Telling stories through film and conversation.
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WILDsound's The Film Podcast

In each episode, the C.E.O. of WILDsound, Matthew Toffolo, chats about all things storytelling and film. Conversations with talented individual from all around the world.

Posts in Screenplay Writing
EP. 1400: Screenwriter Amanda Minchin (MARY KAY & JOHNNY)

Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbYF3iAqTGE

A newlywed couple takes on a one time gig to make ends meet and wind up creating America’s very first sitcom in the process… based on a true story.

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?

This is easily the hardest question – there’s so much to say about this!

This screenplay is a based on the true story of Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns, a couple of Broadway-bound newlyweds living in New York City during the dawn of the small screen. It’s an interesting time to be sure – post WWII, there are less TV sets in the U.S. than residents in all of of Manhattan. There’s more dead air than actual programming, and anything that does make it to air is done live. The pair manage to get their hands on 15 minutes of precious air-time, and are given carte blanch to make something great with it. They have no idea what they’re doing… but, then again, neither does anyone else! What they come up with is a show about their lives, featuring them as, well, themselves. In doing so, they accidentally create America’s very first sitcom, breaking barriers that would soon be too taboo to show on screen, from sharing a bed, to sharing a child years before I Love Lucy and The Munsters.

… And yet, nobody knows about it!

The reason for this is multifold. Some seasons weren’t recorded at all, or were recorded with lackluster equipment. Years later, company takeovers resulted in entire reels being thrown out. Of 300 episodes, only one remains.

What I’m proposing is a show about the making of this show. This screwball dramedy miniseries would follows the three season timeline of the original, and be in the vein of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but with the self-awareness of Kevin Can Fuck Himself.

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EP. 1399: Screenwriters Jamie Latta & Cristen Coppen (TRUTH FALLS)

Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX7enK7_XQU

Amidst holiday chaos, Gaby and Fitz embark on a road trip to a spiritualist commune to confront Gaby’s estranged Aunt Tibby, leading to family revelations, spiritual meltdowns awakenings, and unexpected bonding.

https://www.instagram.com/cristencoppen

https://www.instagram.com/jamielattaluv

Get to know the writers:

What is your screenplay about? Truth Falls is a holiday film about a family secret slowly and hilariously coming to light during the most wonderful time of the year. When Gaby loses her parents in an accident, she learns that her new-age, enlightened Aunt Tibby has been made the executor of her estate. Gaby and her best friend Fitz are forced to leave their swanky Chicago lifestyle for a spiritualist camp, Truth Falls, in Oklahoma to confront Tibby and demand her inheritance.Gaby gets more than she bargained for when she learns there’s way more to her family story than she was told. Like, WAY more… We learn that Tibby is Gaby’s birth mother. This secret has been buried for decades. This is a Film about what happens when a family secret slowly, painfully, and hilariously comes to light causing spiritual meltdowns and epic holiday awakenings.

. What genres does your screenplay fall under? Christmas Comedy

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? We wanted to write a movie that dug into what the holidays are really about – Family DRAMA. All great stories are about family. The inspiration for Truth Falls was to have a comedy that stems from your deepest secrets and wounds because those are the best stories people can see themselves in. We love a frothy, fun holiday movie and we thought – hey let’s do both. It can be fun, sad, tragic, and hilarious. Most holiday movies don’t look anything like what people experience. We all have family secrets – what better time to unwrap them than at Christmas? Truth Falls is an anti Hallmark Movie.

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EP. 1395 - Screenwriter Audrey Mosdell (MAGGIE MAY)

Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7fvjESla-Q

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

Maggie May is a story about falling in love with your best friend and the fallout of that experience. This theme is set to the background of a female fictional rock band.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Maggie May is a drama but could be considered as a coming of age sub genre. It can be considered a musical as well.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Whether or not you are queer, many people share the experience of falling in love with a best friend. Maybe that’s worked out, but often we have experiences with unrequited love. Additionally in these times, it’s more important than ever to highlight unabashedly queer stories.

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EP. 1389 - Screenwriters Drew Henriksen, Ken Hewski (BOZ: Bikers of Oz)

Watch the 1st scene script reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urypTjeGVRY

After a twister rips a biker bar from its foundation, two rival biker gangs crash land in the mythical land of L. Frank Baum’s tales. Thinking they know the story, the two foes quickly unite, but encounter forces that they don’t know as well as they thought. In this Adult Swim style animated show, think of Sons of Anarchy surviving the twisted land of Oz. May also be live action.


