What a Great Logline Looks Like: December 2017 Edition

The December Logline Competition results are in! Check out these great examples of how to write a logline:

THE WINNER

Our winner is Ethan Mantel with his logline for 2 B3ATS: IN THE B3AT-GINNING, a mockumentary:

“When their generic techno track somehow goes viral, two stubborn amateur DJs struggle to hold together a slapdash road tour through middle America to prove they deserve more than fifteen seconds of fame.”

This idea will certainly draw comparisons to other music mockumentaries, but it approaches the genre in a different way and offers loads of opportunities for great comedy.

About Ethan (ethan.mantel@gmail.com – @eman21 – Medium)

Having grown up in LA, Ethan Mantel has been working with movies for more than a decade. Whether he’s in front of the camera or behind it, Ethan’s excited by all parts of the craft of filmmaking. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, he moved to NYC, developing his writing through Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy classes, producing a short film, and most recently, documenting his screenwriting struggles on Medium. As his day job, Ethan leads the YouTube influencer marketing program at a startup.

THE FINALISTS

First, we have Fauzia Algarni with her logline for DIVORCE THEORY, a dramedy:

“With his secret creditors demanding payment, a weary husband spends the night convincing his loving wife that couples should break up at the peak of their happiness, aiming to get a divorce before dawn.”

This unique idea has a lot to offer. It’s contained, it has high stakes, and — if executed well — it should deliver all sorts of provocative thoughts on relationships.

About Fauzia (@arab_comic – hagawii45@gmail.com)

Fauzia Algarni is a freelance screenwriter from Saudi Arabia with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. She is taking courses in screenwriting online while working on her own projects. Fauzia is committed to this field and passionate to reach the ultimate goal of “Oscar.”

Next, we have Nicola Ralph with her logline for THE UNEXPECTED, a horror:

“When a gruesome amphibian monster viciously attacks two bright-eyed teenagers, the siblings inadvertently lead it back to a burgeoning town where their attempts to warn others get stalled by the town’s shadiest residents.”

We like the twist at the end of this logline with the shady residents. That twist takes this from a simple monster movie to potentially something truly, well, unexpected!

About Nicola (@NicolaRalph1 – ralph.nicola@yahoo.co.uk)

Nicola Ralph is a UK screenwriter of Sci-Fi/Horror. She was a 2015 Quarter Finalist in the ScreenCraft Sci-Fi Screenplay Contest and a Finalist in the New York Screenplay Contest — a contest in which she reached the finals three times with different screenplays.

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The January Logline Competition is now open! We have wonderful prizes from Script Pipeline, Virtual Pitchfest, WeScreenplay, The Hollywood Pitching Bible, and Talentville. Get your loglines in for detailed feedback and a chance at great prizes.