Vintage Story Adaptation: Screenwriters Wanted!

Calling All Screenwriters: Vintage Story Adaptation Challenge!

We are looking for passionate writers to adapt provided public-domain stories into complete short-film scripts.

These stories may come from vintage fiction, adventure tales, sports stories, mysteries, romances, or forgotten public-domain gems. Your mission is to take the source material I provide and turn it into a fully realized, film-ready script.

The fun part? You can find your own angle.

Turn a polo match into a sharp society drama, a boat race into suspense, a forgotten romance into noir, or a strange little adventure into comedy. Any genre is welcome, as long as the core story stays clear, engaging, and complete.

The Assignment

You will create one complete short-film screenplay, not a summary or treatment. This is meant to be a fun, lighthearted competition for short films that will be shot by amateurs using vintage Cine-Kodak Special II cameras.

The Story: Freelancers can choose any single title that sparks their imagination from the following five options, I will then send you a complete summary and the full story for adaptation *Just a quick heads-up: these source stories were written in the 1920s, so you might run into some outdated themes or concepts that don't exactly fit modern sensibilities.*:

Grand Slam (Polo) – High society, fast mallets, and intense sports action. Perfect for a sharp drama, an unexpected mystery, or a high-stakes heist.

Rough Water (Boat Racing) – High speeds, crashing waves, and pure adrenaline on the open water. Ready-made for an action-packed or suspenseful adaptation.

The Sky-Riding Kid (Air Racing) – Up in the clouds where the stakes are sky-high. Excellent potential for an aviation adventure, a period piece, or a futuristic thriller.

Gelhooley (Auto Racing) – Burning rubber, tight turns, and pure horsepower. Ideal for a fast-paced character study, an underdog comedy, or a high-octane drama.

The Thirteenth Jump (Steeplechase) – A treacherous horse racing obstacle course where anything can go wrong. Perfect for a psychological thriller or an intense, suspenseful drama.

The script should include:

Proper screenplay formatting
A clear beginning, middle, and end
Strong characters
Visual, filmable scenes
Emotional stakes
A satisfying conclusion
Clear pacing and structure

The Deal

Budget: $40 per completed script.

For this extremely tight budget, I am looking for as many strong pages as you can reasonably provide while still making the story feel complete. Quality matters more than page count. I would rather receive a tight, finished script than a longer draft that feels unfinished.

Rights & Credit

This is a work-for-hire project. By accepting payment, you agree that we own the final adapted material to make into a film.

You will receive writing credit if the project moves forward into production or public presentation.

How to Apply

Please send:

- A short note about which of the following properties you would like to transform into a script.
- How many pages you can deliver for $40
- Confirmation that you can deliver a complete short-film script.

Let’s make some old-fashioned movie magic. Step into the scenario department and show us how you would turn a forgotten story into a film worth watching.