Saw this one in a movie last night...

Someone who has just escaped a dangerous situation (usually a criminal) drives into an intersection and gets plowed by another car coming "out of nowhere." Look both ways, huh?
I've used the cliche myself, I'm afraid to say.

Oh, and in regards to the cell phone cliche, I'm afraid it doesn't belong in a "Cliches we all shoud avoid" thread. As Death Monkey said, it's quite lame but without it, everyone thinks your characters are idiots and will be removed from the story hence forth. It's a neccesary evil, unfortunately.

Quoted from blakkwolfe Trucker might have seen something suspicious in the car and CB'd for help...

Nope.  Wouldn't work.  My hitchhiker's hitchhiking down a windy dirt backroad.  Oh yeah, and it's also a cul-de-sac.

Quoted from Tierney FYI, all telephone numbers used in tv and film are (area code) 555-01XX.

But I have a script about a girl named Jenny-Jenny and it's vital that her phone number that she writes on the bathroom wall be a certain number.  Surely the f*ckin' Feds'll let that slide, right?

On a serious note, though.  One way I try to get by the horrible 555 situation is just leave one number out.  For instance.  This is my real phone number.  (330) 774-848.  Now everybody guess what number to put in where and try to call me.  The first person to reach me, I'll give them a hundred bucks.  This game's going to be really fun for anybody playing in Austrailia.

- Mark

P.S. - If you do get through to me, I'll give you the hundred dollars whenever I have it.

Quoted from rc1107 But I have a script about a girl named Jenny-Jenny and it's vital that her phone number that she writes on the bathroom wall be a certain number.

Please tell me its not 867-5309...

Quoted from Blakkwolfe Please tell me its not 867-5309...

I knew a guy in college who got that number from a girl in a bar.  Swear to God....


Phil

Quoted from dogglebe I knew a guy in college who got that number (867-5309) from a girl in a bar

I dated a girl named Jen and her number was 831-0675.  All the numbers in 867-5309 except for one number.  I asked her if she got that number on purpose and she said never even heard of the song.

And, for the two-fer, she's also one of the girls I took out to my uncle's lake and told her I had never brought anybody else there.

Hey,

I found this Horror Movie Character Survival Guide, it has a whole list of clichées to avoid (mostly if you want to survive a horror flick but some of them should also be avoided by writers).

A couple of my favourites:

- If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they do not know, or if they speak using a voice other than their own, shoot them at once. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. Note: it's unlikely they'll die easy, so be prepared.

- If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice, more if you are female. Also note that, although you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.

- When something bad is chasing you, bear in mind that when you try to start your car, no matter how reliable the vehicle is normally, you'll have to crank the engine over many times before it will fire up.

I hate the one where one character is looking for another character, who doesn't want to be found, (usually parents of a teenage runaway) and they'll see them on a busy street, say 100 meters away, and instead of sneaking up on them and catching them, they'll scream out their name giving them ample opportunity to take off.

Heres a cliche that affects the whole format of a films structure

A young child makes best friends with the ghost that haunts the family home.

If you see this cliche in a film you can almost always predict the whole movie.

An example below.

-A young child has an imaginary friend.
"Her name is Nancy, she likes to tell me things"

-The mother becomes worried when the young child begins finding out things they  shouldn't know.
"Who told you that Timmy?"

"Nancy did"

"Nancy doesn't exist!"

-Childs friendship with ghost becomes an obsession.

-Spooky clues lead the mother to realise that Nnacy does exist.

-Everyone thinks the mother is crazy.

-The mother eventually interogates the child about the imaginary friend.
"Where does Nancy live Timmy?"

"Stop it! Your making Nancy angry"

-Nancy becomes angry.

-The child is kidnapped/possessed by Nancy which results in the parents having to save the child under creepy circumstances.

There are a few different variations on this structure. They usually fit the above pretty closely though.

The latest film which looks to fit this formula is Mirrors. Have a look at the Redband trailer on youtube.

Quoted from Takeshi I hate the one where one character is looking for another character, who doesn't want to be found, (usually parents of a teenage runaway) and they'll see them on a busy street, say 100 meters away, and instead of sneaking up on them and catching them, they'll scream out their name giving them ample opportunity to take off.

I think in real life one would call out the persons name... how do you know they are running away from you? Maybe they were abducted or suffered from drug problems.

Maybe you could lure them into a car with some nose candy.

Quoted from bert The one I really hate -- but I don't think there is any way around it -- has occurred since the advent of the cell phone. Every single horror movie or thriller of the last decade -- and from now on, I suppose -- is obligated to include a scene where it is established that thier cell phones are not working. I just sit there waiting for it -- you know it's coming -- and once that is finally out of the way they can proceed with the story. I am still trying to figure out something new to do with one of those scenes -- turn it on its ear somehow.

I liked how they did that in 'Shrooms'. A bit of a change to the normal - no signal. Simply, someone's nicked them! duh duh duh...

I saw this one again last night and was reminded of it...

Two people fighting over a briefcase of money at a high altitude, will always inadvertently open the case and cause the money to fly off every which way.

Sometimes a group of people below scrambles to pick it up, and sometimes not, but either way our two main characters won't be getting one plug nickel.

I just came across an article about the cliches/phrases that Australians find the most annoying.

General:
1. At the end of the day
2. Lets do lunch
3. It's not rocket science
4. 24/7
5. Calling to touch base
6. Bring it on
7. Don’t get me started
8. As you do
9. Tell me about it
10.  Your call may be recorded for training purposes

Political:
1. Working families
2. Not ruling anything in or out
3. No magic bullet
4. Can I just say
5. The jury is still out on that one
6. Going forward
7. No brainer
8. Having said that
9. Ballpark figure
10.  At this point in time

Work:
1. Push the envelope
2. 110%
3. Think outside the square
4. Hit the ground running
5. Get on the same page
6. Key learnings
7. Fast-track
8. Cutting edge
9. Steep learning curve
10. Let's unpack this

Youth:
1. My bad
2. Random
3. So hot right now
4. Fully sick
5. So over that
6. Oh my gosh
7. Whatever
8. Totally
9. Chillout
10. Whassup

Social:
1. I'm hot
2. Touchdown
3. How's the weather up/down there? (said to a tall/short person)
4. No thanks, I'm sweet enough (said at the offer of sugar with one's tea/coffee)
5. Quote... (said while holding up fingers making quotation marks)
6. Enjoy your trip? (said to someone after a stumble)
7. Oh you shouldn't have! (when someone walks past with flowers/gift)
8. Singing ‘why was he born so beautiful, why was he born at all...’ (after Happy Birthday song)
9. Taxi! (when someone knocks something over)
10. Touch wood (reaching for wooden object or knocking on one's head)

I would've had "warm enough for ya?" (said by people on hot days) in Social.

Source: http://www.perthnow.com.au/lif.....frg3pl-1225826056532

Quoted from Death Monkey All Asians know karate.

But they do...

An Irish one I heard today but don't say and never will say which bugs me is, top of the morning.

I was never fond of when the antagonist and the protagonist fight for the gun.  It goes off and the two stare at each other for several seconds before....















the antagonist falls to the floor.


Phil