Shootin' The Shorts
Shootin' The Shorts is run by J.E. Clarke a longtime prolific screenwriter who loves to give others a little boost in the marketplace by highlighting why she believes their short script may stand out. She brings with her a loyal band of readers who share the same compassionate attitude who have joined her cause as it's grown and grown to connect writers with filmmakers on a monthly basis. Now it finds a home here on Script Revolution.
This is all about highlighting what makes a script great by focusing on the positives. You'll find no negative criticism or lists of issues here. Submitting a short script for consideration couldn't be easier, simply scroll down to the bottom of your script edit page and tick the "Submit to Shootin' The Shorts" checkbox. Please note; it takes time to get through all submissions, everything is subjective, and we're by no means saying these are the best short scripts on Script Revolution, they are simply the ones that have found an admirer within this section - CJ
The Tooth Fairy: ...Smile!!!
THE TOOTH FAIRY
An enthusiastic young girl is about to learn the Tooth Fairy always exacts a price.
Childhood can be a magical time. Santa Clause and The Easter Bunny are the obvious standouts, but that special little nocturnal sprite we know as The Tooth Fairy, must also be given honourable mention.
Tinsel, fairy-dust, and chocolate eggs aside, it’s just a little bit creepy when you consider all three of these magical creatures come at night while we are sleeping.
Tradition has it when you lose your milk teeth as a child you should place the tooth under your pillow just before you nod off to sleep. In the morning, if you’re lucky, and if you’ve been a good little girl or boy, you will wake to discover a delightful gift, usually one of the monetary kind - a small token symbolizing the beginning of your rite of passage from childhood into adulthood, courtesy of The Tooth Fairy.
Throughout history Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are depicted in pretty consistent good-guy fashion. The Tooth Fairy however can appear in many different guises – as male, female, with wings or wand, as pixie, dragon, ballerina, bat or rat, and commonly mouse – even, (according to Wiki,) as a ‘potbellied flying man smoking a cigar’! Huh?
Now, that’s really creepy.
Not nearly as creepy and macabre however, as the depiction of the titular character in James Barron’s one-page horror thriller – The Tooth Fairy.
One-page scripts are no easy task for writers but James Barron manages to skilfully weave a fully rounded tale with a shocking twist all in one page.
We open on Minka Avery, an excitable six year old girl (with a gap-toothed smile) waving a twenty-dollar note in front of her parent’s faces.
Look what the Tooth Fairy left! She exclaims.
The astonished looks on both parent’s faces tell us neither one of them left such a gift.
They stare at each other a moment, confused.
So what’s going on here? Where did this little windfall come from?
And why are Dad’s new pliers missing?
Filmmakers, are you looking for a micro-short in the horror genre with a denouement that will make your audience’s toes curl? Perhaps an entry for Shriekfest or Screamfest or one of the many other horror festivals going around? Well, look no further than James Barron’s, ‘The Tooth Fairy’. This is one tale you can definitely sink your teeth into.
The Script
About The Reviewer
L.Chambers has been writing all her life – especially in her head, and on scraps of paper. It’s only in the last few years she began to get serious about screen-writing. Prior to this she worked in the Features Department for ABC TV as a Program Assistant, and trained as a FAD. She currently...Read more
About The Writer
Go Fish - It Ain't No Game (Or is it?)
GO FISH
Two ten year old boys spend the evening in the family hunting cabin, playing cards and drinking beer.
It seems like fun until the reality of the day catches up with them.
When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once famously stated: ‘The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself’, it applied to a time when the world was on the verge of being fully engulfed in the flames of conflict. It was about reminding people that if they can stay calm and manage their fear, that they will overcome the horrors of war.
But if you were to apply this quote to a horror film or monster movie, it takes on a different meaning; it becomes a fascinating anachronism when embodied by the central protagonists and how they cope with fear itself.
It’s night. It’s the 1930s. Meet Henry and Samuel, two 10-year old boys, camping out in a remote hunting cabin. Both are covered in blood and mud while surrounded by creepy stuffed animal trophies ghoulishly adorning the walls of the cabin. It’s unclear why they are there and why they’re in such a bedraggled state. But one thing is clear… they enjoy playing GO FISH, and love it even more, when the winning player gets a turn at sipping from a large bottle of beer.
