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25 Min TV Drama
One Line Summary of Each Episode
To produce a series for television of thirteen (13) x 24 minute episodes of original stories with a science fiction, horror, fantasy or other speculative fiction genre.
Scripts to be developed from a team of new screenwriters in a workshop environment, with the support of the Fellowship of Australian Writers, opening up opportunities for new writers to bring forth fresh ideas.
The series would have no on-going characters, offering new characters, situations and stories in each episode. Scripts will limit main characters to four and restrict sets to existing exterior locations or easily convertible locations. Minimal set building is proposed and versatility of design should enable re-use of sets in different configurations.
Budgets estimated at $150,000 to $200,000 per episode for a total of $2,600,000 for the project.
Product should be marketable not only within Australia but overseas to audiences who have previously enjoyed similar style programs such as Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Two Twisted.
Progress So Far
The Fellowship of Australian Writers in conjunction with Whitelight Productions has already conducted workshops and developed First Draft scripts for the series as outlined below. These scripts will be further developed to final draft by April 2010.
One Line Summary of Each Episode.
- Ascent to Oblivion – David & Sheryl Anderson awake in a hotel foyer thirty years in the future in bodies not their own, after they thought they’d been killed in a meteor strike.
- Second Chance – knowing he was dying, Arthur Baldwin has decided to have his brain transplanted into a computer but his new life does not turn out as he expected.
- Seeds in Exile – Richard and his team of soldiers are lost in a world destroyed by war until they find a bridge to a new reality.
- Contact – a space ship searching for signs of intelligent life in space finds it in an unexpected quarter.
- Three Secrets - Every family has a secret or three, but for Bob an unlikely bond with a mysterious little boy can either save his family from heartache or ruin everything he holds so dear.
- Hostile Takeover - After narrowly escaping an attempt on her life, nothing can stop Felicity Stanton from exacting revenge and obliterating the “ultimate” glass ceiling.
- Sannah and the Pilgrim – When an unknown traveller is found on the village Storyteller’s doorstep, a whole community is threatened, and a terrible secret will be revealed that will shatter all their lives.
- Lies & Allies – When an agent from the 22nd century is sent back to 2009 to capture a man she is told threatens the agency she discovers he is not only from the 23rd century sent to rescue her and protect her best friend from ruin but also he’s trying to prevent a plan to create perfect human clones.
- Road of Uncertainty – When Peter Harrison has a car accident he finds himself in his own future, he must find a way back to prevent the tragedy and save his own life.
- Shakespearean Virus – two scientists in love develop a virus that threatens the world but company rules lead to their deaths and the cure to save the world dies with them.
- The Little Canon – Newman Stark observes a number of deaths that seem to be linked to a toy cannon.
- Reality Interchange – When People disappear in large numbers, an amateur physicist suspects that reality displacements are responsible – a condition which threatens to destabilise what we know as reality.
- The Installation Grid – on a distant planet farmers are threatened by a mysterious overlord.
- Reality Dimension – a modern day man awakes on the Bridge of a Star Ship that seems remarkably similar to one in his favourite TV program.
- The Little Ungnome – a fairy story about an insignificant gnome who asserts his presence in his community in order to save it.
- The Parasite Man – The last survivors of a dead world reach out but nature has had enough of this parasite known as “man”.
- Sleeper - 4000 years from now a 27 year old woman is taken out of cryogenic sleep after dying of a heart attack,. Will her soul survive or will they unleash something unholy?
- Temporal Disorder - A fatal virus that kills within two years of contraction has been unleashed on the world. A team of researches go into temporal isolation for five years to await the results – what they awake to, will shake their very belief in what is real – they must fix it or die.
- Different – Jackie, a contemptuous yet despondent teen is trapped inside a house with a homicidal serial killer and it’ll take all of her primordial intuition to survive the hellish encounter.
- We are the Aliens – What happens when archaeologists find disturbing evidence that humans did not evolve from the apes, and who or what is covering up the evidence?
- You Are What You Eat – Annie learns that she isn’t the only one who believes in the mantra: you are what you eat.
- Hibernation – Twenty years ago, Natasha Phelps was left behind to fend for herself and now she’s come back, the same but different, and all she wants to do is go home.
