Filed under: John Jameson Productions
John Jameson Productions, founded by John Jameson Whiskey, runs a yearly competition to submit a 200 word synopsis for a 3 minute short film with an unexpected ending. Now in it’s 3rd year, the competition promises 6 finalists to be picked from the submissions for the next round, to write up a 3 min screenplay. 3 scripts are then picked out of those 6 finalists to have their project produced with a budget of $20,000. Not bad!
Clearly, as with all great comps, the competition is fierce. I have put together a couple of submissions, for the sole fact that it is good practice to wittle down your idea into something quite short. Below are my entries, with the aim of making both a reality myself within the next year:
“Circulation”
A TWENTY DOLLAR BANKNOTE waits in an ATM, one of hundreds. Fed through the dispenser, it is picked up by a girl who carries it to an ice-cream parlour, giving it to the shop attendant in exchange for an ice-cream. The note is placed into the register, next to a FIVE DOLLAR NOTE. The portraits of Reverend John Flynn and Queen Elizabeth stare silently at each other, almost smiling. The notes are taken out, handed to a man holding a shotgun and shoved into his pocket. They are given to a drug dealer and stacked on a table next to some white powder. The notes look at each other nervously. The door to the room bursts open, and police swarm in. The five dollar note is blown away by the gust. The twenty dollars looks after it helplessly, picked up by an officer, placed in an evidence bag with other denominations and transported to an evidence locker. The note is sad. The bag is opened, and the five dollar note placed inside. The two notes, reunited, smile silently at each other. The bag is then opened by a police officer. He looks suspiciously around and reaches in, stealing the money.
“Observe and Report”
LARS is a mobile CCTV van operator. MEGAN works at a local cafe. The two have never had contact but Lars is infatuated, taking opportunistic photos/video of her. Whilst following her in his van Lars inadvertently scares Megan, who escapes after running into a passer-by and dropping her purse. Lars picks it up. The next morning, leaving home, Megan is greeted by a picture. The picture shows the purse, with a street sign visible in the photo. Upon investigation at the street sign, Megan finds another photo. So begins a trail back to the cafe where Megan works, spurred on to find both the purse and the stranger leaving the photos. Once at the cafe, Lars presents Megan with the purse, and they have a brief moment together. Megan heads in to work and Lars, back to his position inside the van. He goes back to the footage he took of Megan the day before, but notices something. He scrubs forward to Megan walking into the path of the passer-by, her hand goes into the handbag of the lady and out comes the purse that was dropped when Megan was scared by Lars. Lars stares at the monitor.
Nick
