Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-79.101.199.57-20140318135655/@comment-91.150.100.21-20150514001511

Woops, here goes another one...

The newest idea for a sketch (absolutely free for takin's by anyone really):

The TRIPOD

You know how sometimes camera on a tripod falls forward - 'nose down' sort of cause it's top heavy - sort of it just decides on it's own - kinda. Well - when you review the footage it looks as if you watch through person's point of view and then all of the sudden he is so bored out of his head that he falls forward asleep bored to death - just quits.. Well - that's the whole thing - imagine if a tripod was a person with a camera taped to the side of his head and he doesn't do anything - he just stands as you place him, move him over, turn the camera, and then occasionally he has his awkward perculiar moments - all the things that could happen with a functional or better yet disfunctional tripod. Tripod as a person. (Of course he needs a third leg to be a tripod - right - not just a person with a camera taped to his head. - So, first thing that comees to mind is a scene (seen it randomly on TV while flicking through channels - never seen the entire movie, so I think it boosted the wtf factor of it cause I didn't know the context so it was just absurd and laughable because of it (I doubt it was a comedy.) - don't even remember the scene that well)) - it was Nicolas Cage in some movie - he was draging a long plank behind him - and he was all lightheaded and slow out of his mind, and his clothes and hair were all messed up and dirty for some reason (just imagine: his shirt half out and a tie waving in the air as he stumbles slowly draging a long plank on the gravel littered asphalt behind him with his upper boddy lagging behind his legs as he walks slow like sedated or something) and he had a funny look in his eyes and a some wacky smile (I don't know... :9 ) -- well that. So - Mr Tripod in this sketch is like that - the long dusty old delapidated piece of plank is his third leg which keeps him from falling over (most of the time). Maybe playing on the notion that different crews use the same cameramen in a number of subsequent shifts - exhausting -  he's so sleepy - haven't slept in, like, three full days and needs an additional support to keep him from falling over as movie crews take him for their separate projects - one after the other (-"Agh meen kem awn pwpls... sheeeeeesh.. Agh mhan needz ta slep... C'm ahn..." wiggley wavy stumble on..) - and he (at some point) just gave up on holding the camera (-"Scrw diz.. Herw... ..*pft*. ...Thre - E juste rwapt it whit ds tepe - jst warpepd it aroun me hed... Wh' da... Juste set meh up howwr ye wnat..")

So - some of the situations with real tripods to be used for this Mr Tripod sketch:

- you rotate the camera up but the screw is bad or the thing doesn't grip, it slips, or the camera is too heavy so it rotates back down in frustratingly unprredictable moments and rates - over and over again; tip it more up than needed - haha - no more falling forward! - (it falls backwards..)

- the thing from the inspiration when it just decides to fall flat entirelly in front like it got sooo bored out of its mind with what's being filmed that it literally FELL asleep (use a dummy with a messy wig, film from behind as it falls flat on its nose, then swap for the real actor as he's filmed from front as they bring him back up -"Nothing, nothing.")

- balance it with bags filled with sand for those tricky camera hanging shots (but he drools plentfuly all over the unsuspecting actors/actresses)

- place it on a steep surface and it stands perpendicular to it (almost imposible for Mr Tripod but... postproduction) "What now? ... How do you shorten it?" "No no - bend it ...yea'."

- all sorts of strapping it to cars and other vehicles - wrapped with rope or sticky tape - low-budget style for those tricky shots - "Let's take the camera off the tripod." -"No, don't bother, leave it on, we'll need it on for the next shot anyhow - never mind." (bumpy road - Mr Tripod's hair (dummy) jerking up and down all over the place, shaking, then his eyes widen at some moment - like -"what the.. ... that would wake you up. ... how did I end up here anyhow." - and other subtle introspections.)

- carrying it under arm pit to the next location

- two people carring it like a table... dropping it. -"Wohoow, dude... Is he OK?" -"Yup, camera works." -"^*#& Hmh...%$"

- abandoned outside after filming. Mr Tripod: -"Hello? ... Helloo-ooo!??"

etc. (just observe how tripods are used in real life)