Screenwriting : Sci-Fi/Fantasy contest -- who submitted? by Pat Alexander

I submitted my screenplay Liability Insurance. Liability Insurance is a character-driven speculative fiction thriller set in the 2050's, when Generation Alpha are now adults. It's a society with "safety" as its central organizing principle, where AI and virtual reality have become so pervasive that there are "many kinds of real". Not to give away too much, but the physical world does manage to intervene. Liability Insurance was a "Second Rounder" at the Austin Film Festival 2023, as well as a Finalist in the Portland Screenplay Awards 2024 and a Semifinalist in the Vail Screenplay Contest 2023.

Get your submissions in writers!

Hello! I submitted Episode 1 of Prophecy of Thol, which is a science fiction adventure book series which consists of 5 novels. Episode 1 had done pretty decent in script competitions:

• Quarterfinalist ~ Geneva International Science in Fiction Script Competition 1/13/2024 • Finalist ~ Sensei Film Fest 12/11/2023 • Quarterfinalist ~ Filmmatic Sci-Fi/Fantasy Awards 12/15/2023 • Semifinalist ~ Climax Critics Awards 5/18/2023 • Finalist ~ MAGMA Film Festival (Hawaii) script award 4/19/2023 • Quarterfinalist ~ PageTurner Screenplay Competition 3/28/2023 .

Logline: Recurring nightmares haunt D’laine Jackson when she wakes from an eight-month coma following a tragic accident. Five years later, she finds herself living in her nightmare.

It also received a Readers Favorite silver award in book format. It was reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite, and he wrote the most fabulous review ever. Here it is. Let me know what you think.

Readers who adored The Chronicles of Narnia will find Prophecy of Thol by Dawn Greenfield Ireland to be equally delightful. First it is the accident, then an eight-month-long period in a coma. Then come the nightmares that are as troubling as they are inexplicable. Years later, just as D’laine Jackson prepares to go to college, she experiences an unusual occurrence and suddenly wakes up in a strange world — not so strange to her, though, because she’s been part of this world in her nightmares — where she encounters the creatures of her dreams. She can’t go back to Earth, but can she figure out her mission in Thol quickly enough to avoid being consumed by what threatens this parallel world? Dawn Greenfield Ireland is a great storyteller and I enjoyed the way she created D’laine Jackson. She is not your run-of-the-mill character. Having suffered a tragedy, she is haunted by nightmares and eventually discovers that those nightmares, or the creatures and people in them are actually real. At the time of her preparations for college, she seems to have a normal life, or a semblance of it, but then suddenly everything changes when she is transported to Thol through a portal. The world building is impeccable, and even though Thol is nothing compared to Earth, the author gives it a life of its own. The protagonist and the other characters are well developed, the setting is vivid, and the conflict is strong. I enjoyed the psychological conflict born from the protagonist’s struggle to reconcile with the fact that she may never get back home. The narrative is balanced, deft, and punctuated by vivid descriptions and beautiful dialogues. Prophecy of Thol features a colorful setting, an atmospheric style of writing that engages the reader, and great plot lines.

Sorry this was so long... I was excited!

My wife, Minky, has always urged me to let my characters speak for themselves instead of putting my words in their mouths. While I'm primarily a DP and VFX Supervisor, I've spent years writing documentaries for BBC, NatGeo, Discovery, and even worked in writers' rooms for various TV series.

After some back-and-forth about the dialogue in a current project, I challenged Minky to pick one of my scripts and rewrite it. She chose "THE BELT," a story about an asteroid prospector who discovers an alien artifact. He reluctantly teams up with an eccentric astrobiologist from Earth to decipher the alien writing, only to find out that the aliens are hungry and we're on the menu.

She sent the screenplay to Greenlight Coverage, an AI-based script analysis company used by many studios and streamers for its consistent feedback. My script got a 79% rating and a "PASS." OUCH! While world-building, plot construction, and originality all scored high (9/10), character development, dialogue, and emotional engagement were lower (7/10 and 6/10).

Minky took their detailed feedback and made revisions. The second submission scored 86% and a "CONSIDER." After more tweaks, the third pass got a 99% and "RECOMMEND," making it one of their most highly recommended sci-fi scripts of the year.

I initially liked my characters as they were, but I now appreciate the improvements. Their arcs are more defined and intersect in unexpected ways, the sense of urgency is integral, and the tempo no longer lags in the middle. So, after 35 years of making movies, and nearly a hundred scripts, this is our first screenplay competition entry. We chose Studio 32 for its well-established industry prominence and the validation its competition provides.

