Friday, March 22, 2013

JOHN YORKE - INTO THE WOODS

On April 4th 2013 the legendary John Yorke will launch his book INTO THE WOODS, a detailed study of the five act structure.

To celebrate this epic event I have been lucky enough to grab a place for one very lucky reader of my blog, for his online course starting in September 2013. Yep you read that right, a place on his sixteen week online course starting September 2013. And yes it is as great an opportunity as it sounds. You can't afford to miss an opportunity like this!

So as of today until the 4th April I will be holding a logline competition for the best TV series logline posted here in the comments section (and only in the comments section, not on Twiter or anywhere else) by your good selves. I will then choose one worthy winner who will be offered to opportunity of a place on the course. How utterly wicked is that? Find out further details about the course HERE.

So start posting those loglines and keep an eye out on the 4th April to see if you've won. Here's an example logline from one of my TV ideas to aid you in thinking up one of your own:


"A career criminal is discovered by police lying injured next to the bloody corpse of a woman. To prove his innocence he is forced to escape and wade through Manchester’s criminal underbelly to find the person responsible."


INTO THE WOODS: A FIVE ACT JOURNEY INTO STORY is an invaluable guide to writing by John Yorke, the Managing Director of Company Pictures and founder of the BBC Writer's Academy. Yorke takes us on a journey into the heart of storytelling, revealing that there truly is a unifying shape to narrative forms - one that echoes the great fairytale journey into the woods and, like any great art, comes from within.
'Even for a convinced sceptic, John Yorke¹s book, with its massive field of reference from Aristotle to Glee, and from Shakespeare to Spooks, is a highly persuasive and hugely enjoyable read. It would be hard to beat for information and wisdom about how and why stories are told.'
Dominic Dromgoole
Artistic Director, The Globe Theatre

Good luck everyone, I'm looking forward to reading your loglines.

*EMERGENCY UPDATE*
The prize has changed. No longer will the winner be given a place on John Yorke's 16 week online course. Instead you will spend a day face to face with the man himself. Yes...I did just say face to face with the man himself. I know, I just came in my pants too.

Whoever the winner is, is one lucky so and so and had better make sure they make the most of the opportunity, because even I don't get the chance to meet the great man himself. So get those loglines in QUICK!!!!!

101 comments:

NOCOWARDJAYNE said...

Great log line Dom but that's 37 flippin words. I kill myself for 25 words tops and my loglines always pays the price. So then... what's the word count for this fab comp?

Dominic Carver said...

No more than 50 words. Have fun NOCOWARDJAYNE :-)

Helenolderbutwiser said...

Is there any room for TV dramas which don't feature murder(s)? Just asking.

Dominic Carver said...

Yes! It can be a logline for a TV idea in any genre :-)

Marc P said...

Jack Vuitton - a man with baggage. He's a luggage handler at the world's busiest airport! But when the whole crazy carousel comes to a stop, someone needs to get off and get a handle on it! One man can carry it out! Looks like A Case for Jack Vuitton!

Tracy said...

This sounds fab! Thank you :)
Can we only leave one logline or more than one? Is there a limit?

Steve said...

When a young man sees ghosts following his grandfather’s death, he and his friend investigate the paranormal to search for a cure but become inextricably linked to a serial killer who devours the souls of her prey.

Dominic Carver said...

As many as you like Tracy.

Unknown said...

Simon Schneider:
A group of porn-stars aspire to penetrate the acting industry for more fulfilling careers. They face trials of discrimination, emotional struggle and identity crisis because of what's behind them. Unwilling to turn back they rely on each other for support.

Unknown said...

STOP SIGN

Lost in an unfamiliar city, a grieving widower discovers a dark street that allows him to relive past events, but when people in his present begin to mysteriously die, he must face the evil that lurks in the shadows or see his future dismantled, one loved one at a time.

Unknown said...

An undercover policewoman infiltrates a radical group of green activists and falls for the leader. When he is accused of murder she has to clear his name without blowing her cover. But is he really innocent?

Leon said...

A reanimated man a la Frankenstein's monster plays detective, solving the murders of the previous owners of his body parts in order to find out who he really is

appygirl said...

A Belgian police inspector
solves crimes in the shadow of the Third Reich,
where justice is an alien concept
and racism a norm
forcing him to served the law by day
fighting it by night...

Andrew said...

