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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  January 2014 - One Week Challenge  /  Mr. Time - OWC
Posted by: Don, January 11th, 2014, 1:54pm
Mr. Time by Mark Renshaw - Short - A student at Cornell University in New York carries out the world's most comprehensive online search for evidence of Time Travellers. She finds a positive match; on Twitter. 22 pages - pdf, format 8)
Posted by: Guest, January 11th, 2014, 6:04pm; Reply: 1
Didn't really get into this.  Talking heads and Charlie Chaplin, especially, was kind of boring.


--Steve
Posted by: irish eyes, January 11th, 2014, 6:23pm; Reply: 2
By page 2

MR. MCINTYRE  becomes MR. MCAINTYRE

Oh. What a minute, did you just say
you found one?... I guess you mean WAIT a minute

Page 4

Mr. Horaz (O.C) ??? why, firstly this means off camera and he is in the scene so it's not needed and as we write specs, it is better not refer to the camera, so O.S. is better.

Page 8
It's cool that mobile phones have service back in the 20's :D:D and obviously the use of MOBILE tells me this was wrote across the pond... back in the UK probably

Page 8 and 9 is a telephone conversation and if we don't see Tim then use (V.O) not (O.S)

finished

I enjoyed this, it had a nice little humor to it and it was fast paced. The first place I would look for a wormhole is under the sink too :D

Good job in entering and a nice story

Mark

Posted by: RJ, January 11th, 2014, 8:35pm; Reply: 3
I really liked the last few pages in this. I was glad that Lauren had lived a happy life and didn't need to be angry with him. I thought the twist with Tim was inventive too. Except for a few typos, etc, I also liked the beginning of this too.

The middle is where, for me, things fell apart a little. I thought Tim's whole approach to Lauren and time travelling was a little off. I didn't believe that he would just allow her to go so easily. And the whole phone thing did throw me off a little. IMO, it might have worked a little better if he said she couldn't go, yet she eagerly wants to, so she just jumps in and tries to sneak a peak of Charlie then take a picture on her phone, etc.

Good entry nonetheless. I really liked it. :)

Renee
Posted by: Last Fountain, January 11th, 2014, 9:45pm; Reply: 4
Funny. Inventive. An early fav. SPOILERS.

Early on I loved the decriptive action lines filled with humour. a few good jokes in the dialogue: "nope switched it to searching the internet", " inventing the wedgie", the tweet with jobs. Great comedy throughout . Even the idea of discovering time travel because of a tweet. Nice. The humour comes from Tim too. He's so casual and matter of fact in regards to time travel. "Yeah yeah its under the sink". So good. These aspects reminded me of the comedy and sci-fi blending of Dr. WHO and Joss Whedon.

The science. I liked your analogy of Mr Time. Time as a person correcting the diversions in the time line. Then you go poetic by the end and allude to time as god. She will meet him soon, and she's on her death bed of sorts. Tim is time's helper, so is he God's helper, like an angel?

The examples of mr time course correcting should be cutaways. Quick short examples. I think this style would work well with the comic feel. I like how mr time mentions the coin year as dictating where you arrive from the worm hole, the cell phone in the past is great. But like the idea of clothing of the era, no cell towers, didnt bother me. If this was a serious take, maybe.

I love how you travel to the past for love or happiness. She wants to meet her favourite actor. I like this more than killing hitler or preventing disaster. More relatable.

I also loved how while in the past you use modern dialogue like photobomb and spoiler alert. It makes her stand out. And reminds us she is like every other college student. Another good comment on society is when she is told to act like the time. She spews racist thoughts of the past, but in a funny way that doesn't over emphasize the commentary.

The ending got me. First the phone and the worm hole collapse. Then stuck in past. Then tim visiting her at the hospital. Then finding out she was the mother or wife of someone important to history. I also liked how you brought attention to the importance of family to great men and women. The background players contribute to history, more than we think. Then, then, the tim future stuff. Wow. I liked the slow incline of twists that each carried significant weight. Thanks for that. And I'm wondering who that historical figure was.