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EP. 1385 - Screenwriter Carlos Galinho (DOWNBURST)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cldgPYKZKnY

Get to know the screenwriter:

What is your screenplay about?
The central topic is a wildfire that grows uncontrollably, generating its own micro-weather followed by a downburst, which spreads destructive and fast winds of fire, while different civil defense officers try to fight it and save lives. It is a multicharacter plot, focusing on different layers of drama. At the same time, it’s also a conspiracy thriller, as a journalist tries to uncover the causes behind it.

What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Action, thriller, drama

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
First if all, it’s full of action and drama, possibly the main “ingredients” of any Hollywood blockbuster. Then, it’s a genuine, dramatic and heroic story with uncommon elements: wildfires are rarely depicted in movies; and, the story, which may seem incredible and fictional, was actually based on true events that no one could ever predict. So, if I do say so myself, I think it would be a great movie, something between “Band of Brothers” and “Dante’s Peak”.

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EP. 1377 - Screenwriter Sarah Edmonds (KEVIN’S NOT DEAD)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcVED8gwsec

https://www.instagram.com/saraheedmonds/

G-man and Greg are just two guys trying to get through the day by doing the bare minimum. However, when a vampire hunter appears at their place of business, the pair start to suspect that their sunscreen-loving coworker Kevin is her target. After a few near-misses with the hunter’s traps, G-man and Greg decide to put their lives on the line to save Kevin from her murderous plot—even if he is undead.

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?

“Kevin’s Not Dead” is about two small town mechanics who are suddenly roped into helping a Romanian vampire hunter fulfill her quest for revenge. However, when her target turns out to be their strange but seemingly harmless coworker, they start to question whose side they’re really on.

What genres does your screenplay fall under?

This screenplay is a horror comedy (emphasis on the comedy).

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

I’m a bit biased, obviously, but I think the biggest draw for this screenplay in terms of production value is just that it’s fun! This screenplay offers a campy take on the vampire film that offers a nod to the classics while also keeping a more lighthearted contemporary tone throughout that I think works well for attracting both horror and non-horror fans alike. It’s a relatively self-contained script, as well, which is hopefully appealing in terms of set and budget demands. I think it strikes a good balance of being a low-budget option with a fairly broad audience appeal.


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EP. 1370 - Screenwriter A. E. Guaake (TRUST ME)

Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMJRNPKTfgY

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?

My screenplay is about the Hulder, a mystical human-like creature with a cow’s tail, famous from Norwegian folklore, who has to go to Earth on a dangerous mission to con an orphan teenage boy in order to save her young brother from dying.

What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Adventure/Fantasy (low fantasy)

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Because it is an action-packed story centred on making impossible choices, woven into a layered mystery where nothing is as it seems.

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EP. 1342 - Screenwriter Mary Oleske (THE LAWS OF THE GODS)

Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E12uUF6vTZM

LGBTQ+ Drama

This is a study in gender rights and the rights of all humankind. What truly makes one female or male?

A female attorney is assigned to represent a transgendering inmate seeking a transfer from a male to a female prison. This is a study in the struggle for the balance of rights: personal, political and global. A glance into our past suggests nothing has changed in 3,000 years. Insight comes from an unexpected source.

Get to know the writer:
A female attorney is assigned to represent a transgendering inmate seeking a transfer from a male to a female prison.

This is a study in gender rights and the rights of all humankind. What truly makes one female or male? Portrayed is the struggle for the balance of rights: personal, societal, and global and, how amazingly, this struggle has existed and been depicted in literature and theater for over 3,000 years.

The screenplay deals with where we are now, what should be guiding our actions, what rules or laws should govern us – especially when those rules conflict: the laws of man (US constitution), personal conscience, or God (whose god by the way).

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EP. 1341 - Screenwriter E. Wendell, R. M. Olivier (MINA PLAYS THE GAME)

Watcth the screenplay reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsW9eL6aqck

A woman plays a poker game for a second shot at life, but what are the stakes and what is the real prize?

(NOTE: Podcast stopped abruptly due to a power outage.)

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EP. 1340 - Screenwriter Clifford Evan (DELIVERED)

Watch the screenplay reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi_5ae85L-M

An artistically-gifted pizza delivery boy, caught up in a criminal enterprise that funds his creative pursuits, confronts otherworldly and possibly dangerous forces when a mysterious girl sprung from his dreams appears at his next drop.