Antipodes

A journalist finds herself stranded in a small town on the other side of the world during a hurricane. As the storm rolls in so do the demons from her past.

John Savage said...

In a near-future Britain where science has eradicated disease to create a long-life Utopia, a naive young doctor stumbles upon a Government backed underground laboratory which reveals the truth behind the Paradise. With no idea who to trust he must find a way to expose the horror to the world.

Gareth Michael Turpie said...

Ewan Hughes Army: A bright, lonely Orphan battles Bullies, Crime and a Secret Government Space Agency when his ramshackle collection of old toy soldiers are possessed by inept, marooned Alien scrap dealers.

Gareth Michael Turpie said...

Children of Eve:
After 10,000 years adrift in space, Evacuation Vehicle E reactivates mankind's only hope, the last four Humans... teenagers. Now a wannabe football Captain, a Geek with a secret, a manic child Actress, and a Goth with no past, must voyage back to save the frozen planet Earth.

Trooper Cooper said...

Devon Reed is a mercenary sold out by his employers, almost killed when his convoy is destroyed in an ambush. Assumed dead, he decides to avenge his comrades the only way he knows how – by fighting for the other side, and making a few bucks along the way.

Paul Woods said...

When crime reporter Kate Brooks is brutally murdered by a serial killer on the loose, Julia Brooks a senior police officer and single mother plans to avenge her daughter’s death by any means necessary.

Unknown said...

Everyone thinks Miriam Price killed herself today. But I know she didn’t. And I’m going to prove it. Just one small hitch – someone killed me today.

Unknown said...

Four men and women are captured and forced to play a game. Winning will help improve their lives and losing will destroy their lives.

Ossie Wozzie said...

An insomniac gets his first break in what he thinks is a 24/7 insurance broker. Instead he finds himself scanning the ether in search of nightmares. His job is to locate the most vulnerable, then steer their dreams to a safe conclusion. But what happens when he gets it wrong?

Helenolderbutwiser said...

England's top footballer is accused of rape. The Trial follows the jury, defendant and alleged victim caught up in a media circus in World Cup year.

DAVID BISHOP said...

BETTER ANGELS: In an ever more secular society, FATHER CLEMENT HOLT (27) battles to win over the hearts, minds and souls of a small community in the Scottish Borders. Newly ordained Catholic priests are rare, but Father Clement is unique – the world’s first human clone.

Scott Baker said...

BIO: In a world where crime has been completely irradiated for a thousand years, one man must clear his name of a murder he never committed. However, the technology that keeps the peace says otherwise.

Gareth Michael Turpie said...

GHOST SQUAD: After he is murdered on his first day as Detective, a deceased 1960s Thug and a Priest who died a coward 300 years ago show a bright young cop that being dead is an advantage to solving your own murder: you can’t hide from the ghost squad…

Unknown said...

Every woman reaches a stage in her life where she wonders where it all went wrong, but a jilted suburban housewife and her transgender son are determined to reinvent themselves as the women they long to be.

Unknown said...

Blackfish - When his fishing boat is under threat from new quotas, a skipper gets involved in a drug deal that could net him, and his crew, a fortune, but after the deal an incident causes them to run aground on a small island. An island that hides a horrific secret....

Helenolderbutwiser said...

House Rules: SITCOM. Crime novelist Maggie dreamed of having an empty nest. But her jobless graduate children, senile father and ex-husband who now lives as a woman are all back lodging under her roof. She needs some House Rules. Especially as she’s unexpectedly pregnant. With twins.

SallyB said...


Soul Traders - An angel and a demon locked in an eternal love/hate relationship, battle for the souls of the dying as they journey back to a key moment in their lives. Perched on either shoulder, they must urge the nearly departed to follow their path in a bid to win their soul.

SallyB said...


Jumpers – The world of a group of suicide chaplains who man Britain’s most notorious suicide spot, is turned upside down when one of them is discovered at the bottom of the cliff. Did the job tip her over the edge or is foul play afoot?

Kriss Tolliday said...

BUM BUILDERS

When the idiotic foreman of a poorly run building site is found dead, the calamity filled day is re-told from each inept tradesman's perspective slowly revealing how he met his maker.

Kriss Tolliday

DeeTour said...

