Mark Schweickart

Dreaming Don't Make It So
Film (short) Screenwriter A singer/songwriting couple confront their personal demons and their small-town 1980's claustrophobia, and us 3 original songs to help tell their story.

Liberty Rising Budget: $30M+ | Period Piece It is 1871, Paris is in flames, thousands lie dead in the street, there is no work for artists seeking commissions, yet somehow out of this convulsed landscape, sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi embarks on the quest to build the largest statue the world has ever seen, and make a present of it to a country little interested in his gift – the Statue of Liberty.(13-part limited series)

Maxxed At Intermisson Budget: $1M - $5M | Musical ⋄ Drama A six-part mini-series. The main character, Maxx, and her boyfriend, Jerry, are a young singer-songwriting couple, who move from the Midwest to Reagan-era (1983) Los Angeles to pursue their music, but inadvertently become involved with a Vietnam vet, Kaymus, whose survivor-guilt has led him into a dangerous life helping refugees flee El Salvador, and this new relationship evolves into a love-triangle that poses quite the dilemma for Maxx. In high-concept terms, think of Maxx as Liza Minnelli in “Cabaret” crossed with Meryl Streep in “Sophie’s Choice.”

A Whiff of Ether Budget: $0 - $100K | Romance Jessica and her would-be boyfriend, Colin, work for a cheesy ghost-hunting reality show that never finds anything otherworldly, but Jessica, for strong personal reasons, definitely believes in ghosts, so she convinces Colin to accompany her to her hometown in Illinois that is not far from Spoon River, which, as she claims, “is home to the most famous ghosts in America.” Despite its ghostly theme, this is not a horror movie, but rather a romantic-comedy-drama and although set in present day, it does incorporate several 19th century characters and their monologues from Spoon River Anthology (now in public domain).