High Demand by David M Troop

An awkward girl scout employs the services of her older stoner brother to beat her arch nemesis in a cookie-selling contest.

We’ve all seen them. And we’ve all pretended not to be at home when they’ve come a-knockin’ at our door.

No, we’re not talking Seventh Day Adventists. It’s a breed more tenacious: Girl Scouts!

The ultimate sales persons – branded by green sashes and pigtails – these little “cookie” girls sell their wares constantly. At least, if they want their badges and rewards. Given the high pressure stakes involved, it’s a miracle more haven’t pursued questionable means. Not to mention black markets!

Maybe after reading High Demand they will – the tale of one Girl Scout that discovers a whole new clientele through her stoner brother with all the right connections.

The script opens up in a sweet and innocent setting: five girl guides sit through a pep talk, in preparation for their annual cookie drive. Among them is our young heroine Margaret, a 12-year old girl with a rather dismal sales record. But this year is different. This year, there’s a brand new bicycle waiting for the girl who can sell the most. With that one incentive, Margaret is sold. This is the year she proves herself!

Opposed by her wicked den-mother, her condescending den-sisters, and the general apathy of the human population, Margaret quickly learns that her Herculean task will not be easily overcome.

Enter Bud, her older stoner brother with an insatiable appetite for sweets. Thus begins a brilliant scheme to exploit the cravings of certain “patients”. Impassioned anew, Margaret strives to best arch-nemesis Sharlee and the rest of the mean girl clan, proving once again that the underdog should never be underestimated.

Make no mistake: this is no half-baked story.

Full of charm and wit, the relationship between Bud and Margaret is memorable not only for their quick and humorous banter. The kinship at its core becomes especially clear as the story nears its resolution. What Margaret wants is not just a bike. But the ability to believe in herself.

Why should you consider this script? Well, it’s more than just scoring Thin Mints as props.

Not only does High Demand pursue an original twist on the well-known reality of the Girl Guide, but it ‘s infused with positive reinforcements for a female audience with strong never-say-die heroines. Margaret is an easily lovable character with relatable issues, and has the potential to champion a few more short tales.

What more could you ask for? Well, aside from “glaucoma treatment” and Girl Scout cookies?

Budget: Moderate. A few locations and a handful of extras to support a small cast. They key is finding great young actresses and making sure the chemistry between Bud and Margaret really comes alive!

About the Writer: 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. 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 “AT” gmail!

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About the Reviewer: Faith Rivens is an aspiring author and filmmaker. New to the business, storytelling is a passion born innately within her. It doesn’t matter the genre, or the medium. What matters is the story woven within. Her first two books in the Iníonaofa Chronicles, Eléonore and Heralding are available on Amazon. Want to drop Faith a line? Reach out to her at AliasFaithRivens.wordpress.com. Or, follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

Alligator Tears by Kirk White

A peaceful lake, a missing woman, a frightened child. A small-town Sheriff must enlist the help of his estranged son tofind out what…or who happened to a vacationing family.

Since virtually the dawn of time, father and son stories have been mainstays in literature and fiction.  Be the form film, book or play: familial tales of love, loss, deceit, betrayal and death will forever resonate.

From Shakespeare’s tragic Hamlet, to Pixar’s Finding Nemo: the special bond between father and son provides a never ending source of drama.

And so it is with Alligator Tears.

Our story opens on a tragic tableau: a distraught father and son sobbing on a Florida beach. Where’s Mom?  Missing.

Crusty local Sheriff Mickey Nemar takes charge, but the boy (Charlie) is inconsolable. Momma went skiing with Dad, Charlie says.  And a huge alligator ate her!

As Mickey gently prods for clues, Aaron Ames arrives on scene – an agent for the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife.  Not to mention Mickey’s bitter, estranged son.

Immediately the two clash; at loggerheads.   Aaron casts doubt on his dad’s findings (not to mention his character.)  He particularly scoffs at the idea of an animal attack; the lake’s too populated for a gator.

What follows is a deftly written war of words brimming with conflict and mystery.  Can father and son set aside differences long enough to crack the case? And what exactly did happen to Momma?  This is one script that positively shines with subtext just below the surface… like an alligator about to rise.

Drama directors: don’t miss this one.  Much like a missing persons report… the result can be a tragedy.

