For those who may read this before the coming weekend, and in case it is the last pre-festivities, I’m wishing you a very Merry Christmas.
Now, as for the meaning of this post’s title, I will gladly elaborate. In the midst of the exchanges between the-as-yet not name checked production company and I, the question was asked if I had any scripts of a comedic nature. The simple answer was no. Mainly because dramatic, thriller-based ideas come much easier and, I feel, suit my descriptive style better. It could be said that I had found my ‘comfort zone’. And at that point of self-evaluation , I decided it may not be a bad idea to take myself out of said zone and I sought to (within the relative confines of ‘shorts’ style, a challenge in itself) think of a funny scenario to commit to paper. Do I relay any of my (numerous, pratfall-filled) anecdotes with names changed for modesty? Do I use stories of friends or family members with names changed for… Well, you get the point.
Before I forget, another part of my initial reluctance to do anything comedic was (and is) the idea that I don’t have a comedy brain. I have elaborate, inventive vernacular and tragic fashion sense but not much of a comedy brain, even with the fact people can’t seem to tell when I’m being serious and when I’m extracting the proverbial when I speak.
Back on point… But one scenario stuck with me and I couldn’t shake it. It was less funny in the traditional sense and more so in its awkwardness. Plus it gave me the opportunity to play with my formats and usual presentation.
Called ‘GET IN, GET DONE, GET OUT’, it’s 10 pages (which in my case probably translates to longer than 10 minutes) and is relatively fast paced. It focuses on 2 people who have a ‘job’ to do. For now, that’s all I’m giving you so depending on one or two things, I’ll either drop teases about it for the next 3-6 months (as I’m doing with THREE KNOCKS*) or will post it on here very soon 😊
The feedback has been largely positive and for those people I didn’t tell the story to before I wrote it, they don’t see where it’s going so that is encouraging. There is a bit of a ‘one, two punch’ of a reveal that can be seen as structurally risky but it might just work visually. Plus, I’m told the characters work well on their own and together so for a script I didn’t write down first before typing out, that’s quite something. Not sure I’ll be doing that with my many of my scripts going forward or a novel I hope to write…
So perhaps I’m not so tone deaf to comedy after 🙌🏿😊
*Quick THREE KNOCKS update. The post-production is almost at its stage of completion (so is the word) and the makers are very enthused so all being well, the very short film should be ready in the early part of the new year for them to do what they wish to do with it.
For those who made it to the end of this, thanks for reading and till your eyes meet my font again (behave now, lol) have a good one.
Lanrefiction Notepad 