18 April 2008

FSW: Party Planners

Allow me to preface this sketch with a preemptive "meh". High concept, but it really goes nowhere. Not without a multi-million dollar budget to make it all happen, at least. Hmm...

Party Planners
(A large number of people fill a cavernous hall, dressed formally. The lights go down, and crossing, moving spots cut through the darkness. Just off center, a man with clipboard and walkie-talkie stands ready.)

EMCEE (O.S.)
(Deafening) Ladies and gentleman, put your hands together and welcome Mr. and Mrs. David Fagin for their first dance as a married couple!

MICHAEL
(Into walkie-talkie) We're go for pyro!

(Flames shoot out of the top of the wedding cake. Fireworks go off in the background. The bride and groom walk through the smoke and flames to the center of the dance floor.)

MICHAEL
(Into walkie-talkie) Bring it home, people!

(The fireworks display becomes more intense as Aerosmith begins to play at high volume. The newlyweds begin to dance.)

MICHAEL
(Into walkie-talkie) Great work, everyone. (Turning to camera) Hi. I'm Michael Bay. For years I've worked in Hollywood making movies and making millions. But now, I've decided to branch out. So if you'd like your next wedding, sweet sixteen, or Bar Mitzvah to be a real blockbuster, call Michael Bay's Party Planners!

(Cut to Michael in the lobby of a small office. He's standing in front of reception, where a sexy young woman sits busily answering phones.)

TRIXIE
(Answering phone) Michael Bay's Party Planners. How may I help you today?

MICHAEL
Here at MBPP we cater to your every need from the moment you first walk in. Take Trixie over here. Pretty easy on they eyes, right fellas? I spent months working with the best casting directors in town to trying to find the perfect mix of sex appeal and girl next door. But once Trixie walked through the door, we knew we had our receptionist. That same attention to detail is what sets MBPP parties apart. Whether you want Scarlett Johansson to jump out of your wedding cake, Sean Connery to give you away or Ben Affleck to check coats, we can deliver. Let's meet some of the wizards who make it all happen.

(Camera follows Michael as he walks through a door and into the warehouse-sized back of the building. Sparks are flying from someone welding in the distance, people working everywhere, and a VW Bug in the foreground. Michael walks up to Rick and Stacy who are sitting at a small table.)

MICHAEL
This is Stacy Lavelle. She's in charge of pyrotechnics at MBPP. Stacy, why don't you tell us what you're working on here?

STACY
We're making flashpots for the Rosencrantz/Guildenstern wedding. There's going to be a lot of noise and a lot of smoke.

MICHAEL
Fantastic! What's the theme?

STACY
Rick?

RICK
The bride's father passed away recently, so we're going to make it look like his ghost has returned to walk her down the aisle. First we're killing all the lights, then the flashpots go off, and then we're projecting images of him on a scrim. We'll play a recording of his voice, as well. The bride will never expect it!

MICHAEL
Sounds great! I'll let you guys get back to work.

(To camera) As you can see, we take our jobs very seriously here at MBPP. We want to make sure your party is bigger, louder, and more exciting than any party before. Here's Todd McElroy, our demo expert. Todd? What are you working on?

TODD
The finale of the Sussman Sweet 16. Chloe wants a BMW convertible and of course her father's bought her one. But we've decided to bring in this new Bug instead as a joke. She'll obviously be upset and angry, and just when her tantrum reaches its peak, our stunt driver speeds in with her BMW and shoots the Bug with this fake rocket launcher. We blow a charge under the Bug and it should flip over three times before ending upside down. Then we cue fireworks.

MICHAEL
That sounds awesome, Todd. You've been with me for a long time. How is party planning different from the movies?

TODD
Well, I can't fall back on CGI so much, so it's made me relearn some of the old ways of doing things. Otherwise, it's about the same. I mean, movies and parties are all about the same thing, right? Bombs, crashes, and rolling fire.

MICHAEL
Truer words were never spoken. Thanks, Todd.

(To camera) I hope you've enjoyed your behind the scenes look at Michael Bay's Party Planners and want to choose us for your next party. At MBPP, no party is too big for us to handle, though many are too small. If you're looking for an intimate affair with just close friends and family, try someone else. But if you want the rockin'est party ever, give us a call.

(BLACKOUT)

5 comments:

Michael Brownlee said...

Where's the number!? I want to get them for my wedding!

Red said...

My son turns 7 in a week, he loves fireworks. Are they free?

R.A. Porter said...

Free? From Michael Bay? That's $10M extra.

2old4this said...

Sorry, only just read this now.

Man this is the funniest thing you've done yet! I love this. I told my wife about it and she cracked up!

I enjoy reading these things, don't stop OK?

R.A. Porter said...

Thank you, Brian! I promise not to stop. We might schedule a vacation or two, but we're going to keep on fighting.

Glad you like them.