WSF Member’s “Negative Proofs” Novel Published
Negative Proofs, a novel of action and adventure written by WSF member Jim Norton, is now available for your reading pleasure on Amazon.com and BarnesandNobel.com.
The Story
“Don’t go to Guatemala,” he whispered. “I won’t,” the lawyer screamed around his gag. He sat bound and naked in the church basement. Someone else would go because Andy “The Baker” required it. There was a woman in Guatemala, a nun, that Andy wanted brought back to the States. Who could he get to go? The name came to him – Dupree – Jimmy Jimmy Dupree.
A print copy is available on Amazon.com.
E-book versions can download for use on your Kindle, Nook or other e-reader device for $0.99. Free Kindle readers for PCs, MAC’s and smart phones are available on Amazon. Free Nook readers for PCs, MAC’s and smart phones are available on BarnesandNobel.com.
Simply click on one of the links to order an electronic copy.
from AMAZON
Negative Proofs
from Barnes & Nobel
Negative Proofs
Jim’s first book, The Supernumerary, is available in print and as an e-book from Amazon, The Supernumerary
and as an e-book from Barnes & Nobel The Supernumerary
Please feel free to write a review on Amazon and/or comment to Jim at JimNorton45@aol.com.
13th Annual Scriptapalooza Competition Now Open For Submissions
LOS ANGELES, CA - Scriptapalooza today announces its 13th annual Screenplay Competition to continue its mission in providing unparalleled creative opportunities for aspiring screenwriters in the fiercely competitive entertainment industry.
From now until the April 18th deadline, writers will be able to submit their screenplays through www.Scriptapalooza.com. Participants will have their individual entries read by more than 90 leading filmmakers, production companies and literary agencies including 2929 Productions, Anonymous Content, Industry Entertainment, Lawrence Bender Productions and The Orphanage.
As the leading screenplay competition, Scriptapalooza is fully endorsed by legendary author and screenwriter Robert McKee (Story) and the screenwriting software company Write Brothers Inc.
The first place winner, chosen by Scriptapalooza, receives a $10,000 grand prize. In addition, Scriptapalooza offers its full support to the winner; finalists and semifinalists of the screenwriting challenge by promoting each work for one year after the winners’ announcement.
“Since its inception in 1998, the Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition has grown exponentially to become one of the well-respected competitions within the entertainment industry,” said Mark Andrushko, president and co-founder of Scriptapalooza. “Through this competition, we have optioned more than 40 scripts and opened new doors to unknown talent. We are pleased to move forward in our 13th year and continue helping participants receive introductions or representation with some of biggest players in the industry.”
Within the past 13 years, Scriptapalooza participants have gone on to receive incredible success based on their submission through the Screenplay Competition. Select highlights include:
• 2009 Winner John Todd options his script Madam I’m Adam to Alan Ladd Productions.
• 2007 Finalist John Muscarnero shoots his film, Dark Woods.
• 2005 Winner Patrick Andrew O’Connor sells his movie The Break-Up Artist at Cannes Film Festival.
• 2005 Finalist Craig Clyde’s film, The Holidays airs on Lifetime.
• 2006 Semi-Finalist Eric D. Howell shoots his short film, Ana’s Playground.
• 2003 Semi-Finalist Rodney Johnson’s Queen Sized airs on Lifetime.
• 2003 Scriptapalooza’s TV Winner Barbara Schwartz wins EMMY for Rugrats.
Deadline April 18th.
For more information regarding the competition or to submit a screenplay online, please go to www.Scriptapalooza.com.
About Scriptapalooza, Inc.
The Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition was founded in 1998 with the goal of discovering promising writers and creating opportunities for them in the fiercely competitive entertainment industry. Each year, dozens of production companies and literary representatives sign on to read the participating scripts, resulting in many being optioned or bought outright The first place winner receives $10,000, and Scriptapalooza promotes the semifinalists and finalists for a full year. Scriptapalooza, Inc., along with its divisions, is widely regarded by writers, producers and agents alike as the most influential and successful competition company of its kind. Divisions include Scriptapalooza Television Writing Competition and Scriptapalooza Coverage Professional Script Analysis. For more information, please visit www.scriptapalooza.com
Sceneday Announces Unique Marketing Emails Using Short Screenplays… and They’re Looking for Writers!
