Bill Weinberger at 2011-11-25 18:53:29:

How about 'malaprops'? I ran across this one (illiterate vs. illegitimate) in someone's tweet today and thought it was pretty funny: "Gnomeo and Juliet" Lady Bluebury: My, your tulips are looking a little limp this year, aren't they? Lord Redbrick: Oh! I don't like what you're incinerating. Lady Bluebury: The proper word is "insinuating", illiterate. Lord Redbrick: I am not illiterate! My parents were married! I would search out some more, but am in the home stretch on NaNoWriMo, and shouldn't. It would be interesting to see some other examples and analyze how (well) they are used to express character and humor (or not).

Teddy Pasternak at 2011-11-26 05:00:03:

How about... check-ins? As in checking in at a hotel. Here's a classic: The Graduate (1967) http://movieclips.com/7Fiqf-the-graduate-movie-ben-gets-a-room/ ROOM CLERK (taking a key from behind the counter): Do you have any luggage, Mister – (looks at registration card) Gladstone? BEN: Luggage? Yes. Yes. I do. ROOM CLERK: Where is it? BEN: What? ROOM CLERK: Where is your luggage? BEN: Well it's in the car. It's out in the car. ROOM CLERK: Very good, sir. I'll have a porter bring it in. BEN: Oh no. ROOM CLERK: Sir? BEN: I mean I'd - I'd rather not go to the trouble of bringing it all in. I just have a toothbrush. I can get it myself. If that's all right. ROOM CLERK: Of course. Ben reaches for the key. ROOM CLERK: I'll have a porter show you the room. BEN: Oh. Well actually, I'd just as soon find it myself. I just have the toothbrush to carry up and I think I can manage it myself. ROOM CLERK: Whatever you say, sir. He hands Ben the key. BEN: Thank you. INT. VERANDA ROOM - NIGHT Mrs. Robinson sits, patiently and calmly. Her face betrays absolutely nothing as she stares ahead of her and sips her martini. WAITER No. 1: Mrs. Robinson. She looks up. A waiter is standing next to the table with a telephone. MRS. ROBINSON: Yes? The waiter plugs the phone into the wall socket next to the table and hands her the receiver. MRS. ROBINSON: Thank you. The waiter nods and leaves. MRS. ROBINSON (into phone): Hello. BEN'S VOICE: Mrs. Robinson? MRS. ROBINSON: Yes? BEN'S VOICE: It's Benjamin. MRS. ROBINSON: Yes? BEN'S VOICE: Benjamin Braddock. MRS. ROBINSON: Benjamin -- where are you? BEN'S VOICE: Can you look through the glass. Mrs. Robinson turns in her chair and looks through the glass into the lobby. INT. LOBBY - PHONE BOOTH - NIGHT - WHAT SHE SEES Ben is in the phone booth in the lobby no more than twenty feet away. BEN'S VOICE: Can you see me now? MRS. ROBINSON: Yes, I can. INT. LOBBY PHONE BOOTH Over Ben's shoulder, we can see his face reflected in the glass door and, through it, Mrs. Robinson sitting in the Veranda Room. INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATION BEN: I got a single room. MRS. ROBINSON: That's fine. BEN: But there's one thing. The desk clerk seemed to be a little bit suspicious. I mean - I don't know what their policy is - but - MRS. ROBINSON: Well - do you want to go up first? BEN: Yes - I think that would be good. MRS. ROBINSON: I'll be up in five minutes. BEN: Well - goodbye then - MRS. ROBINSON: Benjamin. BEN: Yes? MRS. ROBINSON: Isn't there something you want to tell me? BEN: To tell you? MRS. ROBINSON: Yes. BEN: Well - I want you to know how much I appreciate this - really - MRS. ROBINSON: The number. BEN: What? MRS. ROBINSON: The room number, Benjamin. I think you ought to tell me that. BEN: Oh? You're absolutely right. Absolutely. It's 512. MRS. ROBINSON: Thank you. BEN: You're welcome. Well - I'll see you later, Mrs. Robinson. He hangs up. INT. LOBBY - PHONE BOOTH - SHOT - BEN He leaves the phone booth and walks back into the main lobby. INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT As he passes the desk, on his way to the elevator, he starts to pat his breast pocket. BEN: I've got it. The desk clerk looks up. BEN: I say I've got it. CLERK: Sir? BEN: The toothbrush. I got it all right. CLERK: Very good, sir. BEN: Yes. Well - goodnight. CLERK: Goodnight, sir. Ben walks out of shot.