Great on every level. I really enjoyed this. Funny. Provocative. Emotional.
Posted by: nawazm11, January 12th, 2014, 8:11am; Reply: 5
Well, a lot of problems from the get go. New York seems to be in the slug when it could matter less where this is set, a dash is needed before hallway. It's actually Principal but you spelt it wrong, even though I'm 99% sure American colleges don't have Principals but Presidents and deans instead. In fact, I don't think any country names the head of their university Principal. I have no clue why the guy was asking for some kind of assessment or report when he's not her teacher, which really makes no sense unless he's a lazy manipulative bastard threatening her to do his work. And this isn't including the fact that this is a very poor way to start the script, with a load of exposition and a 3 page scene slapped in your face. We haven't even gotten to know the characters yet.

How the hell doesn't she notice the cup she dropped? WTF! She even knew the guy was a time traveller from before!

Okay, uh, so two people come into his house and they disappear. And nobody bats an eye? If I were the police, I'd probably be checking his house...

Tim is an absolute psychopath, why the hell would he even admit that he's a time traveller? And then offer the random woman who rocked up to his house to try it?

Ah, the infamous Charlie Chaplin mobile phone scene, the problem there is that I'm also 99% sure that that was a man. Which kind of makes a paradox in itself since Mr. Time is an absolute nut if he doesn't know the footage of the mobile phone guy will still be there for future generations to see. Speaking of that, it's impossible for the phone to work.

And finished... Well, uh. I suppose it was fun but that's all I can really say. I don't want to write more without sounding like a dick but this needs work. Good luck!
Posted by: Reef Dreamer, January 12th, 2014, 8:28am; Reply: 6
Mr Time

The logline is intriguing, I'll be interested in seeing what this brings.

I wouldn't do detailed notes but as reminder, p4, better to says he pours coffee
P7 only need a mini slug - LATER etc
Grandma Lauren - are you saying this is an older Lauren - perhaps one to make clear

Ending is nice, the now old Lauren, mr horaz looking at an old photo. All time travel scripts have holes, I suppose this one asks why he can't go back to his family?

Some nice touches of humour like the missing plumbers. I wondered where they went when no one turns up.

I liked the use of modern technology.

As she went Back to see Charlie Chaplin it's shame there wasn't more of this included, unless I missed something, as it does feel a little superfluous

Otherwise nice job for the challenge.
Posted by: Forgive, January 12th, 2014, 9:42am; Reply: 7
I thought this worked out quite well in the end, and had an nice emotional touch to it.

I didn't see any major issues with the writing, bit wordy now and again, but that's partially personal preference.

On the story elements, I would have maybe liked t have seen a reference to Charlie Chaplin a little earlier - it feels a little random they way it is currently placed - maybe there could have been a picture of CC on McIntyre's wall and Lauren makes a reference to it there?

On p.3 you go straight from Lauren been told to follow this up to her (having followed it up) at Horaz's apartment. There just seems to be this cut, where really there should be either character development (she ignores what's said to her, but this is shown as part of her character), or she argues the case out, so it's more of a mini-dramatic element where her goal looks like it's going to be foiled.

Lauren occasionally comes across a little ditzy for a physics student, and I wasn't convinced a physics student would want to meet CC (without pre-referencing it).

I liked the way time was characterised, and give some personality - that was a nice touch, and also gave some boundaries to the possibilities.

Some obvious background thought has gone into this - so good on that.

Just a bit on the protag -- Lauren essentially fails in the end (previous to your mini-denouement in the hospital); and she makes a couple of mistakes in order for that to happen. She's not really been 'set-up' to fail, but she really should be: the primary opportunity here would be her ignoring McIntyre right at the beginning, but that has been cut out, where it could really be a key moment.

That aside, this was a good read with some nice touches.
Posted by: Forgive, January 12th, 2014, 9:54am; Reply: 8

Quoted from nawazm11
I don't want to write more without sounding like a dick


Ooops! Too late... :)
Posted by: khamanna, January 12th, 2014, 3:06pm; Reply: 9
Very nice job in my opinion.

I read a lot by now and have two favorites so far - yours is one of them. The other is Leaper.
I liked this because it kept my attention from the very beginning to the end.
Few actors, contained story, easy to understand - yet interesting... what's not to like.

I have a few reservations - I think it started as funny. Overly funny and I laughed outloud at moments actually. So I thought it was a comedy. THen it got incredibly serious and stopped being a comedy. I think you have to decide on a tone and keep to one.

