By Andrew Murray
When we feel creatively exhausted, we often blame the routine and monotony of our everyday lives. Where do we turn for inspiration when our days are spent at work, at the post office, at school? What is there to tell? A lot, it turns out, if we strive to look just a little bit deeper. Many of the greatest storytellers color their most interesting characters with their perspectives on things we can all relate to – the mundane.
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most universally revered directors and screenwriters in the history of filmmaking. His movies are also about as fantastical as it gets before dragons and hobbits get involved. Reservoir Dogs is a gratuitously violent crime drama chronicling the botched heist of six pseudonym’d criminals and their Clue-style hunt for the saboteur in their midst. The movie opens with with a continuous, dollied shot around a diner table as six men discuss the virtues of tipping – chiefly that Mr. Pink doesn’t believe in it. These men are hardened criminals and this is the way Tarantino chooses to introduce us to them.
The oft-lauded Pulp Fiction is too elaborate to synopsize here, but involves a pair of philosophically-waxing hitmen and their entanglements with their kingpin boss, a struggling boxer, and several other larger-than-life characters. Vincent Vega – one of the aforementioned hitmen – explains to his partner, Jules, the subtle differences between American and European fast food – like the fact that Europeans call a Quarter Pounder a “Royale with cheese,” because “they got the metric system there.”
How much do your average moviegoer and black-tie hitmen have in common? Maybe not much, but both have probably had a quarter pounder (or a royale with cheese).
The hit sitcom of the ‘90s, Seinfeld, landed at number three on Rolling Stone’s “100 Best Sitcoms of All Time,” edged out only by Cheers and The Simpsons. The award-winning show is known for its absurdist takes on the minutiae of everyday life. Variety ranks “The Comeback” the show’s top episode. In this episode, George flies from New York to Ohio just to deliver a comeback insult to a former coworker. This is a fantasy we’ve all had, taken to extreme lengths.
Seinfeld the show began as an exploration of how Seinfeld the comic gathered material for his standup routine from everyday life. Topics typical of his real-life act include the joys of going through airport security, tips on choosing the freshest produce at the supermarket, and the indignity of doctor’s visits.
Quentin Tarantino and Jerry Seinfeld are two very different types of storytellers – one a vulgar and indulgent film director; one a legendary comic known for the squeaky clean nature of his act. Both are masters of their crafts, and both often turn to the same source for inspiration: the mundane. Why? Because the mundane is relatable. So the next time you find yourself bored at work, make your work work for you.