Thanks Bre for the heads up that the Black List is out and our own Matías Caruso (Mr. Z) is on the list!

CARNIVAL by Matias Caruso – 6
A deadly carnival knife-thrower hunts down the members of a powerful crime syndicate who murdered his sister.

Check out the Variety article

Add your congratulations on the Discussion Board.

-Don

Other Info: Carnival began life as short – Three of Swords which was workshopped on SimplyScripts around 2008. Matias was also the 2014 Page Awards Grand Prize Winner with Three of Swords that had been worked into a feature.

^*The Black List is an annual survey of the “most liked” motion picture screenplays not yet produced. It has been published every year since 2004 on the second Friday of December by Franklin Leonard, a development executive who formerly worked at Universal Pictures. The website states that these are not necessarily “the best” screenplays, but rather “the most liked”, since it is based on a survey of studio and production company executives.

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I’m particularly thrilled as SimplyScripts was the first place that the script to the first short in the series saw the light of day, and this is where the director found it.

Watch So Pretty

Watch So Dark

Like what you saw? Throw them a little coin and help the series get made.

Penny For Your Thoughts (8 pages in pdf format) by Matthew Dressel has been filmed!

A crafty ten year old boy opens up a unique business in suburbia only to find it threatened by a snotty girl with business plans of her own. (Short, Family)

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BETTER TIMES

A desperate young couple are faced with a stark choice in exchange for the promise of a better future.

The Hunger Games, Mad Max-Fury Road, Interstellar, Tomorrowland, The Maze Runner, Insurgent, The Giver, Looper, Elysium, The Purge, Snowpiercer, Dredd — Ooh, I’m running out of breath… These films make up a partial tally of the last few years of movie releases in the Sci-Fi/Dystopian genre. No guessing then that the popularity of this genre is at an all time high, and with box-office gold almost guaranteed, the demand for quality stories is on the increase.

Dystopia, as the name suggests, features worlds where the setting is bleak, oppressed, threatened. In the extreme – impending nuclear fall-out and zombie apocalypses. At the other end of the spectrum – a dying earth, societal breakdown, hard-core surveillance. One thing’s for sure, there’s always a fight for survival. Second thing is, audiences appear to have an insatiable appetite for these future worlds of bedlam, mayhem and decay.

Up and coming filmmakers will be interested to know that quite a few esteemed directors transitioned from the short format with Dystopian fiction, to feature film success.

Spielberg’s Minority Report was originally a short story by Phillip K. Dick; James Cameron made Xenogenesis – a short film featuring a female heroine, cyborgs and a giant robot inspiring Terminator; George Lucas made his dystopian short film, Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB and its later incarnation THX 1138, a ‘short’ which put him on the map. More recently Neil Blomkamp with collaborator Sharlto Copley shot Alive In Joburg, expanding upon that same source material to eventually produce District 9.

Want to scale the same heights as the aforementioned film luminaries? Recall me mentioning quality stories?

STS is pleased to present Steve Miles’ short screenplay, ‘Better Times’.  Set in the not too distant future of 2078, Better Times is a cautionary tale of a world run by big business and ruled by corporate hegemony.  Sebastian and Eileen Cade, a couple in their 30s with a baby on the way, are facing the biggest decision of their lives. Sebastian has just agreed to the ultimate sacrifice – all he has to do is sign on the dotted line. Question is, will he be signing his life away in a deal with the Devil, or will this most noble act result in the couple’s salvation?

Better Times is a flawlessly written and atmospheric tale of two ordinary people trying to survive in a most extraordinary world… with a chilling revelation in the final act that you won’t see coming.

Do you have your eye on a bright future in the film world? Then look no further than: Better Times. 

Budget: Not bad at all. A tiny bit of Tech-FX, but just to add that extra flair.

Pages: 9

About the Reviewer: Libby Chambers has been writing all her life – especially in her head, and on scraps of paper. It’s only in the last few years she began to get serious about screen-writing. Prior to this she worked in the Features Department for ABC TV as a Program Assistant, and trained as a FAD. She has also worked professionally as a freelance web-content editor and proofreader. She is thrilled her first ever entry (Simpatico) into a Screenplay Comp – The LA Comedy Festival ‘Short’ screenplay division took out Top 3 Finalist and hopes the high placing will be a continuing trend. 🙂 Libby would love to see her words come to life on screen.   She lives with her husband (also a screenwriter) in Sydney, Australia, and describes him as being both a good and a bad influence on her writing. You can contact Libby at libbych “AT” hotmail

About the Writer: Steve Miles decided to get serious about writing around three years ago. Since then he’s concentrated on putting together a collection of shorts with a goal of finishing up a feature or two by years end.  Oh, and giving George RR Martin a run for his money! Email him at stevemiles80 “AT” yahoo.co.uk

READ THE SCRIPT HERE – AND DON’T FORGET TO COMMENT!!

FOR YET MORE SCRIPTS AVAILABLE FOR PRODUCTION:

PLEASE SEARCH SIMPLYSCRIPTS.COM

OR THE BLOG VERSION OF STS HERE.

All screenplays are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. The screenplays may not be used without the expressed written permission of the author.

Over on the Scripts posted by Studios for Award Consideration page are three more screenplays.

Youth – May 2, 2014 unspecified draft script by Paolo Sorrentino (translated from the Italian by Virginia Jewiss) – hosted by: Fox Searchlight – in pdf format

Fred and Mick, two old friends, are on vacation in an elegant hotel at the foot of the Alps. Fred, a composer and conductor, is now retired. Mick, a film director, is still working. They look with curiosity and tenderness on their children’s confused lives, Mick’s enthusiastic young writers, and the other hotel guests. While Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no intention of resuming his musical career. But someone wants at all costs to hear him conduct again.

