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There’s a Buffy body swap episode for which the script just says “From now on, Buffy is played by [ other actress ]”. That would work if the actors are known and there’s not much swapping back and forth.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 28/09/2026

I assume they're referring to it being "OFFICE-EARLY" rather than "OFFICE - EARLY".

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 27/09/2026

Anonymous redditors are willing to say what the professional Hollywood gatekeeper elite don't want us to know* (*complete falsehoods)

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 25/09/2026

The correct reaction to the list of best TV shows is to scan emotionlessly past any ranking you agree with, then: - "X should be higher / lower" - "The presence / absence of X renders this entire list invalid" - "Only a monster would put X above / below Y" - "No Garth Marenghi's Darkplace!?!"

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 24/09/2026

All my newer stuff is in a pre-eyeball state, so I may have to take an IOU…

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Adele @theartofcharts.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Migrant rights - especially the rights of asylum seekers - matter to me, because as an economic migrant myself, I know how hard it is to migrate, even when everything goes right. No Ghosts Tonight is about how much worse it can get when things go wrong. #scriptsky #screenpit.

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Adele @theartofcharts.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I've read VOICELESS - it's a really powerful, smart, story that stands up to rereading.

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This week’s Scriptnotes with Aaron Sorkin is one of my favorites. In the bonus segment, we discuss his never-made Houdini musical.

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Adele @theartofcharts.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

DUST ON DIRT A burger-slinging astronomy student used as prey in a sadistic hunting game in the desert escapes, and finds help from a reclusive smuggler – but when she uncovers his deal with her kidnappers, she must confront her own capacity for violence. Nicholl QF #screenpit #scriptsky #Fe #Thr

A dry scrub-covered hillside under a brass-blue sky. A few scattered clouds, but no chance of rain. Text: A Script by Adele Smaill / DUST ON DIRT

EXT. DESTROYED WATER STATION IN THE WILDERNESS – NIGHT
Drops of water strike wet earth.

Slow...

...and stop.

A drained water barrel, peppered with bullet holes. Slashed
empty water containers litter the rocky clearing.

A flag, emblazoned with a rain drop, droops from a whip pole.

Facing away, an INFANT in a pink onesie crawls in the dirt.
She turns her head. She's long since dead. No eyes to her
sockets, skin withered to the bone.

INT. TROY'S TRAILER - BEDROOM ALCOVE – DAY

TROY (a gaunt 50s) gasps awake, heart POUNDING.
Flat on his back on a narrow pull-down bed, late afternoon sun
streaming through the window.

TROY
It's ok.

Bleak eyes give the lie, but the POUNDING quiets and slows.
He retrieves a pistol from the tatty console by the bed and
looks it over. His hand trembles. The gun shakes. It's
ridiculous. Pathetic, even.

INT. RAQUEL'S APARTMENT - BATHROOM – DAY
Steady hands put the finishing touches on a flat twist crown.

SHIELLE (O.S.)
(16 and hopeful)
Well? Can I go? Please?

Intent on her reflection, RAQUEL (21, Black, short, in a
uniform emblazoned 'Burgershed') ignores her. Inspects
herself with a critical eye. It'll do.

She heads for the...

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Adele @theartofcharts.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

FAR AS THE CROW FLIES A guilt-plagued school-shooting survivor and an emotionally-numb goth become unlikely 'fruit-pickers for a visa' on a remote orchard — but when their predatory boss kidnaps them, they must rekindle each other’s will to live. Big Break QF #screenpit #scriptsky #fe #thr #ho

A rusty-brown tattered feather against a light blue background. Text: FAR AS THE CROW FLIES / Written by Adele Smaill

EXT. HIGH ON A HILLY ROAD, SOUTH AUSTRALIA - DAWN
Perched on a pine bough, a raven eyes a wallaby, dead on the
verge. Guts spilled and stinking. A tempting feast.
Talons shift as the raven weighs it up. Listens... looks...
The distant THRUM of an ageing minivan intrudes on hot dry
silence. Rising dust traces its slaloming course along the
dirt track winding along the valley floor below.

Here comes trouble.
Shiny eyes focus on the roadkill. Trouble’s no stranger.

REFLECTION IN LARGE MIRROR SHADES - DAWN
Fence posts flick by like clockwork. Tick, tick, tick. The
mirror shades belong to...

...CROW (20, androgynous goth, all in black, chipped nails to
match), gazing idly out the middle-row window of the...

INT. MINIVAN - CONTINUOUS
.. as it hurtles into a tight corner.

TORI (O.S.)
(U.S. Midwest accent)
Slow up a bit?
Crow looks over at TORI (19, short, awkward, her T-shirt
reads ‘SHIT HAPPENED’), her eyes fixed on the twisting road.

At least she’ll see it coming.

Behind the wheel, KYLE (22, impulsive, macho good looks, just
a hint of a U.S. accent under an Ozzie drawl) plants his
foot. The minivan accelerates. Petty vengeance.

Beside him, EMMA (19, stylish, American) plays peacemaker.

EMMA
Tori? You carsick?

The prospect of vomit gets Kyle’s attention. He eases back.

TORI
No. I - I just don’t like...

