A Friend in the End
A new friend gives an old lady cause to believe she is about to die.
But they always think that, don’t they?

Dustin Bowcott is no stranger to seeing his scripts on STS. His latest short, A Friend in the End, joins the ranks of his thoughtful dramas that put a twist on the familiar… delivering a magical result.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Gladys – an old woman residing at Village Green Residential Home for the Elderly. She’s not as independent as she used to be – but Gladys remains chirpy anyway. Not to mention reluctant to accept Frank, her new would-be helper, into her home and her life.

But Frank is pretty persistent, and he makes Gladys’ tea perfectly. When he takes her hand for a dance, it becomes clear Frank’s an even better chap… able to trip the light fantastic – transporting Gladys to a passionate time, when she was young.

But Gladys has been around the block, and is no fool. She knows exactly who Frank is, and why he’s traveled to her side.

The next time her son Warren visits, Gladys lays out her suspicions – ones Warren dismisses as the ramblings of senility. But is that really the case? Or is something else going on?

A realistic yet touching tale, A Friend in the End delves into the universal themes of old age, responsibility and death…with a deft and simple touch. Make it to “The End” of this story, and you’ll experience a sweet, satisfying conclusion. Just as Frank fits into Gladys’ life – this script may be just what you need.

Pages: 8

Budget: Low

About the writer: Dustin Bowcott is a self employed microbe retailer and father of four boys and a girl. 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.

About the reviewer: Anthony Cawood is an award winning screenwriter from the UK with a whole bunch of short scripts sold/optioned/produced and has recently had his first feature script optioned too. Check out his website at www.anthonycawood.co.uk

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

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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.

Please join STS in congratulating writer Rick Hansberry. Discovered through Simplyscripts/STS, Rick Hansberry recently partnered with Director Desiree Brajevich to provide magic writing touches on her new produced short, Wasteland.  Having premiered in April, Wasteland will soon be hitting the festivals and getting (we’re sure) lots of attention!

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!

The Patch-Up Kid

Scavenging dead bodies and fixing people was all that the Patch-up Kid knew, but a cowboy in Nino Sangre has one more test for him.

When you’re twelve years old and you live in a dusty, wild west town called Niño Sangre (Child Blood) you need skills. Plenty of ‘em.

Meet the Patch-Up Kid. He’s twelve. And sure enough – he’s got skills. Like plugging up bloody bullet holes in gunfighters’ bellies. Or yanking the gold teeth from the mouths of the other guys – the still-warm losers who didn’t walk away from the gunfight. Assisted by friends Fingers, Squeak and Mule, the Kid does the dirty deeds that others twice his age won’t do…

A kid’s gotta make a living, right?

Yep, the Patch-Up Kid’s a survivor. Y’gotta be when you’re half-white, half-Native American, and grotesquely scarred with only one good eye (the result of a grizzly bear attack, or a drunken father – depending on who’s telling the tale.)

And speaking of tales… imagine a gritty portrait of a street kid – told old west style. Expertly painted by screenwriter Rustom Irani, TP-UK is a poignant story about a hard-luck kid with True Grit, with light-heart touches of humor crusting the dusty edges.

This particular script focuses on the Kid’s run in with big n’ burly Dawson – a wounded desperado who blackmails the young gang to dig a bullet out of his chest (and arrange for a quick get-away outta town.) Just five pages long, it’s a colorful intro to the character.

But ambitious directors take note. This is one world that has plenty left to explore. The Patch-Up Kid works beautifully as a stand-alone story. But it’s also ideal as the intro for a feature length movie. Or TV series for the right producer! So grab the opportunity while you can. ‘Cause nothing stays still in the Wild West for too long…

About the writer: A film and video aficionado based in Mumbai, Rustom Irani works as a freelance editor and screenwriter for projects ranging from narratives, commercials, and documentaries to corporate and music videos. His website is available at www.planetrusty.com, and he can be reached at rustyirani “AT” gmail.com!

Pages: 5

Budget: Low to moderate. We would have said low, but it’s a period piece – which might drive the cost up a touch. (All those six-shooters and Stetsons, y’know?)

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.

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.

The Combination
Parents who lose their child must eventually find a way to… let go.

Between 40,000 and 60,000 children die each year in the United States, according to the National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths.

All these parents share a similar, tragic plight – being confronted with a situation they never expected. For each one, it’s a long, pain filled road back to “normal life”. And some might never be able to let go.

In Steven Clark’s short script The Combination, Paul Reed and wife Melinda are in just that boat. All they have left are a handful of keepsakes: a small memorial with a picture of their five year old son, his dented bike and a teddy bear – trinkets they cling to, desperate to keep memories alive. The bike itself? It’s attached to a road sign with a chain and a combination lock.

Paul copes as best he can. But Melinda is troubled, to say the least. Mentally paralyzed, she hasn’t left their house since their boy’s death – finding herself unable to move on. Paul keeps asking for the lock’s combination as a sign Melinda is ready to let go. But he never gets an answer. Melinda isn’t ready. Probably not tomorrow. And definitely not today.

