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

THE WINNER

Our winner is Sara Barry with her logline for AMERICAN MUSLIM, a half hour dark comedy pilot:

“In the wake of her husband’s sudden death, an American convert to Islam juggles religious duties, overbearing Muslim in-laws, and post-9/11 prejudices as she struggles to provide for her four children in busy Manhattan.”

This show feels timely, fresh, and full of drama. We love that it focuses on characters we don’t normally get to see. We would definitely watch this show.

About Sara ([email protected] – @sarabrry – www.sarabarry.net)

Sara Barry is a writer and college student of English living in New York City. She has written for The Huffington Post and has had her writing featured in magazines, but she hopes that in the future, she can fulfill her true calling – writing for the big screen and breaking into the boys’ club that is screenwriting. Through screenwriting, Sara wants to tell the stories of underrepresented groups of people and correct stereotypes of minority groups in film. She hopes that in the future more roles will be available for Middle Eastern people than “Terrorist #2.”

THE FINALISTS

First, we have Hilary Burgoon with her logline for SIGHT, a drama:

“When an aging machinist’s vision loss forces him to rely on a troubled teenage neighbor, his estranged daughter threatens their unlikely but crucial friendship by revealing a history of emotional abuse.”

This logline is a great example of a simple story with minimal locations that still feels cinematic. This idea has plenty of opportunities for conflict and great personal drama.

About Hilary ([email protected] – @theREALHilB)

Hilary Burgoon lives on the Central Coast of California and is currently writing her first feature, Sight, and developing a handful of other film concepts. Growing up in a quiet coastal area, she was always inspired and excited by movies, especially the work of Nora Ephron, Nancy Meyers, Kenneth Branagh, and Lawrence Kasdan. Hilary didn’t consider a career in film until after college, when she discovered that a BA in English landed her a glamorous job processing paperwork at a local university. In her late twenties, Hilary returned to writing as a creative outlet, focusing on screenwriting as a natural combination of her talent for writing and love of movies. Her passion lies in exploring relationships with honesty and humor. Hilary firmly believes that Steve Rogers was an interesting character until he became Captain America, and he’d make a much more compelling Avenger in his original body.

Next, we have Bruce Lamb with his logline for GINGERBREAD HOUSE, a fantasy comedy:

“When a vengeful witch takes the penis of an ambitious but talentless ventriloquist, he and his impish puppet outwit talking animals, a devil, and the enchantress herself to recover the errant member.”

This logline isn’t going to be to everyone’s liking, but we’re big fans of the creativity, quirkiness, and unexpected humor this logline offers. It feels like an R-rated project for Tim Burton.

About Bruce

Bruce Lamb is an attorney practicing in Baltimore. Before being called to the bar, Bruce taught college English for nineteen years, including courses in creative writing, drama, and film appreciation. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Maryland where he was a Perelman Fellow, an MLA from the Johns Hopkins University and a BS in Biology from Loyola College, earning his JD from the University of Baltimore. Bruce also acted professionally for several years. Though he knows nothing of camera angles or mise-en-scene, Bruce has learned a lot about character development, dialogue, and plot. He likes villains like Dracula, Freddy Krueger, and Auric Goldfinger, as well as sad sacks like Mr. Bill and Jerry from Fargo. Bruce likes dialogue – and dialect. He likes whodunits, and trick endings, and dislikes deus-ex-machina. Bruce has always enjoyed outsider art, fairy tales and nursery rhymes, folk music, nonsense verse, advertising jingles, jokes, limericks, and urban legends.

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The April 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.