29 seconds!
“We know this is all the time we get to cut through the traffic and entertain, thrill, excite, and affect you emotionally. Sceneday does this by delivering the best original screenplays, products, and events for free via e-mail and the web.”
Founded in 2010, Sceneday leads the way in the production of quality short scripts for e-mail and the internet. Sceneday is constantly developing creative media, product placement, and advertising partners. Sceneday’s mission is to utilize the best talent worldwide to produce the highest quality entertainment content for a range of media. To that end, Sceneday has developed successful partnerships around the world, including those from the UK, Australia, and the United States.
29 seconds! One Scene. One day. Sceneday!
Writers interested in submitting short screenplays for this unique marketing program should visit the website at www.sceneday.com.
Former WSF President Christine DeSmet Interviewed by Examiner
Former president and esteemed member of the WSF, Christine DeSmet, was featured in the below Examiner.com article, written by Rex Owens, profiling DeSmet’s writing and educational career.
Christine DeSmet is a faculty member with the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies and is an integral staff member for the annual “Writer’s Institute” and “Write-by-the-Lake Writer’s Workshop and Retreat.” She also conducts several online courses and professional critique services.
She began her career in journalism and public relations with the University of Wisconsin. Part of her responsibilities included working with staff promoting various continuing education writing classes and meeting fiction writers that attended the classes. That was enough to pique her interests in fiction writing: “But I also needed a creative outlet. While PR was great fun, I was getting a little bored with writing ‘just the facts.’ The leap into fiction was very freeing for my creative spirit.”
That leap has been extensive. Christine writes in several genres including: fiction, screenplays, mystery and romance. Each genre allows her to express her creativeness in different ways, however, the inner drive to tell a good yarn is her primary motivation. Her experiences writing about writers in each genre created her own spark. “For example, I was writing a feature article about the screenwriters who took our classes, and as I talked with them I found their enthusiasm infectious. I joined the Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum, a national group based from Wisconsin, and started writing scripts. The same happened in romance writing and mystery writing. I met writers who were having a ton of fun telling stories; their fire sparked my creativity and I realized I had stories aching to get out on the page, too.”
Fun and storytelling are themes throughout Christine’s writing career. Her enthusiasm and devotion to the craft are exhibited at the writer’s conferences classes she teaches. Her sessions are always full and students are comfortable asking questions. Christine is always accessible and you can find her in the hallway between classes continuing to engage, challenge and inspire writers attending the conference and workshops.
Her enthusiasm is a direct result of her approach to writing which is to have fun. For Christine the purpose of writing is clear and simple: “To have fun. All my life I’ve said that to myself and other writers. If you’re not having fun at some level, find something else to do with your time.”
No matter what genre she is writing in Christine is drawn to the challenge of writing which she describes as: “Writing a story that both entertains and has enlightenment or something to say that matters. Whether I’m writing a humorous mystery, short story for the Whiskey Creek Press collection or a full novel like Spirit Lake or serious screenplay, the challenge is making sure the story matters to readers. And various things matter. Just helping people laugh matters in this life, for example.”
Christine is a member of Jewels of the Quill (www.JewelsoftheQuill.com) where she is known as Dame Moonstone. When asked if Dame Moonstone was a pen name or an alter ego she replied succinctly: “Alter ego.” She explains: “I liked moonstones because of their ties to emotions like love, which is good for somebody like me who writes romance mysteries and other romantic stories. So Dame Moonstone – me, as a writer- is all about the magic I can create emotionally in my stories.”
Christine is not a writer who slaves over her laptop by herself for hours in a basement office of her home. She has a writing partner, Peggy Williams, and together they write scripts. Having a writing partner helps the creative process: “She and I push each other, and we also have a ton of fun brainstorming. As a result, we write material twice as fast together as we would left alone. We also feed off each other’s ideas. And we get twice as much done together as we might get done alone. Writing is less lonely when you have a critique partner you can call or email. Having a writing partner can be a true joy; I feel lucky.”
