The true story of the trials and tribulations of Dred and Harriet Scott’s fight for freedom and the Supreme Court decision that changed America.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
It’s based on the true story of the trials and tribulations of two slaves from Missouri in the 1800s, Dred and Harriet Scott, and their legal fight for freedom in the Supreme Court.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
History – all of the characters and facts are real. The creative part came with trying to fill in the gaps on the lives of Dred and Harriet.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
The story touches on one of the most impactful Supreme Court rulings in US history. Not only did the outcome contribute to the the sectoral division that lead to the Civil War, but it also was the basis for the introduction of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution which guarantees citizenship for anyone born in the United States, yet there’s never been a movie about it.
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Courage and Resilience
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Not including Holiday movies … The Untouchables
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
After doing the research, “Beings of an Inferior Order” actually came together fairly quickly (for me). About 3 months.
7. How many stories have you written?
Three. My last one was also an historical screenplay (based on the true story of British secret committee that ran double agents during WWII). My first one was a comedy about a washed up rock and roller who finds his life turned upside down when his one hit wonder unexpectedly becomes a viral hit on social media. The one I’m working on now is a true crime story about the biggest unsolved mass murder in Alberta’s history.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
There is a current challenge by the Trump administration to make changes to the federal law relating to the 14th Amendment (restricting birth right citizenship) and there were a number of reference to the Dred Scott case from the 1850s. It really peaked my interest so I did more research on the story and felt it would make the basis of an interesting story.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
There is a lot of academic resource material on the court case, but very little on Dred and Harriet themselves. Being an “old white guy from Canada” I wanted to bring them back to life in the most respectful and tender way that I could. Also, the language and dialogue of the 1800s was a huge challenge for me.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I love sports.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
The WildSound festival is very unique in that it feels very personalized. I’ve entered it before and I found the feedback and communication from the organizers to be excellent, and I wasn’t disappointed this time. You can tell a good festival when the quality is consistently good regardless of the number of submissions received.
In a devout Kentucky town where masculinity and reputation define belonging, high school basketball star Brady Miller has his future mapped out—until his growing feelings for his best friend and teammate, Josh, begin to surface. When a private moment crosses an unspoken line, the fallout is immediate and brutal, fracturing their relationship and exposing Brady to the judgment of his team, his family, and his community. As isolation, pressure, and violence close in around him, Brady is forced to confront the truth he’s spent his life avoiding and decide whether to keep performing the life expected of him or risk everything to live honestly.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
“Beyond The Arc” is the story of a gay high school basketball player in rural Eastern Kentucky. Who, at the top of his game is outed and ostracized by his ultra conservative community. He has to reclaim his identity and love for basketball at a small college.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
It is first a coming of age drama that uses sports as a metaphor.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
So many coming of age, lgbtq films offer one of two endings, either the totally wrapped up happy ending, or the eternal suffering of the protagonists. While this story can be bleak at times, it’s ending is more ambiguous. What makes it so important in this day and age, is that while things are better for gay youth, there are still places where being gay is seen as a failing.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Keep Going.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Citizen Kane
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I originally wrote a version of this script 25 years ago, but coverage at the time stated that it was totally “unrealistic” and “could not happen in this day and age” and that was 2001. LOL
7. How many stories have you written?
I currently have 4 screenplays, that are in various forms of completion, I am constantly trying to get evaluations on them in order to make them better.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
How difficult it is for teens in rural communities to come out, without feeling ashamed,
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Getting coverage from readers who don’t get the LGBTQ angle.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Before I hurt my back, and became disabled I was an avid golfer. But now that I have the time, writing is something I have truly became passionate about.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
It was the first festival that I entered, mainly because of the LGBTQ nature of the festival, I really wanted the gay perspective on my scripts. I have only received the video, and have not received any written feedback as of yet.
