As the smooth-piping vocals of Michael Buble once uttered, “It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s a new Amateur Offerings!” And thank goodness. Cause there sure aren’t any movies worth leaving the house for this weekend. But we only have to wait so long. Soon we’ll have Ready Player One, Avengers Infinity War, Deadpool, Solo. This has the potential to be the biggest summer at the box office EVER. Can’t wait. But in the meantime, let’s help find the writer who’s going to be breaking box-office records in 2020!
If you’re new to Amateur Offerings, the rules are simple. Read as much as you can from each script and vote for your favorite in the comments section. The winner gets a review on the site next Friday.
If you believe you have a screenplay that will light the world on fire, submit it for a future 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: BREAKING SILENCE
Genre: Murder Twistery
Logline: A personally conflicted London detective hunts a serial-killer targeting child-abusers.
Why You Should Read: Quite simply I think this is a thrilling thriller. It has a dark theme but it ain’t SLEEPERS. There is no on-screen abuse of children. The graphic torment is reserved for their abusers. It’s inspired by a real-life scandal in the UK. After a politician uncovered a pedophile ring with prominent members – his report was ‘lost’, his house broken into and he became silent on the subject. This film supposes someone breaks that silence. And it happens to use every one of Carson’s recently written Screenplay Hacks. — One last note: I’m here to answer any questions/comments so please do me the favor (or favour) of reading this – my second ever script. And if you didn’t realize (or realise); American English and English English sometimes differs. As this one is set in London, I used the latter. I would DIE if ANYONE mistook this for sloppy writing. Thanks!
Title: Real Girls
Genre: Comedy
Logline: An aspiring teenage artist unwittingly discovers the identity of a Banksy-esque artist, and blackmails them into giving her art lessons.
Why You Should Read: I’ve advanced in the Nicholl, Austin, and the Bluecat contests, so I feel (hope?) I’m heading in the right direction. It’s also only 99 pages and has brief descriptions, so if it sucks, it’ll be the screenwriting equivalent of an unsatisfying quickie. Lastly, I thought the idea of Banksy actually being a little woman who drinks/smokes too much and is terrified of her mother to be funny, so that’s why I wrote this. To be clear, the character isn’t Banksy. It’s just inspired by her :)
Title: On the Sparrow
Genre: Western
Logline: When his wife is murdered and baby taken, a young Preacher in 1880’s Colorado forsakes his calling to become a bounty hunter and get his son back.
Why You Should Read: This script is a cross between Taken and the Dark Knight but set in the old west. Authentic to its time period, it has a grittiness that is prevalent with this genre. Westerns are glorious to look at on the big screen, with sweeping panoramas and intimate close-ups. The stories are personal but feel larger than life. At its heart, On the Sparrow is a tale of two pathways. The story of a father desperate to get his baby boy back and fighting the darkness that descends on him and the villainous couple that ripped his family apart and seeks to settle down and live a good life resulting from the fruits of their wickedness. In the end the pathways must cross.
Title: The Chamberlain
Genre: Sci-fi/Post-apocalyptic
Logline: After most of the population has been eradicated, a steward android must fulfill the last order of his deceased owners and find a worthy human that can take care of the little girl they left behind.
Why You Should Read: If you ever wondered what Ex-Machina and Mad Max would look like together, then look no further. I love this site and have learned so much from it. Not only the articles, but the comments sections too. I’m hoping all you kind souls will share your wonderful notes and help me make this script amazing!
Title: LONG STORIES SHORT
Genre: Survival
Logline: A compilation of six short stories based on true accounts of survival from all corners of the globe.
Why You Should Read: I know how hard it is to write an anthology script. But after watching the amazing Argentinian movie WILD TALES, I couldn’t stop myself from rising to the challenge. It’s incredible the amount of hard-to-believe survival stories in our history and I can’t help but feel so inspired by all of them. I think it gives us hope we can endure the unimaginable. I’ve been frequenting this site for many years now and it would be an honor to be thrown into the mix. If I get picked, thank you in advance to anyone willing to give this crazy project a read.
