SJD: A Rock & Roll Fantasy

Los Angeles International Screenplay Competition 2023 Quarter Finalist.

SCREENCRAFT COVERAGE:
SJD: A ROCK & ROLL FANTASY
by MH Heintz
A psychedelic and epic journey through a post nuclear war apocalyptic
America.
ScreenCraft celebrates great writing and provides guidance for writers to achieve their goals.
Standard Entry + Feedback Story Analyst FC97D Feedback Date: Apr 8, 2023
Logline
A psychedelic and epic journey through a post nuclear war apocalyptic America.
Strengths
The phrase "it's not cinema, it's an experience" gets thrown around quite often and it's rare that a
project actually fits that statement, but SJD: A ROCK AND ROLL FANTASY definitely proves itself to
be a script worthy of that title. At an overwhelming 200+ pages filled with two intermissions and a
myriad of classic music from the 20th century to Vivaldi, the script genuinely pushes the boundary
of what a screenplay can be as well as still telling us a compelling story.
The creativity in the project is definitely it's biggest highlight. Your attention to detail is great
(sometimes even a bit too much, which I'll touch on in the second section) and the worldbuilding
feels so realistic. From a field of 3 meter tall mushrooms to the true green sky of Earth after the
Mother bomb is detonated, you hold our hand as we're taken through this psychedelic and surreal
visual odyssey worthy of many of the songs you include. There's a lot of moments where the script
becomes a silent piece dedicated to the music instead, such as when we hear Winter by Vivaldi
and the piece is composed to the visuals with no dialogue playing at all. As such, the overall
viewing length for this project can far exceed the "1 minute per page" convention, especially with
the addition of the intermissions having two songs each.
In addition, the characters are also quite strong. In a way, we're so enamored by the world that
we're not as focused on the logic and relations presented. This isn't so say that those elements are
bad, as brief conversations between No Name and Crowley helped give us context about the world
and how it works. Dialogue is sparse, but when there is it feels genuine and convincing. There
were also some stand out lines, like "That hate in your eyes can only melt ice boy. I’ve been fluid a
long time. I’m fluid ‘cause I’ve been around a long time." and the slang used by characters such as
"Stray" or "Bunker Baby" really helped with the worldbuilding.

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL SCREENPLAY COMPETITION COVERAGE:
Analysis:
Structure/Plot:
The writer has created a singular and creative vision for a post-apocalyptic adventure
story that has elements of surrealism and creative world-building elements. The script
deviates from traditional structure at times but this is done in service to a grand and epic
story that the writer is sharing.
Character:
No Name, the central protagonist, is plucky, serious, and determined to follow his own
path and that made him relatable to the reader. It is hard to imagine what a world would
look like if annihilation occurred, but the writer joins an esteemed group of creatives who
have challenged themselves to envision a world like this. The writer weaves together an
engaging group of supporting characters, both allies and antagonists – including animals
like Jack, the monkey.
Dialogue:
One compelling element about this material is the dialogue is not used to just cover
exposition, which would be the instincts for a lot of writers describing this type of hellish
world. Instead, the writer crafts dialogue that is authentic to the scenes and the characters.
The world-building slowly comes together through the conversations No Name and other
characters have and the writer used restraint to let the reader know what this world is like.Conflict:
No Name is just trying to survive and figure out where his place in the world is and every
step, he takes there is more danger to challenge him. This is a script about a man versus
the harsh world that surrounds him. Is this real or is it all in his head and he is stuck in an
insane asylum? The writer seems to leave that up to the reader to decide for themselves.
Emotional Investment:
No Name, Jack, and The Blonde (and a whole cast of supporting characters) are wellcrafted characters with complexity and depth to who they are and what they seek in this
world that has gone mad around them. The reader was engaged in their journeys and was
satisfied with the ending where No Name (Walter) and Blonde (Mary) finally come
together in the end.