Finally, Paul takes action and cuts the chain, spiriting the bike away, into the family garage for repairs. He’s determined to turn this symbol of grief into something else. The result: a wonderful and heart-warming payoff, one your audience will surely engage with.

Dealing with such a heart-rending subject, The Combination does a brilliant job giving us insight into the inner life of parents who lose their “guiding light”. It’s stories like these which deserve to be produced, providing families dealing with grief a form of hope. And hopefully, conjuring a smile on at least one face.

Pages: 11

Budget: Low. This is a character-driven script. No extravagant locations or effects required.

About the writer: 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.

About the reviewer: A German writer, Thorsten Loos is running his own software development company for a living. In his spare time, he primarily writes tales and scripts in the Science Fiction, Conspiracy and Paranormal genres. (Though he does drift into different genres with his shorts.) Thorsten’s currently working on episodes of an international TV series in development for a U.S. based production company. His TV pilot Mindwalker is a winning pilot script at Wildsound Festival. His short script ‘The Wall In The Garden’ was recently optioned and is going to production in May. Want to learn more? Then reach out to him at loos.thorsten “AT” web.de!

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.

Last Shot (aka Baby Shoes)
Shoot first, die later.

Where the road to perdition meets the highway to nowhere, there sits a small café. And in that café there sits a man, calmly reading the newspaper, skimming the classifieds. When he notices an ad for ‘Baby Shoes’, our man moves to the pay phone and places a call.

But, the transaction that’s about to take place doesn’t involve any actual shoes. You see, our man’s name is Baby Shoes, and he is not just any man, he’s a hitman. You know it well – the lethal kind.

With the information on his target secured, we ride along with Baby Shoes as he carries out his latest job…

….or at least attempts to. Turns out not everything goes as smoothly as Baby Shoes (and his employer) had planned.

After a botched first shot, all hell breaks loose. His target on the run, Baby Shoes races after his prey in hot pursuit, setting off a rock-em sock-em, high-octane action chase sequence that will literally blow your socks off. Well – ok – not literally, but somebody is getting something blown off, I guarantee that. But who?

Will the target live to see another day, or will Baby Shoes take his last shot?

Everyone loves a good hitman movie. From Collateral to Machete, it’s practically its own genre. Last Shot provides a strong character in the vein of no less than Leon: The Professional – with a slam-bam action pace that will keep even the most stubborn audiences on the edge of their seats.

But don’t think this is a mindless six-page car chase, oh no. The central arch provides us with a weightier intelligence more akin to Killing Them Softly; providing a director with ample opportunity to highlight directorial skills in action as well as straight drama.

Think you’ve got what it takes to be the last man standing? Then grab your silencer and put on your black gloves. You’ve got a job to do.

Pages: 6

Budget: Medium. Limited actors but multiple locations, props, and an action sequence.

About the Reviewer: Dane Whipple is like ten-thousand spoons when all you need is a knife. He is currently working on that screenplay everybody keeps talking about: The Wild Age. Contact him at dane.whipple (at) live.com

About the writer: Elaine Clayton is a London-based screenwriter, who has written several well-received shorts and is currently working on her first feature length scripts. Comfortable in a broad range of genres, Elaine has an innate sense of structure and arc development. Contact her at Elaine_clayton (AT) Hotmail(.)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.

As we’re always proud to declare, there’s tons of fun stuff on the way…

Anthony Cawood’s romantic elevator short Fairy Tale has been officially optioned by RAMSTAR Studios.  No, we’re not surprised. At all.

If you’re looking for anything else to shoot – here are a few more Cawood scripts on the market – at least for now!

Glitch (SF/Thriller/Horror) – A desperate wife resorts to extreme measures to ensure her husband gets the lifesaving operation he needs. Winner of the Nashville Film Festival Short Script Award!

All My Love (aka Stuffed) (Horror/Drama) – A wronged woman takes a scorched earth approach to her revenge.

I-Robot (SF, Comedy) – It’s Man Vs. Roomba when Octogenarian Roy receives a surprise present from his daughter

Love Locked (Horror) – Two teenagers discover romantically painted padlocks on a bridge. Are they Valentines from a love-struck Romeo… or something more sinister?

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.

Duet
Sometimes, teachers become the student…

Life moves at a rapid pace nowadays. People live in densely populated areas, resulting in unwanted sounds penetrating our poor eardrums – with the din of unending noise.

It’s often a challenge to relax and reminiscence. Yet doing so is healthy: even with bittersweet memories.

This is no more apparent than in the opening scene of Kerry Douglas Dye’s “Duet”. Arthur Golden, a gentleman of the ripe old age of 80, hurries along the sidewalk – sounds of construction adding to the frantic atmosphere of the city street. Arthur’s in such a rush he ends up losing control of his suitcase; spilling its contents of sheet music all over the busy road!

You see, Arthur’s a piano teacher, and he’s late for an appointment. As expected, Arthur’s stressed when he arrives, not even bothering to set eyes on his new student.