And I didn't understand a bit of their talk in the end.Right after she said "Oh Tim I'm so sorry". and he says he used to think they were his fate. Sounds like Mrs. Time was Mr. Time and then she made him time keeper, something like that.

Anyway, very captivating read, thanks.
Posted by: mmmarnie, January 12th, 2014, 6:25pm; Reply: 10
First page was good, I found Lauren and Mr. McIntyre likable but you lost me after that. The rest of that scene was just too much talking, a lot of it just way too informational. Same thing happened throughout this screenplay and not enough action in between dialog made it drag.

Your character descriptions are good, although a bit too wordy. I like this, " desperately needs a 21st Century makeover".

You start most of your action lines with the character's name. That gets really monotonous and stale. Scroll down pages 4, 5, 6, 7. It's Lauren does this, Tim does that and so on. Dull. Try to be more creative in your writing, even in a screenplay. Your action lines didn't engage me.

Page 8 we switch locations. Actions lines are overwritten, slowing things down. Lauren's dialog is annoying. I want to stop reading....

I finished but this was a tough read for me. I ended up not liking Lauren at all. I didn't find her intelligent, just annoying. As for Tim, I didn't buy he'd allow Lauren along so easily. That seemed forced.

I couldn't get into the story, probably because the pacing was way off. Too many pages filled with LOTS OF talking and information, not enough action. Without good structure, a story falls apart. You may start out strong but the hard part is to maintain that strength throughout.

Congrats on completing this OWC.
Posted by: Dreamscale (Guest), January 13th, 2014, 9:12am; Reply: 11
As I go...

Absolutely horrendous opeing Slug.  If it's important that we're in Cornell or New York, you'll need a Super or go over it in dialogue.

Opening passage is poorly written...way too long and detailed.  4 lines to show Lauren running down a hallway?  Really?

Mr. McIntyre's intro is also poorly written and way too long and detailed.  Principle?  Huh?  At Cornell? No...

Poor writing throughout Page 1.  Orphans, unnecessary detail, random CAPS, just not a good start.

Page 2 - Mr. McIntyre's name changes here.  Not good at all...

Page 3 - the dialogue is so poorly done I think I'm out.  You say this is set in Cornell University, but the way these 2 speak, I'd think it's more like Cornell Middle School.

Sorry, but my interest is completely gone.  Congrats on entering a script in this tough OWC challenge.
Posted by: CoopBazinga, January 13th, 2014, 11:03pm; Reply: 12
There are a few issues with the writing for sure, remember "is" isn't your friend when it comes to screenwriting but I want to look past that because deep down this one had a lot of heart going for it.

I did have issues with the story as well but the potential is there to make this one really stand out from the crowd.

Character wise - some nice elements, the baggy clothes and how this contradicts what she will wear back in 1928. But... and it's a big but, you really let this character down overall. What does Lauren achieve at the end, she has become a loving wife, mother and grandmother and it's really well done btw, the last few pages really did save this one. So taking that into account, what should she of been to start off with, well, someone who doesn't handle relationships well, and has no interest in kids to pursue a career -- I really think she should have been a reporter for shakes of the story.

Unfortunately, you really make her to be quite dizzy and that means the ending wasn't as good as it should have been - it was heartfelt for sure but it lacked because of the character you'd created.

I didn't care for the tone of this one either, again, it makes the ending seem rather out of place as it goes against the rest of the story. The reveal about Tim also was lost on me... I cared about Lauren and her issues but suddenly it's Tim's story - his role is a little lost on me.

The Charlie Chaplin side-plot is superfluous at the moment, try to tie it in somehow, I don't much about Chaplin, but I'm sure you could somehow find a way to show how his interaction with Lauren incorporates itself into his act -- possible the act that makes him a big star!

So, the story doesn't work at the moment but I think it has MASSIVE potential, and is well worth a rewrite. You know what, even with its flaws, this one is probably my favorite so far so good job.

Congrats on completing the OWC. :)

Steve
Posted by: AtholForsyth, January 14th, 2014, 4:02am; Reply: 13
"he desperately needs a 21st Century makeover"

Why tell us that ? show dont tell.


"Lauren brushes a curtain of hair over her head"

Too much

"The idea was simple really. Using
an algorithm of my own design I
carried out a search on all social
media for prescient mention of
information not previously
available."

Long winded


"TIM
Ah yes. I’m afraid you’ve got me
there. I’m a Time Traveller."