Teddy Pasternak at 2011-11-26 05:02:47:

Another check-in scene: The Hangover (2009) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiasWkpHZWk Lisa: Hi, welcome to Caesars. Checking in? Stu: Yeah. We have a reservation under Dr. Price. Lisa: Okay, let me look that up for you. Phil: Dr. Price? Stu, you're a dentist, okay? Don't try and get fancy. Stu: It's not fancy if it's true. Phil: He's a dentist. Don't get too excited. And if, uh, someone has a heart attack, you should still call 911. Lisa: We'll be sure to do that. Alan: Can I ask you a question? Do you know if the hotel's pager-friendly? Lisa: What do you mean? Alan: I'm not getting a sig on my beeper. Lisa: I'm not sure. Alan: Is there a payphone bank? Bunch of payphones? Business. Lisa: Um, there's a phone in your room. Alan: That'll work. Lisa: So, I have you in a two-bedroom suite on the 12th floor, is that okay? Doug: It sounds perfect. Phil: Actually, I was wondering if you had any villas. Stu: We're not even gonna be in the room. Doug: It's unnecessary. Stu: No big deal. We can share beds. It's one night. Alan: If we're sharing beds, I'm bunking with Phil. Alan: You good with that? Stu: No, I'm not. Phil: Guys, we are not sharing beds. What are we, 12 years old? Lisa, I apologize. How much is the villa? Lisa: Well, we have one villa available, and it's 4200 for the night. Alan: Is it awesome? Lisa: It's pretty awesome. Phil: We'll take it. Give her your credit card. Stu: I can't give her my credit card. Doug: We'll split it. Phil: Are you crazy? No, this is on us. Stu: You don't get it. Melissa checks my statements. Lisa: We just need a credit card on file. We won't charge you until check out, so you can figure it out then. Phil: That's perfect. Thank you, Lisa. We'll deal with it tomorrow. Come on. Stu: Fine. Alan: Can I ask you another question? Lisa: Sure. Alan: You probably get this a lot. Alan: This isn't the real Caesars Palace, is it? Lisa: What do you mean? Alan: Did, uh... Did Caesar live here? Lisa: Um, no. Alan: I didn't think so.

Teddy Pasternak at 2011-11-26 05:48:40:

And one more check-in: Vacancy (2007) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCKiIqaF6eE MASON: Hey, folks. What can I do ya for? DAVID (off the screams): Everything okay back there? Mason cocks his head, unsure. David motions to the back room. Mason grins and raises a TELEVISION REMOTE... hits a button and the SCREAMS SILENCE. MASON: Sorry about that. Gets a little boring around here late nights. DAVID: I bet so. Listen, our car broke down about a mile back. Just needed to borrow a phone... see if we could get a tow truck or something. MASON: All we've got is that pay phone outside. Mason points through the window to an OLD PHONE BOOTH along the motel wall. MASON (CONT'D): She works off dimes if you need some. David digs a dollar from his pocket. Mason takes it and trades it for a cluster of dimes from his drawer. MASON (CONT'D): Trouble is the only garage within ninety miles is Smalls. Little place on Route Six. DAVID: Yeah. I think we stopped there earlier. MASON: And Small's don't have a phone. David stares at Mason a beat, then down to the handful of dimes. DAVID: So I probably don't need these then. MASON: Not if you need a tow truck. David throws a glance to Amy before filling his pocket with dimes. MASON (CONT'D): But I could run you back there in the morning if you want. Too late to do much right now no-ways. Amy looks at her watch... shrugs. AMY: It's just a few hours. DAVID: Yeah, okay. Guess we'll need one of those nineteen dollar rooms then. Mason nods... looks David and Amy over, then grins. MASON: I can give you two the Honeymoon Suite for twenty-four. Got a few extras that the others don't. DAVID: It's late. Regular room will do. Mason pulls a key from the hook behind him and slides it across the counter. MASON: What the hell. I'll give it to ya for the same rate. DAVID: Okay, whatever. Thanks. David jerks out his credit card. MASON: 'Fraid we're not set up for plastic. Cash only. DAVID: Do you take dimes? Mason grins... doesn't get the joke. David snaps a twenty from the wallet and reaches for the key. Mason pulls the key back. MASON: And I need one of your ID's... sort of a deposit on the contents of the room. DAVID: Trust me, we're not going to take anything. I'm not up to carrying dirty towels a mile down the road. MASON: I'm sure you won't. But rules is rules. I don't make 'em. I'm just the manager. It's too late for this shit. David pulls out his driver's license... trades it to Mason for the key. MASON (CONT'D): It's the last one on the end there... number eight. Might have to jiggle the handle a bit to open her up. She's as sticky as an old whore. (to Amy) Excuse my language. Amy just turns and starts moving for the door. MASON (CONT'D): Have a good night.

