Saved My Bacon

It’s 1913 and a big city reporter travels out to the country to meet The World’s Greatest Pig.

 There will always be a place in storytelling for rural tall tales. Big Fish did it quite successfully. And it’s easy to see why.  There’s something about combining the honest simplicity of “down-home rural folk” with fanciful humorous stories that simply works.   (And really beats Deliverance when it comes to telling country stories by the campfire…)

Saved My Bacon comes straight from that pedigree (Big Fish… not Deliverance.)  Featuring only two main protags, it follows the story of Milo the Reporter who’s come to interview Farmer Davis… a simple man with an extraordinary pig.  The result is pure Mark Twain – a sweet narrative, with a very effective ending.

Running only 5 pages long, this is a perfect script for anyone interested in telling a solid, amusing tale.  As long as you have access to Wilbur for the shoot…

About the writer: Tim Westland, co-writer of the acclaimed graphic novel Chasing the Dead, received first place for Balls Out in the NNYM 15 page contest. A moderator at Moviepoet, he’s an outstanding writer with an eye for the details. His IMDB page can be found here.

Pages: 5

Budget: The vast majority of this script is low budget.  Two protags, one room and a single rural exterior shot. The one – er – stumbling point is that you have to get a pig – and do a little FX for its legs.  But when you get that, this one’s golden!

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

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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.

Who Killed Rosa Maria Morales?

The man who knows the truth about a mysterious murder lies in an ambulance after a heart attack. Detective Sanchez needs to question him before it is too late.

If you’re old enough, you probably remember the phrase “Who Shot J.R.?” It was an American obsession during the summer of 1980, after the season finale of Dallas. An unknown assailant had shot the show’s conniving protagonist, J.R. Ewing. With eight months before the next episode, the entire nation was thrown into a tailspin…

Who Killed Rosa Maria Rosales channels the same sort of obsession. But this time it’s all focused on one man – gritty homicide Detective Sanchez. A heart attack victim lies prone on the floor, teetering on the precipice of death. As a frantic paramedic scrambles to resuscitate his patient, Detective Sanchez looms over the barely-conscious man – grilling him mercilessly.

You see, Rosa Maria Morales has been horribly murdered. And Detective Sanchez’s determined to find out who did the monstrous deed – before the secret’s taken to the grave.

As paddles shock and monitors beep, Detective Sanchez yells out a string of suspect names. The cheating lover? Rosa’s sister? The Taco Mogul? Sanchez mercilessly batters the stricken man with questions. This is one lawman not to be denied.

It’s down to the wire – with everything at stake. Will Detective Sanchez solve the case before his witness flat-lines? A better question perhaps might be… why does he want to know?

A sweet who-dunnit with a fun twist, the read for Rosa’s an absolute hoot. And perfect for mystery loving directors – tongue planted firmly in mid-cheek.

About the writer: Relatively new in screenwriting, Manolis Froudarakis has won two awards in short screenplay competitions. His main focus is comedy – preferably, comedy with a little edge. You can contact him at: mfroudarakis@yahoo.gr

Pages: 5

Budget: Low (once you get your hands on some ambulance stock footage, and miscellaneous EMS equipment)

About the reviewer: Scott Merrow co-writes screenplays with his wife Paula. Since 2006, they’ve written over 50 short screenplays, several of which have been produced. They tend toward family-friendly scripts, but they’ve written a little bit of everything: horror, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy… the whole nine yards. Wanna give them a shout out? They’re available at scott-paula “AT” comcast.net

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.

Based on a True Story

A fictional film about non-fictional events that are entirely fictional.

Senses of humor vary radically. Some people think Porky’s is the height of hilarity. Remember that one, folks? Others prefer Woody Allen’s neurotic wit and TV shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm. One thing’s for sure… humor’s changed a hell of a lot over the years; with the focus veering towards over-the-top gross outs. This is the End anyone? Whatever happened to smart, character based comedy? Is there anyone out there still writing intelligent humor?

Yep. His name is Matt Dressel. The script in question is Based on a True Story. (That’s the title, folks. Not the description. The script itself is completely fictional.)

Smart, funny and low budget, BTS revolves around protagonist Bill, a screenwriter that can’t seem to get his big break. (Gee, I wonder how often that happens in real life?) Demoralized, Bill pays the bills working at a 911 crisis center, and most of his nights hanging out with incompetent actor pals Tim and Sam. (Okay, Sam’s not exactly a friend, more of an unfortunate acquaintance.) They live in Quigley Quagmire’s hotel… a depressing little 80’s reject hovel that’s only one step removed from the Roach Motel. In other words, life ain’t going well.

