FATHER TIME synopsis

LOGLINE

Everything is made beautiful in its time, even if the Hours tries to steal your minutes.  

 

PITCH

It’s all about time at The O’Clock Shop in a renovated lighthouse, where Father Time tries to defeat the thieving Hours. With frequent visits from Mother Nature and other customers, he sells magical clocks that can redeem time in every way possible. When the clock customers are ready, they can challenge the transitory moments in their lives with the help of Father Time. 

 

SYNOPSIS

Time flies! In an abandoned lighthouse on the coast of Great Point in Nantucket, Massachusetts, an elderly bearded man opens the windows to a bright morning. Over time, he has converted the tower and its nearby buildings into The O’Clock Shop, where he makes and repairs clocks. His shop is filled with little clocks, big clocks, grandfather clocks, wrist watches, and pocket watches. Each of them tick-tock at once, causing most customers to feel dizzy with the noise, especially when he turns up an unknown radio station that only plays songs about time. 

 

As the beach waves crash against the shore, they create an ebb and flow rhythm almost like a clock. With each splash of water, a new timepiece comes alive as the clocksmith tinkers away, hoping he can help defeat the evil Hours, his nemesis who loves to steal time. From time to time, Mother Nature visits Father Time, bringing groups of tourists that are interested in his magical clocks. She lives up the coast in a small cottage overgrown with flowers, fruit trees, and stalk vegetables. Flowers intertwine with the golden locks of her hair, as if the daises and roses grow from her own scalp. 

 

Depending on which clocks the customers buy, Father Time shows his patrons how to turn back the Hours, turn forward the Hours, make the Hours stand still, and even extend the Hours. Most customers are confused at Father Time’s advice. The idea of what he says could happen is beyond their ability to believe. In most of his clocks, Father Time hides instructions in a back secret door, where customers can find the information when they are ready to confront the fleeting time in their lives. Although the Hours leaves Father Time threatening notes sometimes, he throws them out and keeps selling his clocks. 

When a large gust of wind rushes through The O’Clock Shop, the Hours appears outside standing in the high grass with his skeleton body covered in a black robe. A pale horse accompanies him. Father Time warns his clock customers that no one deserves to have even a minute stolen from them. The Hours is ruthless and has already taken so much from so many people, but not if Father Time has anything to say about it.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters

THE POTTER'S HOUSE synopsis

LOGLINE

Being a willing vessel in the hands of the Potter can bring never-ending miracles. 

 

PITCH

An award-winning potter and mystical artist named Sage Conrad teaches a pottery class, giving her students life lessons while making earthen vessels. Her longtime friend, Alfred Odin, sits in the back of her class, skeptical of her spiritual advice and tries to make his clay form into a masterpiece anyhow. Despite Alfie’s sarcasm, he hides a cross in his pocket and has secretly been in love with Sage since they were teenagers. As Sage says, even if vessels have cracks, it gives light the ability to shine through them all the more. Miracles can happen when you are clay in the hands of the Potter as a willing vessel. 

 

SYNOPSIS

As legend has it, anyone who is a pottery student of Sage Conrad, a renowned potter in Charleston, South Carolina, is sure to experience a miracle, not like a hokey, made-up one, but a deep, mystical encounter that caused the person to change from the inside out. She is known for her studio called The Wheel. Like most mornings, her longtime friend Alfred Odin sits in the back of the studio while Sage teaches a class. He reshapes the clay on his wheel, unable to get the clay to do what he wants. He gives Sage a hard time for always trying to teach her students life lessons. 

 

Sage kisses Alfie on the cheek and chides him for hiding his rosary in his pocket. For someone who loves to curse God, she thinks he has a funny way of always carrying a cross in his pocket just in case God might be watching. Alfie is angry that Sage tells everyone his secrets. As his rosary sticks out of his pocket, he uses his fingers to open the clay. Since his bowl is a bit lopsided, he starts over again, kneading the clay like dough. 

