"Cleaver" - A Gory Horror Short. I am in this!

My Push For 10,000 Views Continues - My Ubisoft Cover Letter

I saw a posting once from Ubisoft Toronto looking for someone to help develop video game storylines. I want that job, give me that job.

Dear Ubisoft;

My name is Thomas Holler and I am a screen writer from Toronto, I went to school for television broadcasting at Seneca College and took advanced writing, literature and communications at Durham College. I maintain a writing blog at (http://apeday.blogspot.ca/) it’s a place where I can work on ideas and practice different forms of writing but I am most interested in film and episodic television. When I came across your opening for a video game writing position I felt the need to jump on it, I may not have the resume that other candidates have but I have the talent to warrant consideration. I am very adept at storytelling, developing ideas and creating realistic and colorful dialogue. I have a passion for writing, so much so that even though I am not working full time in a creative job, I still find time to work on my passion. I work with a small film team producing content on both the creative, written side and the production side (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iutivnDKrV4) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OBszPLJDVA). I have a very strong administrative background and have gained a wealth of professional experience in varied environments. What I hope to gain is a foot in the door at a company and industry which will excite and bring out the best in me creatively. I love Ubisoft and I am a huge video game fan, if there’s an opportunity for me to contribute to a great gaming story then I would love to be a part of it.

Thank you;

Thomas Holler

The Worst Laid Plans - Toronto Film Challenge Promo

My Push For 10,000 Views Begins - Here's a Sick Little Gangster Movie Promo

I shot a short film over the weekend. 

I'll post the full version as soon as I can and I'll be getting back into the swing of writing everyday from now on. I've just been feeling beat up lately, I was on set shooting for 22 hours that day and I am just now recovering. That's the thing about these 48 Hour Film challenges, you work in the hot sun or a warm office for damn near an entire 24 hour day; eating junk food for every meal and then you put that fat, puffy, sweaty, tired looking, worn out face on camera for everyone to see and judge. Goodbye vanity.

-Thomas Holler-

Two Amazing Things I've Experienced In My Life

Two Amazing Things I've Experienced In My Life

- One afternoon I was lying on my bed and my brother was sitting across the room talking to a friend. I had in my hand a broken microchip and an elastic band and I wanted to see if I could slingshot the microchip across the room and hit my brother. Just, y'know...to see if I could. I was 10. I found the sweet spot on the microchip, loaded it up just right and sent it flying towards him. My eyes locked onto the chip as it took off into it's flight and in that moment all time slowed down. My eyes locked onto the spinning microchip so tightly that I could see and calculate every single revolution it made as it whirled through the air. I remember seeing my target (my brother) as a blur in the background; I remember seeing him bend forward while the chip was in flight. I actually had time to assess that the chip was no longer on a collision course with his chest as I had planned; it was going to smack him in the face. The blur came into focus and my makeshift ninja star finally made contact, in that moment things went back to normal. Time sped back up and the microchip bounced off his cheek and achieved escape velocity. I don't remember the aftermath but I know my mom got involved.

- Out by the dumpster behind Liquidation World where I once worked was a large nest of wasps. They made their homes in the dumpster we had to use every day, scary stuff to lesser men but I was armed with a powerful weapon. A plastic baseball bat, the next best thing to a tennis racket when it comes to bee swatting. I cut a swath through my attackers on my way to throw out the day's garbage and finished the job. On my way back one wasp touched down on the top of my head, knowing I would be stung in seconds I acting swiftly and purely on instinct. I dropped down, falling to my back while swinging upwards and blasted that little ****sucker out of the sky. Try to sting ME? I got to my feet quickly, still under attack and swatted two more out of the sky and then...either it was cockiness or it was a warrior instinct that I tapped into, bred into man after thousands of years of hunting and spear throwing... I threw my bat at the last remaining bee as it buzzed off back towards the dumpster to (I assume) get backup. Backup that would never come. I nailed a frantic, buzzing wasp from 30 feet out with a plastic baseball bat that I threw backhand. Fluke? Maybe...actually no, no it wasn't a fluke.

This is an essentially accurate rendering of my throw.