As you might imagine, Christine, doesn’t experience writer’s block. Again, her response to the question on writer’s block was to the point: “Sorry, no time for writer’s block.” She likes to have deadlines and has developed her own method for imposing deadlines on her projects. Certainly, for other writers there is a lesson to be learned.
During her career Christine says the major change in the publishing industry has been the evolution of the E-book. “I was one of the pioneers. My novel Spirit Lake was first published as an e-book in the year 2000, which is eleven years ago now!” She has also witnessed major changes in screenwriting, especially with development of internet websites such as IMDB-Pro which allows producers, actors and others to interact.
Among other faculty and students attending the Continuing Education conferences and workshops Christine has the reputation for having many irons in the fire at one time. Her current projects include a mystery novel, two romantic comedy screenplays and several new ideas for a Hollywood producer connected with the Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum.
Even with her own writing projects Christine devotes substantial time to her role as a teacher and receives a great deal of satisfaction in helping mentor students wanting to improve their writing craft. She finds two experiences memorable: “Two things are most memorable for me. Anytime a person discovers for the first time that they really can write, and anytime a writer publishes or gents an agent. A teacher like me lives to see that sort of accomplishment in others.”
Christine can best be described as an activist writer and teacher through her involvement in several writing groups including: Writer’s Guild of America, Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum, Electronic Publishing Internet Connection (EPIC), Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and Jewels of the Quill.
For more information on the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Education writing programs go to their homepage at: www.dcs.wisc/lsa/writing/.
You can learn more about screenwriting through the, Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum at: www.wiscreenwritersforum.org.
Explore the Jewels of the Quill at: www.JewelsoftheQuill.com
You can e-mail Christine DeSmet at: cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu
Did you find this article informative? Consider subscribing by clicking on the Subscribe button at the top of the article, you will receive an e-mail each time an article is posted. You are invited to e-mail the author at: rexowens00@gmail.com.
Note: This original post made the error of not including proper credit to Examiner’s Rex Owens, who wrote the article. Our apologies.
10th Annual Tennessee Screenwriters Association Announces Contest
10th Annual Tennessee Screenwriters Association’s Screenplay Contest
Now open for entries!
* 1st Place Prize – $500 in cash, a subscription to Script Magazine and your script will be read by established and successful production companies.
* 2nd place Cash prize of $250
* 3rd place Cash prize of $100
All three winners will receive a listing on InkTip.com and a complimentary a TSA Membership.
Submission deadline: March 15th , 2011.
$30 for members $40 for non-members
The TSA is a non-profit educational organization established in 1988. Our mission is to promote and support the craft of screenwriting by providing a pipeline for information, constructive critique, and opportunities to network with other writers and film industry professionals.
http://www.tennscreen.com/default.asp?page=contest_online
http://www.tennscreen.com/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=388522189166
Want Instant Access to the Industry? The WSF Announces the 2011 “From Concept to Script” Competition!
The WSF is proud to present the next evolution in its goal to present screenwriters with the most coveted step towards the chance of making their dreams come true… access.
WSF members will have a chance to develop a high concept project for major studio consideration.
This exclusive competition has no sponsors. No trips to Hollywood. No big cash prizes.
The prize for all of those who partake, from the first round to the final, is access to the film industry, instant consideration by true power players within the studio system.
WSF members have been granted this opportunity by select individuals working in development with A-List production companies. Production companies that have first look deals with major studios.
They’re looking for the next big idea. They’re looking for the next high concept project to develop for a major movie studio, be it a tent pole action franchise, thriller, suspense, mystery, sci-fi, horror, comedy, inspiring drama, etc.
The WSF 2011 “From Concept to Script” Competition will be a year long quest for high concept projects, developed first from loglines, to eventual final drafts of the scripts that will be submitted for consideration by participating A-List production companies with first look major movie studio deals.
