Let’s say you’re writing a thriller where your heroes are forced to take one of their own to a hospital, and for whatever reason the authorities MUST NOT KNOW whatever the hell they’ve been up to.<\/p>\n
How d’you wanna play the hospital trip – straight or strange?<\/p>\n
Straight:<\/u><\/p>\n INT. HOSPITAL – DAY<\/p>\n A REGISTRAR and a COUPLE OF NURSES push a gurney into the EMERGENCY ROOM, away from --<\/p>\n -- PATER FAMILIAS – yes, the rather bullish father of the victim in the E.R. – and his colleague, a scantily clad SEXPOT.<\/p>\n SEXPOT<\/p>\n (off Pater)<\/p>\n He’s in good hands –<\/p>\n The RECEPTIONIST approaches with a SHEAF OF FORMS.<\/p>\n PATER<\/p>\n (re. Receptionist)<\/p>\n Oh shit. What do we say?<\/p>\n Sexpot grabs his arm:<\/p>\n SEXPOT<\/p>\n (flustered)<\/p>\n I don’t know.<\/p>\n INT. ROOM – THE NEXT DAY<\/p>\n Dozing in a VISITOR’S CHAIR, Pater starts at the sound of --<\/p>\n -- his INJURED SON gaining consciousness with a groan.<\/p>\n PATER<\/p>\n It’s okay, son, I’m right here –<\/p>\n Injured Son sees his surroundings, eyes widening, and grabs his father’s arm:<\/p>\n INJURED SON<\/p>\n (remembering his injury)<\/p>\n What did you tell the doctors?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n— or Strange<\/u>:<\/p>\n INT. HOSPITAL – DAY<\/p>\n REGISTRAR and NURSES run a gurney into the EMERGENCY ROOM, away from PATER FAMILIAS and SEXPOT.<\/p>\n SEXPOT<\/p>\n (off Pater)<\/p>\n He’s in good hands –<\/p>\n The RECEPTIONIST approaches them with a SHEAF OF FORMS.<\/p>\n PATER<\/p>\n (re. Receptionist)<\/p>\n Oh shit. What do we -?<\/p>\n Sexpot squeezes his arm, silencing him as she smiles brightly at the Receptionist:<\/p>\n SEXPOT<\/p>\n Are those for us?<\/p>\n RECEPTIONIST<\/p>\n (startled)<\/p>\n Y-yes. Those were quite the injuries –<\/p>\n SEXPOT<\/p>\n Oh, young boys these days – juggling chainsaws. While bus-surfing. And mooning a van of nuns. I mean, REALLY.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \nWhat we have from the ‘straight’ version is a worry-wart father and weak-sister girlie character – understandable but BORing.<\/p>\n But in the ‘strange’ version, who’d’ve expected a ballsy quick-thinker underneath Sexpot’s push-up brassiere and peroxided bob?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let’s say you’re writing a thriller where your heroes are forced to take one of their own to a hospital, and for whatever reason the authorities MUST NOT KNOW whatever the hell they’ve been up to. How d’you wanna play the hospital trip – straight or strange? Straight: INT. HOSPITAL – DAY A REGISTRAR and … <\/p>\n