This year I entered the NYCMidnight Short Screenplay Challenge, a competition that challenges writers around the world to create short screenplays (5 pages max) based on genre, location, and object assignments.
The competition began at midnight in New York on Friday (5am Saturday for us here in the UK) and the countdown began. Each group was assigned a different genre, location, and object and we all had 28 hours to finish.
As I’ve never written a professional script before, I had never used a screenwriting program but wanted to have the right tools on hand for the competition. The industry standard is Final Draft and although extremely expensive, I did mange to buy it on sale. The difference it makes for a screenwriter is incredible. This dedicated program does all the formatting for you meaning more time to dedicate to your writing.
Below is a copy of the script I produced and submitted.
(For the original PDF in it’s Final Draft form, click here.)
Group 13: Fantasy/Coal Mine/Gold Watch
The Quest for the Gold Watch
Two young men battle their way through a coal mine to reach the dragon who holds their only means of escape.
FADE IN:
EXT. COAL MINE – NIGHT
Two friends are using shovels to dig through a huge pile of coal covering the entrance to a mine. It is dark and the only light is emanating from their head lamps.
Tyler is 19 years old, mixed race with a red mohawk.
Jamie is 20 years old, white with a shaved head.
TYLER
What a great way to spend our Saturday night; becoming miners!
JAMIE
Stop complaining. The faster we do this the quicker we get home.
TYLER
We would’ve been home two days ago if you hadn’t been flashing the watch off to the first Elven tail you meet.
JAMIE
Like you wouldn’t have done the same to impress some hot guy?
TYLER
There were plenty of hot guys there but none worthy of seeing my treasure.
The two men laugh while continually throwing mounds of coal to the side.
Jamie is the first to break through and creates a hole large enough for them to enter the mine.
They put the shovels into their shoulder bags and switch on their additional hand-held torches before climbing in.
INT. MINE – NIGHT
The huge, dark tunnels are pitch black. Even with the aid of both torches and lamps, they are only able to see a few metres in front of them.
Jamie produces a map.
JAMIE
Right, Nehelga the dragon is on the other side of the mountain, through a series of connecting tunnels.
TYLER
You mean the same dragon who swooped down and snatched our only way home right out of your hand because you couldn’t take your eyes off some scantily clad elf with huge breasts?
JAMIE
Yeah, that dragon.
TYLER
Cool, glad we cleared that up.
JAMIE
I have no idea what to expect down here, but I’m sure Nehelga will have safeguards in place to protect her and the watch.
TYLER
You mean like that?
Tyler points his torch ahead. In front of them the wall literally comes alive as a man-sized golem made entirely out of coal pushes through the rock and races towards them.
JAMIE/TYLER
SHIT!
The golem pushes Jamie to the floor. Tyler is stood still, not knowing what to do.
JAMIE
(Breathlessly)
Light it up!
A puzzled Tyler looks at the torch he’s holding and throws it towards the golem. It bounces off and falls to the floor, having no effect on the stone man.
JAMIE (CONT’D)
The lighter you idiot!
TYLER
Oh, yeah!
Tyler ignites his Zippo lighter and throws it at the golem. The stone man jumps back from Jamie, roaring as his coal body is engulfed in flames. In a flash, the golem is reduced to a pile of cinders.
TYLER (CONT’D)
That was easy… For me at least.
Jamie stands, wiping soot and dirt off himself.
JAMIE
The torch? Seriously?
TYLER
(Shrugs)
It’s a light!
Scowling at his friend, Jamie retrieves a now filthy and crumpled map from the floor.
JAMIE
According to this, Nehelga’s lair is just around this corner.
As they turn to the right they see the cavern straight ahead. Curled up in the centre is a sleeping dragon. The huge, aqua-blue beast exhales fire with every breath, lighting the coal walls in a beautiful but deadly orange glow.
At the mouth of the cavern they pause to look around. The gold pocket watch is visible underneath the dragon’s head.
Piles of bones surround Nehelga and as the men edge forward, they come alive, forming a fearsome army of skeletons.
TYLER
As if a terrifying, blue dragon wasn’t enough, now we have to fight an army of the dead?
Panicking, Jamie searches through his shoulder bag lifting out different items including a live chicken, some stale bread and finally a huge, leather bound book.
TYLER (CONT’D)
Great, what you gonna do, read them back to death?
The bone army is 100 strong. Forming a shield around the sleeping dragon, they stand still in formation waiting for the men to make the next move.
Jamie flicks through the many blank pages of the book until he reaches a section near the middle which is covered in gold leaf text in a medieval font. He begins to read allowed.
JAMIE
The dead shall rise and die once more. Your time is done, be as before.
The text begins to glow and the letters fly off the page separating as they soar through the air. As they connect with the bone army, the letters transform into gold swords, now held in each of the skeleton’s hands.
TYLER
What you do that for?
JAMIE
I thought it would kill them.
The bone army laugh menacingly and begin a slow march forward
Jamie is frantically flicking through the book to find another spell.
TYLER
That wizard really did a number on us. 100 gold pieces for that thing.
JAMIE
It’s my fault, that was a zombie incantation, what we need is… this one.
With the bone army closing in, Tyler pulls out the only weapon he can find in his bag, a small dagger. While staring at the unimpressive 5 inch blade, Jamie reads from the book.
JAMIE (CONT’D)
RICKETS!
The bodies of the army begin to splinter and crack. In a last ditch attempt to attack, they lunge forward as the weapons disappear and their bones shatter and crumble into dust on the floor.
TYLER
Nice one! I do like the one word spells. So much more satisfying.
As the men are in mid self-gratulation, Nehelga opens her eyes, turns her head and roars at them.
TYLER (CONT’D)
Oh yeah, I forgot about her.
JAMIE
DUCK!
The two men just manage to miss the ball of flame ejected from the dragon’s mouth. Running into the cavern, they split up moving to either side. Nehelga snaps in the direction of Jamie, her fiery breath following his every move. The gold pocket watch is now in the centre of the room.
Jamie spots it first and dives beneath the dragon to retrieve the watch, but is pushed away by Nehelga’s huge paw. As she begins to inhale, ready to roast the intruder, Tyler jumps on the dragon’s tail and stabs the dagger into her blue flesh.
Nehelga’s head snaps back as she roars, scorching the roof of the cavern with fire and setting the coal alight.
Burning embers begin to rain down hitting the dragon and narrowly missing the two men. With a flick of her tail, Tyler is thrown against the wall and pinned in place by Nehelga’s paw. Triumphantly, the huge dragon opens her ferocious mouth and inhales.
TYLER
JAMIE! GET THE WATCH! QUICK!
Jamie stumbles up from the floor and rushes towards the now unguarded timepiece. As he grabs it, he looks over to his friend just as Nehelga begins to exhale.
TYLER (CONT’D)
OH SHI….
Fire engulfs Tyler and when Nehelga moves her paw away from the wall, only the scorched outline of him remains. With a swift jolt of her head, she turns to Jamie who now has the gold pocket watch in his hand. With a menacing look on her face she charges towards him ready to attack.
JAMIE
Time’s up!
Just before the dragon reaches him, Jamie presses the stopper on the top of the watch and vanishes.
WHITE FLASH
FADE OUT
THE END