That is, until Bill has his brilliant idea. Hollywood likes reboots and movies based on True Stories, right? Why not stage a bank robbery themselves….and then cash in on the press with a best selling screenplay? Between Bill and his crew, they’ve got creativity, actors and props on their side. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

How often has that question been asked? With the logical answer. Everything.

What follows is a highly intelligent – and yet goofy – romp through an escalating comedy of errors: from “Auditioning” the other bank robbers (and other theoretically important stuff, like how to handle guns and bank vaults) to the actual caper. And the inevitable complications that ensue. A master of understated comedy, Matt Dressel populates the script with colorful characters… not just the protagonists, but walk-on supporting bits as well. Not to mention rioting Nazis, pizza delivery men, and David Bowie groupies. (Don’t even try to ask. Just read the script and see.) Sound over the top? In Dressel’s hands, this script actually maintains comedy balance … peppering the script with wonderful lines like that of Crusty Detective Vic Cardigan: “I’ve been chasing (these robbers’) sorry asses for nearly 25 years of my life – ever since I was a rookie on the force.” Police officer: “They appear to be about 30 years of age, sir.” Cardigan: “Damn, they’re good.”

You know what’s really good? This script. It’s an indie breath of fresh air in a world populated by dick jokes and vomit gags. (Not that there’s anything wrong with those… in moderation.) But if you’re an up and coming director looking for a comedy with intelligence and staying power, check this one out. Fast. Before it gets away like a bank robber with the loot…

About the writer: Matthew Dressel recently wrote/produced/acted in his own web series Let’s Kill John Stamos! One of his feature films, Killing Daniel, has been optioned by Darius Films. You can catch more of Matt’s work at http://www.matthewdressel.com.

FOR YET MORE SCRIPTS AVAILABLE FOR PRODUCTION:

PLEASE SEARCH SIMPLYSCRIPTS.COM

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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.

I Robot

It’s Man Vs. Roomba when Octogenarian Roy receives a surprise present from his daughter

The ever widening dangers and potentials of technology. A common theme in both literature and film, the topic spans the gamut of genres. SF/Horror: Hal in 2001. Short Circuit (Comedy). Even Romance – Spike Jonze’s acclaimed SF film Her.

And cantankerous old people? No script writer can go wrong with that! Geezers aways make for colorful characters. Betty White in Lake Placid. The entire cast of Cocoon…

Put those two factors into a short. Add a touch of dark humor, and the result is guaranteed to be memorable.

As iRobot opens, so does old man Roy’s door. Cranky and frail, he harasses the poor teen Postman relentlessly. He asks the kid a million questions. Insists on getting I.D. Eventually, Roy pulls the package from his hands. Slams the door in the kid’s face.

Back in his kitchen, Roy opens the box: it’s a surprise present from daughter Wendy. A fully automated Roomba style vaccuum cleaner; designed to help around the house. Though perpetually unimpressed, Roy turns the device on. He sets it down and gives it a spin.

…but the new-fangled gizmo does more than spin. It whirrs and clicks. And starts to clean. Mesmorized, Roy watches the bot “do its thing.” After conducting an initial patrol across the floor, the robot circles back – and slams into Roy’s ankle. Before you can yell “that tears it!” the war is on. A cat and mouse game ensues between Roy and his mechnanical nemesis. It may not be a Terminator, but this is one Roomba that’s ready to rock and roll. And not necessarily in a good way…

Easy to shoot, iRobot can be played several ways. Horror. Or tongue in cheek satire. But turn it on and give it your spin. It’s a fun tale of Man vs. Machine, with a lighthearted combination of genres.

About Anthony: I’m an award winning screenwriter from the UK with over 15 scripts produced, optioned and/or purchased. Outside of my screenwriting career, I’m also a published short story writer and movie reviewer. Links to my films and details of my scripts can be found at www.anthonycawood.co.uk.

Pages: 10

Budget: Very low budget. Three actors and a roomba’s all you need.

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

Please join STS in congratulating writer Rick Hansberry.  Not once, but several times…

1) His recently reviewed short, Last Dance, has been picked up for student production by Megan McPherson.

Other directors take note: Last Dance is still available for professional use, as are several more Rick-flavored scripts!