Get to know the writer:

The story centers around Jesse, a gifted artist, who delivers both pizzas and cash for the illicit gambling ring his boss Angelo runs. Shady turns spooky when a girl from Jesse’s drawings manifests in the flesh at one of his cash drops. Only the girl, mysterious and beautiful Taria, is very much real and powerfully psychic. Cryptically, she warns that working for Angelo, the father Jesse’s never had, will have dire consequences. That his true life path is to embrace his calling as an artist. If only Jesse believed Taria really can see the future.

Soon after Taria disappears, broken-hearted Jesse is haunted by a series of strange, even supernatural, encounters, forcing him to make harrowing choices if he ever wants his girl back. If he even wants to live. Only after Angelo is beaten inches from death, and the ring’s big boss is murdered, does Jesse take a life-altering mindf*ck of a journey to the nearly unfathomable truth.

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EP. 1336 - Screenwriter Mel Masry (SHADOWS OF STARDOM)

Watch Best Scene Screenplay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX2e0_LBGVI

“Shadows of Stardom” (Inspired by True Events) is a screenplay that follows the journey of Jack, a middle-aged man with unfulfilled dreams of acting and dancing. The story delves into the stark contrast between Jack’s vivid dream sequences, where he experiences success and fulfillment, and the harsh realities of his daily life in his dimly lit living room. Through a series of poignant scenes, Jack grapples with perseverance, resilience, and the pursuit of his passions as he navigates the challenges of pursuing his artistic ambitions. The screenplay explores themes of longing, disappointment, and determination, offering a character-driven narrative that resonates with the complexities of human experience.

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?

My screenplay, Shadows of Stardom, is inspired by true events and explores the intense pressures and hidden struggles of an up-and-coming actor in the entertainment industry. It delves into themes of ambition, identity, and the cost of fame, as the protagonist navigates the fine line between personal integrity and the seductive allure of stardom.

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Shadows of Stardom offers a fresh and poignant look at the entertainment industry, providing an introspective and authentic portrayal of the challenges faced by actors behind the scenes. It speaks to universal themes of ambition, self-discovery, and the human cost of success, making it a story that resonates with a wide audience. Additionally, the script’s blend of drama and psychological tension, grounded in real-life experiences, makes it a compelling piece for the big screen.

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EP. 1321 - Screenwriter Beckett Van Stralen (ENGINE OF EVIL)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9umcIT1JMg

A sixteen year old receives an old car as a birthday gift from his stepfather. When he drives it for the first time, he realizes it isn’t powered by conventional gasoline – but instead, an engine of pure evil.

http://www.vanstralenwrites.com/

https://twitter.com/vanstral

Get to know the writer:

Engine of Evil is about a belligerent 16 year old who receives a car for his birthday. Only instead of being ecstatic like most 16 year olds would be to receive such a gift, he doesn’t appreciate it. Little does he know that what powers the car is anything but ordinary – instead, it’s an engine powered by pure evil.

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EP. 1318 - Screenwriter Rebecca Day Robinson (TAMARA’S ESCAPE)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/tamaras-escape-pilot

In 2052 after the dissolution of the United States 30 years earlier, a young woman, 17 year-old Tamara O’Neal, is smuggled out of the Confederacy to New Albion, liberal bastion based in the Colorado Rockies, to what her father thinks is safety. After a difficult transition to life in New Albion and multiple threats from mysterious forces, Tamara becomes radicalized and vows, with the help of her new friends, to burn down the system.

http://www.amoreperfectunion.co/
https://Moreperfectunion@facebook.com/
https://www.facebook.com/louisaluxentertainment/

Get to know the screenwriter:
Tamara’s Escape is the first part of my larger story, More Perfect Union, which jumps between 2020 and 2052 in a post-Civil War North America. Tamara’s Escape, set in 2052, is how a spoiled, entitled young woman, Tamara O’Neal, is smuggled out of ConFed or the Confederacy by her parents, who, after the tragic death of Tamara’s sister, realize that her future safety is imperiled and send her to New Albion, the utopian Colorado-based country that was carved out of the United States at the end of the Civil War in 2020.

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EP. 1317 - Screenwriter Raed Hojiej (HAUNTED LAMENT)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19tLE4O0mEk

https://www.shadowhorsetheatre.com/dark-pony-radio

Get to know the screenwriter:
A couple who are dealing with a loss, and purchase their first home. Only to experience an unforgettable first night where memories, dreams, and nightmares mix and come to life.

