THE BAD PLANES (6-page short sci-fi screenplay) by ANTHONY RUSSO

A young girl chronicles her existence in the age of technology in 2028 America.

Once again, this past month’s One Week Challenge here at Simply Scripts saw some great talent on display with some really, really strong entries. Kudos to all the participants who were able to crank out some really great work in such a tight time frame. Many of these entries were so thoughtful and well-written, it was hard to believe some of them were completed within the one-week deadline.

FUTURE SHOCK, the Black Mirror-esque theme for June’s challenge, had writers create two to 6-page screenplays in the sci-fi/horror genres (my favorite) centered around the dangers of technology in the not-too-distant future.

Drones are the futuristic, technological danger Anthony J. Russo’s characters face in his chillingly poetic, topical entry, “The Bad Planes”. Not only was this my personal favorite out of all of June’s entries, but it might be one of the strongest shorts I’ve recently had the pleasure of reading.

Though the story meets the criteria of the One Week Challenge’s theme, the true driving theme of the story is something that deeply affects us now, something that has blemished our society throughout history – systemic racism. And it paints a dark and bleak picture ofthe future American could face if we don’t work towards correcting the issues that plague our society TODAY.

Set in 2028, after the world has been ravaged by a virus, our story opens on a drone hovering in the sky. This is when we hear the story’s haunting opening line, made even more haunting by the innocent nature of the little girl’s voice speaking it:

Driven by eight-year-old Gigi’s narration, we see the world through her simplistic innocence as a drone hovers over a couple trudging along a farm road. The drone reads their body temperatures. Though the woman reads 98.7 degrees Fahrenheit, the male reads 100.8. And that’s when a much larger drone flies in an unloads rounds of ammunition into him. Essentially killing him because he’s sick.

But, as we soon find out, having the virus isn’t the only thing you can get killed for. The drones also read “acceptable” melanin levels in a person’s skin. We soon find out through Gigi’s chilling voice over that there is a race war, though she doesn’t fully understand what that means.

That’s when we meet Troy, a black man, who gathers waterin the middle of the night for his family – Jane, a white woman, and his mixed-race daughter Gigi, the narrator of our story.

A drone tracks him down and gets a read on his body temperature and melanin levels. But Troy is well aware of these “bad planes”.

To further deceive the drones, Troy covers himself in white skin cream to hide his color and keep himself from getting killed. But it’s not enough to fool this drone in particular and the unseen white man behind its control panels. Soon, Troy finds himself running for his life as he tries to get back home to his family, the drone hot on his tail.

As he reaches his home, he and his wife, Jane, work together to fight off the drone, building to a gut-punch of an ending that will haunt you long after FADE OUT.

I won’t give away everything about the story’s ending, but as we opened with a chilling line of dialogue, the story appropriately ends with a line of dialogue just as chilling, reflecting many of our own thoughts as we face racial issues in today’s world.

This is a script you won’t soon forget.

BUDGET: Low. On the surface, the budget may seem bigger. But all that’s needed are two drones (one smaller, one larger), which can also be used to film certain shots, and some minor special effects. Regardless, the script is as relevant and effective as it gets and would definitely be worth every penny of the filmmaker’s budget.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Anthony J. Russo is an aspiring screenwriter who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with a degree in Liberal and Professional Studies and minors in Philosophy and Political Science. His feature-length screenplay JOHN LENNON’S HEAVEN, available for production, explores religion, physics and philosophy in a way never before attempted on screen. His feature project GRAND AVENUE, culled from Anthony’s experiences growing up in the town of Maspeth, Queens, a blue-collar town known for its mob influence, is making the rounds in Hollywood. Anthony has also written several short scripts and has freelanced for Generocity, a Philadelphia based philanthropic organization which highlights charitable endeavors in the region. Anthony can be reached at ajrscreenworks (a) verizon.net.

Read: THE BAD PLANES (6-page short sci-fi screenplay)

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.