PaulKWrites.com
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  • Featured Projects
    • Project List
    • 60 Feet Under (Feature/Thriller)
    • Wait Till Next Year (Feature/Comedy)
    • The Hand Of God (Feature/Thriller/Drama)
    • Between (Series of Shorts/Fantasy/Drama)
    • Bad Fish: A Stanley Crumpler Novel (Sitcom Pilot) >
      • BAD FISH Concept Art
    • Pandemic Shorts
    • In The Dog House
    • For Now (Short/RomCom)
    • Blood Brothers (Short/Thriller/Drama)
    • Playing Cars (Short/Thriller/Light Horror)
    • Old Bess' Bait Shop (Short/Thriller)
    • 2020 Writer's Tournament Entries (Misc. Genres)
    • 2019 Writer's Tournament Entries (Misc. Genres)
    • 2018 Writer's Tournament Entries (Misc. Genres)
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Paul Knauer, Screenwriter

Thank you for visiting.

For a complete listing of scripts, see my Featured Projects page. 

If you're looking for something to shoot and like what you see, but it's not quite right... feel free to reach out. I write shorts on spec, and I'm happy to consider larger projects, too.

Contact Paul

What Others Say About My Work:


​“A sharp reinvention of classic themes with charming twists." "Not just an inspired story, it also has a feel good quality that brought a smile to my face as you predicted." "This is a film that should and could be made."
— Steven N., Established, Known Producer, regarding my family comedy feature WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR

“... one of the very few (scripts we've analyzed) with a high financial prediction." Rated: Greenlight
— ScriptBook.io, regarding my thriller feature 60 FEET UNDER

"Impressive, witty storytelling."   
— NPS, Page International judge

“I loved your style.” “The dialogue was first rate...”                                      
 — CS, ScriptQuack analyst

“... a great deal of potential.”                        

— JPB, Fresh Voices judge  

“A beautiful piece.”                        

— Sikendar Hemani, Director 

“A brilliant screenplay.”                        
— Celeste Hoang, Director 

 Sample Scripts
by Paul Knauer

Features: (Additional features in varied genres available on request.)

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SCRIPTBOOK RATING: GREENLIGHT
"... one of the very few (scripts we see) with a high financial prediction."

Predicted Domestic ROI of 228% and a Worldwide ROI of 307%. 
100% predicted probability of aDomestic Gross of $30-60M.


​Desperate to help his anxiety-riddled, claustrophobic daughter,
a father takes her on a road trip, only for them to be kidnapped by an erratic couple
and held in an underground missile silo.


​This semi-contained thriller is designed to be made on a smaller budget (ScriptBook analysis: $13.7M).
Limited locations, a small cast and minimal FX required, ​60 Feet Under is sure to thrill audiences and producers alike (ScriptBook expected Domestic Gross: $44.8M). Check out the project page here.

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​In this modern extension of the Cain and Abel story, a murderer,
sentenced to life on earth by God, is given a chance at redemption
​ when God reunites him with his brother --
the man ​he killed so long ago.


A semi-contained thriller with limited locations and a small cast, The Hand of God builds to a dramatic
and satisfying conclusion. Though centered on strong religious themes, it is written for broad appeal, and would not be considered a strictly-religious script. Check out the project page here.​

Sitcom Pilots: (Additional sitcom pilots available on request.)

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​Edward, an aspiring politician, has a secret: His backyard is now home
to an unauthorized underground survival bunker built and occupied
by his paranoid and fiercely anti-government brother.


This multi-camera sitcom brings a light-hearted look at life in the Midwest.
This script was actually written several years ago, as I was experimenting with different types of sitcom formats.
If you've read my early sitcom scripts, the themes will be familiar.  I offer this here as a fun writing sample.
And, for a peek at one step along the evolutionary chain of my newest concept: 1,000 Reasons I'm Going to Hell. 

Shorts: (Additional shorts in varied genres available on request.)

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Sixty years ago they made a pact to die together. One of them intends to honor it.

This 9-page short is tested and ready to shoot.
A contained drama with slight thriller elements, Blood Brothers is a festival-level script written to help you wrap quickly. All you'll need is a cabin in the woods, 4 seasoned male actors, 1 middle-aged female, and a few easy to find props.
For more details and a link to the full script, check out the project page here. (WARNING: offensive dialogue.)
NOTE: Dialogue does NOT reflect my views, but is included to represent the dying views
​ of a generation struggling to adapt to new social norms.)

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A young boy wants to play cars with his mommy. The only problem? He's dead.
​
​This tight little 5-page thriller (with slight horror elements) is written to be a one day shoot.
​Set entirely in a suburban home, and with a cast of two (not including one line of VO), PLAYING CARS is a great low-cost project for any team looking for a quick addition to their portfolio.
​For more details and a link to the script, check out the project page here.

*** Contest-Winning Short ***

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​Wanna catch something big? It's all about the bait.


​
The contest challenge: write a 5-page creature feature that could easily be converted into a PG-rated,
​anthology-style, graphic comic. Click here to read my winning entry.

For Now, Directed by Sikendar Hemani

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A lonely widow needs a push to begin dating again.

Director - Sikendar Hemani        
​Location: UAE
Writer - Paul Knauer
Cinematography - Sarfaraz Ahmad
Hair/Makeup - Zahra Patanwala
​Sound - Kunal Bhatia
Cast - Sabiha Majgoankar, Laxman Rao, Vaishali Balgu, Joshua Johnson, Mahendra Kumar, Apoorva Mehra, Sai Lakshmi, Kunal Bhatia, Sarfaraz Ahmad

​Music - Somber Ballads by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: http://incompetech.com/