- The first round of this unique opportunity will ask WSF members to submit up to ten high concept loglines. ALL high concept loglines will be reviewed and considered by a Hollywood development representative working for one of the most successful production companies that is currently signed with a major studio. The best high concept loglines with the most potential will make it to the second round…
- The second round will ask the writers of those selected high concept loglines to write the first ten pages of the script. The best five First Ten Page submissions will advance to the third round…
- The third round will give those writers a few months to write the whole script, based off of the high concept logline that advanced them to this final round…
- The final round will have those five scripts submitted to additional select film industry insiders working at top tier production companies signed with major studios. Those scripts will be considered for option, purchase, etc. In addition, the Final Five will partake in the now staple WSF Mock Industry meetings. Based off of the scripts and meetings, the mock executives will choose the “WSF Pick”, who will receive one free year of membership with the WSF, as well as a free spot for a WSF Retreat.
The true prize for this competition is access. And all who partake will have a chance to woe major production companies signed with major studios. They’ll have a chance to develop a high concept project for major studio consideration. They’ll be able, from the first round and up, to get their high concept ideas into the hands of top tier companies for consideration.
So come one, come all. This competition is FREE. All you need to be is a member of the Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum, a not-for-profit organization developed to support screenwriters from all over the globe. The$50 annual fee (prorated from January – April at $35) gives screenwriters shared access to some of the industry’s best resources (see Join for details), access to the Official WSF Screenplay Feedback program, and a chance to make your dreams come true!
Please read the following articles to learn a little bit more about what you need to know to make the best possible high concept loglines. You must choose, but choose wisely.
Jim Eckman Chosen as Winner of the 2010 WSF Screenwriting Experience Contest!
The WSF is proud to announce that Jim Eckmann has been named as the winner of the 2010 WSF Screenwriting Experience contest for his feature screenplay “Kate”!
Celebrity judge Greg DePaul selected his screenplay from the Top Three finalists that also included Geoff Breuder (”The Ace of Aces”) and Jack Bennett (”Between the Devil in Hell”).
“Kate” tells the true story of Katharine Bushnell, M.D., then age 31, to end forced prostitution in the lumber camps of northern Wisconsin in the 1880s.
Jim will receive a trip to Los Angeles for the 2011 Screenwriting Expo in October, complete with a Gold Pass to the weekend long event that gives him access to all speaking panels and events.
Thanks to all those who submitted and supported this unique screenwriting contest! Thank you much to the Creative Screenwriting Magazine for sponsoring!
High Concept Defined Once and For All
High Concept Defined Once and For All
By Steve Kaire
(Originally posted at The Writers Store)
High Concept is a term that’s been confused, misunderstood and misused by writers for decades. The common belief is that it’s any movie that can be pitched in one sentence. A man who battles his wife for custody of their children is one sentence, but it’s a million miles from being High Concept.
Others define it by describing it as “one film crossed with another film.” In Robert Altman’s The Player, the writers pitch their project to a producer as Out of Africa meets Pretty Woman. That is not what a High Concept film is. What they used is a framing technique that is given prior to pitching your project to prepare the listener for what’s coming. You cross two well known films that touch upon the material you are about to pitch so the producer has some idea where you’re going with your pitch. That is an example of a common pitching technique and not what defines High Concept.
Story ideas, treatments and screenplays can all have High Concept premises. But only High Concept projects can be sold from a pitch because they are pitch driven. Non-High Concept projects can’t be sold from a pitch because they are execution driven. They have to be read to be appreciated and their appeal isn’t obvious by merely running a logline past someone. This is the reason why films like “Pulp Fiction,” “Star Wars” and “Sideways” could never be sold from a pitch.
In defining High Concept, we talk about the premise of your story, not what happens in Acts 1, 2 and 3. The premise or logline is the core of High Concept. My comprehensive definition of High Concept is comprised of five requirements, each of which is mandatory. The five requirements are in descending order of importance. Therefore, numbers one and two are the most important as well as the most difficult to attain. But meeting only several of the requirements is not enough. All five requirements have to be met for success in achieving the “slam dunk” project everyone is looking for.