ANGELIC INTENT
An egocentric, spiritual healer gets lost from set of a reality show in the jungle and struggles to get out of there. Meanwhile, her cynical cleaner has to substitute for her and inadvertently becomes a celebrated 'guru' when a narcissistic actor swears she saved his career by invoking the Angels.

Unknown said...

Through the Smoke- When the ringmaster of a successful travelling circus is found murdered amongst a pile of dead jungle animals, budding detective Shanel Hassan is forced to battle her way through a sea of lies and prejudice to find the killer and discover the truth.

Jamie Chisholm

Sinéad Fagan said...

Organised Chaos

Do the laundry, feed the kids, plan the heist - when Jane's gangster husband disappears, she finds she has no option but to take his place at the helm.

Jason D Jawando said...

Tom is a union activist, no good at shouting or confrontation, and not sure he wants to be an activist. What he does want is Rebecca, the good-looking senior rep. When she finds out the truth, will she fall into his arms or have nothing more to do with him?

Liz Holliday said...

Hi Dom! Great competition just got greater! I have a query - can 2 people enter as a writing team? Thanks!

Jason D Jawando said...

After Chris Cartwright was attacked by three masked men, everyone knew who the attackers were. When Chris lies in court to get his attackers convicted, his testimony unravels and he finds himself charged with perjury, while the men who attacked him walk free.

Dee Williamson said...

JANE'S LAW - Jane Gillespie is an alcoholic locked in a custody battle with her estranged husband, she’s on the verge of being repossessed, she’s having an affair with her married boss and her teenage daughter is pregnant. Oh, and Jane is one of the country’s top family law solicitors.

Gavin Williams said...

SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE (comedy drama)

In an idyllic English village a family of demons disguised as humans attempt to hide from the tyranny of Hell by denying their evil nature and only doing good deeds.

Gavin Williams

Dominic Carver said...

Hmm, I don't know Liz. The prize is for one person only, so I think we should stick with one person entries. Sorry.

To clarify the very loose rules: No more than fifty words, only entries as a single writer accepted...and that's pretty much it. You can also enter as many times as you like. More entries = more chances to win.

There are some really good loglines one here, so keep them coming.

Roster said...

A young teacher relocating to an isolated island discovers a hidden evil not far beneath the surface.

Unknown said...

Fleeing PTSD and the stress of a London A&E for the solitude of general practice in Teesdale, a TA Medic finds himself the only Police Surgeon in a community divided by more than one conflict. Can modern medicine alone lay old ghosts to rest and win this unspoken war?

Unknown said...

Charlie is going to university; twice. Being Charlotte at one college and her dead twin brother Charles at another is great fun, twice the friends, twice the parties, twice the anguish and a ghost in the attic. Can she maintain the illusion, her sanity and graduate with a double first?

Chris said...

DEVIL TOWN - A group of teenage misfits rebel against their rural upbringing by skiving off school to make spoof horror films. When they discover that their village is ruled by demons, the conventions of the movies they have been sending up start to become a reality...

Chris said...

THE WOODS -

As kids, three friends ‘imagined’ a fantasy kingdom in their local woods. In their 30s they learn they really did have magical adventures but fell under a curse that made them forget. When dark forces escape into our world, these jaded adults must rediscover the heroes they were as children.

debbiemoon said...

SYNTHETICS: when artificial humans created as worker drones achieve intelligence and human rights, prejudice and suspicion await them. Many turn to crime. In Newcastle, a prejudiced female detective is paired with the first Synthetic cop to police this downtrodden, rebellious community...

Trow76 said...

Dead People:

Womanising Physic Medium, David Strong is haunted by the ghost of his murdered wife who blames him for her death, whilst her deceased killer acts as his spirit guide. With his celebrity status faltering, David strives to make amends for his misdemeanours and attempts to use his powers for good.

Unknown said...

RED SHIFT

When an astrophysicist discovers the universe's true origins, he is targeted for elimination by religious groups, conspiracy theorists and government operatives. Offered sanctuary by a science-fearing priest, he must destroy his findings to survive. But his Good Samaritan has a secret. And he's about to reveal it to the world.

Tom-James Lee said...

The Middle Man: A student come fast food delivery driver gets caught up with the wrong people and begins his rise as the middle man through the criminal underworld whilst trying to balance his family and student life.

Tom-James Lee said...

In a post-apocalyptic world where humans from another planet have all but wiped out the population; a group of survivors band together to fight against anarchy and the growing threat of another alien invasion.