Budget: Moderate. All you need is a beach. Small boat. Couple of vehicles. And a small but talented cast to do this clever script justice.

About the writer: Kirk White is an independent film maker, web sen”sation” and figure of note in the world of global logistics.  He is currently in pre-production on his second feature, The Soul Garden, which will basically be the art-house version of Re-Animator.  If you’re into that sort of thing, or just love movies with no fear…no limit… no budget,  check out QuiteFilm.com for all the juicy goodness.

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About the reviewer: Gary Rowlands cut his teeth writing sketch comedy for Spitting Image a hugely popular show broadcast on national television in the UK. He has since gone on to write several high-concept features and can be contacted at gazrow at Hotmail dot com

The Changer by David Troop

Two bickering police detectives must find a way to capture the world’s most elusive criminal.

Some stories are tons of fun. Isn’t that what we go to movies for?

Angst, terror and philosophical symbolism isn’t needed for every film we see. Sometimes simple is the best. “Entertainment for the sake of entertainment” is a spectacular experience when done right. Especially when the jokes are primed to fly.

In his latest short The Changer, master storyteller David Troop makes a fun story live and breathe; resulting in chuckles galore!

Yet, for cops Kennedy and Harris, the events of The Changer are pure business. As often happens with film law enforcement types, these partners are different as two guys could be:

Kennedy’s a Caucasian veteran cop in his 40s – lacking any form of fashion sense. Of course, film-logic requires him paired with African-American Officer Harris. Ten years Kennedy’s junior, Harris is a “poster boy for Reebok.” Together, the two are on the job, seeking a mysterious master-of-disguise known simply as, “The Changer.

Tense and bickering from Page One, the couple track “the dude” to urban apartment 4D. With police badges on display, they bust down the door – only to find screaming hooker Petunia inside. Encouraged by the officer’s raised guns, Petunia points to the bathroom. Harris searches the area quickly, yet finds only – a cat inside.

Harris shrugs, turns his back. Allowing the Bizarre “Changer” to make his escape. Out the open bathroom window – down a rusty fire escape. Pretty soon, the chase is on (ala the Grand Budapest Hotel!).

In hot pursuit of a “tall figure in a trench coat”, the partners race through alleys, down gritty streets. Eventually, Harris corners the perp. (Kennedy joins the chase somewhat late… having stopped to “question” the hooker privately!). But soon, Kennedy and Harris have their man…

Still – given The Changer’s “special set of skills”, the question is… Do they have him cornered?

Really?

Tongue planted firmly in cheek, The Changer is a fun – and very funny – ride.

Think movies like Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Police Academy, Naked Gun or Groundhog Day. If you’re a director who loves goofy comedy, then TC is your blockbuster. Set your humor on stun. And pull the cinematic wool over your audience’s tears-of-laughter-filled eyes!

Budget: Relatively low. Three talented male character actors (with good comedic timing) are required for the main roles. Plus a handful of extras. Settings include: Apartment interior rooms, stairway, streets, and an alley – all of which are easy to stage.

About the Writer: 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.

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About the Reviewer: California über reader/reviewer KP Mackie is working on a historical feature.

Safe in the Countryside by Bill Sarre

A lonely couple hide out on D-Day. But the war isn’t the only danger they have to fear…

Betrayal comes in many flavors. In war sides must be chosen; even if your survival – and the survival of your loved ones – depends on betraying allegiances.

As the Allies finally roll through Normandy in 1944, all Henry and Francine Duvall have to do is ride out the storm, holed up in their isolated farmhouse. An easy task. Isn’t it?

After all, they have a new baby to protect. Henry wants no part of the outside world until the fighting is over, and they can seek the approaching army’s protection.

But when a wounded German soldier turns up on their doorstep, the besieged couple must decide: do they risk the wrath of the now-victorious French Resistance if they take him in? Is it better to leave him to die, or does every human being deserve mercy?

But the soldier’s presence is more than a moral dilemma. Within a few precious minutes, his appearance unravels treacheries that Henry and Francine have committed during the long way; against their country, and each other.

A gripping drama from writer Bill Sarre, Safe in the Countryside is a wonderfully effective tale, exploring the nature of betrayal and the terrible acts we choose to commit when faced with extreme circumstance.  For a director that can invoke the grim mood of war and secrets, Safe in the Countryside is an excellent story to try your hand at. And an obvious festival favorite!

