Our Time Deserves a Love Song by Marnie Mitchell-Lister

An aging musician relives his first love when someone asks what inspired him to write a particular love song.

Fact: The worlds oldest song, an Ancient Egyptian melody in 1400BC, was a love song; a tribute from a man to his wife.

And judging by the current charts, the magic of love has and continues to perennially create thousands of spellbinding sounds for our ears to enjoy, many based on personal experiences of the artist.

Our Time Deserves A Love Song delves into the backstory of “Love Song”, an unreleased track by acoustic legend Adam Stern. Asked by a superfan on a chat-show TV interview about the origins of the tune, we’re whisked back over 3 decades to his teenage years in Cape Cod.

At first, there’s not even a note of love in the sea air. His parents are divorced, and his middle-aged Dad’s driving him to his former other half. Also in the car is Father’s new girl, a beauty half his age. Of course, Adam’s parents end up relishing the chance to insult each other when they arrive.

But adults aren’t the only ones insulting one another – Adam’s non-conforming music taste and fashion sense sees him ostracized by the local cool kids.

Yet it’s at this point when the first verse begins:

            GIRL (O.S.)
Don’t sweat them retahds.

Sure, it ain’t the most romantic sentence, but this girl, Mary, turns out to be perfectly in tune with Adam.

As they bond through their love of music and having family problems, it’s clear these two go together like guitar and drum, complimenting one another perfectly.

Sadly, as with all good songs, this one ends suddenly and far too soon. So Adam does the only thing he can do: compose a tribute to this brief romance that’s so beautiful the audience cannot help but applaud loudly when he performs it.

And if you show this film at festivals, real life audiences will have a similar reaction!

In fact, this is one script that’s already proven it’s appeal: As an August 2009 One Week Challenge selected script. And it’s been successfully table read as well. You can listen to that here:

Our Time Deserves A Love Song by Marnie Mitchell [ 13:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (6054)

Budget: Moderate. Though, get a good tune for this one!

About the writer: An award winning writer and photographer, Marnie Mitchell-Lister’s website is available at BrainFluffs.com/. Marnie’s had multiple shorts produced and placed Semi-final with her features in BlueCat.

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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 (a) gmail. If you’d like to contact him and be subjected to incoherent ramblings, follow him on Twitter @HamishP95.

A Cure for Loneliness by Richard Russell

A psychiatrist searches for a way to connect his lonely patients.

Loneliness. One of the paradoxes of our time. We’re more “connected” to others in the world than ever thanks to technology, but no-one seems to be willing to connect in reality. Why bother to talk about the relative dullness of life when there’s eons of excitement available at your fingertips?

Our protagonist in A Cure for Loneliness, Joel, has both verbal and observational evidence to prove this point. As a psychiatrist, many of his patients confess their feelings of isolation to him in the office. And outside of work, his commute features the all too familiar sight of people addicted to the bleeps of their new iSurface Pro 7, and conversations between fellow residents of his high-rise flats are trite and depressingly short:

     JOEL pulls his mail from his box. Next to him, a WOMAN, professional,
     attractive stops to get her mail.

            Joel
Hello.
            WOMAN
Hello.

Truly Shakespearean stuff. But neither person has any motivation to continue talking – they don’t know each other.

However, the motivation in arrives in the form of a sudden crime wave in Joel’s high-rise block. At first, it’s only a few break-ins, but as the offences escalate in seriousness, the community response escalates too. Locals begin to monitor the floors and organise fundraisers to upgrade security. Town hall meetings, usually emptier than a Donald Trump rally in Mexico become more packed than most trains at rush hour. Copious community cooperation returns. But at a price.

And will this price increase? Will the crime spree continue? Who’s behind the nefarious activities, and why?

Warning! A Cure for Loneliness has multiple side effects, like forcing your hands to applaud when the dose is fully digested. It also induces your brain into asking unpleasant questions. Why does it take negative events to bring people together? Do we need to rethink our relationship with technology? You’ll certainly have your own personal questions to ask after reading this script, so challenge yourself and delve right in to this one!