Requirement #1:
YOUR PREMISE SHOULD BE ORIGINAL AND UNIQUE
A logline is generally one to five sentences, with the average being three. Therefore, you have to pitch your material in a compressed, economical manner which captures the essence of your story and showcases its originality. Most of my pitches are one or two sentences long. Every writer should practice pitching his or her work by boiling down their story into only one sentence regardless if their story is High Concept or not.
In seeking originality, we are not talking about reinventing the wheel. We can take traditional subject matter that’s been done before and add a hook or twist to it which then qualifies the material as original. Using the kidnapping plot, there have been dozens of films which covered that subject area before. In the film Ransom, Mel Gibson plays a wealthy businessman whose son is kidnapped. That story in itself offers nothing new. The hook of the movie which makes it original is that instead of paying the ransom, Gibson uses the ransom money to pay for a contract hit on the kidnappers. That twist makes the film original and therefore High Concept.
Staying with the same kidnapping genre, the comedy Ruthless People follows the same pattern. Danny Devito plays a wealthy man whose wife, played by Bette Midler, gets kidnapped. Challenging convention, Devito refuses to pay the ransom because he hates his wife and sees this as the opportunity he’s been waiting for to finally get rid of her. Now the bungling kidnappers are stuck with an impossible woman that they have no idea what to do with. Again, it’s that unique hook that makes this a High Concept film.
Requirement #2:
YOUR STORY HAS TO HAVE MASS AUDIENCE APPEAL
That means it’s possible to meet Requirement #1 by creating an original story that’s never been done before. But that story may be so odd or strange that the appeal exists only in the mind of the writer who created it. No one else.
An example would be if a girl woke up one morning, turned into a butterfly, and flew to the land of Shangri-La. That’s never been done before but who cares? Mass appeal means that nine out of ten people who you pitch your story to would say that they’d pay ten dollars to see your movie first run based solely on your pitch. You have to decide either you’re writing for your own enjoyment or you’re writing to sell. If it’s to sell, then you have to take the marketplace into account.
Requirement #3:
YOUR PITCH HAS TO BE STORY SPECIFIC
That means that within your pitch, you have to have specific details which make your story different and adds color and depth. Let’s take the bank robbing plot. If you came up with a story about three people who want to rob a bank by digging a tunnel underneath it, the response would be, “So what?” A twist on that genre is the movie Going In Style. It’s about three senior citizens who attempt to rob a bank. The wheelman has had his license revoked, the lookout is visually impaired, and the brains of the operation is 75-year-old George Burns. Those specific details enhance the story and keep it from being stale and generic.
Requirement #4:
THE POTENTIAL IS OBVIOUS
If you’re pitching a comedy, then the potential for humor should be obvious within your pitch. People should smile or laugh when you tell it. If you’re pitching an action movie, the listener should be able to imagine the action scenes in his head as your pitching. I sold a project to Miramax called My Kind of Town with the Wayans Brothers attached to star. It is about two guys who want to make a new start in life. They pack up their car and take off with no particular destination in mind. Entering City Hall in some tiny Southern town to get a map, the roof collapses on them and they sue. They win the lawsuit but the town can’t afford to pay them so they’re given the town. The potential for humor is obvious when the Wayans Brothers are given a Southern town to do whatever they please with it.
Requirement #5:
YOUR PITCH SHOULD BE ONE TO THREE SENTENCES LONG
Most pitches should be this length although some set-ups may be more, but you shouldn’t go over five to six sentences. You are not telling what happens in Acts 1, 2 and 3 unless you’re asked to do so later. You’re giving the premise of your story. I’ve spent days shaping my loglines to include as much information in as few words as possible.
I’ve had thousands of projects pitched to me in over twenty years and writers mistakenly think that the longer the pitch, the better the story. No one wants to listen to a pitch that’s a half hour long when I could read the script in less time. I tell writers “Pitch me your story in a couple of sentences.” Most cannot because they don’t know what the five requirements are and lack the practice in condensing and fine-tuning their pitches in advance.
