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.

Not surprisingly, Matias’ pivotal boxing drama short Win/Lose won… a director that’s guaranteed to bring it all the way to the final round! Which is far from shocking, given Mr. Caruso’s battle-tested writing chops.

But as long as we’ve got you on the ropes, STS now directs your attention to a few more Matias gems. Grab one of these in a head-lock quickly: anything you produce from them is bound to be a knock-out!

Oh – and before you take a gander at these?  Here are a few more things to bear in mind:

• Our dearest Mr. Caruso recently signed onto CAA.  Seriously.  CAA!!
• And… his script Carnival made it onto this year’s one and ONLY BLACKLIST!!

Translation – you DO want to grab these. Don’t you?!? 🙂

Sweet Poison (Noir Horror) – A jaded demon hunter sets out to trap the Incubus who killed the woman he loved…

Like a Moth to a Flame (Drama) – A woman attempts to exorcise her lost lover. But is his pull too powerful to wish away?

About the writer: An optioned and award winning screenwriter, Matias Caruso has far too many accolades to name. So we’ll stick with just one: he’s the 2014 Grand Prize Winner of the International Page Awards Contest. Not to mention an all-around terrific guy. Interested in Matias’ work? Email him at matiascaruso32 “AT” gmail

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.

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.

Believing Isabelle

How do you deliver a very special Christmas gift, when you’re stuck in an airport on Christmas Eve?

When it comes to telling the perfect Christmas tale, there are a few essential ingredients. Precocious kids, family bonding, and some sort of crisis that brings the brood together, just in time for the holidays.   (You know, like almost losing the family bank, Jimmy Stewart style.)

Mix in a sprinkle of one, half a dash of the other… and voila! You’ve got a heartwarming story for the ages.

Oh – and it helps to be a good writer, as well.

Fortunately, auteur Sally Meyer has all those ingredients in her kitchen. And the skill to bake them into a sweet holiday treat.

As Believing Isabelle opens, a family gathers at the airport… racing to catch a last minute flight for home. In attendance are dad Daniel and bickering siblings Mike (10) and Isabelle (6).

Also in line at the ticket counter is elderly matron Betty, on her way to visit her even more aged mother. Betty’s hubby is on a business trip, and she’s feeling kind of… abandoned.

When Mike and Daniel head off to grab a snack, Betty and Isabelle are left alone. A fast friendship forms; the old woman charmed by Isabelle’s chatter. But when the family finally reaches the front of the line, there’s seriously bad news in store. The flight’s sold out – they’ll be celebrating Christmas on plastic seats and in front of warm Starbuck’s Venti cups.

That is… until Betty comes up with an unexpected solution; proving Isabelle to be wise beyond her years.

Smoothly written – with some great sibling dialogue – Believing Isabelle is like a holiday treat. Fun to unwrap. And very sweet to eat.

About the writer: Born and raised in England, Sally Meyer has had three screenplays filmed.  IMDB Credits available here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2946574/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Pages: 6

Budget: Not marginal, but not too high, either.  You’ll need access to an airport (or reasonable facsimile), and a decent sized cast of characters.  But – except for maybe a bit at the end, nothing will be needed in the way of special props.

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.

A Taste for Blood

In the midst of the storm of the century, a group of research scientists become stranded at a remote Antarctic base.  With the weather worsening and food supplies getting low, desperate times call for desperate measures.

 A stranded group in an isolated Arctic location. Low on food, high on paranoia… faced with the need to survive against all odds. Over the years, that scenario’s made for several damned good (and surprisingly varied) films. The Grey. Thirty Days of Night, to name just two. The premise is a recipe for success… if handled correctly. Stephen Wells is a writer that does just that, carving a fresh tale from the concept’s icy foundations.

The heroine of this particular story is Sarah – a researcher at the Bellingley Antarctic Research Station. A storm has hit, and food is running low. Sarah’s husband, Cole, plans to travel to a neighboring station to stock up on supplies. He’ll be back in less than a month – plenty of time. Sarah protests, but Cole insists. They have no choice. He takes off on the arduous trek – leaving Sarah and six other members of the team. Did I mention? Sarah’s pregnant, and almost due.