But when he does, he’s awestruck. Seeing a woman so youthful and ethereally beautiful, old Arthur quickly looks away.

However, the student doesn’t follow her teacher’s lead. Carolyn’s eyes are locked on Arthur from the start. And as he prepares for the lesson, she attempts to spruce the lesson up a bit:

CAROLYN
Make it a duet.

Arthur tries to ignore Carolyn’s forward behaviour, but then it clicks – he understands why she’s acting in this way.

Stunned and ashamed, he prepares to leave and forget the whole encounter – before anyone does something they’ll regret.

Yet there’s something nostalgic about Carolyn that convinces him to stay. Ultimately, it’s this aspect of the young woman that leads Arthur to give his apprentice a lecture about the heart – from the heart.

As the old music teacher opens up his soul, “two become one”, with Carolyn playing off Arthur’s notes of regret. It’s a cathartic confession of eternal grief, clinging onto the echoes of loves long since past.

And they haven’t even started the piano lesson yet…

The result: a sentimental, heart-warming script with stunningly honest dialogue. While the lead may be quite aged, the appeal of Duet is arguably expanded by it all the more – audience members of almost all generations will be in tune with this down to earth, life affirming piece.

Direct Duet’s tune note by note, and we guarantee: you’ll leave festival judges applauding in harmony!

Budget: Quite low. All that’s needed is actors for Arthur, Carolyn and a piano.

Pages: 6

About the reviewer: Hamish Porter is a writer who, if he was granted one wish, would ask for the skill of being able to write dialogue like Tarantino. Or maybe the ability to teleport. Nah, that’s nothing compared to the former. A lover of philosophy, he’s working on several shorts and a sporting comedy that can only be described as “quintessentially British”. If you want to contact him, he can be emailed: hamishdonaldp “AT” gmail.com. If you’d like to contact him and be subjected to incoherent ramblings, follow him on Twitter @HamishP95.

About the writer, Kerry Douglas Dye: I’m a produced writer of features who has recently been dabbling in shorts as an exercise. Want to learn more – then read here:

https://pro-labs.imdb.com/name/nm1338794/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1338794/

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

FOR YET MORE SCRIPTS AVAILABLE FOR PRODUCTION:

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.

Time Lines
Sometimes, it’s best to let life pass you by…

Remember the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day? If not, shame on you. But here’s the classic tale you’ve somehow let slip away:

Groundhog’s a film about a dude forced to relive the same day over and over and over – until…. well, that would be a spoiler. So we’ll leave the final scene blank for now.

Time Lines, written by versatile scribe John Hunter, is Groundhog Day for 2016. That is, if Groundhog Day was gorier, bloodier and much… gooier, as well.

That’s no knock on the story. In fact, it’s a compliment. Only four pages long, Time Lines nails a darkly comedic tone and keeps you guessing through each scene, as you race.

Here’s the basic premise; young protagonist James goes about his daily routine – resulting in an extremely unusual (and disturbing) day. Our narrative begins as James drives to work. He runs a red light and… gets demolished by a truck. Seconds later, time seems to rewind. James misses the truck and makes it to work. That’s encouraging, right? But then he steps out of his car… and gets flattened by a speeding van. So on and so forth: the tragedies keep unfolding and reversing. Will his miserable day never end?

Which leads to the true mystery of this script: what’s the secret behind what’s happening? Time Lines’ll keep you guessing until the end. Even after you read the final words, somethings remain “open to interpretation”, as they say…

Take our recommendation to heart: if you’re an experienced director looking to make your mark, Time Lines is a special tale. One that could potentially play great on the festival circuit – especially with the right cast/crew. Grab this one while it lasts. Remember, you only live once! (Unless you’re Bill Murray, then you live 12,403 times. A special thank you to Obsessed With Film for the precise number of days Bill Murray suffered through in Groundhog Day).

Budget: Moderate to high: a couple of car accidents, one tragic equipment failure (make of that what you will). Also to be depicted: an assault rifle attack (a weapon of any sort could probably be substituted here.). But don’t let that stop you, or James – remember, there are many ways to make effects work on a budget. Don’t ask me how, I’m just a writer – but stock footage and magic may suffice. You’ll also need lots of fake blood: this one’s messy (in a good way!). As for actors, there’s only one major role. And you can probably get by with just two extras (one man and one woman) on the side.

Settings – A highway, a parking lot, an elevator, and an office building/break room.

Pages: 3

About the reviewer: Mitch Smith is an award winning screenwriter whose website (http://mitchsmithscripts.wix.com/scripts) offers notes, script editing and phone consultations. You can also reach him at Mitch.SmithScripts “AT” gmail and follow Mitch at https://twitter.com/MitchScripts.

About the writer, John Hunter: I am an award-winning and produced writer. Please visit http://www.networkisa.org/profile/1001989/John-Hunter to see a short bio and list of my scripts available for production. My email is x32792 (AT) yahoo.com

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

FOR YET MORE SCRIPTS AVAILABLE FOR PRODUCTION:

PLEASE SEARCH SIMPLYSCRIPTS.COM 

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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