After an accident leaves his wife in a coma, Marcos faces a heartbreaking decision when a mysterious company offers to preserve her consciousness inside him. How far is he willing to go to avoid losing her?
SYNNOIA is about Marcos, a man devastated by the accident that has left his wife, Eva, in an irreversible coma. A mysterious company offers him the chance to preserve her consciousness inside his own body through an experimental technology. At first, it seems like an act of love: a way to keep her alive and avoid losing her forever. But when Eva awakens inside him, Marcos realizes that love, possession, memory, guilt, and identity have become dangerously intertwined.
The story asks a painful question: if we could keep the person we love with us forever, would that truly be love… or would it become another form of prison?
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Science fiction, psychological drama, romantic tragedy, and thriller.
It has a speculative science fiction concept, but emotionally it is a tragic love story about grief, obsession, guilt, and the inability to let go.
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Because SYNNOIA uses science fiction to explore something deeply human: the fear of losing the person we love. The technology in the story is not just a futuristic device; it becomes a mirror of Marcos’ emotional wound.
I believe it should be made into a film because it can create an intimate, unsettling, and emotional cinematic experience with very few locations, strong performances, and a powerful central idea. It speaks about grief, consent, memory, identity, and the dangerous line between love and possession.
It is a story that can make the audience ask themselves: how far would I go to avoid saying goodbye?
How would you describe this screenplay in two words?
Possessive love.
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
One of the films I have watched the most times is Back to the Future. I love how it combines entertainment, emotion, structure, and imagination with incredible precision. It is a film that feels light and fun, but underneath it has a very solid narrative construction. As a screenwriter, I admire how every detail pays off and how the story uses a fantastic concept to talk about family, identity, and destiny.
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I have worked on SYNNOIA through several stages of rewriting and refinement. The central idea came from my interest in stories where technology does not solve human pain, but reveals it. I spent a lot of time shaping Marcos’ emotional journey: from grief, to hope, to control, and finally to the realization that loving someone also means letting them be free.
How many stories have you written?
I have written several short screenplays and projects as part of my development as a screenwriter, including produced and award-winning short films, several stories connected to the anthology project EDIFICIO 23, and a feature screenplay I am currently developing.
My work often explores emotional wounds, identity, grief, memory, and the need to be seen by another person.
What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I wanted to write a story about grief pushed to the extreme. The question that drove me was: what would happen if someone could keep the person they love alive inside themselves? At first, it sounds beautiful. But then I began to see the horror hidden within that idea.
Because if the other person has no body, no privacy, and no place to exist outside of you… is that still love?
That contradiction became the heart of SYNNOIA.
What obstacles did you face in finishing this screenplay?
The biggest challenge was finding the right balance between science fiction and emotion. I did not want the technology to dominate the story. I wanted the audience to feel that the real conflict was not the capsule, but Marcos’ inability to accept loss.
Another challenge was Eva’s voice. She had to feel present, human, and emotionally powerful, even though she no longer had a physical body. Her pain, her confusion, and her final truth had to be felt through sound, silence, and Marcos’ reactions.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I am passionate about music, design, and visual art. I am interested in anything that can express emotion without needing too many words: an image, a melody, a color, a silence, or a small detail capable of saying more than a long speech.
What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings about the initial feedback you received?
I entered WILDsound FEEDBACK Film and Screenplay Festival because I was interested in its focus on feedback, promotion, and professional script readings. SYNNOIA is a very intimate and emotionally intense screenplay, so I wanted to know how readers outside my own country would respond to its central idea, its characters, and its emotional tension.
Receiving the initial feedback was valuable because it allowed me to look at the screenplay from another perspective. As a writer, it is very important to understand how a story is received by someone who comes to it from outside your own creative process.
When a successful HR professional realizes her soulmate is quickly marrying someone else, she must center her goals around the idea of truly being single forever.