Budget: The exteriors will require a farmhouse and some distant explosions, but the interiors are simple enough and the main cast is small – Henry, Francine and the soldier.

About the writer: An award winning writer, Bill Sarre has had scripts place both finalist and quarter finalist with Page and Bluecat.  Another short of his, The Grieving Spell, was recently grand prize winner of the London Film Awards. Bill can be reached at Bill.sarre (a) gmail

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About the reviewer: Pete Barry is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright, actor, director and musician. His short plays have been published in numerous collections. He’s also a cofounder of the PorchRoom.com/, a film and theater production company. Please feel free to reach out to him with script requests at petebarry27 (a) hotmail.

Good Sam by Sylvia Dahlby

An old man encounters an alien in need of assistance.

Aloha! Looking for a script to knock out over a couple of weekends? You’ve found it with Good Sam.

Good ole’ Sam is heading home one night and happens across the wreckage of another vehicle. Being the Good Sam[aritan] that he is, he stops to lend a hand. The occupant of the vehicle do Sam a solid in return. Or does he/she/it?

Production: Pick up truck. Alien space craft. Two actors that look vaguely similar – one old and one young. Alien voice. Two locations – dirt road and spaceship interior. Slime. Colored lights. A fog machine would be really, really cool. You can F/X the shit out of this of you have the resources.

Budget: Micro to low

About the writer: I’m a one time advertising copywriter who has fallen in love with screenwriting. I’ve written a handful of features, one has been produced as a Role Playing Game (RPG) and made its debut at CarnageCon. I enjoy writing short scripts since it’s a fun exercise for sharpening my skills; so far one of my shorts has been produced as a student film project, and I welcome the opportunity to have more of my work produced via participation on SimplyScripts. Sylvia can be reached at sylviedahl (a) AOL.

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About the reviewer: Ingrid Short is the love child of Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon.

The Seashell by Jason K. Allen

Don’t believe everything you hear. Even inside a seashell…

Picture yourself on a casual weekend stroll. The sun shines over the horizon; it beckons to you, toasty warm… promising the perfect day. Could it be better? Of course it could.

Mr. Director, set that scene. Add sand crunching under your toes. A crashing surf which rolls smoothly by. Yep, that’s right – you’re at the beach! Insert some seashells to collect, and the ambiance is… ideal.

Especially when you pick one up and put it to your ear. You hear the echo of the ocean, just inside. Or something else. An unexpected sound.

Such is the premise of The Seashell – a comedic short by writer Jason K. Allen.

For when twelve-year-old Lauren finds herself on the beach, she picks up her own seashell. And can’t believe what she hears.

It’s not the ocean. It’s a voice. Quite a strange, weird one indeed. The owner of that voice: a tongue-tied chap named Ricky. He’s filling in for Mother Nature, who’s been detained. Ricky claims he’s trying to help… in fact, he says, he’s her son!

Needless to say, an awkward conversation ensues. Reality gets even stranger when Lauren realizes Ricky’s telling the truth. What the heck can one say to the spawn of Mother Nature? Even one as inept as Ricky? So Lauren grills Ricky for details. After all, it’s worth learning how the world works. Mother Nature may be a bitch… but Ricky’s goofy… and quite sweet!

Are you a comedy director in search of something unique? Then give quirky Seashell a good listen. It’s a low budget cast of two, with one setting. We’re sure you’ll like what you hear…

About the writer: Jason K. Allen is a writer and filmmaker from Nashville, Tennessee. His produced short scripts include AMERICAN SOCK, which won Best Screenplay at the 2014 San Diego Film Awards, and AUTUMN LOVERS, winner of the Audience Award at the 2013 Artlightenment Festival in Nashville. He also wrote the feature film LUCKY FRITZ starring Julia Dietze (IRON SKY) and Corey Feldman. Jason is also a wilderness guide, nature photographer, and published author. Check out his IMDB credits.

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

Imagination, Smagination by Nolan Bryand

Little boys have crazy imaginations… Or do they?

The topic for today is Monsters. Mwa-ha-ha -haaaa!

In his inaugural address, F.D. Roosevelt famously paraphrased Francis Bacon’s line by saying: The only thing we have to fear… is fear itself.

I don’t know about you but I’ve always found cold comfort in that line… Fear itself is pretty darned scary.