 

“O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand,” Sage reads from the hand-carved sign at the front of her class, quoting Isaiah 64:8. She asks her students what they will allow God’s hands to make of their lives. She also asks them what they will make with their own hands. Alfie mumbles that he has heard her speech so many times that he could give it himself. Sage talks about being a willing vessel for the purposes of the Lord. She asks her students to stand up and sing praise. She leads them in singing “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” Alfie wearily conducts from the back of the room.

 

Then, Sage proceeds to teach the basics of making pottery on a wheel. Sage looks at Alfie’s latest creation with a critical eye. Then, Alfie insists that Sage has been in love with him since they were teenagers, but she could never admit it. Sage smiles, sitting down in front of a treadle wheel to teach the class her techniques firsthand. On the contrary, Alfie is so stubborn and hard-headed that sometimes he misses the blessing as a “crackpot,” she jokes. Despite the spat between Sage and Alfie, the students craft their clay jars with care. By the end of the day, the pupils have each made some sort of earthen vessel, ready for the first firing of the kiln, and then the glazing, and then firing their handiwork for the second time. Sage hopes that every time her students look at their finished creations, they can remember that they are willing vessels. There is no greater honor than to be clay in the hands of the Potter.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters

THE MUFFIN MAN synopsis

LOGLINE

In Victorian London, a gentle baker and his talking cat discover that kindness, not swords, wins the truest battles — and their story becomes the legend behind “The Muffin Man.”

 

PITCH

Amid the gaslit streets of Victorian London, a humble baker’s kindness and courage changes an entire community. Accompanied by his loyal talking cat, Ragamuffin, the baker delivers warm English muffins through the fog and rain, sharing hope with chimney sweeps, schoolchildren, and the poor. When a jealous blacksmith challenges him to a duel for the affection of a gentle schoolteacher, the baker responds not with violence but with kindness — offering a muffin instead of a sword. His compassion wins the day, and his story lives on in the timeless song: “Do you know The Muffin Man?”

 

SYNOPSIS

In the fog-kissed streets of Victorian London, a kindhearted baker whose warmth and courage inspires the famous nursery rhyme. On a rainy March morning, a baker rises reluctantly from bed, nudged awake by his orange cat, Ragamuffin. Years earlier, he rescued the shivering kitten from a storm, and ever since, the grateful cat has spoken to him in moments of doubt. With Ragamuffin at his heels, the baker sets out along Drury Lane carrying a basket of steaming English muffins beneath his umbrella.

 

The cobblestone streets glisten with rain as horse-drawn carriages rattle by and chimney sweeps, flower sellers, and paperboys greet the day. “Get your muffins while they’re hot!” the baker calls, delivering warm, buttered treats to his loyal customers—Mrs. Esme Mason and her children, the townsfolk who sing his praises, and even the poor man who lives on the corner and always receives his muffin for free. The Muffin Man’s kindness has made him a beloved figure throughout the neighborhood, a symbol of comfort amid the drizzle and smoke of London mornings.

 

Among his admirers is Miss Olivia Davies, a gentle schoolteacher who meets him each morning with a book in hand, often reciting lines of poetry as he delivers her muffins and flowers. Their fondness for one another deepens, but trouble arises when a jealous blacksmith—dressed in medieval armor—challenges the baker to a duel for Olivia’s hand. Though Olivia warns him to refuse, the baker soon finds himself face-to-face with his armored rival on Drury Lane. 

 

When the blacksmith raises his sword, true to his generous nature, the baker refuses violence. Instead, he offers the blacksmith a muffin as a gesture of peace. The rival takes a bite, declares it delicious, and concedes defeat, agreeing that “sometimes kindness wins more battles than a sword.” The baker returns home safely, hangs a new sign above his shop reading The Muffin Man. He shares a cozy supper by the fire with Olivia and Ragamuffin, with meat pie, cobbler, and laughter filling the room. Outside, the people of London hum a new tune, one that will echo for generations:

“Do you know The Muffin Man,
The Muffin Man, The Muffin Man?
Do you know The Muffin Man
Who lives on Drury Lane?”

