Amber
It's old Detroit and a drunken Oscar Bralin is fired from his job at the Maxxess Motors automobile plant. He’s a single dad with a chip on his shoulder and temper to boot. The drive home is no picnic as our drunken Oscar finds himself tangled with another motorist. Oscar, an angry man with a torrid past, acquires a gun from the encounter and makes his way back home. Upon crashing into the bushes and barging in the house, he's met by his precocious ten-year-old daughter, Amber, who has his mac and cheese dinner ready. She recoils when she sees him drunk and notices the gun right away as he makes no effort to hide it. The police have tailed Oscar and arrive at the house, stirring up Oscar's emotions and fueling his anger. With Oscar distracted, Amber reaches for gun but Oscar's grip is sure and tight. The gun fires, Amber goes down. With the house surrounded and Amber down, a fatally emotional Oscar kneels in the front yard, places the gun in his mouth, and pulls the trigger.
Five years later, and Jerry and Ellen Bradshaw move into the Bralin house. Having made three attempts to have children, and relocating to Amber’s neighborhood, they feel this is their best chance at starting a new life. But they are not alone. It's not long after they move in that they encounter the lonely and needy ghost of Amber. Their first instinct is to leave the house, but they soon find out that once you've been “tagged” by a ghost, you take it with you. Moving is not an option.
Amber continues to make her presence known and her need to be loved in numerous ways. It isn't long before Jerry and Ellen become more comfortable with Amber despite their ongoing fear of the unknown and quarrels with each other. They want to help her move on, however, but are unable to as Amber's father, Oscar, torments her and the Bradshaw’s from the other side. It becomes a mission of the Bradshaw’s to eradicate Oscar so that Amber can move on in peace. They soon realize that the only way to do that is to bring in the only person who can deal with Oscar: her junkie mother who is living deep in the bowels of dangerous Detroit.
“Amber” – Semi-Finalist – LA International Screenplay Comp 2018
“Amber” – Finalist – Breaking Walls Horror/Thriller Screenplay contest. 2017
“Amber” – Semi-finalist – Los Angeles Cinefest, 2017
“Amber” – Semi-Finalist – Boston Intl. Film Festival, 2017
“Amber” – Finalist at the Stage 32 Happy Writers Screenplay Competition, 2016
AMBER Reader: Brad Wilson
Writer: Gary Piazza
Company: Higher Purpose Entertainment
Date: 12/1/2017
Logline:
A married couple who have had trouble conceiving, moves into a new house to find it’s inhabited by
the ghost of a young girl. They fall in love with her, but through their efforts they find a way to let the
girl go and find peace, allowing them to have the family they dreamed of.
Nutshell:
The Others meets The Awakening
Comment Summary:
Wonderful script! I read a lot of scripts and very seldom am moved to tears as I was when I got to the
end. Loved the way everything was tied up and I also love the fact that there were very few character
making so it was easy to follow getting the audience invested in each character. I’ve ready your work
before and you are definitely a talented writer.
COMMENTS
Formatting:
I felt the story was laid out perfectly. The beginning set AMBER up well as well as what we thought
was her father (until the very end). SO as we went through the story everything made perfect sense
and was all peeled away perfectly.
Concept & Originality:
Although we’ve seen movies in this arena it’s hard to come up with something original. I
thought what the writer was able to accomplish was very good. The way he told the story of
the family moving to a new house in a new city with the male lead going to work at a car
factory that figured so prominently into what happened originally in the story was very good
and fresh. It’s not a “creepy” or “spooky” film but rather a smart positive story with a happy
and moving ending.
DEVELOPMENT NOTES
Characterization & Dialogue:
All of the characters were terrific. One thing that really stood out to me was thinking about
our current political climate in Hollywood. This script offers opportunities for some African
American actors in very serious and well written roles which should be attractive.
Plot & Structure:
Wonderful innovative plot. I didn’t see any weakness. The story of a young girl who get shot
and killed by her “father,” later appearing as a ghost and latching on to a family that fell in
love with her enough to find a way to let her go. Really good!
Budget & Commercial Prospects:
Totally “commercial” appeal and a story that will play well in the U.S. and around the world in the
ever important foreign markets. I believe with the right casting this can be a real winner. The budget
does not need to be high. The car factory will be one of the biggest expenses and of course special
effects. My feeling is that the film can be done under the SAG Low Budget Agreement of $2.5 Million
and under. Unfortunately, this isn’t a script I can champion at this point. With the projects we have
going on, this would be too big a commitment and I don’t want to hold it up because I think someone
else could make this as is.
DEVELOPMENT
Project: Consider
Writer: Recommend
Next-Steps:
To me this script is ready to go out. Once a director is attached they will anoint the script with their
ideas but I would find it hard to believe they would have many ideas or notes as it’s very good in
current form and could be shot as is.
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This Script Is Loved By 3 Readers
The Writer: Gary Piazza
More Scripts From Gary
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