Monsters, ghouls, devils, demons, the boogeyman – all strike fear into the most hardened of hearts and can turn even the most cast-iron of stomachs to jelly. From Ghoulies to Gremlins, to Chucky (Child’s Play) and The Babadoo – monsters not only have a long and illustrious history on film but they continue to fascinate, disgust, horrify, and if the writer is especially talented (like this one is) even make their audiences laugh.

Now cast your mind back to your five-year-old self lying in bed in the dark – your nightlight casting ominous shadows onto the walls, your super-hero bed-covers pulled up tightly around your chin, wide eyes darting back and forth into the foreboding darkness.

What was that?!

Did you hear that barely perceptible creak across the floorboard? Did you see that lightning-fast flash of movement just out of the corner of your eye? What about that inky black cavern that is your wardrobe with its door slightly ajar, or that cavernous space under your bed where all manner of dastardly things could be lying in wait, ready to pounce when you least expect it.

Ooh, it’s enough to give you the heebie-jeebies, make you crawl into the fetal position, yank those bed covers over your head while you mutter over and over and over again: not real, not real, not real, in a desperate attempt to prove to yourself that what you just heard, what you just saw, was all just the result of a bad dream or an overactive imagination.

But what if it wasn’t your imagination…?

As we open on Nolan Bryand’s, Imagination, Smagination, this is the very real dilemma facing five-year-old, Owen. He’s just run the five-metre dash down the hallway and into his parent’s bedroom. What he knows is: this is not his imagination in overdrive. There’s a monster in his closet, and he needs his dad to get rid of it! Actually, he’d prefer to sleep in his Mom and Dad’s room, where there is no monster, but they’re not having it. Big sigh. Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad.

The Monster in The Closet and The Monster Under The Bed are familiar tropes in horror fiction and filmmaking, but Nolan Bryand’s rendition is about to surprise, not only with its freshness and originality, but also with its perfectly timed comic-horror twists. That’s right, not one, but two. Just when you think the story’s done and dusted, Nolan expertly hits his audience with yet another comical twist in the final seconds of a denouement that will have you jumping in surprise and laughing out loud at the same time.

Suspense, comedy, acerbic wit, mixed with clever barbs aimed squarely at jaded grown-ups with their all too familiar rationalizing that ‘monsters don’t exist’, Imagination, Smagination is a finely orchestrated monster-lite tale that is sure to be a crowd pleaser for kids and adults alike.

Filmmakers: Now’s the time to banish your fears, scare up your own special brand of cinematic ‘smagination’ and take your best shot in the dark. Best not sleep on it though, cause this one’s gonna’ get snapped up fast.

Budget: Low. One location. Two adults, a plucky talented five year old, and a couple of ‘monsters’. A talent for gruesome make-up fx will also come in handy.

About the Writer Nolan Bryand: While completing a minor in film studies back in 2005, I took a keen interest in the screenwriting aspect. Acting and directing wasn’t for me. In 2015 I came back to writing as a way to spend some free time, and remembered how much I enjoyed it. Since revisiting my passion, I’ve optioned two short scripts, which were both read and picked up after being read on the SimplyScripts discussion board. It’s the actors and directors that really make a script come to life, but it’s the screenwriter that gets them there in the first place! And that’s what I love about screenwriting.

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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.

Chemistry of Life by David D. DeBord

 Maybe Timmy’s brilliant ten-year-old mind can fix the horrors of his life.  Right after he re-animates his dead gerbil.

 We’re all familiar with Mary Shelley’s story of Frankenstein – the mad doctor who creates a living, breathing monster by reanimating a corpse.   The film version starring Boris Karloff is an American classic that’s been scaring us for almost one hundred years.  In that time we’ve seen countless remakes and re-imaginings .  Not to mention merchandising, cartoons, and comics – the Frankenstein monster is an icon even preschoolers can identify.

With all that diluting, it’s easy to forget the truly horrific question posed by Shelley.   If it were possible, would you bring a dead person back to life?  And even more important: should you?

Chemistry of Life asks that very question, albeit on a smaller scale.

Timmy is the ten-year-old mad scientist from Jackson Heights Elementary School, with a home life that’s less than ideal.  He lives with his drug-addicted mother and her boyfriend Spider in the remnants of a dilapidated home.  His older brother recently died.  And if that isn’t depressing enough, his only friend in the world is a gerbil named Ralph.