Henry throws his cards back on the table and grumps.
HENRY
Five.
Samuel gathers the cards then picks up the bottle.
HENRY
Can I have a little?
(beat)
Since I ain’t had any yet?
SAMUEL
You won yet?
HENRY
No.
Samuel eyes Henry as he takes a large mouthful.
Such is the way with young boys. Sometime all that matters to them is winning the game, and earning the right to brag… or drink the beer! But sometimes the game itself is a distraction.. From what or why isn’t directly addressed at first.
That in many ways is the beauty of Go Fish. You can feel an undercurrent of eeriness in the first few pages. It makes you feel unsettled, as you know there’s more to this picture than meets the eye.
Sure enough, the truth reveals itself with a sudden ferocity that comes and goes with the snap of a finger – or, would that be a claw?!? Suddenly you realize why the boys are bloodied and covered in muck, as they’ve been fighting off things that go bump in the night.
The brilliance of this script is in telling this story from the perspective of the boys. On the surface, they treat the horror no differently than one would cope with a pet gone rabid. They do not fear for the sake of fear itself, but as most inexperienced kids do, they just get on with things. Distract themselves with the fun of games, joshing each other, yappin’ about girls, and of course the glory of beer.
Kirsten James’ Go Fish is a truly unique and innovative story that blends the scariness of monster movies with how children cope with trauma - in a way that will leave you satisfied and really wanting to see more of this world she’s fashioned into narrative.
For filmmakers out there seeking to make a movie that oozes atmospheric potential, and also allows them to creatively explore a new and original take of a familiar genre, then look no further.
GO FISH and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you catch!
The Script
About The Reviewer
Jeremy Storey, originally hails from the United Kingdom, but now resides in Seattle, WA. He first discovered the joys of writing at school, penning short stories and collaborating on comic books with his friends. Coming from a writerly family, it was clearly in his DNA to tell stories. However,...Read more
About The Writer
Kirsten is an aspiring screenwriter in her mid 40’s, originally from NZ, living in the USA. She started writing short stories 5 years ago, and after a year learned that she was more geared to writing scripts. Kirsten has a degree in psychology and finds this a great asset to her writing.
...Read more
Dads - Family's More Than Flesh and Blood
Dads
An altruistic elderly gentleman tries to save a young prostitute from life on the street.
A subtle noir vibe permeates Canadian-based Ralph Shorter's screenplay, Dads. A duet character study imbedded in a gritty atmosphere – the kind that makes its presence known from line one:
It's dusk in the city as silver-haired, 50-year-old Dave sits in a diner - steaming cup of joe in wrinkled hands. That’s when he spots young and "strikingly beautiful" Randy through the window; she’s ambling down the sidewalk in full stride. Dressed in "a rabbit skin coat...thigh-high stiletto buccaneer boots (and) a black micro-skirt," Randy effortlessly catches Dave’s eye.
Intrigued, Dave watches Randy skip through a Hop-Scotch game on the sidewalk, check her makeup, and flip off teenage boys as they cat-call from a passing car.
Fortunately, Dave’s not that type. Instead, he waves Randy inside.
Before one can even wolf-whistle, Randy enters the diner and takes a seat next to Dave.
RANDY
I'm Miranda, but I prefer Randy.
If I'm the floor show, the least you can do is buy me coffee.
She proffers her hand. Dave shakes it… like the gentleman he appears to be.
DAVE
Dave. Worth the price of admission.
But their getting-acquainted banter quickly devolves into business – and takes an even darker turn.
RANDY
Like little girls, Dave? Looking for a real good time?
DAVE
Whoa, you've got me all wrong. I'm a married man.
Feeling disappointed and cheated out of a deal, Randy thanks Dave for the coffee – but flees outside.
Leaving behind a burning question: what precisely does Dave want? Will the two ever cross paths again? Or are Dave and Randy ships destined to pass in the night?
