'DINER' - A Pulp Fiction Inspired Short Script

Article written by Bulent Ozdemir
(Disclaimer: This article contains words and phrases that some people may find offensive. If you are easily offended then please do not continue)

1994, some friends and I found ourselves at the BFI Southbank for, if memory serves, a Q&A screening of The Madness of King George. We went up the lobby escalators and onto the first floor. Bearing left, on the corner of this hallway was a cardboard cutout of 4 well known actors standing side by side. Underneath them, the title of a film called 'Pulp Fiction' accompanied by the words 'Coming Soon.' Instant reaction: "Bullshit. There's no way in hell all these actors are in the same movie. Must be a spoof."  Turns out they were all in the same movie... and what a fucking movie! 

That film molded so many weird and fucked up characteristics in all of us that even to this day, the sight, sound or mention of a tight leather mask will have us in stitches  I'm talking laugh out loud knee slapping, shit. It's a messed up sense of humor that plays harmlessly on the surface of an otherwise dark subject matter. I like that, as do all my friends who were influenced by this film.

Well, that's your intro out the way. Let's dive into how this all relates to the short script I've just finished: 'Diner'.

All my previous short films have been a show more, talk less set up, letting the story breath as naturally as possible. Now don't get me wrong, I love that. To me, expression is a more powerful tool than dialogue. A look, a touch, a clenched fist... 1000 times more impactful than any expository spewage. What I wanted to do with 'Diner' however, is to play with the dialogue a little more. Still incorporate the fundamental elements of expression, but mix it up with some witty chat (What better way to get inspired than by one of Tarantino's best!). But and most importantly, wrap the whole thing up in an engaging, if somewhat violent short story.

Here's the jist:

Set in a Diner, the story is about Mack and John, two hitmen who have reached a critical stage of their 'working' relationship. One knows it, the other doesn't. Shit starts to hit the fan when a Waitress tries to pour coffee into one of their cups.

Diner Script Extract

Whenever I write my scripts, I always try to think practically. At this stage of my career, I'm not able to have free falling tracking shots over battle scorched post apocalyptic landscapes. Everything stays as executable as possible and within reason (Or as far as the low budget element can take it).

'Diner' is a one location shoot, with a few actors and is roughly 10mins in length. It's structured to rely on execution of dialogue/performance rather than expensive set pieces and/or locations. Done right, it could be something pretty cool. Now here's the 'thing'. Up until this point, I've written and shot all of my own scripts. But over the past few months I've been thinking, how would someone else interpret one of my stories? What would their vision be? This led me to the following decision:

For a limited time only, I will be offering this script to a filmmaker out there who can showcase a certain flair for this type of storytelling. Someone who understands and appreciates the nature of the beast, as they say. If this is you and you are genuinely interested, then drop me a line: mail@wolfvalleyfilms.com. It could be what you've been waiting for.

(Update - 17/04/2013: Sorry Guys, the script is no longer open to all. More news soon).

Until next time, folks. Stay creative.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bulent Ozdemir is a self taught Writer, Director and Filmmaker who left his day job as an insurance broker back in 2010 to pursue a career in film.

website
twitter
instagram

e: bulentfilms[at]gmail.com