Short Stories into Film

[Frank Zafiro]

Which of your short stories do you think would make a good film (long or short)?

How about a short story by another author?

Why?

[Keith Snyder]

DEAD GRAY, in the March/April EQMM, started life as a screenplay, but I couldn't get there in that form. Starting it over as a short story worked.

It would make a good feature. I know how I'd have to expand it, and I know a bunch of the shots and the tone of the soundtrack.

Now if someone can just get me a couple million and John Mahoney...

[Keith Snyder]

I stopped by to see other responses, just because this is an interesting subject to me, and I realized I didn't answer your "why" question. DEAD GRAY would make a great indie feature for several reasons.

One, it's got a pretty tight three-act structure and a revelatory climax.

Two, it's got a limited cast. Two main characters, two secondary characters.

Three, it's got limited locations, and they're mostly interiors. INT. HOUSE, INT. DINER, INT. APARTMENT, INT. HOSPITAL ROOM, and a few brief exteriors.

Four, it's visual. Main action isn't carried by anyone's thoughts--and when it does go into somebody's head, it's done visually.

Five, it's got John Mahoney carrying a Tokarev.

Or anyway, in a perfect universe it would.

[Steve Allan]

Hump the Stump. Originally appeared on the Flashing In the Gutters site. I think film audiences are thirsting for an armless, legless anti-hero who kills his wife. Casting will be a bitch.

[Todd Robinson]

I've just free-optioned a short of mine (Dirty Launrdy - recently published in Out Of The Gutters) to be turned into a short film.

[Victor Gischler]

Todd,

That kicks ass! I hope the film will be available for all to see after it's made. I'd love to take a look.

[Dennis Leppanen]

The Bomb Squad --I wrote it recently and I just went and perused my stories that I have written and done absolutely nothing with. I will give it a re-write and send it out.

Thanks, Frank

[DADavenport]

Two of mine. The first story I put on FITG, Beautiful Schemer, a Femme Fatale Noir that I am still very fond of.

And my first print piece...yippee!...which I have coming out in Short and Twisted, an Australian anthology that is dated to launch on June 20th. It's called Tethering the Bait. Story of a rape counselor and a very bizarre hotline call. I was very happy to have it included since the publisher was strictly limiting her acceptance of authors outside of Australia. I could see it have the same tension of Sorry, Wrong Number or something, but as a short film.

[David Terrenoire]

I wrote a story called Just Like Jesus for Blue Murder and no longer have a copy of it. But it's got betrayal, a gold bikini, the best line I ever stole, and a Cadillac full of unregistered firearms.

I think it would kick ass.

[Sylvia Hubbard]

I'd turn my story, How To Meet & Marry In 24 Hours into a great film.

In case you want to listen to it, you can go catch it on my myspace.com/sylviahubbard page.

It would make a great flm with a cliffhanger at the end.

[Donna Moore]

Some of the short stories I would love to see turned into films are Eddie Muller's WANDA WILCOX IS TRAPPED from the PLOTS WITH GUNS anthology (probably my favourite short story ever), Bill Crider's CRANKED and Megan Abbott's POLICY (both from the DAMN NEAR DEAD anthology) and just about any short story by Joe Lansdale. They are all fast, full of life (and death!) and when I read them I can really see them in my head. Visually they would make great short films.