Employee Relations is about a woman, Mariah, who has been madly in love with her boyfriend, Evan for eight years. One night over dinner, Mariah believes Evan is going to propose and instead, he informs her he will be marrying someone else. Mariah now has to navigate her life as a single woman, still reeling over Evan.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Employee Relations would be considered a comedy and a drama (dramedy).
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I would love to see Employee Relations as either a romantic comedy or a TV series. The visualization of Mariah’s and Evan’s decisions are a must watch.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Shocking Romance
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
I watch The Holiday every year since the movie came out in 2006.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I had an idea for this screenplay in 2024 and started working on the plot. I didn’t start writing it until October 2025. Between character development and edits, I would say I’ve been working on this screenplay for a little more than a year.
7. How many stories have you written?
I have written creative writing pieces since 2011, just never published anything. This is my first story I’ve written that has received an audience.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I don’t mean to sound morbid when answering this question, but my grandmother passed in 2024. I always wanted to work on my writing and I knew not at least trying to get my work out there would be a regret. Once she passed, I began working on things I always wanted to say I at least tried it. This screenplay was one of the items I wanted to say I at least tried!
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Definitely deadlines; meeting deadlines was a huge obstacle and I made so many edits for my first submission. I wanted the audience to really understand Mariah’s hurt, but also understand she is a woman that fell in love with someone that she truly believed was the one person who understood her.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I’m a huge goofball, when I’m not meeting deadlines, and I am also a standup comedian. I really enjoy making people laugh.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I wanted to enter this festival because I wanted to take a leap of faith. I work full time in HR and it’s not really a leap of faith kind of job. There’s guidance that we follow and we stick to it; there’s no bending the rules. This festival was one of the first times (outside from standup) where I could bend the rules, because it is my idea. I thoroughly enjoyed the feedback I received regarding Employee Relations. It truly helped me illustrate Mariah’s point of view.
A 14-year-old girl with an experimental neural implant can access the entirety of human knowledge with her mind, but every ‘download’ costs her a piece of her past. While hiding in plain sight from the shadowy corporation that created her, she must decide how much of herself she is willing to forget to save the people she loves.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Shawn Devlin Allie; Hannah Ehman Greg: Sean Ballantyne Leigh: Val Cole
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about? The Memory Tax is about a 14-year-old girl named Allie Gordon who has an experimental neural implant that allows her to access the entirety of human knowledge directly through her mind. But every time she uses that ability, she pays a price: she loses a piece of her own memory.
At its heart, the story is about a teenage girl who can know almost anything except how much of herself she is losing. While she and her mother try to hide from the corporation that created the implant, Allie is forced to decide whether saving the people around her is worth sacrificing pieces of her own past. The pilot’s logline captures that central dilemma: Allie can access all human knowledge, but every “download” costs her part of her past.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under? The script falls under science fiction drama, fantasy/sci-fi thriller, and coming-of-age suspense.
It also has elements of medical sci-fi, corporate conspiracy, family drama, and young adult psychological drama. The science fiction concept drives the story, but the emotional core is very human: memory, identity, adolescence, sacrifice, and the fear of becoming something other than yourself.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? I would clarify that The Memory Tax is actually written as a one-hour television pilot, although I believe the concept is cinematic enough to work in a visual medium.
It should be produced because it has a strong, immediately understandable science-fiction hook with deep emotional consequences. The central idea involves a teenage girl who can access unlimited knowledge but loses her memories every time she does is both high-concept and character-driven.
The story also speaks to modern anxieties about technology, identity, artificial intelligence, medical ethics, corporate ownership, and the cost of constant access to information. But instead of telling that story through machines or institutions alone, it filters everything through a vulnerable teenage girl who simply wants to live a normal life.
That gives the project both genre appeal and emotional accessibility.
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Costly knowledge.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life? E.T. is one of the films I’ve returned to the most. I’ve always admired how it takes a science-fiction premise and grounds it in childhood, loneliness, friendship, and family. That is something I tried to bring into The Memory Tax. The genre concept matters, but the emotional experience of the child at the center matters even more.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay? I have been working on The Memory Tax for the past few months through multiple drafts and revisions.
