Blood Ties by Anonymous Vicky - Short - As a hurricane bears down on the Texas coast, a man arrives at a remote motel, searching for his missing brother.  He soon uncovers a horrible secret, which threatens to release an ancient, primal power. Horror, 8 pages - pdf, format

For some reason I don't think this script is in the "The October 2012 OWC Scripts - Master List" which results in the lack of reviews.

I love the idea of a the gods needing sacrafices around hurricane time.

I thought some of the dialogue was slightly on the nose, with the characters explaining stuff as they talked, but with the restrictions on length, there wasn't much you could do here.

This story wasn't confusing, simple, met most of the requirements and worked.

I think some of the action lines could have been split up, there were quite a few movements sometimes in the one paragraph.

Good stuff.

A nice effort but lacking an interesting story. It wasn't confusing like most OWC scripts but it was a little too simple, nothing wrong with that if that's what you were aiming for.

The dialogue here was a huge problem for me. Some lines made me cringe a little. Do people call their siblings brother and sister? Maybe it's just me who finds that awkward.

The ending was sudden which kind of ruined that moment for me. The brother just comes in there and saves the day and the couple lives happily ever after? I feel we needed a better understanding of why this happened. Why was the brother so important that the gods let him live? What was special about him?

Good job on completing the OWC.

My grade: C but take that lightly.

I get the feeling this is from a newer member of the boards and if that turns out to be case, this isn’t too bad.
The story moved swiftly enough, had some tension and wasn’t as confusing as some of the stories I’ve read so far.

Yes, it had some “on the nose” dialogue to move it along and Michael became “Hercule Poirot” to fill in some of the blanks about the history of the town but I didn’t mind that with this difficult challenge.

It was also not a bad premise using Huracan (the hurricane God) as a reason for actual hurricane and how these two need sacrifices to stop them every season. They reminded of the bad people from that little village in Hot Fuzz… you know “the greater good” kind of folks.

The problem for me with this story was the ending with the brother walking in and giving some cock & bull story about overpowering a God, and speaking to Michael like they’re having their usual Sunday roast dinner around their parents’ house before gliding off into the darkness. Just wasn’t for me I’m afraid.

The writing had some problems and that’s why I think it’s from someone newer to the craft. There was an awful amount of superfluous details filtered in like telling us they speak English after they’ve already spoken. If it was not English, I hope you would have informed us before they spoke. And throw in some commas into that opening “super” and what’s with the underscores in the dialogue, think that should be a dash.

And I don’t know if I’m right or not but the alignment of the character headings and dialogue looked off for some reason.

However, all that aside, this wasn’t bad – at least I understood what was going on.

Congrats on completing the OWC.

Steve

I think you could get late (later) into the story and skipp all the helloes. Greetings are not fun to watch and most of the timenot very informative.

The story went well untill you introduced Dave - not that its bad but its easy to bring along a new character who saves all. Or maybe you could have David in the set up somehow.

They were very formal with each other - maybe you could address that in the rewrite.

If I could pinpoint one thing that really held this script back, it would be the dialogue. Lots of repeating, calling people by their relations (brother, sister) way too often that it started to become comical.

As for your actual story, nothing really came of it. They're going to offer a sacrifice to Huracan (cute) but the god was defeated by Michael's brother's ghost spirit?

I don't know about this one, because I don't think it can be saved without changing things up. This isn't one of those scripts that just requires a technical rewrite. It needs an idea change and more menacing villains.

Best of luck.

D.

Can only echo the complaints on the dialogue here.  Way too expository and unnatural.  Work on that and you have a nice, simple little piece (although you probably go overbudget with the last shot of Michael floating up towards the beach).

It seems like every scrpit in this 2nd to last batch suffers from the same issues - they start out alright, look to be compitantly written, then, as they go on, they turn into what looks like a pisser, with cringe or smile inducing dialogue.

No where near horrible like some early ones, but so unrealistic and "canned". I was trying to like it and stay with it, but the dialogue and even actions just come off like a grade Z sci-fi feature from the 50's.

Hpoefully, when you read this back and read your scrpit out loud, slowly, you'll see what I'm saying.

Good effort though.

I think the problem with many of the second batch scripts is that they start off well, but once supernatural elements are thrown in they really go downhill. It's like they weren't originally intended to be about ghosts or demons or whatever, but they were thrown in just for the challenge. (Apparently people would've enjoyed my script better without the supernatural elements...)

Not to mention the deadline-- some people probably spent six days on the first half of the script, then three hours on the rest. I'm not excusing anyone; I'm just saying, there's a reason.