I think he comes clean to easy.


TIM (CONT’D)
Do you want to see my wormhole?

Hahaha best line so far.

One plumber lost and they send another , he gets lost ?
not believable,

I gave this one my best shot but I'm bored.......OUT
Posted by: EWall433, January 15th, 2014, 11:18am; Reply: 14
This sounded familiar somehow so I googled “charlie chaplin cellphone”.  I thought that was a neat event to try to pick out and play off of.

Writing worked well enough for me, but could use some tidying. Some of the asides seem redundant to me (“Whatever her filing system was…”).

Maybe it’s his character but McIntyre seems overbearing with his ‘I will not allow this’ attitude. He’s her teacher, not her mother. Why does he think he’s got some ownership over her actions?

She gets cell phone reception through a worm-hole? I guess it’s safe to say she doesn’t have Sprint  :)

This had some nice moments. There were some funny bits when she time jumped, and some tender moments towards the end. Taken together though, the tone seemed to be an odd mix. A little too serious in places for outright comedy, but a little too forced and silly in places to be effective drama. Overall a decent entry though. I enjoyed much of it.

Congrats on completing the challenge.
Posted by: wonkavite (Guest), January 15th, 2014, 7:50pm; Reply: 15
I like this one.  It was a fun story, with some neat little twists. Granted, at first read it stretches the limits of believability that Mr. McIntyre would so easily allow Lauren to time travel (as a tourist, no less!)  And crazy that she'd accept that the idea was real, and go along with it.  Obviously, once one has read the ending, at least part of it now makes sense.  I'd say this one's on my top tier list...though I'm not sure at this point how they'll all sort out.  But this one's memorable.

Cheers,

--J
Posted by: rendevous, January 16th, 2014, 12:00am; Reply: 16
I quite enjoyed this. The dialogue at the start hooked me in as did the idea. I'm not sure 'the tweet' hook stands up to proper scrutiny but a little later on I was way past caring.

Like some other scripts in this OWC there's lots of dialogue here but in this case it's interesting. And pretty funny too. I caught myself laughing out loud. Not something I've done often since Piers Morgan got hit by those cricket balls. That was fecking funny. Alas, I digress. Back to the script.

This had some fine ideas and was a fun read. I thought the end wasn't quite as good as I hoped. I'd have been happy enough without the final plot point. But overall I really enjoyed this.




Posted by: DV44, January 16th, 2014, 5:43pm; Reply: 17
I really enjoyed this. Liked the connection between Lauren & Timothy. Quite a few tender moments throughout.

Loved Tim's line - Do you want to see my wormhole? lol. Awesome.

Overall, the writing was good but some of the dialogue could be trimmed back some. I felt some scenes dragged just a bit but a good rewrite could eliminate that. I enjoyed the story for what it was, simple but sweet with a happy ending. Great job!

Congrats on completing the OWC.
Posted by: DustinBowcot (Guest), January 17th, 2014, 3:05am; Reply: 18
I can tell right away that this script will be way over written. So, I'll just point out a couple of things and move onto other stuff without rewriting the entire script.

Code

A student runs down the hallway, her arms overflowing with
reports and notes. This is LAUREN(18) - attractive but
inclined to conceal her looks. Her hair is swept awkwardly
over her face, she wears ‘comfortable’ baggy clothes.



You've already mentioned HALLWAY in the slug so it is a superfluous word in this instance. Also, after the comma in the first sentence, the word 'her' is unnecessary. 'This is' at the beginning of the second sentence is also unnecessary. Also rather than a dash, as this kinda indicates an afterthought... but usually afterthoughts come after already complete sentences. Just writing This is Lauren(18) is not exactly a complete sentence as 'This is' is superfluous. Be better to rewrite that entire first passage to something like:

LAUREN (18), attractive yet modest, hair swept awkwardly over her face, sprints along while trying desperately to hold onto her multitude of books.

I don't think there is a need to mention she's a student, that will become obvious later, no doubt. Likewise the baggy clothes is not really a necessary description... but if you really want it in there then you could be inventive and make something happen in a second sentence whereby you need to explain what she's wearing. For example her baggy clothes could snag on something along the way. Or a passing Student could call something out, maybe mock her choice of clothing. Personally though, I feel that modest explains a lot on its own.

