Scrap Value
In a freezing garage in Northwestern Ontario, two young artists wrestle with a heavy sculpture and the heavier question of whether their dreams are worth the heating bill.
# Scrap Value
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
In a near-future northern winter, a disillusioned sculptor and his fiercely loyal friend must transport a massive, unsellable sculpture to a distant gallery, forcing them to confront whether their artistic struggle is a noble pursuit or a fool's errand.
## Themes
* **Art vs. Commerce:** The central conflict between creating authentic, personal work and the market's demand for palatable, commercial products (e.g., "weld a moose").
* **Authenticity in a Superficial World:** The characters' struggle to maintain their integrity and create "real" art in a culture dominated by algorithms, AI-generated content, and "fifteen-second dopamine hits."
* **The Dignity of the Grind:** Finding value and meaning not in success, but in the difficult, unglamorous process of creation and the refusal to compromise, even when facing failure.
* **Hope in Shared Struggle:** The bond between Bode and Marnie is the story's emotional core, suggesting that survival and purpose are found in partnership against overwhelming odds.
## Stakes
At risk is their last shred of hope that their authentic, uncommercial art has any value or place in a world that demands conformity and financial security over personal expression.
## Synopsis
In the biting cold of a northern winter garage, sculptor BODE and his friend, writer MARNIE, struggle to move a three-hundred-pound sculpture made of scrap metal into the back of a rusted pickup truck. The physical effort mirrors their creative and financial exhaustion. Their conversation reveals recent rejections from the art world, which dismissed Bode's work as "lacking regional specificity" and Marnie's prose for not being "vibrant" enough.
After finally loading the sculpture, they confront the grim math: even if the piece sells, the profit will barely cover a week's rent. Huddled by a failing propane heater, they share their respective frustrations with a world that seems to have no place for their gritty, truthful art. Bode, worn down and desperate, reveals he's considering giving up to take a high-paying, soul-crushing job at a lithium mine.
Marnie pushes back, articulating the value of their struggle. She argues that their refusal to compromise, to create something real in a world of superficial content, is a victory in itself. It's not about winning a rigged game, but about refusing to play. Her fierce loyalty and dark humor pull Bode back from the brink of despair. They make a pact: if the sculpture doesn't sell, they'll dump it in the lake for future archaeologists to find. Reunited in their defiant purpose, they get into the truck, blast loud, distorted music, and drive off into a building snowstorm, two small specks of warmth against the vast, indifferent cold.
## Character Breakdown
* **BODE (24):** A sculptor whose idealism is being eroded by the harsh realities of poverty and artistic rejection. He's physically strong but emotionally exhausted, teetering on the edge of cynicism. He's tempted by the stability of a "real job" but is held back by a deep-seated need to create.
* **Psychological Arc:** Bode begins the story in a state of bitter defeat, physically and emotionally frozen by his circumstances and ready to abandon his artistic path for financial security. By the end, through his connection with Marnie, he rediscovers a weary but resilient resolve, accepting the struggle as a meaningful act of defiance in itself.
* **MARNIE (24):** A writer, she is the sharp-witted, fiercely loyal heart of their two-person artistic movement. While just as world-weary as Bode, she channels her frustration into dark humor and a stubborn refusal to surrender. She is the keeper of their shared belief system, constantly reminding Bode why they fight.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE STRUGGLE:** In a freezing garage, BODE and MARNIE fight to move a massive, jagged metal sculpture. The physical effort mirrors their internal struggle. Their dialogue is sharp, revealing their financial precarity and recent artistic rejection.
2. **THE BEAST IS LOADED:** They finally wrestle the sculpture into Bode's old pickup truck. The truck groans under the weight. They stand exhausted in the snow-muffled cold, the bleakness of their task settling in.
3. **THE CALCULATION:** Marnie asks about the potential profit. Bode's calculation reveals the pathetic financial return for their immense effort—a reality check that hangs heavy in the air.
4. **THE REJECTION:** Back in the garage, huddled by a failing heater, Marnie reveals her own rejection from a writing residency. They bond over the gatekeeping of the art world, which demands a sanitized, "vibrant" reality they don't recognize.
5. **THE TEMPTATION:** Bode confesses he's considering a high-paying mining job, a path to financial stability but creative death. He questions the value of their current life.
6. **THE REFUSAL:** Marnie counters, articulating their core philosophy: their struggle is real and true, a refusal to play a rigged game. She argues for the value of their "weird, gritty" art, even if no one is listening.
7. **THE PACT:** The heater dies, plunging them into cold and silence. The bleakness is broken by Marnie's gallows humor—a plan to dump the sculpture in the lake if it doesn't sell. Bode laughs, a genuine moment of connection that solidifies their partnership.
8. **THE ROAD:** They get into the truck and drive into the burgeoning snowstorm. They are small and isolated, but together. They blast loud, distorted music, a final act of defiance against the quiet and the cold.
## Visual Style & Tone
* **Visuals:** A stark, desaturated color palette dominated by whites, greys, and the rusted reds of aging metal. The lighting is harsh and practical—the single bulb of the garage, the yellow cones of headlights cutting through swirling snow. Handheld, intimate camerawork to emphasize the grit and physical reality of their struggle. The texture of cold is paramount: visible breath, frost on metal, layers of worn clothing.
* **Tone:** Grounded, near-future realism with a melancholic, verité feel. The tone is bleak but punctuated by moments of dark humor and profound human connection. It captures the feeling of being young and out of options in a world that has moved on without you. Tonal comparisons align with the quiet desperation of *Nomadland*, the stark regionalism of *Winter's Bone*, and the more character-driven, melancholic episodes of an anthology like *Tales from the Loop* or a grounded *Black Mirror* installment.