-

Tom's Horror Script - -LURKING pt8-

-LURKING pt8-

The morning light is bright, it's incredibly strong and cuts a striking contrast against the previous night's blackness. Darcy's still in her corner though in the light of the day it doesn't provide her with any cover. She still hasn't slept, she's been up all night hiding and listening. It's been quiet for a long time, she's lost track. It's time to move. Darcy gets up and makes her way topside where she had the encounter with the creature, she rounds the corner carefully. She's armed, in fact in her state she looks almost as frightening as anything she could hope to find up there. It's a beautiful day. 

The scene she finds is horrible, the entire deck is a dark crimson red, blood red. Scattered all over are the remains of what appears to be a large shark, it's been torn apart and eaten. The violent scratches and damage to the boat indicate a frenzied, violent feeding. The slamming of the jib in the wind snaps her out of it, she looks at the sail contemplatively. It's time. Cade isn't coming back and she can't sit still waiting for the monster to come for her. The boat is a wreck but if she can get the ropes set and clear the deck of all the debris she reasons that she can raise the sails and get moving. Motivated for the first time to affect her own circumstances, Darcy starts the task of getting this boat ready to move. 

She spends the day going over the last of her supplies, repairing her sail and rigging and getting it ready to be hoisted up into the wind. It's hard work, it takes all morning and afternoon.

Later in the day the sun is starting to lower in the sky, it's getting cooler and later in the day. Darcy is playing with the broken radio. She's speaking into it, it doesn't work but it provides her some comfort and offers her a chance to vent.

Darcy

Hello?

Am I alone?

I don't care if you can't even hear me, I just want to hear someone's voice. I am alone. Cade. I think I am going to die soon, I think something is hunting me. I don't know, I don't trust my eyes anymore. I have to leave here now, please tell Cade I wanted to stay and find him. I wanted to wait for him to come back to me but I can't. I don't want this thing to eat me. Cade. Why did you go? I need you...

She's interrupted, off in the distance the unmistakable high pitched clicking of the creature can be heard. It's coming.

-Cont'd-

Tom's Still Writing A Sea Monster Horror - Lurking Part 7

I am still trucking through this horror script. Because there's so little dialogue in this story I am having trouble gauging at what point in the movie we're at. Anyway...

  

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

-Lurking p7-

INTERIOR - BELOW DECK - NIGHT

It's dark inside, the moonlit night casts a strong white glow through the window and into the room. Amongst the debris, hidden in a darkened corner sits a broken and terrified Darcy. She's holding a knife in one hand and the flare gun in the other. The ship is rocking. Darcy is mumbling to herself, the one constant in her ramblings is the name Cade. Panning in on her face; the effects of what she's been through are evident. She hasn't slept a second, her eyes are red, her hair is wild and her lips are dry. Behind the eyes is a mind at play; desperately trying to make sense of her situation. The shadows on the wall and the unearthly quiet of the ocean are pushing her fragile mind to it's breaking point. 

A sound in the water cuts through the small room, a tapping, a soft bump, a scraping. It sounds like something is going along the boat touching it, inspecting it. Something in that deep, powerful ocean has taken in interest in her small, lonely boat. The effect of the knocking sound is paralyzing. Darcy sits frozen, tremors of fear shake her body and chatter her teeth. The sound makes it's way to the front of the boat. At thud, a splash. A moment of silence. 

Movement again. It's on the boat! She grips her weapons tensely, her eyes wide, she's listening intently and trying nervously to stay absolutely quiet. She hears something slumping around on the deck, it's movements are without any discernible pattern. It sounds like it's throwing something around, there's a slamming and a hissing followed by the sounds of wet crunching.

Listening to all this noise; Darcy's addled mind is infected by a thought. The idea that Cade somehow managed to make his way back to her, that up on that deck hurt, crawling around trying to get back to her. 

Darcy

Cade?

Darcy stands up, stepping out of the shadows and into the moonlight, she slowly and cautiously makes her way up the stairs with her knife in hand. Darcy's mind is racing, her nerves are screaming at her to run away and hide but her compulsion for answers is too strong. She steps onto the deck, it's very dark but she can see movement. She makes her way towards it, whatever it is it's large. About the size of a grown man, it's movements are animalistic, amphibian. In the dark of the night she can't see anything for sure. She gets closer, softly she asks out loud.

Darcy

Cade?

The figure is startled, it snaps violently at her. She recoils, falling backwards. The figure looks right at her and then slumps off the boat. Darcy's eyes well up. It wasn't Cade, I was something horrible. Something inhuman, she saw scales, teeth, sharp fins and cold, killing eyes. Darcy runs back below deck to hide.