The script began with the central concept of a girl who could access unlimited knowledge, but it evolved into something more emotional and character-driven once I focused on the price she pays for that gift. The more I worked on it, the more the story became about memory, identity, family, and the danger of treating a child like a piece of technology.
7. How many stories have you written? I have written three television pilots, including The Memory Tax, Chameleon, and The Holmes Enigma.
My writing often explores ordinary people placed under extraordinary pressure, especially when larger systems like legal, technological, institutional, or corporate collide with personal identity and moral choice.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay? I was motivated by the question: What if unlimited knowledge came at the cost of personal memory?
That idea immediately felt emotional to me. We live in a world where information is constantly available, but I wanted to push that idea into a more personal and dangerous place. For Allie, knowledge is not just power. It is a temptation. It can save someone’s life, solve a problem, or expose the truth, but every time she uses it, she risks losing part of who she is.
I was also drawn to the mother-daughter relationship. Leigh is not simply trying to control Allie; she is trying to protect her from a gift that is also destroying her. That emotional tension became one of the main reasons I wanted to tell the story.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay? The biggest obstacle was balancing the science-fiction concept with the emotional reality of a teenage girl’s life.
It would have been easy to make the story only about the technology, the implant, or the corporation behind it. But the script became stronger when I focused on Allie as a child trying to fit in, make friends, protect people, and understand why being extraordinary feels so lonely.
Another challenge was making the “memory tax” feel personal and painful. The audience needed to understand that Allie is not just suffering headaches or technical side effects. She is losing parts of her childhood, her relationships, and her sense of self.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Apart from writing, I am passionate about law, public service, community involvement, and stories that examine how people respond when systems fail them.
My legal background has shaped the way I think about power, responsibility, evidence, institutions, and moral consequences. I am also deeply involved in my local community, which has given me a strong appreciation for families, small-town dynamics, and the quiet pressures people carry beneath the surface.
Those interests often find their way into my writing.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received? I entered the Fantasy Sci-Fi Festival because The Memory Tax felt like a strong fit for a festival that recognizes genre stories with imagination, emotional stakes, and speculative ideas.
The script is science fiction, but it is also about a young girl trying to survive the consequences of something adults created. That combination of high-concept storytelling and emotional drama seemed well suited for a fantasy/sci-fi audience.
The initial feedback was meaningful because it showed that the concept was connecting. At the same time, I took the constructive notes seriously. Feedback is valuable when it helps you see where the script can become clearer, sharper, and more emotionally powerful. I used that process to continue refining Allie’s journey, the rules of the implant, and the emotional cost of each choice she makes.
Narrator: Sean Ballantyne Spike: Geoff Mays Andrei: Shawn Devlin Nadine: Elizabeth Rose Morriss
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about? A professionally trained chef stuck in a dead-end diner job gets a shot at culinary stardom when he’s chosen as a wildcard contestant in a prestigious fine dining competition. As he rises through the ranks, he must confront his self-doubt and the truth he’s been hiding about where he comes from.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under? Drama, with elements of comedy and ensemble-driven storytelling.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? It fits in a space that is currently underserved. Character-driven, mid-budget stories with a clear hook.
The culinary competition world provides a built-in engine and audience familiarity, while the execution focuses on grounded, performance-driven storytelling. It is contained enough to be produced efficiently, while still offering scale through the competition setting.
It also offers strong ensemble roles, which creates multiple opportunities from a casting standpoint. From a business perspective, it is the kind of film that can travel well across festivals, streaming platforms, and word-of-mouth audiences who connect with character-first storytelling.