Code

Out of breath she bursts into the--

PRINCIPLE’S OFFICE

And the papers go flying onto the floor.



You start a sentence with and... but it isn't for dramatic effect. Indeed, the word is superfluous. I know you know about the Principle thing now. So I'd rewrite the above like this:

"Out of breath, she bursts into the

PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE

Her papers fly onto the floor."

Keep things active and never use unnecessary words as they slow down a read.

Code

MR. MCINTYRE glances up from his desk. He’s fiftyish, wearing
a scruffy tweed suit and glasses perched on the end of his
nose; he desperately needs a 21st Century makeover.



I feel that the description already lets us know he needs a twenty-first century makeover. It would also be better to simply refer to him as MCINTYRE, drop the Mr.

Code

It opens slightly, a shadowy figure peaks out from the crack.



Peeks.

Code

... and he possesses a disarming smile.



Is he of a mind to sell it?

Code

LAUREN
Sorry, Tim. I was hoping we could
speak about that tweet?

TIM
Ah yes. I’m afraid you’ve got me
there. I’m a Time Traveller.



Well... that was easy. Little difficult to swallow, but, moving on...

Code

TIM
It took me some time but I traced
one back to 1916. Big war hero,
died saving his squad apparently.

Tim taps away at the keyboard.

TIM (CONT’D)
The other went way back to 1896.
Over the next two decades he helped
perfect a system for protecting
drinking water from contamination.
The Double Bubbler it was called.



Inventive.

Large blocks of dialogue a little off-putting.

Why would they chase her and why would they suspect that she was actually talking to somebody when she just acted crazy?

I don't like the suggestion of magic. Mr Time and his helpers. It works... it's just that extra little bit of whimsy. I don't really do whimsy... but it's clean and could work for kids. I could honestly see this being on after school and the kids enjoying a nice tale. They also wouldn't nitpick plot issues.

I feel, for me, this is way overwritten, maybe even hastily so. But the author knows how to tell a story, what makes a story work. The decisions are good and logical. Characters individual and dialogue is good. Another draft or two and this would be a mean script. If that's even possible with so much whimsy.

I didn't enjoy reading it, purely because it takes me back to stuff I may have read as a kid. I hope you don't take that the wrong way. All it means is that you write PG stuff. Very rare I enjoy a PG film. 12A minimum, and even then I'm doubtful going in. So take my review for what it is worth, please.
Posted by: c m hall, January 18th, 2014, 3:43pm; Reply: 19
The opening shows us that the main character is a misfit -- that's important information for the story -- but the dialogue needs some editing.  I think the rest of the script improves, page by page.  The ending is interesting but seems too complex for this story, as it stands.  With some rewrites this could be a charming film.
Posted by: SAC, January 18th, 2014, 9:53pm; Reply: 20
Hey Writer,

Not a bad job here. You kinda lost me a bit at the end, but that's okay. Overall I liked the story. It has potential, and an undercurrent of, hmm, sadness ? That's not the word I'm looking for, but it'll have to do.

Your writing wasnt bad, but things could use a general tightening up, as they say. Couple of your action blocks read awkward, and some could have been trimmed.

I liked the whole Charlie Chaplin angle. Another original idea. That took me by surprise. Just don't hear much about Charlie Chaplin these days, especially in a time travel story.

So, high marks for originality, but the story needs work, and the ending left me a bit confused.

Congrats on entering!

Steve
Posted by: PrussianMosby, January 20th, 2014, 7:36pm; Reply: 21
Hey writer!
Complete different approach here.
You decided to come over dialogue. And it works partly. But then there are these one, two sentences, this one question too much for me. Many times when I started to like the girl, she said too much or talks just different suddenly.
I see a mix of naive, dense, clever and charming in her. These abilities don't fit together IMO.

I liked the ending, but which 60 years old man calls a ninty year old woman "senorita". Try to be more precise. Sensibil characters are good, they build emotions, but you have to Keep the quality or it falls complete apart and isn't believable anymore.

I was looking forward to see Charlie. I hoped so much you let him pantomime. But you decided to show him with some guys walking to Chinese theatre. What a missed potential. It's Charlie Chaplin??? You had constructed a script where you could bring him back in some way, make a nice homage. A bow to a legend.