-cont'd-

Lurking Part 6 - In the Water With A Monster

LURKING

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

-Pt 6-

Darcy, stumbles backwards. The sound coming from the water sounds frenzied. Darcy is feeling panicked.

The wind slams the sail behind her getting her attention, the sail is still down but the wind is strong enough to slam the jib against the taut rope tying it down. Darcy knows she can't waste this chance, the wind is strong and this gives her an opportunity to get moving. She has no training but can gather that the first thing she needs to do is to untie the ropes holding the rig in place so that she can begin to raise the sail. It's not easy for her but she figures out how to get everything lose and untied. Once it's loose she runs over to the rope and starts to raise the sails slowly, she gets a quarter of the way up before the wind catches the sail moving the boat but slamming the whole rig back and forth.

Darcy rushes to solve the problem before the violent slamming causes the sail to break apart, something is loose that's supposed to hold the jib in place but she can't get a hold of it. The sails swings around and collides with her, sending her flying in into the water.

Darcy hits the water and sinks slowly before she comes to seconds later, the blow rattled her. The water is frothing and hard to see in, beneath her is dark blue water giving way to blackness. Darcy sees her boat and swims towards it, but doesn't seem to be getting any closer. She surfaces to see the boat moving away from her, though the sail isn't up the wind and movement of the water are carrying her boat, her only lifeline away from her. Darcy races forward, swimming after the boat as it quickly drifts away, the look on her face is one of terror. Her mind racing with the thought of being stranded in the water and certain doom. The boat is always just out of reach, she's wondering how long she can keep going.

As she races forward she sees something out of the side of her eye. Something moving even faster than her, it's coming upward from below. It's hard to see, just a shadow but she can definitely see that its something moving towards her. She screams underwater and pushes herself ever harder, the boat is once again JUST out of reach and the shadowy figure is getting closer. It's big. She reaches forward with all of her might and grabs hold of a lose rigging hanging just over the side. She pulls with every last ounce of strength she has and flings her exhausted body over the side. She leans over the side staring into the water, and sees a figure shoot past the boat. The way it moves is foreign to her, the creature has long fins, sharp edges; a violent look to it. It startles her and she falls back, she's too exhausted to move.

In the distance she sees a splash, a long thin fin breaks the surface. Darcy passes out.

-Cont'd-

Your Boat Is Being Stalked By A Sea Creature Who Thinks You're Food.

LURKING

 

Part 1 

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

-Pt 5-

Daytime - Below deck

The next morning's light fills the boat's small living space from above, amongst the mess all over the floor it's hard to see Darcy hidden in a darkened corner. She hasn't slept a wink, she's a nervous wreck. She's holding a knife close in hand. The sun comes right through her window and hits her in the face, the bright white light prompts her to move. Sh
e make her way above deck.

It's a nice day, there's a strong wind causing waves to bounce off her boat and rock it, she makes her way to the bow. Darcy's still holding onto hope that Cade will show up. That she'll turn around to see him standing there as if he'd never left. She survey's the boat. It's covered in a black slime, there are deep scratches all over the boat and the sails are a wreck. Darcy takes the time to scan the boat for supplies, she has plenty of food to last her a while, all sorts of tools, fishing equipment, first aid kits and a flare gun. Cade made sure to be well stocked, he took good care of her.   

Darcy is utterly lost. The gravity of the situation once again hits her and she starts to panic. She drops down in a ball with her head at her knees; burying her head in her arms. She closes her eyes and tries to get a grip on herself. She rocks back and forth, she cries, she thinks. Her head snaps back up, she remembers the radio. She runs over to it, the storm has done a number on it but it still turns on. The static is extremely heavy on every channel she tries. Through the static she can make out the faintest sense of people speaking.

DARCY

Help!

Her voice is meek and desperate. Darcy flips around the dial, calling out for help to anyone who might be able to hear her. There's no response, there's no break in the static. She's alone. Suddenly, ominously cutting through the noise of the radio is the familiar high pitched clicking sound, it sounds amphibian and it's coming from the water about 20 ft out. Darcy stands up and scans the water with her eyes. She sees a wild thrashing several yards out, then the chilling site of death. Blood. She sees the water surrounding the area where she heard the sound turning red with the blood of a fresh kill. 

-Cont'd-