The Dinner (rough cut)

Letting Go

After a horrible accident, a young girl’s mother has a very hard time letting go.

 The loss of a loved one. Whether it be through death, disappearance or tragic social circumstance, the grieving process is one which all humans experience at one time or another. And one we never truly get used to – especially when an innocent child is concerned. Stories that deal with such issues will never get old. When done properly, the result can be an emotional powerhouse; because it’s so universal. And because we’re often so powerless to stop it.

A simple short, Letting Go follows Jason and Jenna – parents devastated by the loss of their four year old daughter Lily. We meet the couple upstairs in their home. Friends and family have gathered downstairs, but Jenna is in no mood to greet them. Eventually the well-meaning guests depart – leaving Jenna and Jason alone. With their memories, and an empty child’s bedroom.

Carefully crafted, Letting Go explores its topic with respect… Providing a few twists – and a poignant ending – along the way.

About the writer: An award winning writer AND photographer, Marnie Mitchell Lister’s website is available at brainfluffs.com. A Scriptshadow selectee, Marnie’s had 5 shorts produced (so far) and placed Semi-final with her features in Bluecat.

Pages: 6

Budget: Minor. One house setting, three main characters (including a 4 year old), and a handful of extras.

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.

Family Trip

A poor Texas family loads up their camping gear for a weekend trip, but one of them will not be returning.

When it comes to political controversies, there are few as emotionally volatile as abortion. And that’s not surprising. Where one stands on abortion strikes right at the heart of one’s fundamental values (religious or secular). At what point in fetal growth does personhood and rights begin?   And once they do – how to balance the rights of a developing human against those of the woman who must carry it? It’s a diversive issue – driven by deep philosophical and political beliefs.

But when it comes to the actual procedure, the reality is far from abstract. Regardless of one’s decision, the impact of abortion is intensely personal. For the woman – and often her family.

Family Trip focuses on that aspect – following the Heron family as they travel out of town… ostensibly for a camping trip. Going along for the ride are Wendy, Hank and their fifteen year old daughter, Carrie. Despite the camping gear piled on top of the car, it quickly becomes clear that the Herons aren’t heading to the woods. As the appointment and the clinic nears, FT handles a number of potentially inflammatory scenes with remarkable subtlety: discussion of possible protestors. The legal requirement in Texas for the doctor to show Carrie an ultrasound of the fetus. Eschewing overly-dramatic scenes, writer Eric Wall instead uses touches of dialogue and small details to do something far more impressive: create a three dimensional view of a family that clearly loves each other; bonding together during a difficult time in their lives.

Thoughtfully written (and devoid of grandstanding), FT is likely to act as a Rorsach test for its readers – the message differing depending on how one interprets it. But regardless of one’ s personal stance on abortion – this is one script that deserves to be part of the discussion.

About the writer: I’ve been writing screenplays for over ten years. For most of that time I considered it a hobby, but I decided to make a serious go of it a little over a year ago. Since then I’ve written several short scripts and one feature, with another feature nearing completion. Despite occasional inquiries, I have not been optioned, but I’m hoping that changes in 2014.

Pages: 17

Budget: Reasonable. There are a variety of settings: the car, the clinic, a diner. Probably best not done on a shoestring… but nothing exorbitant, either. The main requirement: get solid actors that can handle subtle dialog and context.

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.

Hmmm… quite a double entendre there. Is it not?

For The Love of God: we urge all STS fans to read this post!

It is hereby announced that Tim Westland’s spectacular short For The Love of God has now been optioned. Just imagine – a writer capable of tackling a mix of sensitive subjects: with a splendid blend of style, humor and humanitarian sensibility as well.

That’s what we’d shoot for at STS, when in search of a stand-out script to film.

Sure enough – one lucky director did. We’ll keep you apprised as this one develops. All the way to the silver indie screen.

In the meantime, we highly suggest you look over Tim’s other work. The man writes in a variety of genres – each intelligently nuanced, and available for production as we speak:

Shorts

Better Be Good – (Holiday Fantasy Short) – When a young boy finds Santa’s lost bag of toys in a nearby forest, his first thought is to return it. His big brother has other ideas though, which might prove life changing for both of them. https://simplyscriptsreviews.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/better-be-good-short-script-for-review-available-for-production/ NOTE: CHRISTMAS THEME – grab this before Santa (or Krampus) rips it away!

Balls Out (comedy) – Legendary Surfing Pioneer, Mick “Balls Out” Shelly, hasn’t hit the waves in five decades. But an opportunity to reclaim the spotlight takes Mick and people from his past on a trip down memory lane that none are likely to forget. https://simplyscriptsreviews.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/balls-out/

Careful What You Wish For (comedy/fantasy) – Magic genies and bottles. Such things never end well.  Or DO they? https://simplyscriptsreviews.wordpress.com/2015/07/09/careful-what-you-wish-for-short-script-review-available-for-production/

A Line in the Sand (Hard Political SF/Drama) – Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. https://simplyscriptsreviews.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/a-line-in-the-sand-short-script-review-available-for-production/

TV Series

Loose Screws (TV Pilot/Drama/Thriller with writer John Robbins) – A successful psychiatrist finds himself losing his grip on reality – and turns to an old patient – a girl with a mysterious mathematical talent, that he used and betrayed years ago. https://simplyscriptsreviews.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/loose-screws-featured-television-pilot-review-available-for-option/

(in) Equality (SF – In development. Treatment available) – A collaboration with writer John Robbins and J.E. Clarke – a hard SF TV series in the speculative vein of Orphan Black.

Features

Hunted/Stitched (Feature Horror with writer Rod Thompson) – After accidentally shooting a girl in the mysterious Ozark mountains, five hunting buddies must battle for their lives and their souls when a backwoods hillbilly taxidermist invokes ancient supernatural powers to bring his monstrous patchwork creations to life to exact his revenge.  Note to Directors who focus on contest winners… Stitched has been wowing the big ones.  Quite well! https://simplyscriptsreviews.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/hunted-feature-length-script-review-available-for-production/

About Tim himself: Tim Westland, co-writer of the acclaimed graphic novel Chasing the Dead, received first place for Balls Out in the NNYM 15 page contest. An outstanding writer with an eye for the details, his IMDB page can be found here. And he can be reached here (when not subsumed in writing throes): timwestland “AT” hotmail