Unknown said...

CRUTCHES FOR GOALPOSTS: Six totally different men, who have each lost a limb, become an unlikely band of brothers in the pursuit of playing amputee football. When life throws everything it can at them, the bond these men have ensures they stick two crutches up to the world.

matthewhurst said...

A debt-ridden geek sees a way out of his financial mess when he inherits a tiny disused coalmine in the Forest Of Dean. He struggles against dereliction, obstructive locals and his own inexperience to make it profitable and establish his new life in a (very) traditional community.

matthewhurst said...

In 1950s Nottingham, a jazz mad factory worker ploughs his life savings into saving a dance hall on the touring circuit for American swing stars. But keeping it open means ensuring wayward celebrities' antics don't outrage provincial decencies.

matthewhurst said...

A dedicated teacher nearing nervous collapse investigates the seemingly-random murder of a star pupil. As he's wrenched him from the only world he's ever known - school - into street gangs and grooming, he confronts his deepest conviction: that education brings redemption.

Martyn Deakin said...

Hey Dom, thanks for the opportunity! Here's mine...

STICK: Northern Ireland, 1983. Fact and fiction merge as a disgruntled Provo and Loyalist killer are coerced by a British Intelligence Agent working outside official sanction to complete a mission personal to them all but the magnitude of which they can barely comprehend, until too late. Assassinate Gerry Adams.

Unknown said...

Four single women friends set themselves a quest to snag a potential husband within a year. What follows is a comedic dating process. One of the friends is attacked on a date. The friends utilise their accumulated dates and skills they have honed to get retribution and even the score.

Unknown said...

Hi Dom, here's mine... thanks

Helena’s Chase.

When Helena’s wealthy uncle is savagely murdered, cousin Jasper accuses her latest gold-digging boyfriend, Craig. Then Craig discovers Jasper’s the culprit, and worse, a serial killer. To protect Helena he goes into hiding. Now suspicious of Jasper, Helen must find Craig first or risk losing more than a lover.

Unknown said...

True Likeness

Rosemary flees her two-timing fiancée for an eerie painting retreat in Wales, There she falls for Geraint, a charming but lonely farmer. When she discovers her paintings are replicas of Geraint’s dead wife’s work, Rosemary's struggle to become her true self really begins.

Unknown said...

Safely home after escaping years in a grim, foreign jail, Callum Fox, TV heart throb and notorious womanizer, finds his career dead in the water. Though the false accusation of teenage assault is behind him, reinventing himself is more difficult than he’d imagined.

Martyn Deakin said...

MAROON:ED A teenage girl who wakes to find herself onboard a spaceship with a crew of kids she doesn't know struggles to disobey an order from her adult-self to betray her new crew-mates to the sinister SlyyKo.

Martyn Deakin said...

ONE-UP: A thirty-year-old female librarian suffering from an inferiority complex is taught the art of one-upmanship by a charming seventy-year-old man. But as their relationship develops and her confidence grows events force her to question the purity of his motives.

Unknown said...

ME & MR BROWN

A journalist investigating Missy, the elusive singer of Me & Mr Brown, reaches a dead end with producer Jimmy Ricardo. Jimmy left Jamaica in the sixties and became big in England – what secret is contained within the song that he still doesn’t want to come out?

Unknown said...

A young army recruit gets killed and his sergeant realises he’s complicit in a culture of bullying. He can only secure an honourable discharge by taking on his brutal commanding officer in a lethal wargame where the odds are stacked against him. RANK: army life is rotten to the corps.

Unknown said...

Someone Else’s Shoes
What do you get the person who has everything? The ultimate life experience: a no-holds-barred short break in someone else’s. When Julia slips into the pair of lovingly-chosen designer sandals, anticipating pure escapism, they catapult her into an adrenaline-fuelled weekend of imploding celebrity.

Unknown said...

Organic
Our future. The government employs intensive people-farming techniques to provide a compliant expendable workforce. A band of misshapen organic teenage outlaws plan revolution. But when releasing the drug-addled GM masses into the wild doesn’t quite work as planned, the government scientists and the eco-purists come after them.

Unknown said...

BOAT GIRLS: 1930 - A group of working-class London girls (led by Lacey Turner) are trained by a charismatic doctor (Hugh Laurie) to become England’s first female rowing crew. They have to beat the establishment, sexual scandal and their own fears of success. But is their beloved doctor all he appears?