Cards (drama) –  A pair of copyrighters continue their career-long battle long after retirement.

Over the Lump (drama) – Objects in the mind’s mirror may appear larger than they are.

Freak (drama) – A simple wave and smile alters the life of a teenager.

By the Power Vested in Me (drama) – Will a power outage serve as a sign that a wedding shouldn’t happen?

Hello (drama) – Interesting what you can find in used bookstores – and often there’s a reason it’s there.

‘Til Death (Comedy) – A marital tiff erupts to epic proportions….

Burn the Ships (drama) – Life lessons alter the courses taken by a teacher and his student.

Taking the Reins (drama FEATURE) – A reckless equestrian struggles through personal and professional setbacks to try to make history as the youngest winner of the elite Rolex championship, but his destructive personality poses the biggest obstacle to claiming the title.

2) Rick’s SF feature length, Alienate, is now available for purchase!  Take a gander at the DVD review here!

Bowel Sounds

A patient experiences malevolent gastric distress…

Ever sit in a quiet classroom or church… and suddenly your stomach makes one of those really loud gurgly sounds? Whoa. How loud was it, you wonder? Did anyone else hear it? Are they staring at you? Grossed out or giggling? And then… it happens again. G-u-R-g-L-e. And again. Sheesh, what are those sounds, anyway? What’s going on inside you that’s making so much ruckus? Could something you ate really cause that much commotion?

Or perhaps something’s eating you!

That’s the premise of the riveting comedy-horror, Bowel Sounds, by Robert G. Newcomer. Sad sack Tucker thinks something’s eating him up – from the inside out. And admittedly, he don’t look good. Even his family physician’s taken aback by his haggard appearance. But after listening with his stethoscope, Dr. Morgan concludes it’s just normal bowel sounds. You know, an undigested bit of beef. Or something Lewis Carroll-ish…

But Tucker ain’t buying it. He can feel something in his innards. Rolling. Squirming. Biting. And when he listens through the stethoscope, he hears an evil voice. Taunting him!

Questioning his patient’s marbles, Dr. Morgan slips from the room to order a sedative. But while he’s gone, Tucker takes matters into his own hands. Literally.

What follows next solves poor Tucker’s problem. But it sure ain’t pretty.

Memo to any doctors who might read this: Don’t leave surgical tools lying around when there’s a crazy person in the room. And one more word of caution: if you see a bloody trail leading to a trash can, and the trash can moves – keep your distance.

Horror directors, take heed. If you remember Reanimator with fondness, Bowel Sounds is the perfect tale for you. Darkly comedic, and bloody fun!

About the writer:  Robert Newcomer recently received his first IMDB credit for another short, Them That’s Dead.  An intelligent writer, he has several other shorts and a horror feature length available for consideration. (IMDB credits listed here.) Other scripts by Robert (also horror) reviewed at STS include:

A Mighty Fire

Someplace Nice and Dark

Pages: 5

Budget: Low. Three actors, a “doctor’s room” and buckets of blood!

About the reviewers: Scott & Paula Merrow are a husband and wife screenwriting team. Since 2006, they’ve written over 50 short screenplays, several of which have been produced. They tend toward family-friendly scripts, but they’ve written a little bit of everything: horror, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy,… the whole nine yards. They’re reachable at scott-paula “AT” comcast.net

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.

LES GARCONS

A notorious French thief breaks into a museum and gets an unexpected surprise.

Crime capers. We love them so! Nothing captures a viewer’s imagination more than a priceless artifact, ferreted away by a daring cat burglar. Hollywood feeds our fancy with this genre regularly, treating us with star-studded movies such as The Oceans Eleven series, To Catch a Thief, The Score, Entrapment and of course The Thomas Crown Affair – an art theft film so popular they made it twice!

What do each of these entertaining films have in common (besides the pilfering of objets d’art?) A charismatic anti-hero who relies on style and stealth over violence.

Talented writer Jean-Pierre Chapoteau continues this grand tradition in Les Garcons. His worthy protagonist? The masterful and dashing “Jean-Luc The Great.”

As debonair as they come, our suave “master of all thieves” is blessed with great cunning and flamboyant skill. His daring criminal exploits include pilfering jewels right off the Pope, and “lifting zee necklace off of zee Queen of Spain as she dined in a room of one-hundred friends.” Not bad for a career cad’s resume.

