NYC Midnight 2015 Screenwriting Challenge - DONE!

OK, I have been remiss in my duties here.  I finished up and submitted my entry into the 2015 Screenwriting challenge over a week ago and I haven't posted it, or a link to it, here, yet.  this post is aimed to remedy that situation as I present, for you perusal and hopefully, enjoyment, my screenplay titles 'Drisa.'

This is a screen play in which I was limited to 12 pages to tell my fantasy story of adoption while including a personal assistant.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/71v4qpfr8anpgp9/35_DRISA.pdf?dl=0

Please comment below and tell me your thoughts on it!

Dan

The Vacation

Following is my submission to Round one in the NYC Midnight Short Screenplay Challenge 2014.  My group was assigned to write Fantasy, in a submarine with a magnifying glass.

I hope you enjoy it!


THE VACATION



Sarah and Abraham won an all-expense paid cruise to exotic places but it was more than they bargained for.


FADE IN:

INT. DAMP, MOLDY, DIRTY ROOM OF A SUBMARINE.

Sarah and Abraham are sitting in chairs on either side of a small table. On the table are various small petrie dishes and other glassware.

ABRAHAM

(with complaining tone)

Free cruise around the world she says. We'll travel to exotic places and see rare marine life she says. All expenses paid she says. The chance of a lifetime she says. Look where its gotten us... on the bottom of the ocean!

SARAH

(placating tone)

Now, dear it is all expenses paid and we are seeing marine life we haven't seen before.

ABRAHAM

You never mentioned the fine print, though, did you? You didn't mention we wouldn't be leaving the vessel. Nor did you happen to mention that we would be working in order to acquire our accommodations and food.

SARAH

OK, I may have mislead you but isn't it nice being away from the forest. Isn't this exciting?

ABRAHAM

It was nice for a few days, it was exotic , it was different, but that was 3 weeks ago! Now its just monotonous...

FADE TO BLACK

FADE IN:

INT. DAMP, MOLDY, DIRTY ROOM OF A SUBMARINE.

Straightening up from crouching over the table and gesturing with the magnifying glass in his hand.

ABRAHAM

OK, I will admit it is all expenses paid, but I would sure like to at least see the sun! And this exotic marine life isn't exactly easy to see even with this magnifying glass!

A loud mechanical buzzing invades the space downing out any additional dialog for the next 10 seconds as it ends...

ABRAHAM

(picking up in mid sentence)

Sheets on the bunks. I wish they would stop with the noise already. It reminds me of when you tried to learn to drive the old desoto.

SARAH

Well I did learn to drive it eventually. I think the problem may have been that...(the rest is drowned out by the recurring noise)

ABRAHAM

(once noise subsides)

Every other day, we are tormented by this noise. There is a pattern there, but I don't understand it. Can you dampen the vibration and quiet it down?

SARAH

I could but my reserves are down, I need the sun and fresh air to recharge.

ABRAHAM

OK, my love, don't worry about it. Let's see if we can't get some more work..(the rest of what he is saying is once again drowned out by the noise.)

Abraham waits for the noise to finish then sits back down to the table and holds the magnifying glass over a small dish. after a few seconds of looking

ABRAHAM

(IN A SATISFIED TONE)

Well, look at that I think I see a blue one but he won't stay still. Can you cast a stop motion spell here for a moment so I can grab it.

Sarah gestures with her hand and mutters under her breath

SARAH

There that is all I can do for now, my magic is all but depleted with the hull almost totally blocking me.

ABRAHAM

Got it! Thank you dear. Hopefully this is enough for today my eyes are getting hard to focus. Can you put this in the transporter?

Abraham hands a small pipette to Sarah who walks over to a small panel on the wall. She pushes the red button next to it. The panel opens and Sarah squirts the contents of the pipette into the receptacle. She then types in a code and hits the green button and a sound of water flowing is heard.

SARAH

I think that is all we need for our upgrade to...

Her voice is once again drowned out by the sound but this time it lasts a good 20 seconds. As it goes on both Abraham and Sarah stand and look at each other. The light gets brighter in the room as the noise stops. Then nothing happens.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

INT. DAMP, MOLDY, DIRTY ROOM OF A SUBMARINE.

ABRAHAM

Three days. Three days we've been waiting for our upgrade. They said it would be 'soon' but now its been three days.

SARAH

Now, Abraham have patience, these things take time. They've always followed through in the past, there must be a delay for some reason.

A blinding light fills the room and Sarah and Abraham come together in an embrace as a large circular object intrudes on them from the ceiling and they are swept up into it.

As they disappear the camera zooms out farther and farther to show a pipette stuck into a dish with small compartments and a water sprite holding a magnifying glass.

WATER SPRITE

(in her own bubbling language with subtitles)

Found a mating pair this will earn us a penthouse!

FADE TO BLACK

NYC Short Screenplay Challenge

Was surfing the book of face this afternoon and a page was suggested to me.  That page was for the NYC Midnight's Short Screenplay cChallenge 2014.  I followed the link (http://www.nycmidnight.com/Competitions/ShSC/Challenge.htm) and started reading about the competition.  It looks interesting to me. The one part that has me hesitant is having to pay for the entry, but I think it could be a good investment to get some feedback on a bit of writing I produce.

The intriguing part is that they will provide a genre, a location and an object which provide the framework for the screenplay. I might just register adn see what I can do.

The early entry deadline is tomorrow (9/25/2014) which saves $10 off the entry fee.

Novel or Screenplay

As I'm writing my novel, "A Quarter Ton to Kona",  I see that there is massive competition for resources in the novel space and it scares me a bit.  I really think my novel is a pretty inspirational story and that it could well help people make positive changes in their lives.  My fear is that the message won't be seen by very many if I stick with the novel format.  If I could get it made as a movie, I think it has a much better chance of reaching people.  I can actually see it in my mind as the movie plays out.  The scenes are perfect for the screen and it might actually allow there to be more subtle nuances than I have written, depending n the actors used.

I have other ideas that seem to play out in my mind as if they are on a screen.  I can see and hear the action and ambient or background sounds as well as see and feel the dialog. "The Elevator Story" also lends itself to that type of presentation.  I can see scenes and action and I think it might play out better on the screen than what I can write.

This brings me to my dilemma: do I continue to work on both of these, editing and rewriting them as novels, or should I look at them as screenplays and rewrite them as such?  Should I write the novels and adapt them to the screen?  I just don't know.  I'm more comfortable in the novel arena as I have read many, many novels, but never looked at a written screenplay.  That is my big hesitation.

What would you do?????