Insta-Dream (5 pages, pdf format) by Richard Russell

What if you could orchestrate the perfect life with the click of a button…

Well, actually you can. Life in the digital age means it’s never been easier to present to the world at least the illusion of perfect.

Log on to Facebook or Instagram and witness the multitude of shiny happy faces, perfect families spouting philosophical platitudes and sunny dispositions; posting funny home-videos, snaps of vacations, announcements of promotions and celebrations of career milestones.

If it’s photogenic enough even your lunch and gourmet coffee can go viral.

Richard Russell’s cleverly titled Insta-Dream presents the idea that even if you don’t like your life you can easily give it an Insta-Facelift.

Enter thirty year old Trevor, not exactly living the life of his dreams. He’s a waiter in a local diner with aspirations of being a writer. So far Trevor has the equivalent of ‘zilch likes’ and he’s about as far away as anyone can get from cracking any best seller lists or making it big with that blockbuster screenplay.

The reality is he’s barely eking out a living serving eggs sunny-side up on minimum wage. There’s one thing however that Trevor can do, and that is to give the illusion that everything in his life is going swimmingly well.

Cue Natalie, also in her thirties, mother to Billy, ten, and Isabella, eight. As they settle into a booth at the diner it’s clear she, Trevor, and the kids share a special rapport. Trevor ruffles Billy’s hair, gives Isabella the warmest of smiles, as they huddle together for what appears to be an idyllic family snap.

But what’s really going on here?

Trevor’s out to impress, that’s for sure, but it’s not Natalie he wants to impress.

See it’s not easy being a hack flipping burgers day to day when your dad is an adventurous traveller off to explore far flung exotic locales. Most recent trip the crystal blue waters and white sands of Bali. Next stop, Prague.

All Trevor wants is to make his dad proud. Nothing wrong with that. Right?

As with all good tales there’s a surprise twist in the final denouement you won’t pick.

Insta-Dream is a poignant heartfelt and bittersweet story where lives intersect but don’t quite connect, where an estranged father and son communicate via the pics and highlights of their lives, where a picture can seem to paint a thousand words, but can be masquerading as something else entirely.

Want your dream to become an Insta-Reality? Best frame up this one quick smart then, before some other lucky filmmaker decides this one is going to be their Insta-Success.

Budget: Low. Locations: A Denny’s type Diner, and two other modest sets. Talent: Three adults, two photogenic kids, and a few extras. No FX needed.

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: L. 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 currently works as a freelance web-content editor and lives with her husband (also a screenwriter) in Sydney, Australia.

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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.

The Gifted Photographer (pdf format) Ian J. Courter

A photographer pays a house-call to shoot a family portrait where his true talent becomes apparent.

Photographs, those treasured mementos of our lives – they can chart a life from birth through to adulthood, and beyond. We keep photos in our wallets, in lockets around our necks, in photo-frames by our bedside tables. Photographs allow us to freeze moments – to travel back in time.

The Gifted Photographer is set towards the end of the Victorian era. At first glance it conjures Great Britain, but America had its own Gilded Age, most notably in the regions of New England and the Deep South. Think Gothic Architecture, the Women’s Suffragette Movement, Republican domination, and literary greats such as Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain. This was also a period characterized by high society and strict morality.

Ian J. Courter manages beautifully to evoke the images of the time – the cobblestone streets, horse drawn carriages and top-hats.

Photography at this time was in its infancy – there was no such thing as the ‘Selfie’ and no such thing as Instagram or Snapchat. The taking of photographs, in particular portraits, was only ever done for special occasions.

The story opens on Michael Houtman, the titular photographer of the piece. Herbert and Margaret Jaffe have requested his services for a very special family portrait with their daughter, Linda. Michael strikes up a conversation with Linda and discovers this sweet young woman suffered a nasty spill on the ice a few months ago. The accident has left her sickly and confined to a wheelchair, but this morning she wakes to a perfect Spring day feeling better than she has in a long time – and she’s ready for her close-up.

But this is no ordinary day, no ordinary photo-shoot, and no ordinary photographer…

Far be it for me to shed too much light, or bring into focus the darker themes and rich cultural history explored in The Gifted Photographer, suffice to say the Latin phrases Ars moriendi and Memento mori both give clues into a not so well known practice explored in this unique tale.

Of course, all you have to do to find out more is read the script. You’ll not only discover the secret talent The Gifted Photographer possesses, but will also uncover the talent of writer Ian J. Courter.  

