17:56emily in paris is fake, this is what france really is.
Save referenceExpectation Violation
The show sells France as pretty streets and pastries. Here what looks like Emily bites a bun in front of a roadside of shop signs, with PARIS scribbled out for 'ugly france*'. It breaks the fantasy, and you want to see the real version.
The all-lowercase title reads like someone talking, not a headline, and 'what france really is' promises viewers who know the show an honest look behind it.
The yellow scribble through PARIS reads like someone correcting the show's poster, and the asterisk on 'ugly france*' hints at small print, so it teases rather than insults.
When your audience's picture of a topic comes from a famous show, film or ad, put its name in the thumbnail and cross out the part that's wrong. Show the plain reality behind it. Let the title say what's fake.
Cross out the famous fantasy and show what's really there.
Apply this pattern to your next video.
Bring the reference into a packaging brief, then decide what your title and thumbnail should each communicate.