So, the inventive construction to get yourself to this opportunity is amazing, how you played it out is almost a bit sad, you even portrayed him unlikeable…
Still solide for me.
Maybe you build up too much potential which isn't possible to fill in a first draft.

Posted by: MarkRenshaw, January 24th, 2014, 10:29am; Reply: 22
Thanks to all who read this and gave feedback, it’s helped me a lot. I’d like to explain the story and hopefully answer some of the criticism and questions.

The basic idea, the time travel search on the web, was taken from a search for time traveller study published by Cornell University towards the end of December. Their results found no evidence of time travel though. This can be found here - http://arxiv.org/abs/1312.7128

In the 2nd draft I’ve put a ‘BASED ON’ section in the title page and referenced it. Does anyone know if I need to do this? It’s only the internet search I’ve used so I do want to properly reference it but the majority of the story came from my mad mind.

This is why the script starts off at Cornell University, I just wanted to honour the origin of the actual study.

Some of you also realised the time travel footage of ‘Lauren’ talking on the phone in 1928 was from footage discovered on a DVD showing what some believed to be evidence of a Time Traveller. This is the clip Lauren watches in the hospital - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiIrpEMbQ2M – Again, do you think I need to reference this somewhere on the title page?

The challenge then for me, was getting Lauren from discovering a potential time traveller on Twitter to actually travelling back to 1928 disguised as an old women, with a phone, in 15 pages or less. It wasn’t easy but I had fun trying.

The basic premise is some people are born out of time, by some cosmic accident they end up not where they are supposed to be or doing what they were fated to do. They feel awkward, shy, like they do not belong and quite often they escape into their creative side; their imagination.

Timothy Horaz is a Timekeeper. He’s employed by the mysterious Mr. Time to find such people and persuade them to go back to where they belong of their own free will. The method has to be discrete, hardly noticeable.

So Tim places subtle clues in newspapers, magazines and online; designed to attract these very people. Once he does he openly admits who he is and presents them with a Time Travel opportunity they find hard to resist. When they go back, they feel like they belong and subconsciously don’t want to return but to make sure they stay he gives them enough leeway to trap themselves in the past.

In the script we see one such person called Lauren. She picks up on one such clue on Twitter and is bold, imaginative and yes, naïve enough to follow it up. She is disarmed by Tim’s openness, matter-of-fact sense of humour and good nature. The thrill of travelling to a favourite time to see her favourite movie star proves too much of a temptation and she eagerly goes back for a peek.  

In her case he allows her to take a mobile phone with her knowing she will instinctively take a picture of Charlie Chaplin which will cause Mr. Time to react, to protect the timeline. He knows the phone will either be destroyed or find its way back to the present, while Lauren stays trapped in the past. However  Lauren then carries out the tasks originally fated for her and ultimately this gives her a long, happy and fulfilling life.

Back in the present Tim visits her in hospital, she’s now in her 90’s. We find out this isn’t the first time Tim has sent someone back, the plumbers he referenced earlier where no such thing; just young innocent guys in the wrong time, not doing what they were fated to do. Tim used similar methods to persuade them back to their right time.  

Tim explains what he can and points out that even though she wasn’t fated to be a war hero, or invent something crucial, her role was no less important in sending positive ripples through the fabric of time.

In the end we find out that Tim himself seems to be the victim of another Timekeeper. In the future he has a family now lost to him, his fate was to become a Timekeeper that exists in our time.

Lauren - Lauren is a young, shy and yet highly imaginative young lady of 18 and, unbeknown to the audience at this point, she’s born out of time. Several reviewers noted she seemed silly and very naïve.  They didn’t like her so much early on but warmed to her later. That was deliberate but maybe it was too much. At the end she’s lived the full life she should have lived and is a much better person because of it.

I’ve changed the opening scene and some of her dialogue to try and reflect this better.

Charlie Chaplin - A reviewer said the mention of silent films and Chaplin came out of left field so I’ve included a Chaplin reference in the opening scene, which not only highlights that Lauren has been involved in crazy theories before but also displays that she has a fascination for that era; especially Chaplin.

It was also pointed out when we do meet Chaplin it was disappointing. I didn’t intend for Chaplin to be anything but a cameo in this but you are right. Chaplin now interacts with Lauren in a very Chaplin style and also engages in the chase.

