Eve

Jana Nicastro, Dominic Orozco, Alvin G. Morris, Megan Hurt

Book Cover

GENRE

ACTION

    Core Theme

    THE INNATE NEED FOR CONNECTION.

    TIME PERIOD

    Contemporary

    COMPARABLE TITLES

    LETTERS FROM THE BIG MAN, HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS

    CHARACTER LIST

    • ANNA: 30S. ADVENTUROUS, DETERMINED, AND A LITTLE FANATICAL.

    • DAVID: 30S. ANNA’S HUSBAND.

    • NATHANIEL: 30S. THE TALENTED PARK RANGER SELECTED TO LEAD THE SEARCH FOR ANNA.
    .
    • EVE: FEMALE SASQUATCH WHO BONDS WITH ANNA.

    • SHERIFF MEADS: 40S. RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING THE PARK, AND THE SEARCH PARTY.

    • DEPUTY DUNN: 40S. MEADS’ SIDEKICK.

    Logline

    Eve is a fast-paced story about Anna McLain, a woman who is disillusioned with society and people. She finds solace in the wilderness where she also seeks out a secret obsession. Out on a weekend excursion, Anna decides to explore a wilderness road before she heads home and soon finds herself stuck high up on a narrow mountain pass. She is forced to stay overnight in her car where a vicious storm washes out the road, leaving her stranded. Desperate and scared, she comes face to face with a newly confirmed species that was once only a legend. Terrified yet drawn to her deepest obsession, she attempts contact and is taken on a journey so incredible, her life will never be the same.

    Target Audiences

    Age: 18-34

    Target Gender: Female leaning

    Setting

    Sierra Nevada Mountains, California

    Based on a True Story

    No

    Publishing Details

    Status: Yes: self-published

    Year Published: 2012

    Starting Description

    Anna McLain finds herself stranded in the wilderness and encounters a female Sasquatch that rescues her.

    Ending Description

    The author has not yet written this

    Group Specific

    Information not completed

    Hard Copy Available

    No

    ISBN

    9781475007183

    Mature Audience Themes

    Language/Profanity

    Plot - Other Elements

    Philosophical Questions, Meaningful Message

    Plot - Premise

    Voyage and Return

    Main Character Details

    Name: Anna McLain

    Age: 35

    Gender: Female

    Role: Emotional

    Key Traits: Adventurous, Aggressive, Beautiful, Badass, Blunt, Complex, Clumsy, Confident, Educated, Lone Wolf, Outspoken, Sarcastic, Unapologetic

    Additional Character Details

    Name: David McLain, Husband of Anna; Eve, female Sasquatch, Me-aka, young female Sasquatch, Search Party

    Age: 35

    Gender: 35

    Role: Protagonist

    Key Traits:

    Additional Character Details

    The author has not yet written this

    Additional Character Details

    The author has not yet written this

    Genre

    ACTION

    Brief

    A life-long believer in Sasquatch gets stranded in the woods, only to encounter the very creature she’s been hunting since childhood. But when her husband reported her missing, the Sasquatches must outrun mankind or risk exposure, and ultimately, death.

    Overall Rating

    FAIR

    Point of View

    SCRIPT

    Narrative Elements

    Authors Writing Style: FAIR

    Characterization: GOOD

    Commerciality: GOOD

    Franchise Potential: FAIR

    Pace: FAIR

    Premise: GOOD

    Structure: FAIR

    Theme: GOOD

    Accuracy of Book Profile

    It is accurate.

    Draw of Story

    The story starts with action right away, and there’s enough tension that it’s easy to engage with. We’re also introduced to the supernatural/fantasy element immediately, which helps acclimate the audience to that aspect of the story (as opposed to holding it back as a reveal). From there, we meet Anna and get a good sense of her character and ordinary world before the catalyst. As in the first sequence, this section is easy to digest, and it gives us a good sense of tone before diving into the rest of the storyline.

    Possible Drawbacks

    Though the action and tension are there in the beginning, it’s possible that the first sequence goes on for a few beats too long. And because it’s so long, it runs the risk of taking too much attention away from Anna, by making us feel like we should pay more attention to the hunter than we perhaps should. It might be beneficial to tighten this up a bit. All we really need to see is that the hunter spots the Sasquatch, shoots it, and makes the others angry. The rest of those pages can likely be devoted to Anna’s ordinary world and a deeper dive into her backstory and her relationship with David.

    Use of Special Effects

    THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

    Primary Hook of Story

    The Sasquatch legend is fascinating, and that alone is likely to capture an audience’s attention, especially when it focuses on an inter-species, female friendship. We’re also promised a wonderful sense of adventure at the beginning, and the script largely delivers.

    Fanbase Potential

    A story like this might appeal to fans of urban legends, adventure stories, and/or nature-based action films. Given that it’s a female-driven narrative, it has a nice emotional quality to it that elevates it a bit from other scripts of its kind.

    Awards Potential

    While above the line awards don’t often concern themselves with his genre, it’s possible that a script like this has a lot of below the line potential. Things like costuming, makeup, score, and/or special effects could all be contenders.

    Envisioned Budget

    LOW BUDGET

    Similar Films/TV Series

    LETTERS FROM THE BIG MAN, HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS

    What’s New About the Story

    This story feels like it humanizes Sasquatch much more than others like it, and it raises the stakes emotionally. It’s also female-driven, which doesn’t feel like the norm for scripts like this. That said, to make it more unique might mean leaning into the emotional depth of the characters, particularly Anna’s relationship with her husband and her reckoning with her past. So much focus is put on the action, that it might be nice to balance it out with stronger emotional connections and interpersonal stakes.