 

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS synopsis

LOGLINE

Offering yourself as a gift just might bring love at Christmas! 

 

PITCH

When Christmas gifts from Father Christmas living in a magical castle in Edinburgh receive a request in the mail, asking them to help bring true love at Christmas, a partridge, along with turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, golden rings, geese, swans, maids, ladies, lords, pipers, and drummers, give themselves a second chance. Although the gifts gave up on thinking they could ever cause true love, they try again at offering themselves as romantic presents during the holidays for The Twelve Days of Christmas. 

 

SYNOPSIS 

Once upon a time, a partridge in a pear tree lives in a castle on the far side of Edinburgh with two turtle doves, three French hens, four calling birds, five golden rings, six geese a-laying, seven swans a-swimming, eight maids a-milking, nine ladies dancing, ten lords a-leaping, eleven pipers piping, and twelve drummers drumming. A long time ago in a Christmas Eve winter snowstorm, the partridge had been delivered to the doorstep of the magical castle in Edinburgh as gifts to the Scottish people by Father Christmas. The castle is owned by Father Christmas, and he uses it as one of his many second homes when travelling throughout the world. As long as the gifts live in the castle, the partridge is under strict orders from Father Christmas to organize the troop every year to spread true love from December 25^th through January 6^th. Many of the locals learn of the assignment that Father Christmas gave them and show up on their doorstep when they have a romantic dilemma. 

 

After many years of attempting to orchestrate great love stories, the gifts had given up, or rather, the Scotts had given up on the twelve gifts and stopped writing them letters for help. With many failed attempts to bring everlasting love at Christmas, the partridge knows that Father Christmas has also lost faith in them. If they soon don’t have more successes, the partridge fears he will split them up and send them off to different owners as gifts. Then, the partridge would miss the beautiful castle and all her friends in Edinburgh. Despite her doubts, the partridge reads a letter from the post and wonders if she really has any ability to help bring true love at Christmas. She shares the letter with the other Christmas gifts. The bird knows that the last time she and her friends made attempts to spread romance at Christmas that it did not go very well. After thinking about it, the partridge decides to respond to Brodie Brown, the gentleman who wrote the letter, and say that she is willing to help him try win over his lady friend at Christmas. On the eve of Christmas Eve, the partridge and the gifts travel by train from Edinburgh to the home of Brodie in Inverness in the Highlands. They arrive at Brodie’s door ready for action. When Brodie’s special someone, Isla Campbell, arrives at ten o’clock on Christmas morning, the gifts present themselves.

 

When Brodie gets down on one knee and asks Isla to marry him, she says she needs some time to think about it and agrees to stay until Epiphany on January 6. Then, the gifts get down to work. The partridge hides love notes for Brodie and Isla underneath their pillows at night. In the morning, the calling birds wake the couple with songs and chirps. The geese deliver breakfast in bed with omelets from their own eggs. During the day, the turtle doves write romantic poetry for them. The gold rings insist they must be worn. Then, the French hens bake romantic meals like coq au vin and crème brûlée. After dinner, the swans take the couple ice-skating on a frozen Scottish loch. The maids make hot chocolate and ice cream for dessert each night. The ladies teach the couple how to waltz, while the lords insist on knightly gestures and deep conversation. At night, the pipers and drummers play their bagpipes and drums under the stars. 

 

By Epiphany, Isla agrees to marry Brodie. The partridge cries tears of joy. The gifts cheer in celebration. Within hours, the partridge is sure that the rest of the village will know of their success and mail will start pouring into the castle again. She catches a glimpse of Father Christmas in his sleigh with his reindeer out the window. He chuckles and flies off into the sky. The partridge thinks he is happy with the triumph of his gifts. As time goes on, the gifts become so famous that Father Christmas writes a song called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” about their romantic efforts. The partridge and the gifts find ongoing success with their adventures, and everyone in the world wants true love at Christmas.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters

TOUCHDOWN synopsis

LOGLINE

Football—just like life—can be a beautiful game. 