When you’re pitching, you are telling what your story is about, not what happens in the story. You don’t want to begin your pitch with, “My story is about a 26-year-old woman named Jill, who lives in Chicago. She’s unhappy with her life. She goes to her office where she confronts her boss. She quits
and goes home where she fights with her boyfriend.” That is not pitching. That is a boring unfolding of the story which you want to avoid at all costs.
The reaction you want to hear when you pitch is “Wow! Why didn’t I think of that?” or “That’s so good why hasn’t somebody made that movie before?” When the faces in the room light up after you deliver your pitch, you know you’ve got them. That’s the sought after “slam dunk.” That’s what High Concept is all about.
Writing Loglines that Sell
Writing Loglines that Sell
(Originally posted at The Writers Store)
Have you ever been stuck listening to a friend tell you a joke that seems to go on without ever reaching the punch line? Your mind starts wandering and you stop paying attention as the joke painfully loses its momentum.
Pitching your ideas effectively, whether from a script, novel or even your own mind, does not come naturally for most of us. But with a little practice, it can. Once you learn what a “High Concept Idea” is and how to create exciting story “Loglines” for your work.
Why do Writers Need to Learn How to Pitch?
In Hollywood, every movie starts out in the form of underlying material, such as a novel, a screenplay, a comic book or even a great idea. The next step is to convey your idea clearly and succinctly to those who are in a position to buy it. This is an essential tool for any writer working in Hollywood today.
We all know that Hollywood is not a meritocracy where only the best scripts, books or ideas get made into films. You have to learn how to pitch effectively to get your projects purchased in this very competitive marketplace.
What Hollywood Is Looking For?
Let’s look at the types of films that the major Studios are buying these days.
Beyond some of the wonderful independent films that are being made within and outside of the Studio system, Hollywood primarily wants to acquire what they call, “High Concept Ideas”. In layman’s terms, we’re talking about stories that put butts in the seats on a Saturday night.
Stories that are labeled as “High Concept” can certainly be subjective, but we’re not necessarily talking about the crazy, Psycho Ninjas from Mars-type movies. My definition of “High Concept” simply refers to: Stories that all of us can relate to on some tangible and emotional level.
For example, we all want to fall in love; we all share a thirst for adventure; we all deal with difficult moral dilemmas; we all have similar family issues and we all like to watch people make fools out of themselves. That’s an easy concept to relate to, because let’s face it, we’ve all made fools out of ourselves at some point.
Creating Loglines For Your Work
“What’s your screenplay about?” “Tell me a little bit about your novel?” We’ve all heard these questions before. But what is that person really asking you about your work?
What they’re looking for, in Hollywood-speak, is what’s called a “Logline.” My definition of a logline is this: It’s a one- or two-sentence description of the overall idea of the story. It’s the main goal of the story that you want to convey to your audience.
Every year, agents, Studio Executives and Producers receive hundreds of scripts, books and query letters from writers wanting to submit their work, so they have to filter those down into only pursuing the projects that they think would make great films. The clear and concise logline you present to someone, is what will get them excited about reading your work.
For this article, I’ve put together a pitching exercise to get you thinking about how to describe your own work using simple loglines. We will look at five examples of well-known, memorable films and see if their loglines can give us the big idea of the movie.
Pretend for a moment that you’re in your living room with your feet up getting ready to watch a movie. You open up your TV guide and you’re deciding what to watch based on the description or logline of the film. Those TV magazines always do a nice job of breaking down a film into one or two sentences.
In this exercise, first I’ll give you the logline, and then provide the answers at the end.
Logline #1 – The extraordinary story of a thoroughbred racehorse – from his humble beginnings as an under-fed workhorse to his unlikely rise and triumphant victory over the Triple Crown winner, War Admiral.
Logline #2 – A 17th Century tale of adventure on the Caribbean Sea where the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow joins forces with a young blacksmith in a gallant attempt to rescue the Governor of England’s daughter and reclaim his ship.
Are you getting the hang of it so far? Here’s a few more:
Logline #3 – After segueing from a life of espionage to raising a family, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez are called back into action. But when they are kidnapped by their evil nemesis, there are only two people in the world who can rescue them… their kids!
