When You’re a Nail
A Film by Anthony Elliott
Synopsis
When You’re a Nail is a Dramedy about late-stage Capitalism.
When a Billion-dollar Hardware brand goes bankrupt and leaves its employees high and dry, Darius tries to make the best of a bad situation, but things get complicated when a beautiful stranger comes to town.
A NOTE FROM THE WRITER
Side note: this is based on a true story!
As the writer, I’ve been working in retail for the better part of a decade, and in that decade I’ve lost my job due to company closures on four separate occasions. FOUR!
While I’ve never worked in a hardware store as it happens in the story, I have worked at a waste company, a national baby store, a luxury clothing store, and a smoke shop. All of which have gone under…
This story, while intended to be humorous, is a very present reality for myself as well as a generation of people just wanting to get ahead. This is a story for the now, and hopefully it becomes a cautionary tale about the dangers of late stage capitalism.
Setting
Birmingham, Alabama
The perfect backdrop for our tale of growth, heartbreak, and economic disparity!
A bright and vibrant town with the homely feeling of a small town, all the amenities of a bustling metropolis, and the problems of a neighborhood straight out of The Wire!
Comparable Films
Themes
We could go in a lot of directions with this, but here’s a few!
1. Money doesn’t make you.
2. The system’s broken, but can be fixed!
3. True Love is all around.
Visual Style
The style of this film is grounded, but colorful: like us going through the film to see the beauty in a bad situation.
Characters & Dream Casting
DARIUS
(Tyler James Williams)
Our down-on-his-luck protagonist who’s looking for a new job, but may find love instead.
MARA
(Tati Gabrielle)
Darius’ smart and witty, albeit pessimistic, work wife.
JACK
(Octavia Spencer)
The best store manager in the world! This job is all she has, and she loves it.
DINO
(Dominique Fishback)
The internet famous stranger that comes to the city as soon as the bankruptcy is announced.
Marketing & Distribution
This film could be an indie darling or a low-budget hit!
Here are the two ways it could be created and be very profitable!
Option 1
Option 2
Step 1. Create the film independently on a budget of $500,000, giving percentages of the film’s backend to investors.
Step 2. Submit this film to film festivals.
Step 3. Sell Merchandise of, not only the film’s title, but also the film’s various fictional brands!
Step 4. Sell the distribution rights for $1,000,000+ with backend points for cast and investors included in the deal.
Sell the screenplay option.
(Seeking 60k for a one year option, but can be negotiated.)
Contact
Thank you for sitting through this presentation!
If at all interested and/or have further questions about the screenplay please email me at…
Otherwise, may you have an incredible time onward and beyond!