Paul Woods said...

Jennifer’s Law:

Set in the city of London in the gritty world of gangsters and police corruption spanning over a ten years period, the story centres on a notorious gang ‘The Angels’ a husband and wife undercover cop team and what their thirteen year old daughter Jennifer has witnessed.

Vicky Hinault said...

An affluent young woman is heartbroken when her reformed boyfriend is arrested. Determined to clear his name she pulls at the thread of his arrest and untangles a web of crime, in modern day London, run by her disapproving father.

Unknown said...

MIKE LIKES BIKES

On a charity bike ride from John O'Groats to Land's End, a lonely cycling enthusiast encounters the happy-go-lucky but terminally-ill Olivia and falls madly in love. But when her over-protective mother shows up, desperate to share every moment of her daughter's remaining few months, the “spokes” soon fly.

SallyB said...

Madam – A bookish 40-year-old virgin is forced to run a brothel to protect her sister’s young family after she becomes unwittingly involved in a gangland crime. Turns out she’s a natural madam, but she upsets the bosses by encouraging the hookers to find a ‘better’ way of life.

Jason D Jawando said...

Chris and Alice return from a holiday in Vegas, married. Married life will be difficult, because Steve’s best friend is in love with Alice, and because Steve is in love with Alice’s mum’s best friend, and because their ‘marriage’ is just a photo taken to wind up Alice’s mum.

Leila said...

CONDUIT: Thomas is a demon's plaything, tormented nightly with descriptive tales of his horrendous plans. Diagnosed with a sleep disorder, he knows it's more than that: news stories confirm the demon's tales. He recruits a misfit bunch of allies who together must find a way to defeat the demon.

Asher Pirie said...

THE CULT...
A kindhearted thief finds unrequited love, whilst hiding from police in the Cult of the Curly Serpent's guildhall. But as disentruthment threatens to splitvide the cult between HarmonisERS and HarmonisORS, it seems he must achieve Tranquilibrium (and ascend to Edenstate) to re-peacefulise the Spiritkin, and prove himself to the WanderQueen.

Liz Holliday said...

CITIZEN JOURNALIST

A young reporter loses her tabloid job when she turns whistleblower on her boss's unethical practices; she sets up an e-newspaper and struggles to dig deep yet still report honest and unbiased news. Meanwhile her disgraced boss seeks revenge.

Liz Holliday said...

2095. "Under London" is set in a city flooded by global warming and drowning in corruption. With the city on the edge of terrorist meltdown, a straight-arrow street cop is drafted to Anti-Terrorism. Engulfed by conspiracies, she realises that saving her city may mean sacrificing the family she loves.

Liz Holliday said...

CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

Modern England. An amnesiac stranger from another world stumbles into town. He proves to have magical powers. But is he a hero on the run from terrorists who killed his family, or a war criminal who should be bought to justice by the woman stalking him?

Liz Holliday said...

NO MAN'S LAND
A female cop cursed and blessed with delicate prettiness looks so incapable that she's drafted to Undercover - now she can infiltrate where no one else could. But when she discovers internal corruption, both her life and career are on the line.

Liz Holliday said...

Learning Curve (sitcom)

A laddish eighteen year-old escapes from home to go to university but finds his super-clingy mother has enrolled at the same college. Worse, she's living in the same hall of residence.

Martyn Deakin said...

NO A-HOLES: Convinced all his problems would be solved if only there were no arseholes in the world, Jack decides to put his theory into practice. But as his fledgling group grows into a global movement - and the world's arseholes are forced underground - Jack worries whether he himself has become an arsehole?

Anonymous said...

Chip off the old block Richie finds himself pitted against his estranged brother Sam in a battle to see who can inherit the Family Chippie. But as the competition fires up, the prize increases as Richie’s sweetheart Kerry finds her heart caught in the crossfire. There can only be one winner and the loser will get battered.

Anonymous said...

Once upon a time there was a beautiful, happy girl called Isabella who’s heart bubbled with love. Until that very heart was shat on by her Prince Charming. Blaming her romantic notions on the fairytales she overindulged in as a girl, she burns her childhood books vowing never to let a man darken her doorstep again. But something odd occurs and Isabella finds her life turning into a fairytale. Will Isabella be able to stick to her plan, or will she open up her heart to a real 21st century fairy adventure?

