“The story manages to take a very mundane, everyday task of using a phone booth, and turn it into a uniquely dramatic and tense situation…” Extracts from a script report by our trainee Daniela Piper-Vegh, based on a reading of the script PHONE BOOTH: CLICK HERE to read the script online from The Daily Script.
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TITLE: PHONEBOOTH LOCALE: Urban City
AUTHOR: Larry Cohen SETTING: Manhattan
PERIOD: Present
GENRE: PRIMARY: Psychological Thriller
SECONDARY:
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
STUART SHEPARD (M/ approx. 30s) Publicist who finds himself trapped in a phone booth, while a mysterious caller threatens his life.
KELLY SHEPARD (F/ approx. 30s) Stu’s supportive but suspicious wife.
RAMEY (M/ approx. 40s) Police Officer who helps free Stu.
VOICE ON PHONE (M/ approx 30s-50s) Torments Stu, making him follow his every command.
LOGLINE: An unsuspecting publicist finds himself trapped in a phone booth, forced to obey the commands of a mysterious caller.
…
COMMENTS:
The script has a simple yet compelling plot that immediately draws the audience in. The story is unpredictable, causing suspense all the way through. The audience is aligned with the main character Stu, as they too also do not know what to expect from the mysterious caller. The stakes are very high, with Stu being in a life or death situation as soon as he enters the phone booth. The story manages to take a very mundane, every day task of using a phone booth, and turn it into a uniquely dramatic and tense situation. It is interesting that the caller’s identity is never revealed, as it keeps the threat more allusive and mysterious. The script has strong visual potential, offering a unique perspective through a very limited and confined location of the phone booth.
The script also allows for great character development. Although Stu is initially shown as a slimy publicist who manipulates people and lies to them, he eventually becomes much more likeable, as the sniper breaks down his layers of personality. Stu becomes more humble once he is at the mercy of the sniper. On top of the situational conflict, there is also plenty of emotional and inter-personal conflict. There is a clear ongoing struggle between the antagonist and the protagonist. However, the antagonist is not shown as wholly bad, as there are poignant moments in which the caller and Stu are aligned. There are plenty of added complications, with Leon attacking the phone booth and then the police showing up. There are also plenty of twists, which keep the audience on the edge of their seats. For instance, having Stu outsmart the caller and dial 911 without him noticing is a strong turning point. Although the script relies more on dialogue than action, a fast pace is maintained throughout. Overall, the script has good commercial potential due to the unique story, the strong visual potential and the compelling plot. The budget would also be low, due to the minimal cast and restricted setting.
To see the full industry-standard format we use for Studio Coverage, either commission your own (CLICK HERE) based on the script you submit, or purchase The Confidential Studio Manual to get the inside track on how the industry will really assess and process your script (CLICK HERE)!