- Icky Nicky – All his life, Nicholas Pollen has been the creepy outcast until Peony Thorne enters his life and he’ll never be the same ever again.
- Pollinator 765 – There are no bees in Pollinator 765’s harsh reality, so when she decides to explore the outside, she finds herself in a place she’d rather not be and misses the flowers, which she used to pollinate.
- Final Hours – It’s the last day on Earth - will Mia dismiss such an absurd prediction or be driven to unravel the mystery from her childhood that will finally unlock the truth about her identity before it's too late?
- Finding God - When a young man is forcibly institutionalised his identity becomes an issue when his treating psychiatrist is convinced that the young man believes he is Jesus.
One Paragraph Synopsis
- Ascent to Oblivion by Philip Rainford
David & Sheryl Anderson are trapped at ground zero for a meteor impact after setting up monitoring equipment. After the meteor hits they awake in a hotel foyer thirty years in the future in bodies not their own. They discover their bodies have lives of their own. Conflict arises as their new life partners are jealous of their liaison as they try to uncover the truth of what happened to them.
- Second Chance by Philip Rainford
Arthur Baldwin was dying and has his brain transplanted into a computer. However he dies before a suitable computerised body can be built and he finds himself in a mega-computer with no rights and forced to process data. When his wife refuses to join him and chooses true death he attempts suicide but is prevented. Is he doomed for eternity to remain in this static existence? His one remaining friend is his only hope but his solution is not what he expects either.
- Seeds in Exile by Philip Rainford
Richard and his team of soldiers are among the few survivors of a world undergoing nuclear self-destruction. The planet is poisoned and entering nuclear winter, extinction is imminent. Then they find a town apparently unharmed, untouched by the disaster but not for long as rival surviving groups decide to fight over this island refuge. Richard discovers that they have crossed a bridge into another reality and that door is closing. As the last surviving seeds of his people he tries to unite the rivalling tribes in peace before the door closes and exiles them permanently from their old world.
- Contact by Philip Rainford
Man has been exploring star systems for decades and found no other life on any planet. One expedition lands on a desert planet and discovers a colony of Ants. The Captain disappointed that a more significant life form cannot be found frustrates researchers until the Ants strike back and threaten the lives of everyone in the expedition.
- Three Secrets by Suzan Dalziel
A forced retirement, the return of his reckless son and a persistent new neighbour all put an end to Bob’s comfortable life. As his predictable days unravel, it takes the mysterious silence of one little boy to show him the way to a new life; because every family has a secret; or three.
- Hostile Takeover by Elizabeth McLaughlin
A zealous career woman finds herself in unfamiliar territory. She’s used to hostile takeovers but not personal ones. After narrowly escaping an attempt on her life, Felicity Stanton demands retribution on the man who ordered the hit on her life. Her boss! She’ll destroy him and anybody else who gets in her way.
- Sannah and the Pilgrim by Sue Parritt
The village storyteller in a community in Northern Queensland for refugees from the sinking South Pacific Islands due to climate change finds a mysterious stranger on her doorstep. He seems unfamiliar with their ways but she decides he has escaped from another reserve and offers to help him by providing him with ID papers. Local authorities become suspicious and the mysterious stranger becomes a threat to the Women’s Line and is possibly a spy sent to uncover their secrets or undermine their beliefs based on what appears to be a false history.
- Lies & Allies by Suzanne Gleeson
Stella is a time agent on probation sent back to 2009 to kidnap a man claimed to be a threat to the agency. She meets him in a bar, lures him to a remote location to drug him but has the tables turned. She awakes at his place and is told he is from her future, sent to rescue her and to enlist her help in preventing the development of perfect human clones based on his DNA. They are forced to flee from both their agencies while they uncover the truth behind a plot that threatens both their times and to protect her best friend who they threaten to destroy.
- Road of Uncertainty by Philip Rainford
Peter Harrison has a car accident and finds himself in his own future looking at the body of the driver of the other car he sees his own face, older but definitely his face. Peter returns to his car and goes home, he finds his wife, Christine – older and their house has changed. He tries to explain he seems to be in his own future, she doesn’t believe until she sees the girls. The police arrive to report the accident and she goes to the hospital to identify the body and check on their daughter. Peter decides he has to go back but doesn’t know how. He tries by retracing his steps of the previous evening and manages to get home, taking with him a glimpse of the future.