 

PITCH

The greatest game you can win is won within! Nineteen-year-old Jenna Lake tutors 20-year-old quarterback Kevin Smith at Syracuse College in New York. Although Kevin is unsure of what he believes and takes the class to please his grandmother, he ends up finding more faith than he ever thought imaginable when he falls in love with Jenna, who quits as his tutor after she realizes that he cheats on a test. Only when Kevin apologizes in tears for cheating does Jenna trust him and permanently resigns as his tutor. The biggest touchdown that Kevin makes is when Jenna agrees to give him a real chance at love. 

 

SYNOPSIS

Practice winning every day! Jenna Lake, a 19-year-old sophomore at Syracuse College in New York, sits in the football wing of the college’s tutor department, trying to figure out how to help Kevin Smith, age 20, pass his Christianity class. She suggests that the first thing he needs is a Bible. She is paid $15 an hour, and there never seems to be enough time to teach the team’s quarterback everything he needs to know. Kevin grew up going to church because of his African American grandmother, and most of the time, he just goes along with religious talk. Unsure of what he actually believes, Kevin agrees to read the Bible to pass his class. He took the class to make his grandmother happy. So, if he skips church on Sunday, at least he can tell her that he took a class that had something to do with Jesus.

 

Each Tuesday night, Jenna rides the campus bus to the football fieldhouse for tutoring. Rain, sleet, snow, or hail—and there is lots of snow in the winter—she shows up with a smile. At least she is showing school spirit, she thinks, even if she is a tiny white girl who knows nothing about football. At the next tutor session, Kevin shows up late, asking if Jenna has a boyfriend, hoping that she does not study all the time. As Jenna takes a seat, she straightens her long dirty-blond hair and adjusts her glasses. Although she doesn’t wear a lot of makeup or trendy clothes, underneath her simple appearance, she is what her mother called a classic beauty. She tells him that he probably thinks she is a nerd. Kevin insists that she is pretty, and Jenna thinks that the Kevin is only flattering her. Now, all of a sudden, Kevin insists that he is a Christian, and his grandmother would like Jenna. He asks her to study over dinner tomorrow night. Then, he can take her back to her dorm. Jenna is stunned, asking him if this is a date. Kevin says that she needs to have more fun. Concerned that she could get fired from being a tutor, she tells him that his professor expects him to get an A on the next test, and if he fails the mid-term that his football coach will not let him play football. Kevin plans to pick her up at 7 o’clock outside the student center, and he will not be late. 

 

When the next evening rolls around, Kevin picks Jenna up in his Range Rover. Thinking that she had given it her best to save Kevin’s grades, Jenna gives up. As the evening goes on, Kevin is not the only one who has forgotten about the exam. Jenna has so much fun that she wishes she could quit being Kevin’s tutor, so she did not have to be responsible for his failing grades. She plays one song after another on the jukebox and makes him dance with her until late into the night. At the end of the night, Kevin pulls up to the dorm, kissing her on the cheek goodnight. Next week at the tutor session, Kevin walks into the football wing with an “A plus” on his mid-term exam from Christianity. One of Kevin’s teammates walks past, saying that Kevin cheated by studying from last year’s exam. Jenna is so angry that she quits as Kevin’s tutor. When Jenna does not show up for tutoring for two weeks in a row, Kevin arrives at her dorm room unannounced. After she hears a knock on the door, she opens it to find Kevin standing in the hall in tears, promising to never cheat again. Kevin says that he prayed with his grandmother on the phone to have a brand-new start, and he has a tattoo of Philippians 4:13 to prove it. Jenna forgives him, and Kevin insists that they should never study together again. He says that she is beautiful and just wants to take her on a real date. He kisses her in the hall. Throughout all of Saturday’s football game, Jenna yells “Touchdown!” every time Kevin scores, which was several times in a row, including when he kisses her in front of the coach at the end of the beautiful game.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters