“ASHES”

Short Film Script (30min)

2005: A 5 year-old boy witnesses his mother commit suicide, jumping into the River Clyde in Glasgow. Bewilderment disguises the latent shock that will affect him for many years to come. To the youngster, David, not even the emergency services appeared to want to save her. Why?

2020: Having harboured an almost unnatural obsession with death as far back as he can remember, David is now working as a trainee in a Glasgow crematorium, assisting in the macabre, but necessary, profession of human body disposal. His work-mates are down-to-earth men who use their rapid-fire and base sense of humour to help get through the day: despite the tasks they carry out.

In a confounding coincidence, two faces from David's past are seen when attending a colleague's funeral at the crematorium: a police officer and firefighter who were both at the scene of David's mother's suicide, all those years before. When David sees the familiar eyes, those eyes he has seen many times before in his dreams; what follows is the shattering of an already fragile state of mind: triggered by an old memory springing to the present, with the uncensored rage of a nightmare. Tragedy mixes with ingenuity of purpose later that day when David’s anger results in actions from which there is no going back.

"Ashes" is a tale of extremes: of characters; situations; viewer emotions and underlying messages. It combines drama in an unusual setting; a dash of gallows humour; and a sting-in-the-tale.

“Going for the Burn”

Short Film Script – 30 mins

Set in a city centre Leisure and Fitness Club, reflecting a microcosm of Scottish society, “Going for the Burn” is an observational drama, charting a day in the life of the club as we encounter the various personalities who work for and attend, the gym. There’s the over-tanned, over-drug-abused and over-sexed Head Instructor – the Queen Bee of the club, in more ways than one. Then the target-obsessed Manager, trying to win head office’s approval, whilst coping with a possible thief amongst his staff. A 21 year-old personal trainer is as obsessed with getting as much out of life (for free) as he is with his handsome looks. The single mother-of-two Head Receptionist is a capable and calming force in the club but is suspicious of her new Assistant. Then there are the clients: the television executive being personally trained and the mid-morning mums who’ve managed to drag themselves away from daytime telly. In the afternoon, a young kick-boxer practices his sport with evil intent, and by the end of the day, not only have the clients worked-up a sweat, but more than a few issues among the staff are also resolved: as muscles and minds ‘go for the burn.’