satire, social commentary, sketch comedy, writing, stuff
"A man in Boston was sentenced for a fraud scheme where he and his wife would go to restaurants and claim what?"
STEALING FROM YOUR INBOX
Good writers can take things from real life and turn them into comic gold. You can do the same thing from other places. Here’s one of them.
If you are like me, you have a ton of e-mails in your inbox, sent mail, etc. In this exercise, you can use them to steal scene ideas from various e-mails you have sent and received. I just randomly picked 4 e-mails in less than two minutes, and each one has given me an idea or two for a scene.
I have just pasted the e-mails below and under each one I have written a quick note that might be a hook for a sketch:
1) Wow! You are busy! But it sounds like fun busy. I’ve been doing a lot of Red Cross Blood Drives (volunteer work) which I love. I've met some great people. I am having 3 of the women I've met over for lunch next week. This past Sunday I went on a bus trip down to the Cape with one of the women. We went down for The Annual Scallop Fest (I had chicken) which also included a 90 minute boat cruise around one of the canals which was fun. It was a beautiful warm sunny day.
IDEAS: We have a couple potential settings—the Scallop Fest or a boat cruise. I’m thinking two Red Cross Blood Drive workers on their day off at the Scallop Fest. One is a little loony, she had chicken at the scallop fest for crying out loud. Let a detail like be your springboard to heighten the scene.
2) I'm good friends with Spielberg. I'm the one who came up with the shark angle on Jaws. He originally had a sheriff who was scared of the water. I was like, "dude put a big fucking shark in there."
IDEAS: A friend of mine sent me this when we were joking back and forth. It’s a great premise for a scene. Spielberg is blocked and he has a writer helping him develop Jaws. You could also transform this into other movies that Spielberg has done. “Originally, it was a boy and his dog and I was like, dude, make it a fucking alien.” You get the idea.
3) You are invited to attend an anniversary celebration for George M. and Dave J. on Tuesday, June 27, at 3:00 p.m. in the Living Room area on the 37th Floor. George is celebrating his 40th anniversary with the firm this month, and Dave is celebrating 30 years with the firm.
IDEAS: This was a work related e-mail. Who wouldn’t want to see how George and Dave feel about sharing a reception. Instead of anniversary, maybe it’s something bigger, like employee of the year and employee of the month. And of course, George and Dave hate each other. (Joe's note: I think there's also potential in George feeling very bitter about it pissing away 40 years of his life while Dave, who wasn't bitter before, now questions the 30 years he's already invested. Is he going to be resentul ol' George in 10 years? Or vice-versa, where Dave is plotting his escape so he doesn't end up like George who didn't realize there was a problem with ending up like him.)
4) So you did meet some of my work people? Oh I didn't know who you guys met. I know you all met Joe (the one in the hat) and maybe Kiva--the only other girl there with us. So my boss bought everyone a drink??? Was it the short grayed hair guy or the little brown haired man? The wasted grayed hair man was my boss---the one with the credit card! ha!
IDEAS: This was an e-mail from a friend of mine. I love the vague details like “wasted grayed hair man or little brown haired man. I think I could just do a scene with this girl describing her co-workers. Or develop a scene based on these characters at a party. It’s just a jumping off point.
"Filipino senators are considering lodging a formal protest with the US government because they are 'mortally offended' by a statement uttered by whom?"
Child Health Veto Will Be Election Issue
WASHINGTON — President Bush cast a quiet veto Wednesday against an...expansion of children's health insurance. Bush vetoed the bill in private, absent the television cameras and other media coverage that normally attend even routine presidential actions. The measure called for adding an estimated 4 million mostly lower-income children to a program that currently covers 6.6 million.
You can read the full article by clicking HERE.
A cross between the Mad Hatter's tea party and a performance art festival performed by feral children, the ensemble of white-faced tricksters slips the occasional shiv of social commentary in between the ribs of the audience.
"A controversial Alabama judge resigned Monday after allegations surfaced that he removed inmates from jail and did what?"
DAVID ESPO | October 3, 2007 11:04 PM EST |
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