- Shakespearean Virus by Philip Rainford
Two scientists in love develop a virus but rules at work prevent them being lovers. When one dies of the virus, the other commits suicide just before the other revives. However, the virus mutates into a killer plague but only the dead scientist knows how to stop it killing everyone. The surviving team must attempt to recover their research and save the world or will the world die because of a stupid rule?
- The Little Canon by Philip Rainford
Newman Stark, a professional researcher, witnesses a car accident where a man was rundown and killed. He noticed the man had a small toy canon in his hand. Several weeks later he has dinner in a bar with a professor. When he leaves he finds a small toy canon on the seat where the professor had been. He hands it to the barman and goes home. Next day he reads the barman committed suicide. He returns to the bar to check on the canon and gets word the Professor picked it up. Next day Newman gets word that the Professor has died of a heart attack. He begins to wonder if these deaths are connected to the canon. He visits the professor’s wife and confirms he had the canon but the police inspector now had the canon. That night the inspector is killed in a shootout. He does some research and discovers the canon is linked to..
- Reality Interchange by Philip Rainford
People are disappearing in large numbers. An amateur physicist suspects that reality displacements are responsible. He sets off with two friends to prove it. When he tracks the disturbances to a laboratory, he finds that he has been displaced and is now in a reality where he is a physics researcher who is responsible for creating the displacements which is threatening to destabilise multiple realities with uncertain consequences.
- The Installation Grid by Philip Rainford
Michael & Polly Grap are farmers on a colony planet. Overlooking their farm is the “Installation” a large structure that generates power for the larger towns nearby. The Graps deliver food to the Installation across the lake to a large drawbridge guarded by soldiers who never speak. The region this year is suffering from drought, one morning the Graps awake to find their daughter missing and a summons to the Installation. On arrival they are told to surrender all food supplies. Michael forced to comply delivered the food but refused to release it until his daughter was returned. The soldiers refuse so they enter the Installation through a hidden door to rescue the daughter but an alarm is sounded as they enter the main installation complex to sabotage it. As they leave a defensive mechanism is activated that divides the land into grids and begins to annihilate everything in each grid.
- Reality Dimension by Philip Rainford
Luke Meyer loves watching science fiction, one day he wakes up to find himself on the Bridge of a star ship from his favourite SciFi series but here it is real. He is in a universe where that fiction is reality. He has sick bay check him out just in case but they find nothing wrong and he resumes his post. He checks the ships log and find all the TV episode recorded as actual events. As Captain he finds he must negotiate with an alien Ambassador but before he can he is kidnapped and used as bargaining chip. They outmanoeuvre the Ambassador and renegotiate after a small encounter. Luke retires for a well-earned rest and awakes back home wondering if it was real or just a dream.
- The Little Ungnome by Philip Rainford
Once upon a time a little ungnome was growing up and looking forward to becoming a gnome. He was a dreamer who lived alone with his parents who were always busy. When his father went away to war, another woman came to stay to help his mother. One day a sister was born to his household and they had to move to another village that had a house big enough but there were no ungnomes to play with. so he lived his dreams in his mind. Several years later when an evil wizard came to the village and threatened the happiness of the villagers and killed the town hero, the ungnome decided he could be the hero of his dreams and defeat the wizard who was attracted to his sister. He traps the wizard and wins the praise of the village.
- The Parasite Man by Philip Rainford
A man alone in a dead world. The planet has lost its ability to generate oxygen and the people died. He had a unique but unenviable position of living in an oxygen generation plant and survived. (Have flashbacks to how industry destroyed air) One day he made contact with another group of survivors. They were on their last supplies of oxygen but did not speech English and he was unable to let them know he had air. Subsequently the others died leaving him alone again until the food ran out, food that had been plentiful in the other colony. When he died the planet regenerated itself now free of the parasite known as ‘man.
