Production Begins June, 2027
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The Snipe’s Screech
The Snipe’s Screech
The Snipe’s Screech is a proof-of-concept project for a much larger story of tragedy, revenge, redemption, and resilience.
Synopsis
Synopsis
A teenage Boyd Chatham makes a dire decision to take action after tragedy strikes his family. Set on the Oregon Coast in the 1970’s, The Snipe’s Screech follows the childhood events of the Chatham family through the eyes of Boyd Chatham.
This film centers on his seminal decision to meticulously plan and execute the murder of his family friend, Devlin Smoots. This decision comes after Boyd believes his brother’s death saw no justice. Just a few years prior, Smoots killed Boyd’s older brother, Myles, in cold blood when both boys were just 13 years old. Boyd and his younger brother, Taggert, will go to any length to find closure in this adaption of the semi-autobiographical novel.
“I’ve known that my siblings and I were the only people on the planet that had lived our story and the commensurate context to write our story. The murder of our brother is the catalyst of The Snipe’s Screech. I recognized that if our story was to be told in a fictional narrative, then I would be the one to write it.
Our story did not end with a shotgun blast. We trudged on. We adapted. We evolved. We laughed. I wanted to document that resilience and do so before our mother passed. I was further motivated to write this fictional tale as a gift to my wife, our inspirational sons and their fabulous cousins.”
Dean Clemons
The Snipe’s Screech’s origins begin with the real events of Dean Clemons’ adolescence. He turned a traumatic upbringing into an artistic expression of resilience, camaraderie, and perseverance. The story depicts the triumphant surpassing of numerous near-death experiences, family abuse, sexual assault, and untimely death. The fictional story is a retelling of events, taking direct inspiration from reality, with some notable creative liberties. Each character is inspired by a real person. Many of the events of the book are retold exactly as Dean remembers them.
The core plot of the novel is a fictional exploration into “what could have happened”. He and his siblings were under immeasurable circumstantial pressures. The novels depicts abuse from their alcoholic step-father, economic pressures, dangerous child labor, sexual abuse from a church pastor, the murder of a sibling, and many life threatening adventures. The novel depicts the hypothetical retaliation from the siblings. The siblings collude together under the leadership of Boyd, the fictional version of Dean. Boyd’s cunning nature and exceptional attention to detail makes him the perfect sibling to plan a murder that will end their problems permanently.
Production
Writer & Director
Writer & Director
Michael Phibbs
Michael Phibbs
“I am always interested in making projects with friends and family, even if they have no experience. Creative storytelling is an itch everyone wants to scratch, whether they know it or not. When Dean came to me about turning his novel into a film, I was immediately interested in collaborating.”
Right away, I saw the potential for a great film adaptation when I read The Snipe’s Screech. I’ve known Dean my whole life, he had hardly ever talked about his childhood. Now that he’s written a novel about it, I can see why. Dean had described to me a feeling I found familiar. He said “this story has been trying to get out of me for years”. I thought he’d caught the writing bug, but what I came to see is that his novel is a form of closure. Emotional expression is the purest inspiration for art, and I could see the passionate intent behind his words. That’s why I agreed to collaborate on this project.
What stood out to me the most was Dean’s inhibition to write a semi-autobiographical novel in which his fictional counterpart plans two murders with his siblings. I’ve come to understand that this is the root of his inspiration. It’s an opportunity to take a final action against his childhood stressors. When crafting a story, I look for the most relatable aspect. One of the most frustrating aspects of teenage-hood is the lack of agency. As a teenager, you start to gain more responsibilities and freedoms, but you don’t really have control over your life. Where you live, who you live with, where you go to school, etc. So much of life is out of your control. I found the relatable part of The Snipe’s Screech as the urge to take control of your situation.
I knew we’d need a proof-of-concept project that catches people’s attention. Something that hooks them in, and sets the tone for the whole story. There was only one choice in my mind. I wanted to highlight the most eye-grabbing aspect of this story; A teenage boy plots to avenge his brother by murdering another teenage boy. More importantly, I wanted to explore why a young man would make that choice. What leads a mild-mannered, law-abiding teenager to murder?
Setting
