ShortList is supported by you, our amazing readers. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Learn more

Got a screenplay up your sleeve?

These four aspiring film-makers thought they had. Now their ideas have been brought to life by Intel, W Hotels and Roman Coppola

Got a screenplay up your sleeve?
27 November 2012

Open scene: A regular, twenty-something guy sits down at his laptop and writes that film script he’s put off for years.

He enters it into the international Four Stories competition, in association with Intel and W Hotels. Then he waits...

Fast forward a few months and he’s being announced as one of four winners, hand-picked by movie and music video legend Roman Coppola and a host of industry insiders.

Cut to the end scene, and his idea is being shot as a ten-minute short, on location at the W hotel in Washington DC, with a hot Hollywood director and some major acting talent.

That’s what happened to Adam Blampied and three other wannabe film makers.

Their work was premiered at W London in Leicester Square last night, accompanied by an original short from the man in charge, Roman Coppola.

Scroll down to see the winning films

We spoke to Coppola, to find out what makes a script standout, and how he picked the winners.

Read our interview with Roman Coppola here

We also grabbed a few minutes with UK winner Adam to see where his inspiration came from, read his story here.

Four Stories ran in sponsored_longform with Intel. All plots had to feature an Intel Ultrabook as a central component and be set in a W hotel.

The Intel-inspired Ultrabook is part of a new generation of go-everywhere technology. Half laptop, half tablet, the Ultrabook wakes in a flash and has a long battery life - perfect for those inspired writing nights.

Click here to buy

The winning scripts

Eugene – by Adam Blampied

Director: Spencer Susser

Starring: Michael Govier, Karolina Wydra

Location: W Washington

Plot: A business traveller in Washington DC gets a mysterious gift: an Ultrabook that makes anything he types real. How will he wield his unexpected powers?

The Mirror Between Us - by Kahlil Joseph

Director: Kahlil Joseph

Starring: Nicole Beharie, Dan’ee Doty

Location: W Retreat & Spa Maldives

Plot: Two young women go on a dream-like adventure through the islands of the Maldives after an event turned both their worlds upside down.

El Tonto! – by Ben Sayeg

Director: Lake Bell

Starring: Kyle Mooney

Location: W Mexico City

Plot: A nerdy vacationer in Mexico City strikes up an unlikely friendship with one of the country’s best-known wrestlers, a masked luchadore.

Modern/Love - by Amy Jacobowitz

Director: Lee Toland Krieger

Starring: Robert Schwartzman, Naomi Scott

Location: W Doha

Plot: Two stylish 20-somethings take the next step in their long distance romance: an exotic vacation in Doha. Will their tech-enabled feelings hold true in real life?