Type: Feature Screenplay
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action
Logline: The Time Job is a Sci-Fi Action Thriller about Jerry, a down-on-his-luck thief who time travels to help a mysterious tycoon steal an artifact from 1931, but when the heist ends disastrously Jerry must race to retrieve the artifact and return to the present or be erased from existence.
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
The Time Job is about a horribly unlucky thief named Jerry who is
trying desperately to go straight in order to give unborn child and
himself the best future possible. Nothing he does seems to work, no
one is overlooking his criminal past. Then a mysterious billionaire
calling himself Mr. Wells, gives him the chance to participate in a
one-of-a-kind heist with a two million dollar pay out: steal a
priceless Persian idol from a museum that burned down in 1931. Turns
out Wells has funded the creation of a time machine in order to
retrieve the lost idol which had belonged to his family, now he wants
it back. Jerry and his best friend Dodd, a fun loving safe cracker,
jump to depression era Florida but, after the heist, they discover
Wells and the idol are not what they seem to be. Now their lives, even
their very existence is in jeopardy. So now they have to team up with
cops and some very famous criminals to get the idol back and get home
before time literally runs out.
It’s really about what happens when desperate people compromise their
values to survive in this world and the struggle between taking
something because it’s easy and doing the right thing which is always
hard.
There’s also a nice little redeeming love story in their which asks
the question: are you really defined by your job? Or can love make you
do and be something more?
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Science Fiction Action Heist Thriller
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Because it’s a fresh take on the one last heist big score movie.
Putting time travel into the context of a heist thriller makes this
story unique and compelling. It adds fantastical new layers of
complications and high stakes for a caper movie. But it’s not a dour
piece its really a fun ride with a core group of endearing funny and
rough and tumble characters who surprise the audience every step of
the way.
Someone who read it told me the constant propulsive force of the
narrative going from place to place reminded him of “Raiders of the
Lost Ark,” and it really is that kind of big screen throwback
Hollywood entertainment. But it also does something no other heist
movie does: it takes characters normally on the sidelines and makes
them the leads. Jerry is the “wire man” he cuts security wires and
sabotages security systems. This is a guy who doesn’t want to be the
hero, the George Clooney mastermind. But through this crisis he learns
to be a leader and use his skills to his advantage. I’ve never seen a
movie about that guy, and I think that would be a fun role to play for
any actor.
How would you describe this script in two words?
Twisty Ride
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
About five years now. Which is how old my son is so, the script must
have partially come from my initial anxiety about becoming a father.
How many stories have you written?
If we include prose fiction AND scripts, lets see I’ve been writing
since I was about eighteen I’m thirty-six now so… I would say
twenty- twenty five.
What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the
most times in your life?)
Safety Dance by Men Without Hats
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
This was my second feature film screenplay my first being a terrible
indie drama that will never be made. I had zero confidence going into
this I learned all the formatting basics on this script. I wrote it
during my long hours at an unemployment office. I would look for jobs
for an hour and when I had run out of places to look online I wrote
and wrote and wrote. I was also a stay at home dad during the week and
we were living with my mother in law so ironically writing a script
about time travel the greatest enemy I faced was Time itself.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Christian Philosophy, History, Science, and being a husband and father.
You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your
experiences working with the submission platform site?
I have had no complaints or issues I can think of.
What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings
on the initial feedback you received?
I believe I saw a post about it on social media a while ago and after
doing some research I thought this would be a novel way to promote the
script in the hopes that it gets produced. The feedback has been
extremely helpful and I hope to see this script evolve into its most
perfect version of itself.
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
Camera Op: Mary Cox
Fantasy/Sci-Fi FILM & WRITING FESTIVAL 