- Sleeper by Philip Rainford
4000 years from now a 27 year old woman is taken out of cryogenic sleep after dying of a heart attack. Her body is regenerated but the mind is empty, the essence that made her unique had vacated the shell. A scientist dying of an incurable disease decides to test the brain, which is anatomically sound by transferring his essence. The transfer is successful, his body dies and no residue of the woman seems to remain. All memories have departed with spirit. Speculate on theory that spirit leaves after several hours permanently for new life. The scientist must adjust to a female body after life as a male.
- Temporal Disorder by Philip Rainford
A fatal virus that kills within two years of contraction has been unleashed on the world. There is no cure but it is believed it will burn itself out within five years. So a team of researches unleash experimental anti-viruses then go into temporal isolation for five years to await the results. One member of the team is found to have contracted the virus and is placed in a temporal isolation chamber earlier. When he awakes he finds himself on a different plane, everyone is moving around but can’t see or hear him. Also the population on the surface is also alive but they seem oblivious to this fact. Three levels of existence, each unaware of the other. He must find a solution in case the virus is still killing him. He has only two years to solve the problem and make contact.
- Different by E. J. McLaughlin
A senior high school student believes that life will start after she finishes university and instead of partying or dating on a Friday night, house sits instead. She finds herself trapped in the house with a serial killer who adores the fact that she is unlike any of his previous victims and Jackie discovers there’s more to life than being different.
- We are the Aliens by Jennifer Dunlop
Set in outback Australia a group of archaeologists and palaeontologists are revealing a rare dinosaur skeleton when the team leader, Evan, discovers a strange artefact within the dig. Evan becomes more and more confused when his supervising professor goes missing, and evidence of the artefact, and in fact the dig, also disappears.
- You Are What You Eat by E. J. McLaughlin
Annie works at the local university library, watches what she eats and is an honours student. All is falling into place for her. She has a crush on the security guard who has a serious crush on her. All that changes when she finds the body of her class nemesis minus her brain and everything she has struggled to hide is about to be devoured. Trying to fall in love, save students, finish her dinner, and save herself from a brain eating predator, will take more than just the nutrition from a half eaten salad sandwich.
- Hibernation by E. J. McLaughlin
Natasha Phelps never thought that the romantic camping weekend with her boyfriend would turn into a fight for survival. It didn’t have to be that way but her cowardly boyfriend left her behind in the woods and she’s not alone. It’s been twenty years since her disappearance and suddenly she returns, still youthful, but there’s something not quite the same about her. It doesn’t help the local authorities that the resident conspiracy theorist seems to be attracted to her. What she doesn’t want is the attention of her old boyfriend who doesn’t want anyone to know what he had done twenty years ago and his other secret that Natasha is now a part of.
- Icky Nicky by E. J. McLaughlin
Nicholas (Icky Nicky) has been teased all his life and college is no different. He has a rare skin condition. Every time he sweats, his skin turns a little green and the sweat on his hands thickens to sticky mucus. He’s a very lonely young man; however, a new girl arrives on campus and from the first moment he sees her walk into a tree, he can’t help but fall in love. She’s also a little different. She understands how he feels and isn’t afraid to touch him. She gives him the courage to fight back against the bullies, only he doesn’t get the chance.
- Pollinator 765 by E. J. McLaughlin
Pollinator 765 names herself Daisy after the flowers she spends her life pollinating. All the bees have gone, so humans have picked up the task of pollinating the fields under protective domes. Daisy has worked since she was old enough to hold a pollinating wand. She believes there must be more to life and defies the law about going outside the dome. What she finds is not at all pretty and after being captured and processed by the authorities, she realises she was better off pollinating the daisies; at least she had the freedom to roam the fields.
- Final Hours by Suzan Dalziel
It’s the last day on earth. Or so the stranger on Mia’s doorstep assures her; can she believe such an absurd prediction? When other strange events unfold, Mia’s orderly life is thrown into disarray as she races to unlock the mystery from her childhood and to discover her real identity before it's too late.
- Finding God by Jennifer Dunlop
Joseph, after being arrested for ‘disturbing the peace’ is sent to be assessed at a state-run mental institution. During the course of the consultation with the supervising psychiatrist, Dr Peter Rathbourne, Joseph denies making any claims that he is, in fact, Jesus. Unable to get Joseph to make any declaration that could determine the matter, one way or the other, Rathbourne unknowingly provides Joseph with the opportunity to show his true identity.