen. Laddie only barks, but the trolls recognize the trope from the movies he starred in, and follow him.

* [[Tome of Eldritch Lore]]: The Necrotelicomnicon.