Everybody always complains to me about my Amateur Friday choices. (complain-y voice) “Carson, you never pick Amateur Friday scripts fairly.” “Why does this guy get to go twice?” “This logline sucks. Mine’s better.” “How come I didn’t get picked?” “You play favorites.” Well NO MORE my friends! That’s because YOU’RE picking the next two Amateur Friday scripts!
Below, I’ve listed 20 loglines along with the first ten pages of each. Now I want you to pay attention to HOW you choose the pages you read. Since you don’t have time to read all 20, you’ll notice that an automatic filtering system kicks in. Based on what? The logline, of course. How interesting it sounds. If it seems like a movie or not. In doing so, you’re doing exactly what agents, producers and execs are doing. Take what you learn from that experience and apply it to your next script. Make sure your idea can stand up to this test.
Now I didn’t hand-pick these loglines. They were all picked randomly. I wanted to give you an opportunity to see what I (and others) get sent. As you can see, if you come up with a good idea, it’s pretty damn easy to stand out from the pack. The large majority of these loglines won’t get anything more than an eye-roll. I know that’s harsh, but this process is harsh. Nobody cares about your feelings (besides Scriptshadow of course!), which means if you want to succeed, you have to do better. There’s also no official tally here. Just tell me which loglines and pages you like the most in the comments section and I’ll go with whatever’s getting the most attention. Now have at it!
The Last Banana Tree (Dramedy) – Tensions rise in the Foster household as their oldest daughter plans a doomed fundraiser for the world’s last banana tree.
Wonderwall (Action) – A former black ops soldier now makes millions providing freelance security to criminals. But his newest client attracts every cop and criminal in the city, and she just may be innocent. Saving her forces him to be a soldier again.
Heavy Gravity (Sci-Fi) – When a spoiled celebrity athlete is framed for blowing up the floating Imperial sky palace, he escapes with a rag-tag bunch of Surfacer teens to bring to justice the Empire’s most notorious terrorist — it’s ruler.
Dear Melanie (Drama/Romance) – After receiving a letter from a recently deceased co-worker professing his feelings for her, Melanie leaps at the chance to go back in time and save him.
Banshee (Horror) – A woman tormented by visions of death must learn to control her rage with the help of a vigilante vicar, in order to find her son and save a sea-side town from a soul stealing Banshee.
Kings (Thriller/Dark Comedy) – A group of teenagers congregate to play a popular drinking game, but when sex, drugs, and angst raise the debaucherous stakes, they’ll have to reassess their friendships in order to survive the night.
The Big Bang (Comedy) – After a desperately inadequate man sells his soul to the Devil for “male enhancement,” he discovers that his newfound stature is more of a curse than a blessing and he must confront God to find true happiness.
Dark Space (Action/Sci-Fi) – Alex Chaser, a tenacious mechanic, has gone through life ignoring humanity’s perilous position in the galaxy; constantly abused and ignored by a powerful alien government. But when she learns she is the first human to acquire psionic abilities, Alex finds herself changing the trajectory of human evolution in ways she never could have imagined.
Dethroned (Romance/Drama) – A millionaire, lost his fortunes & company, has to adapt to a new life when he becomes homeless and now faces losing his wife & daughter.
Amerikanski (Crime/Drama) – An orphan is taken in by a gang of criminals in Northeast Philly and grows up to lead them in a turf war with the Russian Mafia.
Things To Do Before I Died (Dramedy) – After the funeral of his best friend a lonely estate agent with a drab existence finds her wish list and decides to complete it in her memory. But when the list leads him on a journey that uncovers her troubled past, he must question everything he ever knew about her before he can begin the healing process.
The Real Jeff Spencer (Romantic Comedy) – An average Joe – with the same name as a TV star – begins a text-messaging relationship with a Hollywood starlet who falls for him.
Headlong (Comedy) – wo Aussies roadtripping from Phoenix to Vegas pick up a recently turned zombie gang member, who carries a fortune in stolen gems. When his former gang comrades pursue, a wild chase begins…
Mad Dogs (Grindhouse/Horror) – A repressed teen werewolf tracks down her estranged father — the sheriff of resort that caters to the hedonistic pursuits of werewolves — but an outbreak of weaponized rabies turns their reunion into a fight for survival.
Blood and Water (Thriller) – After her lover is murdered, a disillusioned sheriff struggles to cover up the affair; but instead, discovers a conspiracy that threatens to wipe out her entire town.
Blood Star (Sci-fi/Action) -When the last Vampires on Earth realize their powers are fading, they must go in search of the source of their immortality, before they are hunted down by a vengeful Grim Reaper bent on ending their kind forever.
The Battle Of New Orleans (Historical Action) – Outnumbered by the British army as he defends New Orleans in the War of 1812, heroic but strict General ANDREW JACKSON joins forces with the charming pirate JEAN LAFITTE, but must compete against the captain for the affections of Jackson’s willful wife, RACHEL.
Doxide (Sci-Fi) – A mafia hitman is hired by the government to hunt down a group of extraterrestrials on the New York City waterfront.
Battleground (Sci-Fi/Action) – During World War Two, in the merciless, freezing wilderness of southern Russia, stranded American and German soldiers put their differences aside to fight off an alien invasion from another world.
The Lumber Hack (Comedy) – When the world’s greatest competitive lumberjack decides to make a come back, he must overcome his past mistakes and the reigning world champion to complete his quest.