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EP. 1302 - Screenwriter Steve Mikals (SPEAK MONKEY SPEAK)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJHrGLMF19w

Will two chimps type Shakespeare? A pot smoking visionary enlists a struggling book shop owner in a screw-loose plan to jumpstart Evolution. Against long odds and a couple of Mob loan sharks, the rewards are higher consciousness, human speech, and a Nobel Prize for Literature.


Get to know the writer:

It’s a comedy about a hare-brained plan to jump-start Evolution. I began with that old probability teaser, How long would it take one hundred monkeys to type Shakespeare? The answer? Exactly two chimpanzees, in a surprisingly short time! Heaven has a vested interest here in correcting our course of planetary and self-destruction, too. A crazy, maybe dark, premise. But the comedy comes from the characters involved: a hapless bookseller and a pot-smoking visionary, their more stable, sensible wives, two Mob loan sharks, and two chimpanzees, Dick and TOOP.

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EP. 1299 - Screenwriter Frank Borne (NO WORDS)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2NTuJ462gA

With the exception of Grace Hart, students of Lexington Academy perform tunes at a fall concert. When she’s suspended, her divorced parents, Adam and Emma, squabble over the cause of her mutism. The Harts have attempted to put their divorce behind them, each with younger lovers, Emma with hunky Owen, Adam with law school student Dennis. However, Emma’s depression over the divorce persists, while Adam, committed to Dennis, has difficulty expressing affection for him in public.


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EP. 1288 - Screenwriter Cory David Bortnicker (MY NAME IS JONAS)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWx2x_ogn58

A young gay songwriter in the grip of meth addiction must face his past when he learns he is actually a prophet who must save New York City from Judgement Day.

Get to know the writer:

My Name Is Jonas tells the story of a young gay songwriter in the throes of crystal meth addiction who gets a second chance at life when he meets God and learns that he’s actually a prophet. It’s a modern retelling of the Book of Jonah based on my own experiences as a person in recovery. The pilot episode introduces us to Jonas on his first day in rehab where he tries to convince his counselors that he’s a prophet who has been sent on a mission from God to save New York City from Judgment Day.

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EP. 1278 - Screenwriter Susannah Roberts (DEPRAVED)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ4sVMUQHho

Depraved is a slasher that takes place at a college campus. A serial killer stalks the campus mutilating their victims while two detectives work tirelessly to try and identify the culprit. More and more bodies mount up until we end with a shocking twist that no one will see coming.

Get to know the writer:

Depraved should be produced because it is different to other slasher movies out there. The film moves away from the stereotypical ‘serial killer identity’ and takes us in a new direction that is rarely seen in the horror genre. It explores themes that while present in the real world are rarely shown on screen. It also breaks a number of the trends and clichés seen in most slashers. Depraved is a fresh new take on the genre and will appeal to lovers of horrors as well as being more inclusive of groups who seldom have pivotal roles within the slasher genre. The script has already garnered interest within the industry with people reaching out to me about it.

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EP. 1276 - Screenwriter Sami Garcia (LIGHT EM’ UP)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzIUindvgrg

Based on the best-selling book about Officer Sam Harris, a bomb squad leader, and her team of experts as they race against the clock to save innocent live from a serial bomber, including their own. Our lead also happens to be a lesbian , navigating her way through a male dominant culture, inspired by the author’s real life experience as a lesbian in law enforcement.


https://srichey147387.wixsite.com/inspirationaldreamer
https://www.facebook.com/garcia.lightemup.9
https://mobile.twitter.com/samkat429
https://www.instagram.com/samkat429/

Get to know the writer:

This one- hour serialized action thriller, based on the bestselling book, Light ‘Em Up, Officer Sam Harris, a bomb squad leader, and her team of expert’s race against the clock to save innocent lives from a serial bomber, including their own. Our lead also happens to be a lesbian, navigating her way through a male dominant culture, inspired by the author’s real life experience as a lesbian in law enforcement.

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EP. 1267 - Screenwriter Kristine Spindler Denton (WHAT ARE BEST FRIENDS FOR?)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG9Sloz1fUg

A woman who ran away from her past discovers that you can’t, as it catches up to her and drops off a 5 year old on her doorstep which forces her to grow up, face her past and move forward more honestly.


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