Inspiration

I first heard of speed dating when two fellow writers went to an event in search of love and inspiration (not necessarily in that order). When they explained what was involved, I thought that a speed date would make a great setting for a script in which a number of characters experience the briefest of brief encounters.

Researching speed dating on the internet, I read an account of an event at which the would-be Romeos and Juliets adopted movie star pseudonyms to do their dating anonymously. The online feature writer couldn’t see the point of this, but I realised that it was a helpful ice-breaker, giving love-seekers something to talk about during their dates – just what did somebody think that they and Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant or Nicole Kidman had in common? I included the Hollywood alter ego idea in my drama.

As I worked on the script, I got the nagging feeling that there was something wrong with the whole idea of speed dating. Should meeting a partner really be packaged to fit windows in a hectic schedule? And if singletons were willing to timetable their love lives so precisely, why not get through entire relationships in handy bite-sized portions? These musings gave me the idea for a shorter script in which a couple goes from boy-meets-girl to break-up in double-quick time.

Having written this whirlwind rom com, actors Ellie Zeegen and Jason Courtis improvised around my basic script, choosing their own movie star monikers and injecting some slapstick into the short.

I hope that the finished film tells a complete story in its 90 seconds as well as asking if instant gratification isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – maybe food does taste better if you dice your own carrots...