***SPOILERS***

Now for the script itself... your writing is decent. The dialogue, especially near the end, could use some work, as it's occasionally on the nose.

A few spelling errors, mainly misused/missing commas. Make sure you don't confuse "its" and "it's" and "lets" vs. "let's", "whats" and "what's."

I like your set up here. Some people arrive at a motel, searching for a man who texted them about the motel... Possibly a nice set-up for a feature, IMO.

I think it could be executed much better, though.

Page 5 was when it really started to go downhill. Everything happened too fast, too many coincidences...turns out the owners are crazy, and somehow, Michael knows all about their ritual.

And on page 6, Huracan shows up. Like I said, everything's happening way too fast.

And now it turns out he's really David.

Some one the nose dialogue between Michael and David.

...And it's over. This wrapped up way too fast. I don't blame you, though, with the deadlines and everything.

I'd like to see a rewrite of this after the OWC. Like I said, it's a cool idea for a feature, or at lest a longer short. Seriously, 8 pages isn't going to cut it.

Good luck with draft 2, and congrats for completing the OWC.

I think there is a decent thriller idea in here about a  person/family who use the hurricane season to kidnap and kill passers by without trace.

Obviously this script deviated from that and was all the worse for it. The scene with David coming in an explains the gods was poor.

But the base concept has real potential.

All the best

I agree with Bill on the comments about David coming in to explain to Michael about how he defeated the God. Need to change that. Also if Michael knew what was instore for him, doing all that research on the motel I would think that he would come armed instead of getting blindsided like he did. Congrats on writing the OWC

The concept is okay, but the dialogue was not good. I'm thinking the writer is not a native English speaker. It gets particularly bad when David enters the story and all the "brother" speak comes out.

Other issues I had was that Michael was convinced that this Spanish couple was kidnapping people, yet he didn't pack any heat?

Concept has potential. Execution and dialogue needs to improved. Not the worst, but slightly below average versus the others.

congrats on completing an entry.

the dialogue is incredibly repetitive. i experienced deja vu several times throughout the script.

i also found the concept to be a bit cliched. others seemed to like it, but the whole sacrifice bit just seems...overdone.

i did like the latino flair. made it stick out a bit.

the ending didn't work for me as well. you establish a few rules throughout the screenplay. but at the end, you're just like f uck it and the rules i constructed. now this is going to happen instead. why? i have no idea.

thank god for rewrites. i feel like we've all submitted mediocre scripts at best. and the constraints of the OWC have held our stories back. but that's a good thing. because it's forced us to work on other elements of our story like setting and dialogue. now we can go back and improve the other factors once the restraints are lifted.

Khamanna was right in saying cut out all the unnecessary intro's of everybody - too pedestrian from the outset - just all about sandwiches and greetings.

This is just okay, for me. A few too many plot points were too convenient - for example, yes, they really should have thrown that mobile phone away.

Overall, I agree with Reef that there's a decent story idea here, so well done on that, I just don't think it's been realised yet. I would def. be interested in reading a revamp after the OWC when you have time to think about it some more.

Congrats on finishing the OWC!

  Why did you make the antagonists Mexican and then have them speak eloquent English?  Everyone spoke so formally, I thought this was The King's Speech 2.
Your script would be better if you revamp some dialogue.

Also, have the motel owners deny having seen David.  Some conflict and tension would be good.  

You set us up for a decent horror story, but unfortunately wrap it all up in a pretty bow.  Dave the Seamonster was too much for me.  

I don't want to repeat what others have said, just wanna say I agree.

Thanks for playing.

All of these scripts suffer from exposition. And this one was no different. It was the nature of the challenge, but you've got to drive a tad of tension in these!

There was none here. I do not get why MIchael decides to call David's cell phone in the middle of their conversation and how that is supposed to set this whole thing into motion.

The idea of Huracan needing a human sacrifice was good. I wished it would've became more evident earlier in the script.

Good job entering the OWC.

James

I wanted to like this more.  I looked up Huracan to see if it was real and indeed it is, so I liked mixing that aspect into the story.

I like the idea of these nuts making sacrifices to a god and purpose that I don't think a lot of people would know about (I didn't) but the dialogue kinda ruined it for me as it didn't provide much in terms of depth, story movement, or even making the characters very interesting.  That, I think, was the main downfall here.

For what it is it's not bad.  Easy enough to read.  Happy ending.