In true noir fashion, Randy's more than just a hooker with a troubled past. Depending on his motives, can Dave find a path to heal her damaged soul?
A thick mix of memorable characters and hard nosed dialogue, Dads paints a not-so-rosy portrait of less than picture perfect lives. If you're a filmmaker who loves dramatic characterization – colored with the soot of noir - Dads is a cinematic slice of life you should snatch off the streets and save yourself!
The Script
About The Reviewer
Über reader. I enjoy writing animated scripts, historical-fiction and westerns, when I'm not reading or researching new story ideas. So many ideas, so little time... Script Revolution is a great place to interact with old friends and make new friends. (As a former MoviePoet member, I...Read more
About The Writer
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Ralph Douglas Shorter ~ Screenwriter Resumé
About the Screenwriter:
I'm fairly well-rounded, educated (public, high school and college), and was advised many times to be a writer, so, of course, I became a designer for nuclear plants,...Read more
A Visual Rebirth: Sentient
Life, death, and mermaids.
GAVIN, a man of no definite age, lies alone, bobbing gently on the water.
Gavin sleeps in a dinghy on the open sea, drifting along blissfully unaware of what's to come. A mermaid appears startling him awake.
Gavin
Am I dreaming?
Enveloped as he is in the mystery of his circumstance, we have no choice but to continue - if only for ourselves.
Gavin
But where am I?
Mermaid
On the edge.
The dialogue well-crafted and precise; Gavin asks all the right questions to reveal his destiny.
He begins to pant fast, holding his chest. She smiles.
Starkly revealing, this script showcases amazing prowess in its ability to tap into the power of visual storytelling. Clocking in at a mere two pages, it manages to paint a vivid and engrossing tale that will stick with the reader far beyond the time it takes to read it.
The light is larger now, much closer. The mermaid offers her hand.
Tina manages to tap into a collective subconscious giving little in the way of direct explanation. Her unique take on fantasy furthers the spectacle and absolutely grips the audience from the very beginning until its remarkable end.
His shoulders sink below the waves. He screams, before his head disappears under the water.
The ubiquity of its story and depth of subject matter lends itself to success. Considering the eminence of The Shape of Water, I can see it performing spectacularly on a festival circuit. Filmmakers take note, with practical effects taking precedence, this film will be a joy to make.
Sentient is a visual treat and fantastical tour de force.
The Script
About The Reviewer
About The Writer
Studied at LCCA, creative media, where I wrote 'Spotted Dick, the Musical,' a comedy short, in song! Check it on my YouTube channel. Self published 4 novels. creator of 'the demon realm', tarot deck and book. all available to buy online. Studied occult for 40 years, so my writing reflects this....Read more
Undying Love Triangle - Somethings *Never* Change....
Undying Love Triangle
A vampire love triangle gone bad. Things are about to get real bloody.
It’s a pretty common story. A married man cheats on his spouse with another woman. The woman wants the man to leave his wife. The man promises to do so. But, the man doesn’t leave his wife. His lover waits.
Weeks, months or years pass by and man still doesn’t leave his wife. Finally, the woman ends the relationship. Or, waits some more.
Or…decides to kill the wife.
If the three are all vampires, that murder option seems pretty likely. And, Darren Seeley’s Undying Love Triangle shows just how complicated infidelity can become when all of the characters are out for blood.
When Teresa gets to the point of having had enough of being the other woman, she decides it’s time to eliminate Austin’s wife, Beth. Trying to appease her, Austin suggest to Teresa that they should just tell Beth. At least then, the two lovers would not have to sneak around any longer.
When the two lovers arrive at Austin’s home, Beth has just returned from her job at the hospital. Her job is tedious, but has its perks--tonight she’s been able to sneak out an icebox full of type AB.
The overhead florescent light flickers.
BETH
Work, dumb bastard.
The white glow from above stabilizes.
An empty juice container, a piece of masking tape, over the label. On the tape: a marker scribble:
AB -
Beth turns on the sink faucet, plugs the drain. She unscrews the lid on the container. Slips on a pair of dish-washing gloves.