Janice said...

SILK & STEEL
In the 19th century Ruhr Valley steelworks community, an innocent woman is the victim of a horrifying act of revenge. Fighting her way through poverty and prejudice, and uncovering long-held secrets, it takes all her strength to achieve enough success to settle the score. And she cannot do that without making enemies...

Janice said...

THE THRILLING ADVENTURES OF LUCY PASCOE, MIDDLE-AGED: When Surrey housewife Lucy Pascoe discovers she has breast cancer, she goes into denial and tries to live a lifetime in a month. It isn't until her daft behaviour brings her to rock bottom that she realises that happiness is not having what you want, it's wanting what you have.

Unknown said...

Entry 1: ‘LITTLE STEPS’

10yo Bonita lives her life by the teachings of a book which claims to offer the solution to a content life, but when horrifying home truths surface and the book doesn't help her back to normality, she sets out on a journey to find the author and demand some answers.

Entry 2: ‘FEEN’

A young Irish traveler dreams of escaping the violent and controlling life that tradition forces him to lead. When he is offered a scholarship to attend an American film school, he has his shot, but soon finds it hard to integrate into a way of life so alien to himself.

Unknown said...

THE FOLLY: A widower builds a replica of the Taj Mahal in honour of his wife in his back garden, to the consternation of neighbours and local council. As The Folly rises from the foundations he comes to realise that their relationship was flawed and realises that guilt, not love, is his primary motivation.

Henry Fosdike said...

Fourteen Pieces

In a world where love can be measured, a man with just 7% love for his girlfriend must revisit past crushes and loves in order to reclaim enough of the emotion in order to be allowed to propose.

Dominic Carver said...

The competition is now CLOSED! Thank you for entering.

Dominic Carver said...

Wow, there were a whopping 80 entries in total and so far I've narrowed them down to 18. When I have narrowed it down to the last 10 I will announce the QFists.

Dominic Carver said...

Right, I have my top 10 entries and believe me it wasn't an easy decision. There were so many great loglines and I'm already regretting ditching some of them. But I needed to cut them down to 10, so here they are.

"A Belgian police inspector solves crimes in the shadow of the Third Reich, where justice is an alien concept and racism a norm forcing him to served the law by day fighting it by night..."

"Everyone thinks Miriam Price killed herself today. But I know she didn’t. And I’m going to prove it. Just one small hitch – someone killed me today."

"BETTER ANGELS: In an ever more secular society, FATHER CLEMENT HOLT (27) battles to win over the hearts, minds and souls of a small community in the Scottish Borders. Newly ordained Catholic priests are rare, but Father Clement is unique – the world’s first human clone."

"Jumpers – The world of a group of suicide chaplains who man Britain’s most notorious suicide spot, is turned upside down when one of them is discovered at the bottom of the cliff. Did the job tip her over the edge or is foul play afoot? "

"As kids, three friends ‘imagined’ a fantasy kingdom in their local woods. In their 30s they learn they really did have magical adventures but fell under a curse that made them forget. When dark forces escape into our world, these jaded adults must rediscover the heroes they were as children."

"Womanising Physic Medium, David Strong is haunted by the ghost of his murdered wife who blames him for her death, whilst her deceased killer acts as his spirit guide. With his celebrity status faltering, David strives to make amends for his misdemeanours and attempts to use his powers for good."

"STICK: Northern Ireland, 1983. Fact and fiction merge as a disgruntled Provo and Loyalist killer are coerced by a British Intelligence Agent working outside official sanction to complete a mission personal to them all but the magnitude of which they can barely comprehend, until too late. Assassinate Gerry Adams."

"BOAT GIRLS: 1930 - A group of working-class London girls (led by Lacey Turner) are trained by a charismatic doctor (Hugh Laurie) to become England’s first female rowing crew. They have to beat the establishment, sexual scandal and their own fears of success. But is their beloved doctor all he appears?"

"On a charity bike ride from John O'Groats to Land's End, a lonely cycling enthusiast encounters the happy-go-lucky but terminally-ill Olivia and falls madly in love. But when her over-protective mother shows up, desperate to share every moment of her daughter's remaining few months, the “spokes” soon fly."

The top five to be published soon.

Dominic Carver said...

Balls, who else realised I only published 9 and missed one? Here's the 10th. (shame face)!