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Earned belonging.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life? It is probably a tossup between Sister Act and Beauty & the Beast. Sister Act is a film I grew up revisiting, and it balances comedy, character, and transformation in a way that still holds up. It commits fully to its premise, and that is something I really respect as a storyteller. B&B is just a goldmine as far as narrative storytelling, moving music and sweeping visuals. I can’t get enough of that film.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay? This version of the script came together over the past year, but the idea itself has been with me much longer. It evolved as I refined the tone and focused on what the story actually needed.
7. How many stories have you written? This is my first feature-length screenplay, and I am currently developing two additional feature ideas. Most of my previous work has been in filmmaking, so this project represents a shift into long-form narrative writing.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay? It came from a personal place. I connected with the feeling of having the training and the passion, but still questioning whether you belong in bigger spaces. Writing this was a way to explore that mindset in an honest and grounded way.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay? Finding the right writing style for the story.
I spent a lot of time studying scripts I admire, especially how they handle pacing and structure. At one point I was trying to mirror those styles too closely. The breakthrough came when I focused on applying those techniques without losing my own voice. Once that clicked, the script became much more consistent.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Filmmaking. I run a production company and create documentary and narrative-driven video work, often for nonprofits and organizations. Storytelling through film is really where everything connects for me.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received? I entered to see how the script would resonate outside of my own circle.
The feedback was encouraging, especially in how it recognized the ensemble and the tone of the story. It also reinforced areas I have been actively refining, which made it feel like I am on the right track.
1. What is your screenplay about? When Lizzie Franks, a gorgeous African-American paraplegic, is fired from her job at a company she helped start and her fiance dumps her, she joins The Iron Maiden, a women-only gym to find a reason to go on. But Brandon Wickie, the brilliant, ultra-wealthy owner of the gym kidnaps her. He uses a unique nannite technology he’s invented to assemble his ideal mate from the body parts of women bodybuilders he kidnaps from his gym and he attaches Lizzie’s head to his creation. Meanwhile, Mathew Tran, a Chicago detective, is hot on Brandon’s trail as he tries to discover who has been kidnapping women bodybuilders and who killed George Johnson, the husband of one of the women and also a Chicago Detective. The movie culminates in a fight to the death between Lizzie and Brandon, both of whom have super-human strength and healing powers due to the nannites in their veins. Lizzie, in her unfamiliar body, must find a new inner strength and push herself beyond her limits to save herself and Detective Tran.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under? Horror/thriller
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? The simplest answer is because it will be a money-maker if it’s done right. It can be made as a low-budget horror film, which are extremely popular worldwide. It can also be produced as a high budget superhero origin story with A-list actors such as Zandaya as Lizzy Franks and Michael Cera as Brandon Wickie. It could also be the first in a series of movies following Lizzie’s adventures, it could be turned into one or a series of graphic novels, and it would make a great animated film or series.
In addition, it has a multi-racial cast of quirky characters, its heroine is uniquely different from any other superhero or female movie lead, the world of female bodybuilding is an unusual environment, and it combines humor with mystery, intense action and a bit of grisly horror, so it will keep an audience emotionally engaged and guessing about what comes next.
Finally, it explores important topics such as the danger of tech-bros with too much money (looking at you, Bezos and Musk), the dangers and benefits of AI-based technology, and female empowerment, so it’s more engaging than if it were just a whiz-bang popcorn movie.
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Unique thrillride
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life? Impossible to narrow it to just one. My favorite genres are science fiction and horror, and I’ve watched hundreds of those.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay? Over 5 years.
7. How many stories have you written? Hundreds
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay? It wasn’t any one thing, no big aha moment. It evolved out of the idea of how advances in AI and biology will make it possible in the not very distant future for humans and machines to become physically and mentally intertwined. I then wondered how an extreme change in body image would affect someone psychologically, especially if the change occurred suddenly and against the person’s will, as it does with Lizzie. The success of movies like The Substance indicates I’m not the only one who finds that idea fascinating.
