Like 95% of the people entering the contest, I decided to write a spec script for the most popular show on television, The Office
.Here it is.
If you are really interested in how I've progressed as a spec script writer, here is my entry to last year's contest.
I am also available for birthdays, bar/bas mitzvahs, and proms. Tip your waitresses, please.
1 comment:
Hello M Robert..
Chris Morrell here ..
I'm just an idle passing blogger,but your scripts seem pretty good, this one got me straight away with the character "humming" Rockit...and the "guitar Heroes" one had a good spread of laughs all the way through..
I'll come completely clean.
As far as "the Office" and it's U.S incarnation goes..
As a "Brit" comedy fan , "The Office" has entered our folklore, and it's/was a TWO series BBC prog,plus Christmas specials...end of...(i am ,of course being precious and possessive about it , i know.)
The U.S "version" owes very little to it ..(sorry ,you KNOW all this, indulge me/put me right)..and i love Steve Carrell(twol's?)(Colbert, Jon Stewart etc..ah,there's a whole e,bloody mail,about John /"second division radio four topical news comedy guy" Oliver..but i love him and ,he has found a great outlet there on t'Daily Show.. we get it a day behind ,early evening ,with all the fucks,and goddamns bleeped,or are they bleeped anyway at 10.30?)
Anyway,back to the Office U.S..ive only ever watched one episode,and it confirmed the basic approach that i suspected the U.S writers might take..
In the original we are presented with Brent, in all his inglorious ineptitude,for us to react to directly , leaving the gaping , embarrassing silences , with only four or five other characters moving things along..The rest of the Office staff, literally provide a low level hum in the background,along with the furniture.
Hardly ever ,do we hear anything about the actual work being done. All we hear are phones ringing in the distance...
As i suspected in the U.S show, ALL the minor characters are developed ,and we see and hear Michael's/David's antics through their eyes and discussion.. as in "you'll never guess what he's done now..blah blah blah.."
" Shit,He's just coming in.." setting up the pratfalls, INSTEAD of just showing us what they would have seen!..i think it's comedy of a much lower order..but that's just me being possessive etc,as i said before...
The U.S model for successful shows is for them to run and run,of course...and the basic blueprint for the Office gives a perfectly good framework, but, it's only really the title and the set,that they kept, but no matter...coming to the present, what's with this writers strike?
In a reply to their "Sicko" review i did mail the "Cinebanter" duo, (the Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn of movie podcasters)..on this subject.
It seems that the British writers Guild have already , secured a good deal on downloads and DVD's , largely because HEALTHCARE is NOT an issue in the U.K. (you see where iam going with this?).. "Sicko" has just opened , and Moore is getting a lot of flack for ( needlessly ) over egging his argument, by giving a ridiculously rosy view of the British NHS ... i found it pretty funny..also ironically laughable is the fact that the first shows to be hit WILL BE the "Chat" shows.. Huh?..yes ,because most of the show is monologue written for ,not necessarily by, the host, plus skits and scripted ad-libs .. even the two minute segment when the guest gets their book out, or plugs their latest film ,is mostly worked out..As i said,(more irony) "The Daily Show "
IS my favourite T.V. show...
One other thing, did you ever get any of the Guardian Unlimited Ricky Gervais and pals podcasts?..if not , i can try to e-mail you them..
All the best
Chris Morrell
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