Night of the Banjhakri - A restless young Sherpa sees a path to new adventure when a hi-tech corporation arrives on a mission to save the planet. But when the corporation's actions awaken vengeful mountain spirits, it becomes obvious that it won't be the planet that needs saving. The Banjhakri are watching!

Have submitted my grounded Sci-Fi/Thriller "Still in Time". It's "I am Legend" meets "Annihilation". Logline: "When a tenacious detective discovers a duplicate Earth, frozen in time and crucial to humanity's survival, she must battle an unhinged scientist hellbent on destroying it."

Logline: A family struggling to survive the devastating future effects of climate change is aided by a foreign stranger who helps them fight off a gang of marauders who covet a valuable resource - the family’s young daughter.

I was compelled to write the science fiction feature length screenplay, Broken Worlds (formerly titled Sandstorm), because I am deeply concerned about the future effects of climate change. I am saddened to think of future generations living in dire conditions if the issues are not resolved immediately. If the powers of major nations continue to procrastinate, the chance of solving the problem is slipping away, if it is not already too late. I want to convey the message to a wide audience and drive home the urgency to act now. My hope is to alert people and heighten their awareness. The United Nations and the University of Oxford University recently polled a wide range of people and they found 64% of them believe climate change is a global emergency. I aim to reach the other 36%. I did not want the message to be heavy-handed. My main goal was to deliver the message while telling an entertaining story. The script follows a typical family struggling with the effects of climate change 50 years from now. They are merely trying to survive, eke out an existence. Every problem they encounter compounds because of these conditions, making life unbearable. The family represents a microcosm of the world. They are protected by an alien from another galaxy. He serves as a metaphor for an outsider’s view of the madness transpiring on Earth since his home planet fears that climate change will cause Earth’s destruction and affect their own planet. He becomes their savior. He defends and protects them. How many families will have a savior to protect them? The effects of climate change are not hyperbole. It is supported by fact. Hence, the script is based on a true story in the future.

Awards (Broken Worlds and Sandstorm): Finalist at Los Angeles Int'l Screenplay Awards; Best Feature Screenplay USA Winner at New York Screenwriting Awards; Finalist at Creative World Awards; Coverfly's The Red List: Top 3% of All Projects; Best Sci-Fi Screenplay at Los Angeles Film Awards; Finalist at NYC Int'l Screenplay Awards; Best Sci-Fi Screenplay at New York Film Awards; Finalist at StoryPros Awards Screenplay Contest; Best Unproduced Script at Santa Monica Int'l Film Awards

Sadly, no. I initially was intending to have the final draft of my new sci-fi/action script THROUGH finished in time... but then I got covid and spent a week basically sleeping non-stop! lol I am still working on the rewrites, about a week behind. :(

GJ Harvey That sounds badass, and I TOTES wanna read it!!

I submitted my script The Killing Dream. Think Blade Runner, Brainstorm and Contagion get mixed up and define a world where a deadly STD has made sex illegal, and a technophobic cop with an axe to grind has to find out who put a killer virus in the AI driven virtual sex network before more people die.

I submitted a script about a female agent in a high fantasy world who gets pulled out of semi-retirement to save her mentor from a deadly assassin. There are plenty of jokes and stabbing in the script called An Honest Game.

I submitted my script "System Shutdown".

TL;DR; Today, our interface with AI is literally in the palm of our hands. In a near future, it is embedded in our brains. System Shutdown' combines the post-apocalyptic family drama of 'A Quiet Place' with the AI-focused ethical questions of 'Transcendence,' set in a collapsing society reminiscent of 'Children of Men.'

LOGLINE:

In a near future, a solar flare renders most of AI-enhanced humanity useless. A father must navigate the collapse of society and ally with the non-chipped to find his children and confront the consequences of technological over-reliance.

SYNOPSIS:

Not long from now, humanity has become heavily reliant on artificial intelligence and neural implants. John, a widowed tech executive and father of two, is fully integrated into this AI-dependent world. His son Lucas embraces the technology, while his daughter Emma remains skeptical. Despite Emma's reluctance, John feels pressure to ensure both children are "enhanced" for their future success.

Everything changes when a massive solar flare strikes the Earth, causing widespread destruction and rendering all AI systems useless. Enhanced humans, including John, are left struggling to function without their neural implants. Society quickly collapses, and John must navigate the ensuing chaos to reunite with his children, who were separated from him during the disaster. Along the way, he forges an unlikely alliance with Ava, a resilient "unchipped" woman who helps him survive in this new world.