Talking Heads -  lots of dialogue – yes I am a big fan of dialogue but this was mainly due to trying to fit so much story into 15 pages. The second draft now includes flashbacks and more action.

Quick Cuts – To fit into the 15 pages I had to do two transitions where a passage of time had occurred. The first is after her teacher forbids her to go seek out Tim, the second where she appears suddenly back in 1928. I tried to do both so the reader would know a passage of time had occurred, certain events had transpired and the reader could piece it together, plus it adds comedy value!

Tone changes – I do struggle with this criticism. I’m a huge fan of Joss Whedon, and UK shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock. These shows have quite drastic tone changes from comedy to serious and back again and they work exceedingly well. There’s also lots of dialogue.

If anyone’s watched the recent Sherlock for example, there are some crazy funny scenes followed by deadly serious and heart wrenching moments. This is what I enjoy and try to put across in my stories. Life isn’t all about drama, there’s naturally funny moments as well. I agree it’s hard to sometimes imagine this in a script and a funny moment followed by serious can automatically set alarm bells going, but I believe they can work and does so in many TV programs and movies.

Mr MCINTIRE /MR MCAINTIRE – How the hell did that happen? I used Final Draft and it auto inserts names but thanks for pointing that out and other typos.  It was also mentioned a few times they did not like Mr. Mcintire’s stance on Lauren’s request to look into this further so I’ve altered that scene.

Why did the phone work in the past? - I love suspension of disbelief, no-one blinked at the wormhole under the sink but the phone working in the past was too much! It is understandable though so I’ve added a bit of dialogue explaining that the signal passes through the wormhole while it is open.

Two Plumbers? -  There was never two plumbers, it was very subtle but my intention was for you to work out that this was another of Tim’s lies and the ‘plumbers’ were other people he’s tricked into going back to their own time. In the next draft it is just one ‘plumber’ and we see what happened to him with flashbacks. It’s clear he was tricked by Tim and uses a phone just like he did with Lauren to trap him in the past.

The End - I was a bit stuck at the end. Originally Lauren died while Tim held her hand but it felt cliché and I wanted Lauren to pass away with her family by her side. So I tried to add a bit of mystery and a twist by letting everyone know Tim is from the future and he himself had been tricked into coming into the past. He’s stuck just like Lauren was and his fate is to find others and send them back to their proper timeline. He also seems to have some contact with the mysterious Mr. Time and knows quite a bit about what is going, who he needs to send back and where/when.

With the 2nd draft I’ll try to make this more apparent, although it is a tricky thing to get across.

Thanks again for all your feedback, I’m glad some of you enjoyed it. I should have the 2nd draft finished this weekend and I’ll ask for it to be uploaded for anyone who is interested. :-)
Posted by: mmmarnie, January 24th, 2014, 11:14am; Reply: 23
I'd be happy to read a 2nd draft. There were things I really liked about this story but it definitely needs more than 15 pages. There's so much you can do now without those page constraints (and ticking time clock!!). Best of luck!! :)
Posted by: Leegion, January 25th, 2014, 8:09pm; Reply: 24
Good to see you made full use of the 15 pages.  There is an unfilmable though, "whatever her filing system was", but this isn't a nitpick review of a feature, so I'll leave that up to the writer to fix.

This one was great.  I LOVED the concept of how "people are not born in the correct time periods", it's freaking awesome.  

I'd say this is now my personal favourite of this OWC, mainly because of the concept and the characters, but I've only read 6 thus far, and all of them have been good - I just like this one the most.

Writer (I haven't yet checked who wrote what), this script is fantastic.

-Lee
Posted by: oJOHNNYoNUTSo, January 27th, 2014, 1:58pm; Reply: 25
Mr. Time

Some of these events are claims of time traveling that are in internetland somewhere.  So besides the weird chain of events that brings Lauren to the past, I thought the story was really engaging.  I never seen any of it coming, and credit due to the great structure that seamlessly revealed Tim's mystery.

My guess is Mr. Time is a higher power, and time itself really isn't the focus as much as where a person situationally needs to be.  Writing was to the point, easy to follow.  Good story, made me think.

Johnny
Posted by: MarkRenshaw, February 3rd, 2014, 6:51pm; Reply: 26
2nd draft is up if anyone is interested in giving it another read. Thanks again for all the great feedback, it was priceless. :-)
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