Request Line: Weekend At Zuernie’s – Part 3 (Directors)

INT. DFO PRODUCTION OFFICE – DAY

A pair of sleazy Hollywood producers are yet again hard at work in their office.  One – DARKEST TIMELINE ZACK MORRIS – is standing in front of a whiteboard covered with post-it notes that contain unfamiliar names.  The other – RIKKI-TIKKI-DEADLY – is pacing back and forth pointing from card to card, nodding or shaking his head.  A third person in the office is lounging on the couch, throwing a football up in the air to himself and catching it.

COLE BEASLEY: So where when do we actually start shooting?

RIKKI-TIKKI-DEADLY: [glances at him] Is that all you think about?  Just take an Uber up to Burbank, there’s easily half a dozen gun ranges up there.

COLE BEASLEY: No, no, I mean the film.

DARKEST TIMELINE ZACK MORRIS: We’re not filming anything until we’ve got a director lined up.

COLE BEASLEY: Is that what all of those names are?

RTD: That’s right, Cole.

COLE BEASLEY: How come I ain’t never heard of none of those fellas?

DTZM: [points at a card] You haven’t heard of Giovanni Campari?

COLE BEASLEY: Nope.

RTD: What about Nick Punch?

COLE BEASLEY: [shakes his head]

DTZM: Eleanorita Chihuahua?

RTD: J.M.T. Marconi-Masterson?

COLE BEASLEY: No.

DTZM: Svetlana Chernobyl?

RTD: Vincent O. Vincenzo?

DTZM: What about Hudson Spacecastle?

RTD: You have to have heard of Hudson Spacecastle.

COLE BEASLEY: No, no, and NO.  Damnit, who are these people?  You guys can’t hire someone like, I don’t know, Steven Jewlaser…I mean Spielberg?

DARKEST TIMELINE ZACK MORRIS and RIKKI-TIKKI-DEADLY erupt into laughter that lasts an uncomfortably long time.

DTZM: Actually, we don’t do projects with Steven anymore.

RTD: Very difficult to work with.

DTZM: We talked about this, though. We’re looking for an outsider. 

COLE BEASLEY: Is that what all those names are?

RTD: [gestures at whiteboard] Those names are actually the names of music video directors.

DTZM: We’ve found that it’s an excellent well of untapped talent.

RTD: Plus, they work cheap.

DTZM: David Fincher got his start directing music videos, if you can believe it.

COLE BEASLEY raises his eyebrows in surprise.

RTD: You do know who David Fincher is, right Cole?

COLE BEASLEY: OF COURSE I DO YOU TRYIN’ TO CALL ME STUPID?

DTZM: Of course not, Cole.  Let’s revisit some of his work, though.  He became well-known because he used the music video as a means to do more than just promote a song – many of his videos became rather iconic.

RTD: And the best of them told an actual story.

DTZM: Speaking of which…we’ve got an episode of Request Line that is well past due, so let’s use that a theme.

RTD: Music videos as short films?

DTZM: Exactly.  I’ll get us started with one that Fincher did with a little band called “Aerosmith”.

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Today’s theme is: Music Videos as Short Films. We’re looking for songs whose videos tell a genuine story.  Post links as “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7+4_11uV!a and they should embed in the comments after you refresh.