A pair of scissors cuts a small corner of a blood bag.
Beth greets her husband when he enters the kitchen behind her, but quickly realizes that he is not alone.
What ensues is a delightfully messy end to the vampires’ –and the audience’s—understandings about loving relationships.
If you’re ready for a novel take on marital commitment, seek vicarious thrills by watching others’ struggles with trust issues, or just like bloody endings, you won’t want to miss Undying Love Triangle.
The Script
About The Reviewer
Julia Cottle is a cultural anthropologist living in Chicago. She has worked for years as a university instructor and researcher for organizations committed to social justice. She always has loved to write, but only recently has discovered the joy of film and stage writing.Read more
About The Writer
I have written several full length and short spec screenplays, which have gone through peer reviews at Zoetrope Talentville and Simply Scripts.
Attended the Austin Film Festival and Heart Of Screenwriter's conference in 2001 and 2002.
I occasionally volunteer to help out the...Read more
Damn Your Eyes - and Much, Much More....
Damn Your Eyes
A paranoid recluse fighting to expose mass government surveillance
finds a truth far more insidious than he ever dared believe.
Joseph Heller once famously wrote in ‘Catch-22’ : “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you”. Which in many ways is the central conceit of Steve Miles’ tense, psychological horror allegory “Damn Your Eyes”.
Meet Brookes. He spends his days cocooned in his home recording ‘truth-casts’ that make ‘Infowars’ and Alec Jones seem serene and sane by comparison.
BROOKES (V/O)
Closed circuit cameras, and surveillance drones
weren’t enough. No, they’re in our smart phones,
our food? And get this, we invite them in!
In between broadcasting fear-infused invectives over the airwaves, Brookes spends much of his day spying on his neighbors and their seemingly innocent activities - be it washing a car, or weeding. He’s convinced that his neighbors have malevolent intentions. And he won’t stand for it.
Greenfingers turns, tosses a weed into a bucket. She glances (Brooks’) way, casual.
BROOKS
I’m onto you bitch. I know all your spook tricks.
In addition to his obsessive spying, Brooks seems to subsist on something called ‘Natraceuticals’ – a set of supplements peddled to paranoid survivalists such as Brooks. He believes this medication is keeping him protected from the nefarious chemicals the ‘powers-that-be’ are suffusing into our food and water.
Life is fear and fear is life for Brooks. There is suspicion around every corner. Distrust in everything he sees, hears and feels. In short… he’s easy to write off as a complete and utter mad man.
But, what if there’s some truth to his reviled rambling? And maybe they really are after him? Read the exceedingly clever and creepy Damn Your Eyes to discover the spine-chilling and grotesque fate that awaits a disturbed man who may very well manifest a grim destiny of his own making.
If you’re a filmmaker inspired by movies such as Rear Window and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and directors like Hitchcock and Cronenberg, this is the ideal script for you. It thrills, chills and spills lot of eeriness from beginning to a great twist at the end. Your damn eyes won’t be disappointed.
The Script
About The Reviewer
Jeremy Storey, originally hails from the United Kingdom, but now resides in Seattle, WA. He first discovered the joys of writing at school, penning short stories and collaborating on comic books with his friends. Coming from a writerly family, it was clearly in his DNA to tell stories. However,...Read more
About The Writer
Started writing scripts around five years ago after realising his social life was vastly overrated. Enjoys writing in a variety of genres but leans toward raw, grittier characters and the worlds they inhabit - from the deadly serious to the darkly comic. Drinks coffee, owns an unhealthy amount...Read more
An Angel Whispers - What Will You Hear?
AN ANGEL WHISPERS
"A cynical reporter investigates a small-town supernatural tale, that can only be believed to be seen."
Ben is a veteran journalist chasing a story in the heartlands of rural USA. Folk in these parts like to talk of a miracle. The kind that hard-nosed reporters like Ben prefer to avoid. Yet as the investigation leads him from one witness to another it becomes clear that something out of the ordinary happened here.