Greg

I think this writer is fairly new, only because it was super-expository, especially with everybody's introductions, and them repeating their names over and over.  I remembered when I started writing early on I was too focused on getting all my characters in and introduced not only to the writer, but also on screen, in the first page.  It's okay to give your audience a little credit for being smart.  They'll figure out who your characters are and remember them without needing it forced down their throats who's who over and over.

The dialogue is too perfect and follows too many grammar rules.  That is why it sounds so stale and rigid.  Gotta lighten up a little bit, especially when you have 5 different characters, and they ALL follow the same hard rules of English.

Also, things in the story were happening too conveniently.  (I.E.:  The one brother calling the other brother's phone and it ringing.  Michael all of a sudden showing up and conveniently killing a god.  It all happened just a little too matter of fact for me.

However, I will say that the writer here is going to have some talent once they figure out their style and figure out other ways of getting a story across instead of just having it conveniently happen.

- Mark

Not bad... also not very good.

The dialogue was too on the nose... a lot of repetition
Quite a few grammar mistakes, but that happens in OWC's..

Nice use of Huracan... at least you were one of the few who actually concentrated more on the hurricane than the motel..

Good job on entering

Mark

Blood Ties by - As a hurricane bears down on the Texas coast, a man arrives at a remote motel, searching for his missing brother.  He soon uncovers a horrible secret, which threatens to release an ancient, primal power.
Brief - A couple of motel owner have conflict with a couple looking for a lost sibling. Too bad he’s now a sea monster/god/beast... thing.

Locations & Sets  -  Exterior, motel @ night. Interior, motel room @ night. Interior, motel lobby @ night
Actors  -  AURELIO(60), CATERINA(62), MICHAEL (, EVE (, dark figure
Costumes  -  dark figure’s coustume
Props  -  folder full of forms, pistol, short lengths of rope
Audio FX  -  radio announcer voice over, hurricane wind and rain, screams.
Visual FX  -  binding ropes melt away effect
Other  -  night time exterior heavy rain effect, crash pads for falls, tray clean up, dripping sea water set up
Genre & Marketability - Supernatural horror action
Comments  -  I’d delete that opening motel sign part. Pg 1, since Aurelio states “Patience, my dear sister. Someone will come.” then you don’t need to put the pre-redundant words “His sister” in her action line description beforehand. Probably ought to have the scene move out to the motel lobby on pg2 - insert a slug as such. Dialog’s a bit goofy.
MICHAEL
I know that. I know a lot about
this town. About it's history
and the missing people each year.
OMG.
MICHAEL
Yes, I...whats happened? Are
you alive?
DAVID
No. The gods accepted me as
their sacrifice. During the
last hurricane.
OMG.
Honestly, I do like the action in this story. The dialog needs some SEVERE rhinoplasty, though.
Script format: fair. Final word: I’d stay in contact with the writer, retain the premise, essentially rewrite the entire dialog, and probably cut out Catarina & Eve’s characters, and have the dark figure/David do more than a The Creature From the Black Lagoon bit.

$1,000 - $3,000  Lo/Hi Estimated Budget Range
/ 7.6 Screenplay Pages
= $132 - $395  Estimated Cost Per Screen Minute

Adherence to Given Criteria:
Odd but interesting character(s) - no, not really. The situation is interesting, but not the characters
take refuge from a hurricane - yep, sorta
in a beat-up motel - yep
and are forced to make a choice - not really
between good or evil - not really
in order to survive the night. - nope
Each character must -
have some history involving a supernatural event in their lives - eh, kinda
that factors into their choice. - nope
Genre is open. - Supernatural horror action
This is a micro-budget short, - yep
so no destruction of the motel, - yep
no children or animals - yep
and minimal special effects. - yep
BONUS! Story also included:
mime(s) - nope
dinosaur(s) - nope

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WBdeA3ZfngPz7NfJg_5DSBUFsZXkicfyNQHRc8Bg2SQ/edit

That was pretty good for an OWC entry.  

I thought the story was pretty clear.  There's some tidying that could be done with the dialogue and you could possibly make the beginning a bit shorter.

You definitely did a good job at creating tension and the ending was satisfying.

Well done.

The whole idea of smiling at someone while looking at someone else and then frowning momentarily just plays as funny to me. Is that even possible?

Overall things were pretty good until the last page or so. When David arrived and solved everything it felt a little like Deus Ex Machina, but not really... If that makes sense. You could polish that ending into something more powerful.

This one wasn't for me, sorry. Agree that the use of Hurican was a nice touch, but overall the characters weren't all that interesting and the dialogue flopped. There is a good story in there though. A re-write could do this some justice.

Good effort.