Is it possible to love a title as much as I love “Neptune Beach?” No idea if the script’s any good. I’ll leave that up to you guys. If it isn’t, I may just buy that title from the writer. We’ve got a pretty nice variety of scripts this weekend, so I hope you guys check them all out. If you’re new to Amateur Offerings, read as much as you can from each script and vote for your favorite in the comments section.
As always, winner gets a review next Friday. And if you believe you have a screenplay that the world will fall in love with, submit it to Amateur Offerings! Send me a PDF of your script, along with the title, genre, logline, and why you think people should read it (your chance to pitch your story). All submissions should be sent to Carsonreeves3@gmail.com.
Title: The Cat Burglar
Genre: College Rom-Com/Heist
Logline: To get the girl of his dreams, a spoiled momma’s boy enlists the help of a feisty cat burglar who needs help blending in with their elitist law-school classmates, but her criminal antics put both of their careers at risk.
Why You Should Read: I like to combine genres that don’t often appear together, and so American Pie and Ocean’s Eleven collide to form The Cat Burglar. I also like to create stories with two polar opposite main characters who require each other’s help in some sort of symbiotic relationship that forces them both to overcome their flaws, so here we have a spoiled timid young man who is too afraid to talk to the girl he likes, and a stubborn female cat burglar who is trying to blend in with the rich and wealthy and funding that lifestyle by stealing from them. He can help her with her problem and she can help him with his, but because of their contrasting personalities there are fireworks and much needed drama. At least that’s the plan! Right now I’d love to hear the wisdom of the SS community. Thanks in advance.
Title: Apex Predators
Genre: One Hour TV Pilot
Logline: After ruthless insurgents destroy his family and raise him as one of their own, a man is recruited by a band of misfits that uses counter-insurgency tactics to take down the city’s worst criminals by any means necessary.
Why You Should Read: Apex Predators is intended to be an ensemble counter culture show in the tradition of ‘Miami Vice’ and ‘The Mod Squad’. The key theme is the impact of our past on our present. The team is filled with good people, bent into shadows of themselves by circumstance. I hope to get feedback to turn this into a polished sample.
Title: Powers
Genre: Action/sci-fi
Logline: In a world where most of the population have low-level superpowers, an estranged husband and wife must come together to save their wayward daughter from a dangerous gang who are exploiting her for her powerful abilities.
Why You Should Read: You’ve talked a lot about specs needing to be elevated to get attention, and I believe this script may be that unique combination of similar but different enough to grab readers’ attention. It takes a trope we’re all familiar with — superpowers– but makes it unique by creating a whole new world where everyone has superpowers and the majority of them are rather weak. Inside of this unique world, I tried to create an emotionally resonant story. Imagine Carrie but told through the POV of the parents. I feel that this story is strong enough for managers/agents to take notice, but I have no doubt the SS faithful will tell me if I’m wrong.
Title: Neptune Beach
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Murder Mystery
Logline: A reclusive detective with a haunting past returns to his rebuilding hometown, following a flu pandemic that crushed society, to solve the first murder in three years with the begrudging help of a younger, wannabe policeman.
Why You Should Read: I’ve been writing as a hobby for a few years now and have entered and won some local competitions and the likes. I’ve written a handful of scripts but I’m really happy with how this one turned out. I aim to create meaningful stories that connect with the heart and mind of the readers, Neptune Beach has been compared to films such as Mystic River and Silence of the Lambs. It’s a tale of justice and redemption that will, hopefully, hold the reader’s attention throughout.
Title: Chased
Genre: Action-Thriller
Logline: After seeing a dead man kill a federal witness then getting dismissed by the authorities, a teenager must use her circus-background skills to save herself and her family from a similar fate.
Why You Should Read: CIRCUS based films are back babeee (or so I heard, even though nobody knows nothing in Hollywood). CHASED is a fast-paced, tense, taut thriller that has our protagonist scrambling to stay alive while being – ahem – chased by scumbags intent on not-very-good-things. — A Female Protagonist – Circus-Related Skillset – Exciting Circus Scenes – Unusual Chase Scenes…with such spicy ingredients stewing in the pot, CHASED hopefully pulls off the rollercoaster thrill-ride I intended it to be.