Information courtesy of imdb.com
Brooklyn – April 24, 2014 Yellow Revised Draft script by Nick Hornby (based on the novel by Colm Tóibín) – hosted by: Fox Searchlight – in pdf format

An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a new romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.

Information courtesy of imdb.com
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – June 20, 2014 revised green draft script by Jesse Andrews (based on the book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Harry Abrams) – hosted by: Fox Searchlight – in pdf format

Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Another script for award consideration.

Suffragette – Undated, Unspecified draft script by Abi Morgan – hosted by: Focus Features – in pdf format

A drama that tracks the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalized and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality – their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives. Maud was one such foot soldier. The story of her fight for dignity is as gripping and visceral as any thriller, it is also heart-breaking and inspirational.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Believing Isabelle

How do you deliver a very special Christmas gift, when you’re stuck in an airport on Christmas Eve?

When it comes to telling the perfect Christmas tale, there are a few essential ingredients. Precocious kids, family bonding, and some sort of crisis that brings the brood together, just in time for the holidays.   (You know, like almost losing the family bank, Jimmy Stewart style.)

Mix in a sprinkle of one, half a dash of the other… and voila! You’ve got a heartwarming story for the ages.

Oh – and it helps to be a good writer, as well.

Fortunately, auteur Sally Meyer has all those ingredients in her kitchen. And the skill to bake them into a sweet holiday treat.

As Believing Isabelle opens, a family gathers at the airport… racing to catch a last minute flight for home. In attendance are dad Daniel and bickering siblings Mike (10) and Isabelle (6).

Also in line at the ticket counter is elderly matron Betty, on her way to visit her even more aged mother. Betty’s hubby is on a business trip, and she’s feeling kind of… abandoned.

When Mike and Daniel head off to grab a snack, Betty and Isabelle are left alone. A fast friendship forms; the old woman charmed by Isabelle’s chatter. But when the family finally reaches the front of the line, there’s seriously bad news in store. The flight’s sold out – they’ll be celebrating Christmas on plastic seats and in front of warm Starbuck’s Venti cups.

That is… until Betty comes up with an unexpected solution; proving Isabelle to be wise beyond her years.

Smoothly written – with some great sibling dialogue – Believing Isabelle is like a holiday treat. Fun to unwrap. And very sweet to eat.

About the writer: Born and raised in England, Sally Meyer has had three screenplays filmed.  IMDB Credits available here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2946574/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Pages: 6

Budget: Not marginal, but not too high, either.  You’ll need access to an airport (or reasonable facsimile), and a decent sized cast of characters.  But – except for maybe a bit at the end, nothing will be needed in the way of special props.

READ THE SCRIPT HERE – AND DON’T FORGET TO COMMENT!!

FOR YET MORE SCRIPTS AVAILABLE FOR PRODUCTION:

PLEASE SEARCH SIMPLYSCRIPTS.COM 

OR THE BLOG VERSION OF STS HERE.

All screenplays are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. The screenplays may not be used without the expressed written permission of the author.

A Taste for Blood

In the midst of the storm of the century, a group of research scientists become stranded at a remote Antarctic base.  With the weather worsening and food supplies getting low, desperate times call for desperate measures.

 A stranded group in an isolated Arctic location. Low on food, high on paranoia… faced with the need to survive against all odds. Over the years, that scenario’s made for several damned good (and surprisingly varied) films. The Grey. Thirty Days of Night, to name just two. The premise is a recipe for success… if handled correctly. Stephen Wells is a writer that does just that, carving a fresh tale from the concept’s icy foundations.

The heroine of this particular story is Sarah – a researcher at the Bellingley Antarctic Research Station. A storm has hit, and food is running low. Sarah’s husband, Cole, plans to travel to a neighboring station to stock up on supplies. He’ll be back in less than a month – plenty of time. Sarah protests, but Cole insists. They have no choice. He takes off on the arduous trek – leaving Sarah and six other members of the team. Did I mention? Sarah’s pregnant, and almost due.

Not suprisingly, things get more dire as time passes. The team loses radio contact with Cole. As food stores dwindle, a member of the team, Doc, proposes a radical solution. I think you can guess what that is. As the team’s numbers decrease, the remaining survivors become more desperate. In a deadly game of eat or be eaten, who will live another day? Can Sarah save her unborn baby? Can she even save herself?

Beautifully and visually written, A Taste for Blood brings to mind aspects of several film classics: from The Shining to The Thing. But the script has a fresh feel of its own – perfect for a horror director with a taste for drama.

About the writer: Born and raised in England, Stephen Wells is a graphic designer who has been writing for 5 years after getting the screenwriting bug in 2009. He had a feature script optioned in 2013 and placed as a Quarter-Finalist in the 2014 Bluecat feature competition.

Pages: 18

Budget: Not shoestring. But don’t let the setting worry your frugal sensibilities too much. With the exception of an establishing shot (which could theoretically be pulled from stock footage), the story takes place inside. So a dingy warehouse and props could suffice, if handled artfully.

READ THE SCRIPT HERE – AND DON’T FORGET TO COMMENT!!

FOR YET MORE SCRIPTS AVAILABLE FOR PRODUCTION:

PLEASE SEARCH SIMPLYSCRIPTS.COM

OR THE BLOG VERSION OF STS HERE.

All screenplays are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. The screenplays may not be used without the expressed written permission of the author.

Over on the Unproduced Scripts page are 38 original scripts for your reading pleasure.

– Don