One fun way to get creative is to have a character work at a place of business that is a parody of a real business. A good example of this is NBC’s Chuck; Chuck works at an electronics retailer, Buy More, with an elite squad of electronics fix-it people, The Nerd Herd. Does anyone not get that this is a veiled reference to Best Buy and their Geek Squad?
What makes this kind of tribute fun is that it allows creators to show a business in a negative or critical light without upsetting advertisers. Sure, it’s perhaps a bit of a put-on and some anti-establishment types would rather be more direct with their criticism; but considering even The Simpsons and South Park, two of the sharpest satires around, utilize this device more than not, I think it’s probably the safer way to go, unless you like being sued by multi-billion-dollar companies.
Besides, who doesn’t “get it”? What’s the advantage to being more direct?
So, here’s your assignment, faithful readers and aspiring writers: Check out DirectBuy and come up with a fictional company that could double for them in a series of your creation. What you come up with may very well be the seed that leads to your first script sale!