Logline #4 – Toula’s family has exactly three traditional values – “Marry a Greek boy, have Greek babies, and feed everyone.” When she falls in love with a sweet, but WASPy guy, Toula struggles to get her family to accept her fiancée, while she comes to terms with her own heritage.
Logline #5 – A young man and woman from different social classes fall in love aboard an ill-fated voyage at sea.
Answers:
1. Seabiscuit
2. Pirates of the Caribbean
3. Spy Kids
4. My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding
5. Titanic
Make Your Logline Memorable
The main point to remember about this exercise is that you have to try to boil down your own high concept ideas into something that’s easy for people to understand. If you can’t relate to an agent, a publisher, a producer or even a studio executive what your story is about in one or two sentences, then it will be difficult to get them interested in reading your work, and more importantly, wanting to buy it.
Keep in mind however, that a good logline doesn’t tell someone too much. It’s always good to leave a little something to the imagination. In the case of Spy Kids, you want the person you’re pitching, to ask you, “Hey, what does happen when the kids have to save their parents?” And that’s when you can say, “Well, you’ll have to read my screenplay to find out.”
Additionally, when you’re pitching your story logline, you don’t want to sound like a snake-oil salesman by telling someone: “It’s like Die Hard on a bus” or “It’s like The Firm meets The Fugitive.” What does that even mean? However, if you told me that your script was about “A man who is bitten by a genetically-altered spider, and soon discovers that he has unusual powers and the strength and agility of a spider.” Well, I’d say, that’s definitely a movie I’d want to see.
Some may ask, why is the Spiderman logline a high-concept idea? It’s high concept because, while we all can’t relate to what it would be like to be Spiderman, the film has many high-concept themes that we can all relate to such as: unrequited love, parental approval and of course, wish fulfillment as a superhero.
Let Your Passion Rule Your Writing
As you work on your own projects, it’s important to remember that as a screenwriter or a novelist, you should always write what you are passionate about. Do not let people try to pigeonhole your writing and likewise, do not attempt to get into the mindset of writing only what you think may sell as a film. That’s like asking Picasso to use a little more green in his paintings so that they’ll match your couch. You simply cannot infringe on someone’s creativity!
Take Your Pitching to the Next Level
Oftentimes the best films and the ones that consistently win Academy Awards each year, come from the most interesting, emotional and historical backgrounds. But you must still be able to convey the high concept or main idea of these stories effectively to whomever you’re pitching.
Now that you understand how loglines work and what an important tool they can be, let’s take your pitching skills to the next level.
It’s great when writers tell me that their story is too complex to boil down into one or two simple sentences. Here are a five more examples of loglines from great, Academy Award nominated films, that may help you pitch your ideas that you feel are a little more complicated and multi-layered.
Logline #1 – When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by a corrupt prince, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek his revenge.
Logline #2 – An older man is forced to deal with an ambiguous future after he enters retirement and his wife passes away. Ultimately, he finds hope as he comes to terms with his daughter’s marriage and his own life.
Logline #3 – A comedic portrayal of a young and broke Shakespeare who falls in love with a woman, inspiring him to write “Romeo and Juliet.”
Can you see how even these multi-layered stories, whether they are dramas or historical films, can be broken down into simple loglines that are easy to pitch?
Here are just a couple more:
Logline #4 – A journey of self-discovery by a brilliant mathematician once he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He eventually triumphs over tragedy and receives the Nobel Prize.
Logline #5 – An Epic tale of a 1940s New York Mafia family and their struggle to protect their empire, as the leadership switches from the father to his youngest son.
Answers:
1. Gladiator
2. About Schmidt
3. Shakespeare in Love
4. A Beautiful Mind
5. The Godfather
In conclusion, developing the ability to create powerful loglines for your work is an invaluable skill that all writers should have in their toolkit! As you learn how to pitch your ideas effectively, you will be one step ahead of your peers and on your way to having your material read faster by those who are in the position to buy it.
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