And while no-one can say for certain what they saw, all are adamant on one thing: that what they heard that night was to change their lives forever.
As Ben’s search leads him closer to the truth, he’s forced to accept this story isn’t over. This is more than copy; this is a test of faith. And in order to come to terms with what happened here, Ben must confront the guilt of his own shattered past.
Only then can he believe that a tragedy playing out half the world away has the power to bring about redemption.
Jeremy Storey’s An Angel Whispers is a low budget treat for a director looking to make their mark through a dialogue driven story with real heart and soul. Featuring a handful of key players and a solid mystery at its core, this is a beautifully realized short script with universal appeal and the ideal fare for short film festivals.
The Script
About The Reviewer
Started writing scripts around five years ago after realising his social life was vastly overrated. Enjoys writing in a variety of genres but leans toward raw, grittier characters and the worlds they inhabit - from the deadly serious to the darkly comic. Drinks coffee, owns an unhealthy amount...Read more
About The Writer
Jeremy Storey, originally hails from the United Kingdom, but now resides in Seattle, WA. He first discovered the joys of writing at school, penning short stories and collaborating on comic books with his friends. Coming from a writerly family, it was clearly in his DNA to tell stories. However,...Read more
The Putt Putt Preacher - Wanna Score a Hole in One?
THE PUTT PUTT PREACHER
For Father Mahoney, it’s not just a game…it’s an act of God. And, a religious calling has never been funnier.
You ever wonder what the heck goes through the mind of a man of the cloth as he strays from his calling to pursue an obsession? Is it arrogance that blinds him to the potential consequences of his actions? Or, does he truly believe to be commanded by a higher power? For Father Mahoney, the protagonist of Jason K. Allen’s “The Putt Putt Preacher” it’s all of the above…and more. This priest takes hubris and an unshakeable belief in godly duty to absurd and hilarious extremes.
His obsession? Putt putt. He plays it A LOT. And, when he’s not playing, he’s expounding on the merits of the game or the amazing putting skill he possesses. The Father believes not only that he has been called upon to play the game, but that he plays it better than anyone…even Tiger Woods.
Utilizing mockumentary, the script centers on an interview with Father Mahoney interspersed with expert opinions and live footage that comically contradict his claims. For, as often happens with public figures who digress, Father Mahoney is convinced that he is above the rules of the game. As Father Mahoney calmly explains, “I play by God’s rules. And, if God tells me I get a do-over, I get a do-over.”
You haven’t seen the likes of Father Mahoney since Almodovar’s convent turned drug den in Dark Habits, or Jack Black turned wrestling champion in Nacho Libre. Indeed, Putt Putt Preacher makes holier-than-thou hypocrisy side-splittingly and wholly entertaining.
The Script
About The Reviewer
Julia Cottle is a cultural anthropologist living in Chicago. She has worked for years as a university instructor and researcher for organizations committed to social justice. She always has loved to write, but only recently has discovered the joy of film and stage writing.Read more
About The Writer
Jason Allen is a writer and filmmaker from Nashville, TN. He is also a wilderness guide, nature photographer and award-winning journalist.
His first feature film, Lucky Fritz, premiered at Cannes in 2009. He's won Best Screenplay honors at the Nashville Film Festival, San Diego Film...Read more
Slice - Everybody Deserves Their Cut
SLICE
A grieving widow uses her love of baking to exact
retribution against the system she blames for her suffering.
Helplessly witnessing a loved one's slow demise to a preventable illness can create wounds that mangle our sense of right and wrong. In order to reach closure after tragedies like that happen: isn't revenge sometimes just and fair?
Steve Miles' Slice delves deep into that theme.
When the script opens, Hetty Swain's already learned a hard lesson: "doing all the right things" doesn't always work. Particularly when a couples' love is up against a health care system's inhuman bureaucracy, sometimes "more time, more money and more insurance" is nowhere near enough. Though - once the inevitable happens, how far might a grieving widow go?
A former nurse, Hetty begins by taking a new job - determined to balance the books of life and death, right and wrong.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY
Hetty scans the contract, pen poised to sign. She looks up.