"An insomniac gets his first break in what he thinks is a 24/7 insurance broker. Instead he finds himself scanning the ether in search of nightmares. His job is to locate the most vulnerable, then steer their dreams to a safe conclusion. But what happens when he gets it wrong?"

Dominic Carver said...

Here are the top 5 in no particular order"

"BOAT GIRLS: 1930 - A group of working-class London girls (led by Lacey Turner) are trained by a charismatic doctor (Hugh Laurie) to become England’s first female rowing crew. They have to beat the establishment, sexual scandal and their own fears of success. But is their beloved doctor all he appears?"

"A Belgian police inspector solves crimes in the shadow of the Third Reich, where justice is an alien concept and racism a norm forcing him to served the law by day fighting it by night..."

"On a charity bike ride from John O'Groats to Land's End, a lonely cycling enthusiast encounters the happy-go-lucky but terminally-ill Olivia and falls madly in love. But when her over-protective mother shows up, desperate to share every moment of her daughter's remaining few months, the “spokes” soon fly."

"Everyone thinks Miriam Price killed herself today. But I know she didn’t. And I’m going to prove it. Just one small hitch – someone killed me today."

"An insomniac gets his first break in what he thinks is a 24/7 insurance broker. Instead he finds himself scanning the ether in search of nightmares. His job is to locate the most vulnerable, then steer their dreams to a safe conclusion. But what happens when he gets it wrong?"

Who will be the winner? 3rd, 2nd and 1st to be announced at 4pm.

Dominic Carver said...

So how were the top 5 chosen and how will the winner be picked? Just in case you were wondering this is how it will happen.

I picked the top 10, which I have to say was incredibly hard. I even had to drop loglines I loved to get to the magical 10.

The top 10 list then went off to my secret judge (a non media person who loves their TV) with the names of the entrants removed, and I asked this person to choose a top 5 and then a top 3 by picking the ones they would like to see on TV in the future.

That has now been done, but I'm still going to give the top 5 an extra half hour to chew their nails nervously. I'm cruel like that ;-)

Dominic Carver said...

And in 3rd place is.....

Emma Lindley with "BOAT GIRLS: 1930 - A group of working-class London girls (led by Lacey Turner) are trained by a charismatic doctor (Hugh Laurie) to become England’s first female rowing crew. They have to beat the establishment, sexual scandal and their own fears of success. But is their beloved doctor all he appears?"

I really loved this idea, a really strong period piece, and very well written. Well done for coming 3rd out of 80, Emma.

Dominic Carver said...

And in 2nd place is....

Anne-Marie Culuwaert with "A Belgian police inspector solves crimes in the shadow of the Third Reich, where justice is an alien concept and racism a norm, forcing him to serve the law by day, fighting it by night..."

Another strong period piece and it was easy to imagine the conflict that could be created by a policeman seemingly working with the Nazi's but actually fighting against them. An interesting arena too.

Well done for 2nd place, Anne-Marie.

Dominic Carver said...

And the winner of the one to one session with the legendary John Yorke is......

Mary Evans with "Everyone thinks Miriam Price killed herself today. But I know she didn’t. And I’m going to prove it. Just one small hitch – someone killed me today."

The simplicity of this logline is what makes it so great. It clearly states the concept and adds a delicious little twist at the end. I would tune in just to find out how this dead person was going to solve the murder.

Brilliant job, Mary, and congratulations on your win. You will be contacted shortly regarding your prize.

Thank you everyone for entering the competition and letting me read your wonderful loglines. Good luck with the writing.

Unknown said...

Ye Gads! Thank you so much, I'm over the moon. Well done to all - some fantastic ideas to nick, er, admire here... Good luck to you all with your scripts.

Unknown said...

Wow! Thrilled to come third in such a great competition! Thanks for such positive feedback, feel really encouraged. Now I just have to write the rest of the story... Gulp.

Emma

appygirl said...

Thanks for running this competition and congratulations to Mary Evans for winning --- sorry for not responding sooner thought the result were going to be announced on a seperate 'blog page' so didn't scroll down far enough to see them --- but got curious as so many seemed to have seen the winners list ---

John S. Savage said...

Well done, Mary.
Enjoy the prize.
:-D

Helenolderbutwiser said...

Congratulations Mary. Have you written your idea? If so I hope you sell it as I'd be interested to see how it is executed!