One day after school, Timmy decides he must fix the horrors of his life – even if that means Ralphie has to take one for the team.  So little Timmy unpacks his back pack full of borrowed equipment from the school lab, assembles his Dr. Frankenstein Junior Starter Kit, and gets down to grisly work.

What happens to poor Ralphie? And what further horrors lie in store? Give this script a read, and you’ll see. We guarantee some shivers down your spine.

Decanted from the mind of scriptwriter David D. Debord, Chemistry of Life is a unique take on Frankenstein. A mini monster movie begging to be “brought to life”!

Budget:  Low to Medium.   The biggest cost will be the gerbil brain dissection scene.  (I told you this script was awesome.)

About the writer: David D. DeBord has been a professional scriptwriter for twenty years. Recently he had three short film scripts produced, one in Fairfield, Iowa, a second in Houston, Texas and a third in Matulji, Croatia. In past years, his award winning scripts have been produced on radio, stage, television, and film. He is a past president and founding member of the Iowa Scriptwriters Alliance and lives in Des Moines, Iowa with his wife, the best woman on the planet, Kris Sutton. Contact him at downtowndave “AT” att “DOT” net!

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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.

Sex and Death by Sylvia Dahl

An aging rock star gets a visit from her ex-lover: the Grim Reaper.

Ever since Satan tempted Eve to take that first bite of forbidden fruit, human beings have had to face up to their own mortality – and the spectre of The Grim Reaper.

On the plus side, what better lead character than The Grim Reaper? The quintessential villain, arch nemesis, antagonist, (apart from perhaps, the Devil himself) is perfect material for the medium of film.

Look at for example: Metropolis. It depicts one of the most terrifying dream sequences ever committed to celluloid. Futuristic rich kid Freder, in a church full of mourners, turns to confront the skeletal figure of Death. Statues start moving, weird bone-flutes play, and several jarring jump cuts bring the reaper lurching to life, swinging his scythe at the screen.

The other most iconic and subsequent prototype for Death is the chalk-faced Grim Reaper in The Seventh Seal. Symbolic and menacing, Ingmar Bergman’s Middle-ages meditation on religion, philosophy and history is a visual masterpiece brought to life through Bengt Ekerot’s chilling and haunting performance.

Sylvie Dahl’s Sex And Death introduces us to Janice, a down and out rockstar and former front woman for a punk band. She is lying face down on the sofa in her apartment  “surrounded by a half empty bottle of whiskey … and empty vials of prescription drugs on the floor.”  In her semi conscious state, she reaches for the whiskey bottle when –

Suddenly, in the corner of the room, Janice spots The Grim Reaper – not entirely surprised apparently… Likewise, ‘Reaper’, who laconically removes his robe and places his scythe on a chair, appears as if he’s just come in from buying the groceries.

In Sex And Death, The Grim Reaper presents as the archetypal rock-god –  “an Angel Of Death, and, a naked man of supernatural beauty. “ He is beautiful, dangerous, seductive, but also armed with the gift of the gab and a very droll sense of humor.

He compliments Janice:

            REAPER
Your last record rocks.

Even approves of her trendy, artistic living space:

             REAPER
…Nice place.

All seems to be going swimmingly well, very polite, very civil. That is, until we learn these two have a bit of a history.  During their first meeting Janice was able to cheat death, but this time around the circumstances are different and she might just have pushed things to the point of no return.

Can Janice outwit death and turn the tables a second time, or is her number finally up?

With its gothic tone, no holds barred approach to adult content, examination of the Freudian themes of love, sex, and death, and a denouement you won’t see coming, well…

All we have to say is: Filmmakers, stop dilly-dallying around. The sands of the hourglass run out for all of us, and Sex And Death demands to be immortalized.

Budget: Very low. A decent Grim Reaper costume, and great actors can complete this show.

About the writer: I’m a one time advertising copywriter who has fallen in love with screenwriting. I’ve written a handful of features, one has been produced as a Role Playing Game (RPG) and made its debut at CarnageCon. I enjoy writing short scripts since it’s a fun exercise for sharpening my skills; so far one of my shorts has been produced as a student film project, and I welcome the opportunity to have more of my work produced via participation on SimplyScripts. Sylvia can be reached at sylviedahl (a) AOL.

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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.