With an ending that will stay with you long after the lights come up (we recommend reading it at night) and a final sting in the tail you won’t see coming, we advise you to get The Gifted Photographer in the can quick as a flash, before somebody else snaps it up.

Pages: 8

Budget: A little will be needed to make this one period.  But given what you get in the return, it’s definitely worth it!

About the writer: Ian J. Courter has an academic and technical-writing background, and is published in both fields, so a shift to another form of writing seemed natural. He strives to combine his writing skills with nearly two decades of military experience to develop screenplays with vivid locations and in-depth, realistic characters. What started as a hobby quickly became a passion.  In only a few short years, he has written three feature-length screenplays and nine short scripts.  He currently has several feature-length scripts in various stages of development and continually seeks inspiration for more. His email address is ian.j.courter “at” gmail.com.

About the reviewer: L. 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 currently works as a freelance web-content editor and lives with her husband (also a screenwriter) in Sydney, Australia.

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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.

Boulangerie (pdf format) by Jose Arana

An abused girl in a French village meets the most unlikeliest hero: a baker.

Babette’s Feast, Big Night, Rataouille, Chocolat, Heartburn.

What do all of these classic movies movies have in common? Food. And their accompanying themes of the power of food – food as seduction, as self indulgence, and that eternal struggle between self denial and sensual gratification. Food is a powerful and primary ingredient in all of our lives to comfort and sustain, but mostly to nourish.

Writer Jose Arana introduces us to Richard Dubois, a man in his late 50s, who knows all about food, specifically that staple – bread. Problem is, he appears to be missing some of that all important nourishment. When we first meet Richard he’s kneading a ball of dough as if his life depends on it. He’s a man in the zone, and, it appears, a man in a considerable amount of emotional pain – working that dough as if to exorcise his demons. What these demons are at this point, we don’t know, but how fitting it is that the French word for ‘bread’ is in fact ‘pain’, and it’s writ large on Richard’s face.

Set in a small Parisian village in a quaint old style bakery – Jose sets the scene so you can almost taste the fluffy white rolls, the sweet brioche, and the buttery croissants – feel the warmth emanating in the room, and smell the freshly baked bread as it comes out of the oven.

But outside a storm’s raging, torrential rain, lightning, thunder – it’s a dirty night and commuters are scurrying home to the warmth and safe haven of their homes and loved ones. Not so, eight year old Madeleine, who suddenly appears on Richard’s doorstep. At first glance Richard fails to recognize her – her face concealed under a hooded rain-coat and looking bedraggled from the wild weather – it takes him a moment to realize she’s a local girl and he quickly invites her inside to get warm and take shelter.

Something’s up, but we don’t know what, and despite the little girl’s protests Richard insists on telephoning Madeleine’s mother to let her know she’s all right. Though he commiserates with Madeleine and is aware of her mother’s reputation for strictness, he is quick to remind her that respecting one’s elders is very important.

But when Madeleine’s mother doesn’t answer the phone… Richard is not happy and the tone shifts.

It’s one clever little girl however who changes the subject and asks Richard about his passion for baking and when Madeleine expresses her interest in taking up the pursuit a bond develops between the two, and not just through a love of bread-making. It’s easy to see Madeleine craves a father figure, also easy to see Richard has a big gap to fill in his life.

Jose Arana weaves a deceptively simple tale With Boulangerie – a balanced and layered dish of bittersweet ingredients with a dash of that secret ingredient – mystery. Through flashback we discover both Richard and Madeleine harbor secrets and that each bears familiar scars, but that in each other they might just find a kindred spirit.

Boulangerie is a gentle and quiet narrative, its subtext and subtle impact felt not only through what is said in dialogue but equally through what is left unsaid. This is a story with much more going on than first meets the eye.

As with all good mysteries, some crucial questions remain unanswered:

What’s an eight year old girl doing out alone and in the middle of a storm? And, what of the suspicious bruises on her arm? Where is Madeleine’s mother, and why doesn’t she answer the phone? Finally, what is the significance of the shattered photo frame – a portrait of Madeleine and her mother, and the flashback to Richard, and his own mother.

Well, you’ll just have to read the script to find out. Will your appetite be sated? Yes, you’ll be full as a goose.

But don’t delay. We recommend you act fast and get first dibs because there’s sure to be a bit of a bun-fight over this one. And, one thing’s for sure, the clever crafting of Boulangerie will definitely leave you wanting more of what Jose Arana has to offer.