HETTY
I like to bake.
INT. WESTLAKE COLLECTIONS - MAIN OFFICE - DAY
Hetty slips a Tupperware box from a cooler bag. Adam cranes over a divider in anticipation.
Hetty pops the lid, places a sponge cake on a plate beside the coffee machine. She draws a knife from a sheath, divides the cake with a smooth, practiced hand.
PATRICIA
(whispered)
What do we got this week?
ADAM
(whispered)
Looks like a lemon drizzle.
Hetty withdraws the cart from the room. Voices rise as the door closes behind her.
MORGAN
Crazy old broad, ain’t she got nothing better to do?
PATRICIA
You don’t want your slice?
MORGAN
That’s not what I said.
Through a glass panel in the door, Hetty watches them descend on the cake - not a flicker of emotion in those eyes.
But Hetty isn’t a "crazy old broad". She has her reasons. Not to mention better things to do - just as soon as her treats are devoured by those who determined her husband's fate... based not on compassion, but hard and cold accounting rules.
If you’re looking for a topical revenge story where just desserts are served with a twist, Steve Mile’s “Slice” makes the cut - in many ways!
The Script
About The Reviewer
Linda Hullinger is an award-winning screenwriter and published author who has written thirteen short screenplays, three feature screenplays and two TV pilots. She’s had short stories, articles, and essays traditionally published in magazines such as Woman’s World, Over My Dead Body, Dogwood...Read more
About The Writer
Started writing scripts around five years ago after realising his social life was vastly overrated. Enjoys writing in a variety of genres but leans toward raw, grittier characters and the worlds they inhabit - from the deadly serious to the darkly comic. Drinks coffee, owns an unhealthy amount...Read more
Frequency: Things... Change
Frequency
Working alone in his mother's basement,
a young techie makes a scientific breakthrough which may cost him his life.
Meet young, unassuming Richard, and his brave, intrepid lab rat, George. Richard is working on a scientific experiment, that could literally change the world as we know it. All from the convenient confines of his ever-exacerbated mother’s basement.
FREQUENCY, written by John Hunter is a tasty nugget of sci-fi fun that takes a familiar trope – nerdy young adult living in their basement, while always the focus of their mother’s frustrated ire – and turns it on it’s head, in a most ingenious way. FREQUENCY asks the question… what if the nerdy young adult suffering from arrested development, really is changing the world from their mother’s basement? And all they want is time and patience to realize their dreams and make their mother proud:
RICHARD
George, I think I’ve finally got this figured out.
Different dimensions in time are separated like
stations on a radio. Just change the frequency
and BLAM – a different reality. Won’t my mom be proud.
But before he can do that, he most overcome one of life’s biggest hurdles first… being on time for dinner:
RICHARD’S MOM (V.O)
Dinner’s ready.
Interrupted in the middle of a scientific breakthrough, RICHARD snaps.
RICHARD
Just give me a few more minutes…
RICHARD’S MOM (V.O)
Dinner is ready, and I mean NOW!
As with most tales that involve the space time continuum, there’s the omnipresent threat of causation. FREQUENCY delivers on this concern in a most unexpected and clever way, that will leave the audience for this film with eyes wide open and mouth agape.
Will Richard make the scientific breakthrough of the century? Will George go down as the most important lab rat in history? Will they survive his mother’s veggie meatloaf? All of these weighty questions are asked and answered in this little gem of screenplay – perfect for the first-time filmmaker looking to flex their creative muscle on a limited budget.
Don’t waste any more time. Tune into FREQUENCY – you won’t be disappointed.
About The Reviewer
Jeremy Storey, originally hails from the United Kingdom, but now resides in Seattle, WA. He first discovered the joys of writing at school, penning short stories and collaborating on comic books with his friends. Coming from a writerly family, it was clearly in his DNA to tell stories. However,...Read more
About The Writer
Sent away to boarding school to get a fancy education, the members of my immediate family proudly referred to me as bilingual for an uncanny ability to speak both Standard American English and my native Cracker.
After graduation from a large brick and mortar university, a curious nature...Read more
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