    Lead Characters

    Anna and Eve’s interspecies friendship is the most standout in the script because it touches on our innate need for connection. Anna’s relationship with David is interesting too, but it’d be great if that went a little deeper, so we had a better grasp on their dynamic.

    Uniqueness of Story

    While this story has potential, it doesn’t feel like a rare gem quite yet. Overall, the script feels like it needs a little tightening, particularly in the first half. Anna’s relationship with David feels like it could go deeper too, specifically in how her marriage affects some of her decisions throughout the script.

    Possible Formats

    Film: Studio, Streaming

    Analyst Recommendation

    WORK IN PROGRESS

    Justification

    Anna’s relationship with David feels like it needs a little work. It’s a bit hard to grasp their dynamic, which makes it tough to understand some of Anna’s decisions throughout the script. Additionally, certain areas of the script feel like they need tightening. One example is the first sequence. But there’s also some potential for the sequence of Anna getting lost in the woods before she meets the Sasquatch. The logistics there are a bit hard to follow and it feels like there may be some redundancies in terms of actions, like how many times Anna leaves and then returns to her SUV. Simplifying it a bit, perhaps even making it more progressive, could be something to consider.

    Tips for Improvement

    As discussed above, some streamlining feels like it’s necessary here. While the concept is great and the characters have potential, it feels like there are certain sections that are simply too busy, like Anna’s actions before she officially gets lost in the woods. It also feels like there is some room for growth in terms of character development, particularly Anna’s relationship with David- how her past might have led her to him, how her marriage ultimately impacts her decision to go to the woods, and her struggle with telling David the truth.

    Brief

    A life-long believer in Sasquatch gets stranded in the woods, only to encounter the very creature she’s been hunting since childhood. But when her husband reported her missing, the Sasquatches must outrun mankind or risk exposure, and ultimately, death.

    What We Liked

    This story feels like it humanizes Sasquatch much more than others like it, and thus it raises the stakes emotionally. It’s also female-driven, which doesn’t feel like the norm for scripts like this. The interspecies friendship between Anna and Eve is poignant, and a good balance to action/adventure that sustains the rest of the script.

    Film: The script fits the feature format nicely. It has a firm, three-act structure with increasingly overlapping storylines that progressively build on the tension throughout.
    Additionally, it has the potential for high emotional stakes and interpersonal exploration to balance the action/adventure tone, creating an elevated, unique script that could appeal to a wide audience.

    TV: EVE feels like a much better fit for the feature format than it does for television. The plot follows a firm, three-act structure that progressively builds as the two storylines (Anna’s relationship with Eve, and the search party for Anna) increasingly overlap. To slow the pacing and expand on these storylines to fit the television format might diminish the stakes and ultimately vent the tension.

    Key points:
    Action/Adventure.
    Based on an urban legend.
    Female-led.
    Low budget.
    Small cast.

    Synopsis

    A HUNTER pursues a CREATURE in the forest. He shoots it dead, only to hear the howling sounds of other creatures arising from the trees. He hurries back to his truck as the cries continue, wincing at the sound. Six months later, ANNA MCLAIN (30s) packs hiking gear in her SUV. Distracted, she forgets the battery jump box. At the edge of the trail, she leaves her cell phone in the car. Darkness slowly creeps into the forest, signaling an incoming storm. She realizes she’s being watched. Her engine dies just as a mudslide comes through and threatens to send the SUV careening over a cliff. Anna tries to sleep, but is awakened by the sense of being watched. The road has been washed away by mud. Meanwhile, Anna’s husband, DAVID (30s), tries and fails to get in touch with her. She begins to walk, only to be confronted with a Sasquatch. Despite her fear, she decides to investigate. David reports her missing.

    The Sasquatch is fascinated by Anna, and she by it. She names it ‘Eve’ and asks to go with it. Eve runs ahead, slowing just enough to let Anna follow. David arrives at the Ranger Station to meet NATHANIEL LEWIS, the best tracker, to search for Anna. While sitting with Eve, Anna discreetly begins recording Eve’s audio. A MALE SASQUATCH appears and threatens Anna. Eve chases it off and invites Anna to ride on her back as they travel deeper into the woods.
    The rangers discover Anna’s abandoned car. They begin to suspect foul play. Eve hears howling from other Sasquatches and abandons Anna. Afraid, Anna tries to care for herself. When Eve returns, Anna is chewing on a piece of gum. Eve is fascinated and takes it from Anna’s mouth, only to become dejected to discover that Anna has no more. Anna begs Eve to let her sleep a little, and she awakens to several Sasquatches watching her. While Anna finds a place to relieve herself, a YOUNG FEMALE SASQUATCH tries to attack. Eve and her family of Sasquatches protect Anna, certain that she’s the first human to want to understand them. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Lewis increases the count of the search party.

    Eve’s daughter appears and Eve allows Anna to play with her. But Anna’s presence causes conflict with Eve’s ecosystem. Some of the Sasquatches believe that they’ll be killed once Anna is discovered. Still, Eve insists that they protect her. When it begins to snow, Eve escorts Anna into her family’s cave. She begins picking up pieces of their language to communicate more effectively.

    Nathaniel and David break away from the rest of the group and encroach on the cave.
    Meanwhile, Eve shows Anna that Nathaniel killed her son. Worried about the dangers of allowing Anna to stay, Eve and her daughter escort Anna from the cave.
    Devastated, they leave Anna on the side of a main road. She is discovered and struggles with whether to reveal the truth of her adventure to David.

    About The Author

    J.M. Bailey is a lifelong Sasquatch enthusiast and spends every available moment she can find in the wilderness, seeking a hidden truth. She lives with her husband, D. Bailey in the Pacific Northwest. Dominic Orozco is a producer at Long Road Film Company in Houston, TX.