FADE IN: Pawn Screenplay
Drama | Thriller
NOTE: I’ve written ten feature screenplays + multiple series episodes. Many submitted for competition did well, most in first draft format. I think each and every one is worthy of further development. If you are in the business and would like more info on what I have posted (and more!) feel free to reach out.
Logline:
Martin sleepwalks through life working in a Detroit pawnshop. When his Russian boss Sergei expands his illegal operations, Martin is caught between present loyalties, and his own hidden past.
Awards/Recognition:
StoryPros Awards Contest — QUARTER FINALIST
Creative World Awards — QUARTER FINALIST
StoryPros Awards Contest — FINALIST
Academy Nicholl Fellowships — TOP 20%
Nicholl Fellowships Reader Notes:
It’s hard to write a log line for this story that doesn’t sound like a film noir parody, but what’s really going on in this well-written script is hard to put into words. These characters are so alive, they jump off the page and I would’ve followed them no matter what their story was.
Redemption and running from the past seem to be primary themes here, but what really struck me was the realistic way the characters spoke, the mannerisms and obsessions that gave them depth, the minimal description that set the scenes up so well, and that indescribable “it” that separates talented writers from the rest.
It’s all in the details: a depressed lonely bachelor who collects LPs and baseball cards; a hilarious co-worker of Martin’s with lines so expressive and earnest that I could almost “hear” him screaming them; the well-meaning but ruthless Russian killer whose gentle way of talking gave me goosebumps, etc. Oh, and it’s suspenseful and mysterious, too.
There were many questions left unanswered, but I don’t know that they needed to be. The writer made me want to know more, which is another “it” factor that makes writers like him/her stand out.
Notes:
This was the first feature I ever wrote, and looking back, it’s pretty darn good. If I say so myself. I drew heavily in tone and style from my time living in downtown Detroit in the 90s. I do admit that there’s a certain Tarantino vibe to the thing, but not so much that it doesn’t have an original voice. And more heart.
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