Budget: Low to moderate. A few settings and good actors is all you need.

About the writer: Richard Russell lives in North Carolina where he plays golf and writes. He has been writing since college when his short stories appeared in the university literary magazine. He loves writing screenplays, and THE CALL, written with his partner, Felice Bassuk, is one of their best. They have written an award-winning feature, THE KOI KEEPER, which they hope to see on the screen in the not too distant future. Richard has a trove of shorts and feature length screenplays and continues to add to the inventory. Writing remains the sole source of sanity in Richard’s chaotic world. Write to Richard at wordmstr007 (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.

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 (a) gmail. If you’d like to contact him and be subjected to incoherent ramblings, follow him on Twitter @HamishP95.

Daysleeper by John Cowdell

A determined salesman attempts to sell life insurance to a vampire.

The history of Dracula and vampires on film almost dates back to the invention of the movie camera itself. The classic silent film “Nosferatu” and Bela Lugosi’s 1931 original “Dracula” began Hollywood’s love affair with a legion of blood sucking cinematic tales.

Then, somewhere along the way, some studio head thought, why can’t Dracula be funny? So, in 1948 Universal Pictures dug up Bela Lugosi to reprise his iconic Dracula in the comedy “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.”

Since then, there have been slews of vampire comedies: including “Dracula Dead and Loving It,” “Love at First Bite,” and of course, the hilarious “Twilight” trilogy.

Which brings us to the newest vampire comedy, Daysleeper written by John Cowdell.

Peter is an insurance salesman determined to sell Vincent, obviously a vampire, the deluxe life after death policy.

Boy, did you pick the wrong house, Pete!

Vincent tries, to no avail, to convince Peter he simply has no need for life insurance. He’ll be literally dealing with those premiums forever, with no final payday.

But, being the stubborn, don’t-take-no-for-an-answer salesman he is, Peter talks himself into Vincent’s lair.

Not to mention, just in time for lunch.

Daysleeper is a light and fluffy take on the vampire genre. Directors of both horror and comedy can surely sink their fangs into this one.

Budget: Low. One minor FX shot with a floating toothbrush. And you may have to dig up a coffin from somewhere. You might even consider doing this one as an animated short!

About the Writer, John Cowdell: I have been writing short scripts for over ten years. Most recently I have been reviewing films and TV as well as creating video content for Squabblebox.co.uk, and can be reached at iommi80 (a) yahoo.co.uk

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About the reviewer:  David M Troop has been writing since he could hold a No.2 pencil. In 2011 he began writing short films for MoviePoet.com and Simplyscripts.com. His produced short scripts include INSOMNIAC and THE DINER. Born on the mean streets of Reading, PA, Dave now resides in Schuylkill Haven with his wife Jodi and their two lazy dogs Max and Mattie. He can be reached at dtroop506 (a) gmail.

Quality Control by Ammar Salmi…

…has been produced by Tin Mirror Productions.

A clone has to prove to an observer that he deserves a second chance in order to avoid incineration.

Trailer

Official Site
Imdb

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Science Fiction – it’s such a complicated bag, full of staggering subcategories. Fantasy swordplay ala Star Wars. Swash-buckling action via Guardians of the Galaxy.

But the analysis of social conflicts – that’s what makes SF special. Ask any hardcore Science Fiction fan – the true beauty of the genre is the ability to examine hard-hitting social issues – spotlit by futuristic light. Along with the pleasures of Star Trek, are true classics such as these:

Soylent Green -a police detective discovers the government’s secret ingredient, designed to feed a world ravaged by the greenhouse effect, and overpopulation.

Planet of the Apes – an astronaut crash lands on a mysterious planet dominated by primates – the theory of evolution turned upside down.

Minority Report – Tom Cruise solves homicides via a special police unit – who negate the concept of free will, and arrest murderers before they commit crimes.