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
In a near-future northern winter, a disillusioned sculptor and his fiercely loyal friend must transport a massive, unsellable sculpture to a distant gallery, forcing them to confront whether their artistic struggle is a noble pursuit or a fool's errand.
## Themes
* **Art vs. Commerce:** The central conflict between creating authentic, personal work and the market's demand for palatable, commercial products (e.g., "weld a moose").
* **Authenticity in a Superficial World:** The characters' struggle to maintain their integrity and create "real" art in a culture dominated by algorithms, AI-generated content, and "fifteen-second dopamine hits."
* **The Dignity of the Grind:** Finding value and meaning not in success, but in the difficult, unglamorous process of creation and the refusal to compromise, even when facing failure.
* **Hope in Shared Struggle:** The bond between Bode and Marnie is the story's emotional core, suggesting that survival and purpose are found in partnership against overwhelming odds.
## Stakes
At risk is their last shred of hope that their authentic, uncommercial art has any value or place in a world that demands conformity and financial security over personal expression.
## Synopsis
In the biting cold of a northern winter garage, sculptor BODE and his friend, writer MARNIE, struggle to move a three-hundred-pound sculpture made of scrap metal into the back of a rusted pickup truck. The physical effort mirrors their creative and financial exhaustion. Their conversation reveals recent rejections from the art world, which dismissed Bode's work as "lacking regional specificity" and Marnie's prose for not being "vibrant" enough.
After finally loading the sculpture, they confront the grim math: even if the piece sells, the profit will barely cover a week's rent. Huddled by a failing propane heater, they share their respective frustrations with a world that seems to have no place for their gritty, truthful art. Bode, worn down and desperate, reveals he's considering giving up to take a high-paying, soul-crushing job at a lithium mine.
Marnie pushes back, articulating the value of their struggle. She argues that their refusal to compromise, to create something real in a world of superficial content, is a victory in itself. It's not about winning a rigged game, but about refusing to play. Her fierce loyalty and dark humor pull Bode back from the brink of despair. They make a pact: if the sculpture doesn't sell, they'll dump it in the lake for future archaeologists to find. Reunited in their defiant purpose, they get into the truck, blast loud, distorted music, and drive off into a building snowstorm, two small specks of warmth against the vast, indifferent cold.
## Character Breakdown
* **BODE (24):** A sculptor whose idealism is being eroded by the harsh realities of poverty and artistic rejection. He's physically strong but emotionally exhausted, teetering on the edge of cynicism. He's tempted by the stability of a "real job" but is held back by a deep-seated need to create.
* **Psychological Arc:** Bode begins the story in a state of bitter defeat, physically and emotionally frozen by his circumstances and ready to abandon his artistic path for financial security. By the end, through his connection with Marnie, he rediscovers a weary but resilient resolve, accepting the struggle as a meaningful act of defiance in itself.
* **MARNIE (24):** A writer, she is the sharp-witted, fiercely loyal heart of their two-person artistic movement. While just as world-weary as Bode, she channels her frustration into dark humor and a stubborn refusal to surrender. She is the keeper of their shared belief system, constantly reminding Bode why they fight.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE STRUGGLE:** In a freezing garage, BODE and MARNIE fight to move a massive, jagged metal sculpture. The physical effort mirrors their internal struggle. Their dialogue is sharp, revealing their financial precarity and recent artistic rejection.
2. **THE BEAST IS LOADED:** They finally wrestle the sculpture into Bode's old pickup truck. The truck groans under the weight. They stand exhausted in the snow-muffled cold, the bleakness of their task settling in.
3. **THE CALCULATION:** Marnie asks about the potential profit. Bode's calculation reveals the pathetic financial return for their immense effort—a reality check that hangs heavy in the air.
4. **THE REJECTION:** Back in the garage, huddled by a failing heater, Marnie reveals her own rejection from a writing residency. They bond over the gatekeeping of the art world, which demands a sanitized, "vibrant" reality they don't recognize.
5. **THE TEMPTATION:** Bode confesses he's considering a high-paying mining job, a path to financial stability but creative death. He questions the value of their current life.
6. **THE REFUSAL:** Marnie counters, articulating their core philosophy: their struggle is real and true, a refusal to play a rigged game. She argues for the value of their "weird, gritty" art, even if no one is listening.
7. **THE PACT:** The heater dies, plunging them into cold and silence. The bleakness is broken by Marnie's gallows humor—a plan to dump the sculpture in the lake if it doesn't sell. Bode laughs, a genuine moment of connection that solidifies their partnership.
8. **THE ROAD:** They get into the truck and drive into the burgeoning snowstorm. They are small and isolated, but together. They blast loud, distorted music, a final act of defiance against the quiet and the cold.
## Visual Style & Tone
* **Visuals:** A stark, desaturated color palette dominated by whites, greys, and the rusted reds of aging metal. The lighting is harsh and practical—the single bulb of the garage, the yellow cones of headlights cutting through swirling snow. Handheld, intimate camerawork to emphasize the grit and physical reality of their struggle. The texture of cold is paramount: visible breath, frost on metal, layers of worn clothing.
* **Tone:** Grounded, near-future realism with a melancholic, verité feel. The tone is bleak but punctuated by moments of dark humor and profound human connection. It captures the feeling of being young and out of options in a world that has moved on without you. Tonal comparisons align with the quiet desperation of *Nomadland*, the stark regionalism of *Winter's Bone*, and the more character-driven, melancholic episodes of an anthology like *Tales from the Loop* or a grounded *Black Mirror* installment.