Pages: 5

Budget: Reasonable. One location: a bakery and two main rolls (excuse me, “roles.”) It’s a budget that won’t require too much dough. 🙂

About the writer: Jose Arana loves telling stories that are heartwarming and adventurous. With a B.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Southern California and a minor in Cinematic Arts, he enjoys hearing back from how his work leaves an impact in people’s hearts. He loves being of service to others. Contact him at jarana27 “AT” gmail

About the reviewer: L. 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 currently works as a freelance web-content editor and lives with her husband (also a screenwriter) in Sydney, Australia.

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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.

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.

EVICTED

Two drug addled squatters receive an offer they can’t refuse.

Sexy Beast, Filth, Lock Stock:

Just a few select films from the small island across the pond in the crime and thriller genres. Each has made an indelible impression upon audiences worldwide.

British writers and filmmakers are masters at depicting their own special brand of crime. In his article for The Guardian earlier this year, Andrew Pulver examined the never ending popularity with audiences of Gangsters, geezers and guns and the booming low-budget crime-flick industry… both on the large and small screen.

Continuing with this tradition, and in his own inimitable fashion, STS is proud to showcase Dustin Bowcott’s short screenplay: Evicted.

We’re introduced to Steve and Baz, two down on their luck twenty-something lads who just happen to believe in that old adage: possession is nine-tenths of the law. If you’re wearing it, driving it, living in it, it’s yours – until proven otherwise. After all, home is where the heart is and when we first meet these two they are enjoying a nice quiet night in  – sitting back and relaxing amidst a little candlelight. Okay, that ambience is perhaps a little deceptive. There is candlelight but that’s because the power’s been cut off long ago. There’s also rats, broken glass and the general putridness and squalor associated with a ‘squat’.

What are these two up to? Well, they’re just about to partake in their first hit of heroin for the night – shared needle and all.  Just about to, when…

Will you look at what the wind just blew in – an unannounced visitor by the name of Gianni. In his forties, and in a whole other league to the boys. He’s well spoken, wearing high-end clobber – exquisite Italian leather shoes, tan crombie and black fedora with tan hatband. This is a man in charge.

So, what’s this hotshot want with two no-hopers?

Gianni’s got a few problems – or as he likes to put it, a few ‘most hated things’ that need fixin’. Which is where the lads come in. Contrary to what we first fear Gianni is not concerned with how this lot came to be here, nor what vices they may indulge in.  He’d rather take advantage of their less than altruistic attributes, in the form of a very tempting proposition.

Steve, being the brains of the outfit, (and I use that term loosely) is at first a little circumspect, despite his drug-induced haze. But when Gianni drops a bag of the good stuff at the boys’ feet with a few choice verbal reassurances and the promise of some cold hard cash, it’s an offer neither can refuse. After all, the job sounds like a piece of cake – no stealing, no violence – a little light stand-over is all. What could be simpler than scaring a few old people out of their homes so Gianni can recoup some of the money he’s owed.

An easy five hundred quid. Or, if you’re au fait with your cockney – easiest monkey ever.

Or, is it?

I’m not letting any more out of the bag on this one, suffice to say the denouement to this gritty crime thriller is not for no nancy-boys.

Filmmakers: So, you’re done with your RomComs and gentle slice of life dramas. Want to add seedy underbelly crime-thriller to your reel? Ready to tackle real hard men characters, dark humour, and dialogue that sings with authenticity – not to mention a liberal amount of gore to top it all off?

Alright then guvnor, don’t bovver with the rest, get on it. Now. You heard. That’s an order, son. Why are you still here?

Pages: 6

Budget: No problems at all here. A few ramshackle locations will do you fine; and some seedy characters to fill the space!

About the reviewer: Libby Chambers has been writing all her life. Over her career, she’s worked in the Features Department for ABC TV as a Program Assistant, trained as a FAD, and served professionally as a freelance web-content editor and proofreader. 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: Dustin Bowcott is a self employed microbe retailer and father of four boys. He has enjoyed writing since the day he read his first novel. For Dustin, writing is something he has to do, when not writing, he’s thinking about writing and will absorb himself into multiple projects at one time. When he gets tired of writing one thing he moves onto another and has been known to work on three different stories in one day, writing for sometimes 12 hours straight and, on occasion, even longer. Dustin can turn his hand to any genre and has just finished first draft of a new children’s novel. Dustin is a BBC Writer’s Room finalist and a Shore Scripts finalist both in 2014. He is a produced and optioned writer, and has recently turned his hand to production, having produced his first short film with another in the pipeline that should be completed this year. Want to see what else he has in store? Give him a shout-out at dustin7375 “AT” gmail.

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.