I think Lizzie came about because I wanted a protagonist who is facing as many obstacles as possible. Disgracefully, in our society black women have the most difficulty socially and economically of all major population groups, so I made Lizzie black. But I also wanted to explore how her physical identity would affect her behavior, which is why I made her a physically weak paraplegic who ends up with an extraordinarily powerful body.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay? I’m still facing them. Are the characters complex and interesting enough? Do they each have their own unique voice? Does each scene compel the audience to want to know what comes next? Will an audience be satisfied with the ending? Will A-list actors want to live as my characters, say their words, feel their feelings, face their challenges?
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? I’ve been a professional actor all my life, so I love good movies, such as Interstellar, TV series such as Your Friends and Neighbors and plays, including anything by Tom Stoppard. I’m a musician and play fiddle, mandolin and guitar. I love drinking a little wine and jamming with my pals. And I’m an avid golfer. I love walking the course on a beautiful summer day with my golf buddies.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received? This festival is a perfect fit for The Body Builder, so it was a no-brainer to enter. I’m very pleased that I’ll get to be part of your podcast and that you’re seriously considering my work for recognition.
In 1947 a 19-year-old female genius is rejected for every job she applies to.
She gets recruited into a covert military program working alongside peaceful alien refugees.
When a test flight goes wrong, she’s the only one who can save the two men, including the one who spent months harassing her.
She learns the hard way that in order to get respect, she first has to give it.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Soft Sci-Fi and Drama.
The alien and technology are just the hooks.
It’s really about the characters.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I like to see the underdog succeed.
Mary is the smartest but has very few social skills.
She is hated by her professors who wouldn’t write favorable reference letters.
No one would hire her, until the army looks for smart people who are overlooked.
When she meets the aliens, she finds people who understand her, and she can learn from.
Then she has the biggest challenge of her life, being assigned the task to save the man who’d been harassing her.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Reluctant hero.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
I tend not to watch films a second time; however, the original Star Wars trilogy is probably the exception.
I watched every “making of” documentary I could, and then the digital releases when they came out.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
The script is based on my Earth’s Secret Alliance book series.
I began writing about five years ago during Covid.
7. How many stories have you written?
There are six stories in the Earth’s Secret Alliance franchise.
Five are written as live action, while the sixth is expected to be a children’s animated series.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
We need more positive sci-fi.
I was getting tired of sci-fi that stressed me out, worst case scenario after worst case scenario, cliffhanger after cliffhanger.
I wanted to write a story that my brother and other parents could watch with their families, and the kids wouldn’t be scared after.
I write stories where the underdog is a valuable part of the team, and they work together to save lives.
They are based on my books which sold almost 14,000 copies so far.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
I wrote my books with the screenplay in mind, so it’s mostly formatting. I had to put the character names before dialogue and had to decide if a thought became a look, an action, dialogue, or a voice-over. The rest is a lot of formatting.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I enjoy watching other stories on the big screen and on TV.
Unfortunately, there are less and less shows that I’m interested in watching.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I was looking for a way to hear the script performed by real actors. Wild Sound’s Best Scene offered what I needed and was perfect. I hope that more people will get a chance to enjoy it.
Trapped in a basement after an apocalyptic earthquake, a grieving wife fights off a horde of parasitic monsters, unaware that her God-fearing husband has already decided her fate.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Geoff Mays Caroline: Hannah Ehman Parker: Sean Ballantyne
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
“Consumed” is a marital drama wrapped in an apocalyptic sci-fi cloak. Think “Kramer Vs. Kramer Vs. The Walking Dead”. The story has its fair share of scares and gore, but in the end, it’s about how difficult marriage can be when two people grow apart. Especially if one of them has become a religious nut-case.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Definitely science fiction and horror, with a little bit of action and mystery thrown in for good measure. But the heart is a classic husband and wife drama.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
There are three unique things about my screenplay. Firstly, it features only two people (well, three if you count the last few pages). Secondly, it all takes place in one location, the basement of a collapsed building. Thirdly, and most importantly, it’s told in real time. With the right team handling its execution, “Consumed” would be an amazing theatrical experience.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
“Gut punching.”