Saint at 2011-11-26 11:37:55:

There are a lot of hotel check-ins I can think of but I can't find the clips. French Kiss, Identity, Zero Effect, My Cousin Vinny, Pelican Brief, Forgetting Sara Marshall, Home Alone 2, Big Beverly Hills Cop CLERK: Thank you. Hi. AXEL: The never of some people, huh? May I help you? Yes, do you have a reservation for Axel Foley? CLERK: I'm sorry I don't see anything under that name. AXEL: Check Rolling Stone Magazine's Axel Foley, that's what it is. No. No Rolling Stone, no Axel Foley. I'm sorry sir. AXEL: That's alright, you guys probably just made some kind of mistake with reservations. Why don't you just give me another room and I'll go up and go to sleep. CLERK: I'm sorry sir but there are no rooms available. AXEL: Don't you think I realize what's going on here, Miss? Who do you think I am, huh? Don't you think that I know if I were some hotshot from out of town that pulled inside here, and you guys made a reservation mistake, I'd be the first one to get a room and I'd be upstairs relaxing right now. But I'm not some hot-shot from out of town, I'm a small reporter from Rolling Stone Magazine that's in town doing an exclusive interview with Michael Jackson that's going to be picked up by every major magazine in the country. I was going to call the article Micheal Jackson Is Sitting On Top Of The World, but now I think I might as well just call it Micheal Jackson Can Sit On Top Of The World Just As Long As He Doesn't Sit In The Beverly Palm Hotel Cause There's No Niggers Allowed In There! MANAGER: Excuse me sir, it seems that we do have a last minute cancellation. There is a room available. It's a suite, but I'll only charge you the single room rate. AXEL: Thank you. I'm sorry I got upset, it's probably from jet lag or something. I'm very tired. What's the rate anyway? MANAGER: That will be two-hundred and thirty-five dollars a night, Sir. Big Business SADIE: It looks just like the White House ROSE: Yeah, I bet the CIA's in the basement too. Look, let's level with each other -- who's paying for this room? MANAGER: The arrangements were made through Moramax. Is everything alright? ROSE: No it's not alright because...but I guess it will do. We aught to cancel our reservations at the Y. The Manager laughs. ROSE: Testing...one two three. Look, a sink in the living room. SADIE: It's what the French call a bidet. Of course, if you want to include air travel check-in. Home Alone, Forces of Nature, Honeymoon in Vegas, Meet The Parents, Up In The Air, Flight Plan, Red Eye, Die Hard 2.

Scott at 2011-11-26 12:27:55:

I like this idea of hotel check-ins with character introductions perhaps for next week. The thing about check-ins is it's one of those moments that arises in scripts with some frequency and the challenge is how to do it in a way that is interesting and fresh. So a review of seven examples could be a good way to analyze various approaches. Re character introductions: The thing to look for there is distinctive and interesting ways a character gets introduced through dialogue. If we can come up with seven of those, that would also be a good exercise as character introductions is a recurring challenge for screenwriters. Malaprops is a good one assuming we can aggregate 7 examples. Re incidental dialogue: That could be interesting if we focused it on exposition through electronic media. This is yet another one of those challenges we face pretty regularly: How to convey important information in the 'background' via TV, radio, telephone, etc. All good ideas. Let's see what we can come up with in terms of examples. But for now, this week hotel check-ins, next week character introductions, assuming we can find some interesting and distinctive examples of the latter.