Photo by Brian McGowan on Unsplash

FADE IN

INT. MESSY ROOM - DAY

A man slouches in a swivel chair. Before him is a desk strewn with legal pads, pens, manuscript pages, Styrofoam coffee cups, office supplies, file folders, and a laptop. The man rubs his eyes and leans in to read what's on the laptop screen.

POV: Over the man's shoulder, we read:

"A screenplay is the blueprint for a film that others will construct. It is both an exercise in creative writing and a product of craftsmanship. Unlike a book or a magazine article, it is not an end, but a beginning. Looking for your next film project? Start here."

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NIGHT OF THE SPADEFOOT TOADS: Based on a novel by renowned storyteller Bill Harley, this is the story of 11-year-old Ben Moroney who’s transplanted from Arizona to Massachusetts when his dad gets a new job. Missing the desert and the lizards, snakes, and toads he loves, Ben discovers a new world of woodland amphibians thanks to his science teacher, Mrs. Tibbets. She introduces him to the wonder of spadefoot toads, which breed in pools of water in the woods behind her house during the spring rains. When a housing development threatens the woods, Ben mounts a one-boy campaign to save them— and in the process discovers the meaning of home.

ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE: In a rowdy mining town in the Idaho Territory in 1863, a sheriff tries to balance the love of a naïve young woman with the demands of keeping the peace when a gang starts robbing and killing miners. At the same time, he’s caught up in a deadly struggle with an ambitious ex-Congressman who’s determined to get rich and consolidate power, regardless of who’s in his way. Based on real events, this screenplay has all of the ingredients of great drama: a strong, yet flawed, hero; a touching, yet doomed, romance; power struggles; and violence, including the death of the hero. It’s a 19th-century Western, yet its key elements — greed, politics, love, and murder — are as timeless as Shakespeare and as contemporary as tomorrow's headlines.

PANORAMA: When an American artist debuts the world's first "motion picture" in 1846, he becomes an international sensation — and the country’s first millionaire artist. But he squanders fame and fortune in a battle with P.T. Barnum to be America’s top showman. Mixing history and fiction, this screenplay tells the true story of the creation of the "longest painting in the world." It's a rags-to-riches tale of an ambitious artist who realized his dream through hard work, talent and showmanship, then lost everything when his reach exceeded his grasp. It's a rollicking good story of an American original.        

SELF STORAGE: When an accountant abruptly loses his job, his wife and his apartment, he stumbles into a position as the live-in manager of a self-storage facility. Resigned to spending his time watching over rows of identical concrete-block boxes, he’s surprised one day when a mysterious woman shows up to rent a storage unit and ends up turning his life upside down. It’s the story of one man’s journey from the loss of the life he thought he wanted to the discovery of the life he really wants. In the process, he moves from putting his life in storage — literally and figuratively — to letting go of the remnants of his past to make room for his future.                           

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INT. ROOM - DAY

The man's fingers fly across the keyboard of his laptop.

POV: Over his shoulder we watch as words appear on the screen:

"That's four of more than two dozen feature film projects I have available, some as completed scripts, others as synopses ready to be developed. I also have pilot scripts for proposed television projects, as well as series proposals. Everything has been registered with the WGA and is ready for submission. Inquiries are encouraged and welcomed."

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