Then there’s screenwriter Ammar Salmi’s Quality Control – depicting a futuristic society where clones are routinely grown – almost like slaves. At least, if they’re allowed to live…

Witness if you will, Clone 36. A “man” who’s been accused of a crime. Confined to a cell, and deemed chattel, our protagonist’s future dangles in the hands of Dave – a faceless pencil-pusher who would rather terminate the offending Clone… just to save himself needless paperwork.

As the script opens, the three hour observation breezes by. Will Clone 36 convince Dave of his innocence? Or suffer an animal’s brutal fate?

Heavy on the drama, but feather light on FX, Quality Control is limited location – and a sterling choice for directors with an intelligent bent. Like the best of breed in SF, QC is a thought provoking treatise about the dangers of the legal system. And the potential violation of human rights.

Budget:Low. One special effect done in post: overlays of charts and data on screen.

About the Author: Born and raised in Bir El Ater, Algeria, Ammar Salmi majored in computer science at USTHB university. He found interest in screenwriting when he was 19 – falling in love with it only two years after reading “The usual suspect” script. Ever since, he’s been learning, reading, and writing (his words). Though not produced yet, Ammar’s gearing up for his first feature, and can’t wait to see what the writing future has in store!  Interested in QC? Reach out to Ammar via realxwriter (a) gmail. 

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About the Reviewer: David M Troop resumed writing in 2011 after a twenty-five year hiatus.  Since then, he has written about 50 short scripts, two of which have been produced.   Dave would like to make it three.  He is a regular, award-winning contributor to MoviePoet.com.  Born on the mean streets of Reading, PA, Dave now resides in Schuylkill Haven with his wife Jodi and their two lazy dogs Max and Mattie.

We had a writing challenge on the discussion board.

Create a realistic world where a certain major world event never happened. At the same time, the altered event is not your story, your story simply takes place in the altered world.

This was a difficult challenge. I think we had more people drop out then entered. This topic engendered quite the lively discussion.

Thanks to Sean “Mr. Blonde” Chipman (writer of Christmas Crime Story for leading the challenge and coming up with a stumper of a theme.

Signal Fire by Neil Percival Young – How will anyone find their way in a brave new world? 13 pages (Short, Adventure)

A New Plan For Fat Man by Ny Name Here – Leaders of the United States Armed Forces debate whether they should declare war with Germany or stay home and savor their victory in the Pacific. 11 pages (Short, Drama)

Fire and Water by Deep Throat – Ben Bradlee’s decision to ignore the Watergate break-in comes back to haunt him four years later as Woodward & Bernstein try to prevent the Presidency of E. Howard Hunt. 15 pages (Short, Crime, Thriller, Drama, Political, Historical Fiction)

Sapere Aude by Kant – The leader of a boys’ club for troubled teens finds himself in a war with the most powerful, corrupt, cruel entity in the world, the unchecked Catholic Church. 12 pages (Short, Adventure, War, Religion)

Miss Yemmie by Hollis Brown – The Soviet Union’s plan to restart its failed Sputnik Program prompts the United States to build a new space center at the remote home of an aging prostitute. 11 pages (Short, Drama)

Not Even God Himself by Buckwheat – When a travel agency undertakes the most ambitious voyage into space in the history of mankind, the men responsible are faced with the consequences of endangering a hundred thousand lives. 13 pages (Short, Sci Fi, Drama)

Operation Downfall by Night Train – The atomic bombings against Japan never happened. The invasion of Japan did. 15 pages (Short, Action)

The Broken Kingdom by Some Guy – Set in an alternate timeline in which Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators blew up parliament and overthrew the monarchy. On the 513th anniversary of this historical event, a French-American businessman, on his first visit to Great Britain, finds himself on the run and embroiled with terrorists after he inadvertently commits an act of heresy. 14 pages (Short, Fantasy, Historical)

The 13th Generation by E Pluribus Unum – Texting obsessions takes over a company’s communication as a car designer gets a promotion. 15 pages (Short, Comedy, Satire)

Full Circle by Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Logline – {no logline} 11 pages (Short, Drama)

Olympic by The Sullivan Brothers – Two US marines and two young schoolgirls must find a way to survive the American invasion of Japan. 14 pages (Short, War)

Love Glow (5 pages in pdf format) Marnie Mitchell Lister

Weird things can happen when love is involved.