His current target? The valuable painting “The Tree and the Fly”, displayed at a local museum. Unfortunately for this Master of Shadows, his best laid plans quickly go awry.

Jean’s caught red-handed by Tye – a young star-struck security guard. Tye triggers the alarm… then asks if he can have his picture taken with the criminal mastermind.

Have his picture taken? Never! Jean-Luc denies his ardent fan’s request. In a cunning game of cat and mouse, he demands to be taken to the “closest room of rest.” Guided into the break-room, an increasingly concerned Jean-Luc bargains with his captor. Let him go free… and perhaps a picture’s not out of the question.

Footsteps approach. All seems lost. But a clever twist proves the old saying: “never, ever trust a thief!”

About the writer: Jean-Pierre Chapoteau started writing feature length scripts in 2005 then focused on shorts in 2009. Since then he’s had three scripts produced and two more optioned. He has won several awards for his shorts and has become a moderator at the site MoviePoet, who specialize in the craft of the short scripts.  Jean-Pierre was a finalist in the RAW TALENT Competition for his faith based feature length script: ‘Far From Perfect.’ And was also a semi-finalist in the SLAMDANCE teleplay competition and a finalist in the OBSWRITER teleplay contest for his adapted teleplay, Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Guardian.  You can contact Jean-Pierre Chapoteau at:  jeanpierre425 (a) gmail.com

Pages: 6

Budget: Low. Two actors. A few cheap props. A school hall or all purpose room dressed to look like a museum.

About the reviewer: Gary “Rolo” Rowlands cut his teeth on sketch comedy and was a commissioned writer on Spitting Image, a hugely popular sketch show in the UK that regularly attracted audiences of 8-10 million a week. He has several features available and is currently rewriting his contained supernatural thriller Offline. He can be contacted at gazrow at hotmail dot com

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

Ouija

A group of friends get more than they bargained for when they hook a Ouija board up to a 3D printer and encounter a presence from the other side.

You a ghost and horror fan? Then, let’s chat about a staple in the supernatural sub-genre… that well-known prop: Ouija boards!

Widely considered a tool to summon the dead, theories about Ouija boards abound. Some true believers consider these plywood concentrations of pressed evil to be an expressway to the very depths of hell. A gateway, in fact, for evil spirits – offering EZpass access to one’s soul. Other paranormal doubters consider the boards a harmless family game (and profit play by Hasbro Inc.) Needless to say, such contrasting views are polarizing: what are a Ouija Board’s true powers? Can they be used for Good? Evil? Or – perhaps – Comedy?

That’s the meta-answer provided by veteran writer Anthony Cawood, with his latest horror offering, Ouija. Peek, if you will, into its blood soaked pages. Beyond it, you’ll find a secluded cabin in the forest, populated by four close and fool-hearty friends: Kurt, Grace, Dean and Imogen. Yep, the candles are lit. And the patchouli incense a-burning. Toss in a copy of the titular game, and the potentially grisly scene is set. Evil Dead notwithstanding, the supernatural rendezvous date comes due…. save for one torn-from-the-script pages of The Big Bang– twist:

The gang’s Ouija board is rigged to a 3d printer, in the hopes of bringing the visions it invokes to life.

And boy, does it ever!

Shaking hands  grazing the planchette, the friends toss question after question into the whirling miasma of the spirit world. Do they get answers? No avail. But soon the printer ‘whirs’ to life, building an ominous model of their own cabin. Not to mention a premonition of the foursome’s looming deadly fate….

Will our best buds deny their fears and stick it out? Or flee the cabin, in mortal fear of their lives? Written with a dark humoristic streak, Ouija melds generic horror with quirky high-tech sensibility. Horror directors take note – this script fuses classic paranormal jump scares with fresh blood – ala Generation Y!

Pages: 8

Budget: Pretty low. A cabin, teens and Ouija board. (Well, plus a fake 3d Printer). That’s it!

About the writer, Anthony Cawood: I’m an award winning screenwriter from the UK with over 15 scripts produced, optioned and/or purchased. Outside of my screenwriting career, I’m also a published short story writer and movie reviewer. Links to my films and details of my scripts can be found at www.anthonycawood.co.uk.

About the reviewer: Based in upstate, NY, Steven Clark is the writer of over 30 short scripts, several of which are under option, in pre-production, or have already been made into films. On A Clear Night, a family Christmas feature aimed at a Hallmark Channel-type audience, is currently in the works. Steven can be reached at Steamroller138 (a) gmail.

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