I’m currently in the very early stages of writing the script to a short student film I’m hoping to shoot later this year. In the film, a group of student paranormal investigators are tapped by the administrators of their college to conduct an investigation and prove --or disprove-- that the school is haunted. The movie will be a mockumentary in the vein of This is Spinal Tap but with a fairly serious tone.
In one scene, the lead investigator (played by me), dons a proton pack and Ghostbusters jumpsuit to confront a ghost that has been known to physically attack people. The scene will have a serious tone like the rest of the movie (no “Who ya gonna call?”, no Ghostbusters theme song in the background, etc.). My pack has been finished for nearly a year and I’m about to start work on a ghost trap, which brings me to my question…
What type of funny situation could the trap be used for? I’ve already got a few scenarios in mind for the pack, but I’m drawing a blank with the trap. Keep in mind, the entire scene will be brief, likely no more than 2 minutes, so the trap would only be onscreen for maybe 10 seconds at the most. I’m going for an intelligent gag here…sort of what Larry David would do with a trap as opposed to Jim Carrey.
I’m not looking for exactly what he would do with a trap, just something in his style is what I’m hitting at. Something intelligent, dry, and maybe a bit underhanded rather than slapstick and fart jokes. (Nothing wrong with those in moderation, but it would be very out of place in this film.)
Besides, politely writing an email to a celebrity and asking for any type of advice is like putting PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND in the subject line. That’s been my experience, anyway.
I wasn’t being serious about contacting Larry David. My point was that you’d probably have as much luck here as there. I may be going out on a limb here, but I think that it is fair to wager that the lack response in this thread is due to the fact that anyone with writing ability above the fart joke mentality are most likely writers themselves. They may or may not be working on their own fan fictions but I doubt they’re just going to just give their good ideas away.
I was pretty sure you weren’t, but responded like I did in case you were being serious.
You’re probably right, and I should’ve thought of that from the start. I wasn’t looking for a whole joke, so to speak, but just an idea or two to set me in the right direction. I guess if someone’s even got a small idea that’s workable they’re likely going to keep it to themselves…as well they should.
I’ve been struggling to get an idea for the trap for so long that it will likely just be a prop hanging from my belt and not involved in the gag I’m doing with the proton pack.
Well, how about a Rube Goldberg system for opening the trap (like Wile E Coyote) A bowling ball drops on a boot that pulls a string that pulls a pin that pops a balloon etc.
It’s really a toaster
You pull a steaming chili dog out of it
it’s a telephone
The ghost get stuck and you have to use a plunger to shove it inside
It’s like a magic hat, and you pull ridiculously large things out of it
OK, Here is a funny one, the camera pans around to show one of the guys pulling toast from his trap, the doors close and he starts to butter it and puts it next to his eggs.This might also be funny using his proton gun.
Another funny one would be someone typing a letter and they can’t seem to get it right so they hit the trap button with their foot and as they throw their paper into it, the doors open and burn up the paper, then shut again.
Maybe someone even lights a cigarette from it. :lol:
I would do kind of like in indiana jones “Temple of doom,” when indi comfronts the bad guys, he reachs for his gun like he did in the first movie killing the sword man… but this time it´s not there!!!