The engine revs as Kyle speeds up. Emma settles back, hiding
an eye roll.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 24/09/2026

Thanks so much, Adele, very kind. And you should send me DUST ON DIRT and FAR AS THE CROW FLIES sometime.

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Adele @theartofcharts.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

NO GHOSTS TONIGHT by Adele Smaill In a bid to get home, a young exile forces her way aboard an inflatable dinghy full of asylum seekers, who must band together to evade capture and survive a deadly Channel crossing. I wish this one wasn't topical, but it is. #Screenpit #Scriptsky #Fe #Dr #Thr

White waves breaking against a rocky shoreline at dusk. Overcast and grey. Text: No Ghosts Tonight / How far will you go to get back home? / Written By / Adele Smaill

Against a black and gold background
Text: Finalist / Adele Smaill / No Ghosts Tonight / Nicholl Fellowships / in Screenwriting.
Underneath a small version of the Academy status against a gold triangle.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 23/09/2026

✨ PAGE Gold Winner ✨ – VOICELESS In 1890s Montana, a mute girl with an unsettling power escapes an abusive marriage and flees across the plains, joining a disillusioned preacher on a journey towards freedom or damnation. #ScreenPit #scriptsky #Fea #CWin #Dr #Wes #Su #Ad

Poster art for the screenplay Voiceless by David Dean. A woman with her hands over her mouth, against a background of trees. Photo by Leyla Həsənli.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 23/09/2026

I found a royalty-free image on Pexels, opened it in Preview, tweaked the color and slapped some text on.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 23/09/2026

If you’re passing this script around I’d love to read it.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 23/09/2026

If this one’s available to read, I’d love to take a look.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 23/09/2026

Please know that if this had turned into a Sharks vs Jets style rumble I was ready with rhythmic clicking.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 23/09/2026

Hammering the Like button on all the Screenpit posters that weren’t generated by AI. #scriptsky

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 23/09/2026

Poster art for the screenplay Voiceless by David Dean. A woman with her hands over her mouth, against a background of trees. Photo by Leyla Hesenli.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 21/09/2026

Have spent the year miserably rotating between four feature script rewrites. Fingers crossed I can get to some closure and remember how to write something new.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 19/09/2026

Turns out I somehow wasn’t cynical *enough* to seem real.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 19/09/2026

It’s just nice to see people still printing paper copies.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 19/09/2026

A little harsh, but probably fair. #scriptsky

An obviously fake film festival email notification: "Dear David,

Now that we've announced all placements for the 2026 script competition, I wanted to send you a quick note to tell you how much our team hated your script.

Your script almost didn't make the second round at all, and on reflection, probably shouldn't have. We hope this is demoralizing, as our team truly feels your writing lacks any value.

Please know that we printed out ten copies purely to burn them.

Sincerely,"

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 18/09/2026

Might be worth the risk. They didn't technically say no.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 17/09/2026

I’ll be heading to Texas (actually hadn’t heard of FilmQuest).

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 17/09/2026

I tell myself that doing well in a contest is meaningful (because you have to impress multiple judges) but failing to place is less meaningful (because only one judge needs to bounce off it).

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 15/09/2026

Congrats! And if you’re letting people read it, sign me up.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 15/09/2026

Congrats Kevin, I'd love to give it a read.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 15/09/2026

Congrats! And I’d love to read it if it’s being sent around.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 15/09/2026

I wish I had kids so I could take their photos off the mantelpiece and replace them with a framed version of this.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 14/09/2026

The entire prismatic spectrum of responses. It's officially either great, terrible, or average.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 14/09/2026

My feature script VOICELESS... - Didn't place in AFF 2025 - Won Gold in PAGE that same year - Didn't place in Script Pipeline - Got a 5 on the Black List - Got a 7 on the Black List - Didn't advance in Sundance - Just made the 2nd round in AFF 2026 #scriptsky

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 12/09/2026

But like, diplomatically?

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 11/09/2026

This is the kind of nonsense I can respect.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 11/09/2026

Maybe it's the ratio that matters. Typos as an addendum, cool. Typos as "I have nothing else to say", less cool.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 11/09/2026

I think I saw you (maybe?) mention sometimes using text to speech to have your script read. Bet that’s helpful for this kind of thing.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 11/09/2026

When you receive feedback on a script, do you want to know about typos? I seem to be a human typo detector, but I feel guilty mentioning them, like, "Thanks for sharing your deeply emotional narrative. Here's thirteen typos." Useful or insultingly nitpicky? #scriptsky

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 11/09/2026

One of my memories about the weeks following 9/11 was the collective belief among cultural commentators that movies had been forever changed, and that no longer would anyone in the West want to see large-scale violence on screen.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 11/09/2026

Please add a content warning for dabbling honkers.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 09/09/2026

Currently vacillating between either going based on placement or saying fuck it and going anyway since I had fun last time.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 08/09/2026

bsky.app/profile/moth...

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 07/09/2026

I have ethical concerns about plagiarism as much as anyone, but it's clearly not going away so we have a responsibility to get a seat at the table and help guarantee clean, conscientious plagiarism that *democratizes* theft.

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David Dean @cynohead.com · 06/09/2026

I just appreciate an actual discussion about screenwriting around here, so thanks for that.

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