Over on the Original Scripts page are fifteen original scripts for your reading pleasure.

Script submissions are closed until June 8th and I encourage everyone to try their hand at the June Moving Picture Verse Writer^tm One Week Challenge.

Don

Theme: Future Shock
Genre: Horror SciFi
Challenge: Stories inspired by a scary future. Micro-horror shorts with a view to being budget-friendly.

Visit the Discussion Board for the details.

– Don

What A Good Boy Does pdf format by Ben Clifford

A young boy feels like he needs to tell his parents about a horrifying thing that happened to him — only to find out that they might not want to know. Trigger warning.

Picture that classic 1950’s image of the perfect American family:

Mother in her apron, steam rising from a fresh batch of brownies.
Father with his dinner jacket and pipe, smiling like he just told a joke.
Son at the table, their pride and joy, what a good little boy.

Now take a match and light it on fire.

This is a story of the cracks and holes and twisted, burnt corners of the nuclear family dream. Mother is a strung-out mess, desperate to keep up appearances. Father is the buttoned-up breadwinner whose well-being trumps all else. And their son, Bobby, has a secret. Something that makes his mother very worried. Something that might just send the whole façade crumbling down. How far will mother go to plaster over the cracks? How deep can one family bury their skeletons?

If you want a safe, happy family drama, check the Hallmark channel. If you’re looking for a psychologically complex tale with the courage and conviction to face those very dark places, you owe it to yourself to check out Ben Clifford’s What A Good Boy Does.

Production: This ten page short is an actor’s film. Suburban neighborhood. Suburban house. Two couples and a child.

About the writer: Ben Clifford is an Australian screenwriter

About the reviewer: James Barron is a former law student turned screenwriter who loves to write comedy along with the occasional horror/thriller. Contact James at jbarron021 (a) gmail.

Read What A Good Boy Does (10 page short drama in pdf format)

Find more scripts available for production

This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

The Bribe (6 page short, comedy) by Logan McDonald

When a man tries to bribe a cop, things get… awkward.

(click to view the film>

Discuss this script on the Discussion Board

Inspiration pdf format by Richard Russell

An Air Force pilot hunts down the person who sent her a Christmas greeting many years before.

A soldier’s mail is precious. There’s notes from friends always good for a laugh. Letters from family making you ache for home. Messages from a lover, hidden from prying eyes.

But for Lori Wells, a young air force pilot, no such mail arrived.

Only a card from a young student (Billy) she’s never met, thanking her for her service. And a kid’s cherubic smile beaming out from a photograph. A testament to a families love. A sense of belonging Lori can’t shake and can’t bring herself to throw away.

So, she carries the good luck charm with her through an entire career. Now Lori’s on her way to finally meet her seraph in the flesh.

Only problem is, grown Billy’s not quite the same happy boy. There are no loving parents. And Lori can’t shake a feeling of ineluctable dread. As the lies and doubts pile up, she’ll have to confront a brutal truth before it’s too late.

If you’re looking for inspired drama, be sure to check out this tale of shattered perceptions and false idols by the talented Richard Russell.

Production: One adult male and female role along with a few extras. A house, a backyard, and a couple other interior locations.

About the writer: Richard Russell A writer should never pen his own bio. What seems important to a writer will no doubt bore most readers. Yet, writers do create their own bios, to the chagrin of everyone. My bio must be short and to the point as I have few literary successes to boast of. It seems I have been writing all my life, and indeed, if pages of print equal success, then I am as successful as anyone. Pages alone, though, doesn’t connote fame or success, just pages. I live in North Carolina, and I write whenever and however I can. The mere act of writing produces a joy that I find in no other endeavor. Whether or not my writing becomes known to many means little to me. Oh, I would love to be a household name, but that is not my goal. My goal is to write stories that compel the reader to finish. My goal is to create tales that will not let me quit them in mid-sentence. I am a dreamer and a procrastinator, and those traits are not ingredients for success. I also suffer from reverse paranoia. I think people are plotting to make me happy.

About the reviewer: James Barron is a former law student turned screenwriter who loves to write comedy along with the occasional horror/thriller. Contact James at jbarron021 (a) gmail.

Read Inspiration (11 page short drama in pdf format)

Find more scripts available for production

This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

Look Behind You (8 pages pdf format) by Michael Joseph Kospiah

Brandon sees strange images after he finds out about an escaped serial killer on the loose in his town.

Discuss this script on the Discussion Board

Over on the Original Scripts page are twenty two unproduced scripts for your reading pleasure. One, pique your interest? Reach out to the writer.

– Don

Over on the Unproduced Scripts page are the twenty two original short scripts on the theme of the Journal of the Plague Year One Week challenge. Most of these scripts are easily film-able with minimal sets and characters.

Directors and aspiring film makers if you are looking for a quick film, please check out the scripts and reach out to the writers.

– Don

Hair 18 pages in PDF format by James Barron

A family man struggling to keep his life from falling apart becomes obsessed with impending baldness.

Have you ever had one of those days? The job is stabbing you in the eyeballs, your child wants to stab you in the eyeballs and your spouse, who is so severely/constantly let down by you, can barely look you in the, um, eyeballs? These types of days have turned into years for salesman Ted Donovan.

But meaningless career and a challenging home life are nothing compared to his REAL problem: male pattern baldness.

James Barron’s “Hair” is a witty romp through a day in a suburban man’s life; a life beginning to fall apart – and fall out.

The story starts with confirmation from his physician – Ted’s hair or, unhair, doctor.

            DR. GREEN
Mr. Donovan, have you been under
any undue stress lately? At work
perhaps?

The problems mount at work, where Ted used to be an Amway selling “machine.” But now he’s locked in cold-call hell, unable to engage potential customers for more than greetings followed by dismal dial tones.

His much-younger boss – who happens to be his old boss’s son – doesn’t help matters, reminding Ted of better day’s gone by.

            TED
It’s been a little slow this month.

Ted is not fine. In fact, this is a decisive turning point in his life. And he literally meets it head-on in the form of a nearly-fatal accident behind the wheel as he checks his hair in the mirror. Knocked unconscious, he dreams of his boss Neal, who tells him “you must make a statement…. a statement shall set you free.”

This free advice amounts to Ted’s moment of clarity, leading him to do the unthinkable. And so his journey to happiness begins anew, with wife and daughter in tow. And Amway and the old Ted in his rear-view mirror – for good.

Ted’s big adventure is a warm, charming “Office Space” meets “Horrible Bosses” meets Paul Giamatti. It’s an extremely low-budget film requiring just a few locations and handful of actors – one of which may need to be willing to shave a little off his ego to make the film a “growing” success.

Budget: Just a few locations and a handful of actors. We’re happy to say that’s all you need.

About the writer: James loves to write comedy and action along with the occasional horror short. You can reach him at jbarron021 (a) gmail.

Read Hair (19 pages in pdf format)

Find more scripts available for production

This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

About the reviewer: Zack Zupke is a writer in Los Angeles. Zack was a latch-key kid whose best friend was a 19-inch color television. His early education (1st grade on) included watching countless hours of shows like “M*A*S*H,” “Star Trek” and “The Odd Couple” and movies like “The Godfather,” “Rocky” and “Annie Hall.” Flash forward to present day and his short “The Confession” was recently produced by Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC. He’s currently working on a futuristic hitman thriller with a partner and refining a dramedy pilot perfect for the likes of FX. You can reach Zack at zzupke (a) yahoo.