As John searches for Emma and Lucas, he confronts hostile groups, including the "Chippies," and begins to question the choices that led to this catastrophe. The journey forces him to confront his own biases and relearn basic human skills. With Ava's help, John fights to reunite his family and finds a newfound appreciation for human resilience and ingenuity. Together, they face the challenge of rebuilding society and redefining what it means to be human in a world forever changed by its technological dependence.

Submitted Recapture/Nexus

In a galaxy scarred by war, a family finds itself at the center of desperate battle to keep the peace when a rogue general attempts insurrection, bent on escalation.

Massive world building, intense action sequences.

I am working to get it read... Recent feedback from a written pitch session here on Stage 32... "The writer does a strong job laying out the pieces that make up RECAPTURE/NEXUS. The protagonist is clear and the story seems like one that would attract an audience on streaming a la last month's ATLAS. " I'll take that!

Good luck to all.

"System Shutdown," if the script is as good as the basic idea, wow,!

"DAWN 3000 A. D. The Mindslayer Odyssey" I have submitted my international screenplay spanning the US and Tibet/Kashmir. " Imagine a world where it is the end of knowledge since all that is knowable is known. Where female sacrifice is the only newness since in the throes of death, life reveals new possibilities of the body, mind and spirit. Where women have been decimated and men are enslaved by lethal Artificial Intelligence. Emerging from the sacred caves of Tibet, Dawn – the last girl on Earth, must master the ancient Life Intelligence powers to save humanity and avenge her mother's death. Her warrior quest is to confront the TRIAD, a frightening combination of domination, device, and death who are birthing immortal Qu-Gene anti-life. Dawn embarks on a perilous journey along with five OUTLAW boys guided by a half-elephant, half-man yodha and a marvelous bird, across cyclical time and multi-verse space, overcoming unimaginable trials. Beyond the mind and technology, she learns humanity’s last hope lies in the arts to enliven and unify humans and connect with their unbounded self. This epic journey culminates in a mind-bending showdown in Kashmir the Paradise on Earth. Dawn's ultimate gambit could either save humanity or doom it forever. Love becomes the power of the Life of life and the death of Death."

I submitted "Red Death", a sci-fi horror: A young archeologist awakens an ancient curse that could destroy the entire human race in the galaxy, and the only one holding the cure died 7000 years ago. She must find his remains to create an antidote before a vengeful alien being destroys them and unleashes the curse upon the human civilization.

Submitted by SciFi titled, ZONA NORTE

Logline:

In the aftermath of the Second Mexican American War between Mexico and the breakaway authoritarian state of Texas, a double-amputee veteran must unravel the mystery of his missing wife and confront the dangers of transformative technology in post-apocalyptic Tijuana, Mexico, 2055, and restore balance to a society teetering on the edge of collapse.

COMPS: BLADE RUNNER 2049 meets CITY OF GOD (or CHILDREN OF MEN)

WORLD:

Zona Norte, a gritty neon cyber-noir landscape in the year 2055, pulses with the chaotic energy of a post-apocalyptic Tijuana, Mexico. The district, scarred by the Second Mexican American War, is a melting pot of shadowy figures, black-market dealings, and cutting-edge technology. In this dystopian red-light district, the line between human and machine blurs as cybernetic enhancements and transformative technologies seduces those seeking power or escape from their tormented pasts. Amidst the perpetual twilight, the resilient inhabitants of Zona Norte navigate a world where deception, violence, and the allure of the forbidden coalesce in a symphony of survival and desire.

SYNOPSIS

Buckle up for a wild ride through the neon-soaked streets of post-apocalyptic Tijuana. It's 2055, and the fallout from a tactical nuke party between Mexico and the breakaway state of Texas still lingers like a bad hangover.

In this world, the neo-fascist Fighters of Conquest (FOC), backed by Texas, and the Guerrillas Unidos Arrasando Poderosos Opresores (GUAPO), a bunch of cartel gangs fighting for Mexico, wage a proxy war for control of the SCAM (Self-Cybernetic Actualized Biocentric Agile Mutation) technology. Controlled by the Hyperblock, an evolved form of blockchain technology, the SCAM allows soldiers to mutate in real-time, adapting to the battlefield like a chameleon on steroids.