Love is a powerful motivator – whether it pertains to friends, family or significant others. What people will not do for loved ones is a short list; and it has the possibility of becoming even shorter, when that bond is tested ‘til it breaks.

In Marnie Mitchell Lister’s short script Love Glow, Rick Turner is your typical easy going twenty-something guy who is focused on one typical thing: his dream girl. As far as he’s concerned, Laura’s the best of the best – and deserves nothing but the best in return. Expensive mansions, luxury cars, unlimited shopping sprees – the sky’s the limit, he thinks.

There’s just one problem…Rick is broke. Painfully so. There isn’t even a glimmer of available funds in his bank account, and Rick can feel his dream life fizzling out before it becomes reality.

So Rick does what any “sane” person would do: he checks himself into an experimental medical trial for a few weeks, one that promises to fund his new life. Success! Or so it seems.

Weeks later, Ricks completes the trial, collects his check, and enlists the help of best friend Matt to give him a ride back home. But there’s one thing he’s neglected – side effects.

Despite giving Matt a “glowing” review of his experience, Rick quickly finds his body going wrong. Coughing fits. Luminescent sweating spells. And that’s when Rick’s ears start to melt.

Will Rick turn into a radioactive pile of goo? Will his dream girl find his ever worsening body desirable? And will Matt ever be able to clean his car?

Love Glow isn’t your typical love story. Instead, it’s a hybrid of the best kind – balancing light humor with the universal theme of love, and a bit of over-the-top sci-fi flare. If you like your SF mixed with comedy, snag this one before it melts away!

Budget: Mid-range. Yes, there’s a bit of FX involved. But it’s worth it for the festival raves (and laughs)!

About the writer: Marnie Mitchell Lister is an award winning writer AND photographer, her website is available at BrainFluffs.com. Marnie’s had multiple shorts produced and placed Semi-final with her features in BlueCat.

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About the reviewer: Karis Watie is a writer from Texas who got accidentally transplanted in New England. She is coping by eating dangerous amounts of doughnuts and closely studying television shows that she hopes to one day emulate as a screenwriter. She is pursuing a second bachelor’s degree while not on the couch, to help her dream along. If you want to talk television or drop Karis a spoiler or two, she’s at watiekaris at yahoo & @kn_watie on Twitter.

Initiation by Pia Cook

A car, a man and a girl. And a life-ending threat if you don’t… drive!

Imagine this scenario: You’re a black man who just accepted a promotion; about to “pop the question” to your lady. Which is when a 14 year old white girl hops in your car, and starts barking orders. She’s going to scream rape if you don’t…. drive!

How can a guy get out of a situation this grave? How can one fight back, yet emerge unscathed?

Reminiscent of 1997’s The Game (Michael Douglas and Sean Penn), Pia Cook’s Initiation takes us on a nail biting car ride; one which has no brakes.

Nico’s the captive driver. And Amara? The out-of-control teen calling the shots.

When we first meet Nico, life seems to be going his way. There’s that promotion he’s worked his tail off for. He’s on the phone with his girlfriend – sharing the news, and planning the evening’s festivities. On his celebration short list: roses, chocolates, wine.. and a shiny engagement ring. In fact, Nico’s just bought condoms. Tonight’s going to be perfect. He thinks.

But that’s when skinny blonde Amara hops in: issuing orders and threatening Nico instantly.

Fearing for his livelihood, a terrified Nico complies. As he steers the car, Amara tears through his newly purchased gifts with abandon. Spilling wine, eating chocolates. Throwing condoms around the car. Nico’s so cowed by Amara’s random threats that he’s willing to do every little thing he’s told.

Things get particularly tense when the cops pull them over. Amara insists Nico follow her lead. He’s got to trust her, and keep his mouth shut. If so, she’ll get him out of trouble. Maybe.

What’s the game Amara’s playing? And whatever it is, will Nico survive?

