Monday, April 18, 2005

Writing: Jargon Preservation 2

Over at the Artful Writer, they've got a list of terms up which are excellent, but are a bit more specifically film -- and film comedy -- oriented. An interesting difference in meaning through context is "schmuck bait".

In David Zucker's list - Schmuck Bait: A twist ending that makes the audience feel cheated, such as the old "It-Was-All-A-Dream".

But because of the serial nature of television, Schmuck Bait has a distinctly different meaning. As submitted by Ron Anderson, for TV -- Schmuck Bait: When the promos for a show tease an outcome which will obviously never happen. Example: "Will Ross leave Rachel forever and move to Paris?" Obviously the actor isn't going to leave the show so it's "schmuck bait".

This term doesn't just refer to the promos. When coming up with dilemmas and storylines, a threat to characters which we'd obviously never let happen -- and only a viewer who had no idea how television works would fall for -- is called Schmuck Bait. So not only is the above example promo Schmuck Bait, but during the writing of the episode, this may well have occured:

"Then, at the end of the first act, Ross gets on the plane, maybe never coming back!"
"Come on, that's schmuck bait."

We'll add our TV version to our list, with a nod to the inimitable Mr. Zucker.

"Schmuck Bait:" A threatened plot twist/outcome in a TV show which will obviously never happen. Example: "Will Ross leave Rachel forever and move to Paris?" Obviously the actor isn't going to leave the show so it's "schmuck bait".

They also have "Gilding the Lily", but I prefer the way I learned it (and again, probably more of a TV variation) ...

"Gilding the Matzah": Over-writing a joke, so it's no longer funny.

Also, used in every sitcom room I'm aware of:

"laying pipe": writing and delivering the onerous dialogue which provids backstory and the plot facts needed to support the weight of the funny (or interesting). Exposition, kids, and it ain't fun.

Example: "Geesh, all Dougie's doing this scene is laying pipe. Couldn't we give him a joke?"

One always strives to lay pipe in an interesting way, or "hide the pipe" in an otherwise entertaining sequence. Such a two-for one is a pleasant flourish signifying your professional ability, like a nice chip shot.

33 comments:

david golbitz said...

"Gilding the Matzah?" I love it. See, there's some funny Jewish writers in Hollywood. Very apropos to this week, too, as Passover begins this weekend.

Anonymous said...

As a retired sitcom writer's assistant, I'm glad to see "laying pipe" get its due. We had writers who were pipe specialists - people who could lay, hide and remove pipe while keeping the script intact. The term was bandied about so much, it's part of my personal lexicon - though not in a dirty way.

Canadian Yankee said...

How much of a loser does it make me that I feel compelled to remind you that *Rachel* was the one who was about to move to Paris, not Ross. Ross almost moved to *London*. Geeze!

Anonymous said...

I am fascinated by the difference between AW's "Eating Your Young" and the meaning I learned for "Killing Your Babies/Darlings." (Going through your script and taking out all of the scenes or bits you love, but that don't serve the story.)

Who would have thought there was such a vast gap between killing and eating?

Or possibly, killing your offspring is dramatic, but eating them is funny.

Anonymous said...

The Jossverse gives me a different definition for schmuck bait, and I quote from a FAQ:

Well, schmuck bait is a term which often appears in the shooting scripts, defined thusly by BtVS writer Steven DeKnight, "'Schmuck bait' is a term, I believe, used when we roll out a classic horror gonna get'cha moment. Usually used when a trap is about to be sprung by the Big Nasties. Our hero is the Schmuck, the trap is the bait, hence 'Schmuck Bait.' Schmuck Bait Arms is something of a shout-out to our patron saint, Tim Minear, who used the term in a Cordy-Skilosh scene in "Epiphany."

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