Not suprisingly, things get more dire as time passes. The team loses radio contact with Cole. As food stores dwindle, a member of the team, Doc, proposes a radical solution. I think you can guess what that is. As the team’s numbers decrease, the remaining survivors become more desperate. In a deadly game of eat or be eaten, who will live another day? Can Sarah save her unborn baby? Can she even save herself?

Beautifully and visually written, A Taste for Blood brings to mind aspects of several film classics: from The Shining to The Thing. But the script has a fresh feel of its own – perfect for a horror director with a taste for drama.

About the writer: Born and raised in England, Stephen Wells is a graphic designer who has been writing for 5 years after getting the screenwriting bug in 2009. He had a feature script optioned in 2013 and placed as a Quarter-Finalist in the 2014 Bluecat feature competition.

Pages: 18

Budget: Not shoestring. But don’t let the setting worry your frugal sensibilities too much. With the exception of an establishing shot (which could theoretically be pulled from stock footage), the story takes place inside. So a dingy warehouse and props could suffice, if handled artfully.

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.

Letting Go

After a horrible accident, a young girl’s mother has a very hard time letting go.

 The loss of a loved one. Whether it be through death, disappearance or tragic social circumstance, the grieving process is one which all humans experience at one time or another. And one we never truly get used to – especially when an innocent child is concerned. Stories that deal with such issues will never get old. When done properly, the result can be an emotional powerhouse; because it’s so universal. And because we’re often so powerless to stop it.

A simple short, Letting Go follows Jason and Jenna – parents devastated by the loss of their four year old daughter Lily. We meet the couple upstairs in their home. Friends and family have gathered downstairs, but Jenna is in no mood to greet them. Eventually the well-meaning guests depart – leaving Jenna and Jason alone. With their memories, and an empty child’s bedroom.

Carefully crafted, Letting Go explores its topic with respect… Providing a few twists – and a poignant ending – along the way.

About the writer: An award winning writer AND photographer, Marnie Mitchell Lister’s website is available at brainfluffs.com. A Scriptshadow selectee, Marnie’s had 5 shorts produced (so far) and placed Semi-final with her features in Bluecat.

Pages: 6

Budget: Minor. One house setting, three main characters (including a 4 year old), and a handful of extras.

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.

Family Trip

A poor Texas family loads up their camping gear for a weekend trip, but one of them will not be returning.

When it comes to political controversies, there are few as emotionally volatile as abortion. And that’s not surprising. Where one stands on abortion strikes right at the heart of one’s fundamental values (religious or secular). At what point in fetal growth does personhood and rights begin?   And once they do – how to balance the rights of a developing human against those of the woman who must carry it? It’s a diversive issue – driven by deep philosophical and political beliefs.

But when it comes to the actual procedure, the reality is far from abstract. Regardless of one’s decision, the impact of abortion is intensely personal. For the woman – and often her family.

Family Trip focuses on that aspect – following the Heron family as they travel out of town… ostensibly for a camping trip. Going along for the ride are Wendy, Hank and their fifteen year old daughter, Carrie. Despite the camping gear piled on top of the car, it quickly becomes clear that the Herons aren’t heading to the woods. As the appointment and the clinic nears, FT handles a number of potentially inflammatory scenes with remarkable subtlety: discussion of possible protestors. The legal requirement in Texas for the doctor to show Carrie an ultrasound of the fetus. Eschewing overly-dramatic scenes, writer Eric Wall instead uses touches of dialogue and small details to do something far more impressive: create a three dimensional view of a family that clearly loves each other; bonding together during a difficult time in their lives.

Thoughtfully written (and devoid of grandstanding), FT is likely to act as a Rorsach test for its readers – the message differing depending on how one interprets it. But regardless of one’ s personal stance on abortion – this is one script that deserves to be part of the discussion.

About the writer: I’ve been writing screenplays for over ten years. For most of that time I considered it a hobby, but I decided to make a serious go of it a little over a year ago. Since then I’ve written several short scripts and one feature, with another feature nearing completion. Despite occasional inquiries, I have not been optioned, but I’m hoping that changes in 2014.

Pages: 17

Budget: Reasonable. There are a variety of settings: the car, the clinic, a diner. Probably best not done on a shoestring… but nothing exorbitant, either. The main requirement: get solid actors that can handle subtle dialog and context.

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