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”. When I worked at my friend’s comic book store (the legendary Parts Unknown in Greensboro, NC), we had a TV in the back for showing genre cartoons and movies. I got into a habit of watching “Roger Rabbit”, sometimes just a chunk, during every shift I was working. That was probably three times a week, for about two years… do the math! It’s not my favorite movie of all time, but even after all that viewing, it’s still fun to watch.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
The first version took about five months. And then the revisions were usually many months apart, but completed fairly quickly.
7. How many stories have you written?
As of now, I’ve got ten completed screenplays under my belt. Eight of them written solely by me, two of them were completed with a friend.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
My friend, the producer Curt Chatham, told me that a new screenwriter usually doesn’t break in with a $200 million VFX-heavy script. He told me to make it as a small as possible. If I could write something with two people in a room, something cost efficient, that would be optimal. The nanosecond he told me this, the scenario popped into my head. And off I went.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
It was very difficult finding the rhythm. Just two people, in one room, in real time? That’s not easy to make interesting. I had to not only find the right spots in which to place some action, or a struggle, or a threat, but I had to make sure the dialog wasn’t lame too.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
My pets. Physical media. My long-suffering wife Suzie. Sushi. Comic books. Hiking. Cherry soda. Preventing democracy from dying.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
Horror Underground has been around a while, and they’ve received lots of positive feedback on FilmFreeway. The festival seems to really care about the people making the art that they submit. As for the feedback, it was very thorough and well-presented. My scripts aren’t written in stone yet… If someone has a good idea or critique that will make them better, I’m all ears!
Rachel Murphy, a successful lawyer determined to make partner at her firm, represents her husband Carter’s tech compan in a lawsuit against his former partner while balancing her own intense work load and professional pressures. Their marriage is put to the test when Carter unexpectedly serves Rachel divorce papers, accusing her of prioritizing her career over their relationship, and the two begin a contentious legal separation while still working together professionally.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
A successful attorney on the verge of making partner is forced by her prenup to represent her own husband in their divorce, sparking a scandal that threatens her career.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Romantic Comedy-Drama
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Divorce is a very relatable topic for many people. This movie asks, “How do you know if a marriage is beyond repair? When does reconciliation deserve a chance?”
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Relevant. Heartfelt.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
The Princess Bride (Sterling), Pride and Prejudice (Katrina)
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Nearly four years.
7. How many stories have you written?
This is our first complete story written together. Sterling has written a few others, but this is the first feature for both of us.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
Katrina is a divorce attorney. Sterling spent seven years editing unscripted television. Before we got married, when we were discussing our own prenup, things got a little strained. To break the tension, Sterling joked, “If we ever do get divorced, will you represent me?” We both laughed, and almost immediately we knew that we had a good premise for a story. We decided to write the screenplay as a fun couple’s activity – combining Katrina’s legal background with Sterling’s filmmaking chops.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Time. When you’ve been working on something for so long, it’s easy to get tired/bored and want to move on to something new. Sterling is really good at doing just a little bit each day.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Katrina is actively working as a divorce and custody attorney. She loves to knit, sew, and spend time with friends and family. Sterling likes to draw, exorcise, and teaches a free, neighborhood karate class.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
We wanted to enter a festival that was specific to the genre of our screenplay. Finding a romance-specific screenplay festival seemed like the perfect fit for Love, Your Lawyer. We actually ended up with two rounds of feedback. The first one wasn’t very good, and it appeared that the reader didn’t understand English very well since they couldn’t tell what game was being played in the Poker Scene. To your festival’s credit, when we complained, they set us up with a different reader, free of charge, who was very helpful and gave us a winning evaluation. We even added a scene based on the notes we got back from the second reader.
Festival Reviews 