Enter Alex Bravo, a battle-hardened ex-Marine, numbed by Fentamine, a mysterious Mayan destiny, and a past that haunts him like a bad trip. A double amputee with black-market bio-tech legs, Alex is on a mission to find his missing wife, Jessica, navigating the twisted streets of Zona Norte with the determination of a pit bull. Haunted by visions of ancient Mayan gods and the weight of his own demons, Alex will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind Jessica's disappearance.

When Alex runs into Lana, a dame with a heart of gold and circuits to match, he's pulled into a mind-bending plot to steal the SCAM tech from under the noses of FOC and GUAPO. To pull it off, they'll need a crew of misfits and mercenaries, each bringing their unique brand of crazy. There's Tom, Chuck, and Jenna, a trio of hired guns who banter like old friends. And then there's Kukulkan, Alex's childhood friend turned GUAPO leader, with more tricks up his sleeve than a Mayan shaman.

As they navigate Zona Norte's underbelly, they're caught in a web of double-crosses and hidden agendas courtesy of Gustavo, the smooth-talking fixer with connections on both sides of the border; Pakal Palen, the enigmatic GUAPO leader with a secret tied to Alex's past; and Alfred Blitz, the FOC's neo-fascist golden boy with dreams of ethnic cleansing and totalitarian control. Alex starts to question everything, including Jessica's role and the true nature of the SCAM tech.

With each twist and turn, Alex is drawn deeper into a labyrinth of secrets and lies, where the lines between friend and foe blur like the neon-lit streets of Zona Norte. As he unravels the mystery of Jessica's disappearance and the true power of the SCAM tech, Alex must confront the ghosts of his past and the looming specter of his Mayan destiny.

In the end, it all leads to a blood-soaked showdown in the heart of Zona Norte, where Alex must face his demons, the forces vying for SCAM tech, and the unfolding of his Mayan destiny. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Alex must decide whether to embrace his destiny or forge his own path in a world gone mad.

"Zona Norte" is a genre-bending thrill ride, a tale of love, loss, betrayal, and redemption set against a backdrop of neon decay and high-tech intrigue. In a world where the line between man and machine is razor-thin, sometimes the only thing you can trust is the fire in your heart—if it hasn't been replaced by a black-market power cell or worse, a SCAM-enhanced monstrosity.

Greetings, my name is Alex Luu and I submitted a Scifi/Dark Fantasty Tv pilot called, "Gouryella".

My first attempt at writing a screenplay, I wanted to see if I could finish at least one script. After a month of fumbling through the initial idea, I was able to flesh out a tv show that I'd be happy with. A year and a half later I am now finished with a complete season with 10 one hour episodes. I was originally going to keep the script to myself as more of a milestone, but I see this opportunity as a chance to grow and learn. Being comfortable with sharing my ideas and art is something I struggle with due to insecurity and fear of failure. Regardless if this show ever gets made or is thought as of nothing more than amateurish. It's just nice to say at least I put myself out there.

Eps. 1 Synopsis: On the way back from a mission, a space militia group named, "The Wolf Brigade" receive a distress call from a nearby planet named July. During investigation, they find all the inhabitants of July to either be missing or placed in a strange seizure-like state. Things go from bad to worse as members of their party are picked off one by one.

Hi, I submitted "The Spirit of Renewal," about a man whose young brother disappeared 20 years ago from a beached paddleboat. Then, his stepson disappears in the same way and he's once again suspected of murder. With help, he discovers a portal on the paddleboat and tries to get his stepson back. My 30 minute audio drama podcast, "The Portal," is adapted from this screenplay. You can listen to it on feverdreamspodcast.com.

Hi gang. I submitted, "The Green Machine". It is a Sci-Fi Comedy that takes a hard look at planet Earth's garbage problem. It has received a Recommend in professional coverage.

Logline: The selfish, cynical owner of an illegal junkyard must fix the world’s trash problems in thirty days, or an alien race will evict Mankind and plunder what is left of Earth’s natural resources.

Gotta check this out Pat Alexander and thanks for sharing!

My Prophecy of Thol Episode 1 made it to the quarterfinals! I'm thrilled to even be ON the list. And, I changed the cover.

The new cover.

Hi, I submitted "Jimi Hendrix Saves the World" about two friends, recruited by A.I. to travel to 1969 Woodstock and find the one person who can save the world.

Don Sano - I saw Jimi Hendrix way, way back when in Springfield, MA. Janis Joplin as well. Those were the days.

That must have been incredible. I'd give anything to have seen Jimi play live.

I had dinner with him and the rest of the Experience (Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell), May 1967 in Washington, DC.