A perfect short thriller, Initiation’s got all the ingredients you need: a fast paced script with a simple setup – one that delivers tons of conflict, emotional range and a spectacular twist. Despite featuring only two actors, there’s tons of meat to dig into here. Just imagine – the dramatic timing of The Game, with the intensity of Speed. Speaking of which: speed up and grab this one – before some other lucky Director wins the race!

Budget: Pretty low. Make sure your actors have perfect timing and chemistry!

About the writer: Born and raised in Sweden, Pia Cook is director of the short film Them That’s Dead and writer of produced feature films Finders Keepers: The Root of All Evil and Blackout. She started writing screenplays in 2006 and has written over sixty short screenplays and ten features. She can be reached at gatortales – “AT” – gmail.

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About the reviewer: Rachel Kate Miller is a veteran of the feature animation industry, having worked on several Oscar winning films, bringing stories to life. In 2012, she left animation to move to Chicago and run the design department for President Obama’s reelection campaign. She is now living in New York, writing, consulting on various projects and creating an educational animated series for elementary students focused on engaging kids in science. She is now heavily engaged in her new project, being a Mom.

The Origin of Fear (12 pages in pdf format) by Mark Renshaw

A university student working on a thesis about fear, stumbles across a technique for identifying dangerous individuals. Her latest experiment takes a lethal twist when it becomes apparent her work is gaining the wrong type of attention.

Leona decides to approach her phobia in a different way. She wants the subject of fear to be her thesis at the university. One by one, she interviews students in an attempt to understand what they are afraid of at a given point of their lives. All goes well until she stumbles upon Imogen.

Production: Characters – 2 main, 2 episodical, 2 extras; Location – 1 café; Effects – make-up and prosthesis.

About the Writer: Mark Renshaw can be reached through his website at Mark-Renshaw.com. An award-winning producer and director, his last project earned ‘Best Sci-Fi’ at the Top Shorts and Festigious film festivals.

This is an October 2017 One Week Challenge is a short. The OWC is a screenwriting exercise wherein writers are given a week to write a short script on the theme and genre provided. These are quickly done and may be a little rough around the edges considering the short time frame in which they are written.

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

About the reviewer: Khamanna Iskandarova has several features completed, as well as a dozen shorts, some of which have been independently produced. Khamanna can be reached at khamanna (a) hotmail. Check out her IMDB Creds

Daddy by Marty Chartrand

An assassin’s last act is to prove to his daughter and wife that he is not a bad man.

     A RED DOT
     Dances upon a MAN’S forehead until THUMP. The man’s head rips backwards.

            Annie (V.O.)
I’m sorry that when you woke up, we
were gone. You must have been so
scared.

This is where we meet Tyler, a hard bitten killer on the opening gambit of his latest job.

We follow Tyler as he dispenses judgment with a grace and skill honed by the years; working his way to the top of the dirtbag food chain goon by goon. It isn’t about the money – not this time. That was the old Tyler. This is a killer searching for change. The odds are against him, but Tyler finds strength in the words of his young daughter, Annie, as her innocence guides him to a reward far greater than he’s ever known: redemption.

Marty Chartrand’s Daddy shines light into the dark soul of a hired gun struggling to make his peace through one last selfless act. It’s not for a first-timer, but for a filmmaker looking to push their craft this 7 page thrill ride gives you the opportunity to craft a fast-paced action piece underpinned by the most emotive of bonds: a father’s love for his daughter.

About the Writer: “My life began with a FADE IN and it will surely end with a FADE OUT. What’s written in between is what I make out of it. As a lifelong lover of movies, it was only natural that someday I would want to create some of my own. These are my stories …”

Marty Chartrand can be reached at martyc1028 (a) yahoo.com

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About the reviewer: Steve Miles started writing scripts around five years ago after realizing that his social life was vastly overrated. He enjoys writing in a variety of genres but leans toward raw, grittier characters and the worlds they inhabit – from the deadly serious to the darkly comic. Drinks coffee, owns an unhealthy amount of plaid and uses a calculator for the most basic of sums. Check out more of his work at sjmilesscripts.webs.com