Monday, February 05, 2007

The One Word Movie Title pitch game...

That last post was supposed to be a joke...but nobody's laughing.

So crashing ahead, here's a challenge to pass the time. Try coming up with a one word movie title, a one sentence logline or synopsis, and a poster line (another blogger did this last year and it was kinda fun). An example...


TITLE: 'DIGS'

LOGLINE: A mild mannered writer must summon up his dark side and engage in a trash talking put-down contest with the other tenants in his apartment complex to try to win dibs on the most desirable suite in the building.

POSTER LINE: "War of the words..."

The art of the quick and dirty pitch...it's all about being clear, concise and efficient. And it's harder than it looks --- Who's the hero? What does he want? What stands in his way? Who's the antagonist? What are the stakes? All said and done in just a title and a sentence. Madness you say? Probably, but practice does make perfect...

Sorry, no prizes...just some good clean fun and the satisfaction of accomplishing something in these dog days of February.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

TITLE: CUTIE PANTS

LOGLINE: A mild mannered Manitoba farm hand must keep his innocent outlook on life after Neil Young's cat is photographed in his lap and it is subsequently declared the cutest photograph of all time, thus thrusting him into the high-stakes world of Hollywood.

POSTER LINE: They wanted his cuteness they took away his soul.

This was actually a dream I once had.

wcdixon said...

Very nice...but unless we're saying Cutie Pants can count as one word (Cutiepants?), this one loses a point (if we were keeping score).

Oh...and comments are getting posted when according to the stat counters, nobody has visited for the past 45 minutes? How dost thou work your magical ways?

Anonymous said...

I'm a multitasker.. maybe I had the window open for longer than 45 minutes?

Cunningham said...

TITLE: B.E.M.

When an alien prison-ship containing the "galaxy's deadliest criminals" crashlands through downtown Detroit, a human criminal and a alien "lawkeeper" must survive the ravaged city and each other to recapture all of the escaped alien prisoners before the prison-ship's failsafe vaporizes the planet.

Tagline: You'll never guess who just hit town...

Good Dog said...

Sorry, my brain is too addled to even think of anything remotely ordinary as a pitch.

But, damn, I'd pay to watch B.E.M.

Cunningham said...

Thanks, Good Dog.

Riddley Walker said...

How about...

TITLE: 'ARNHEM'

LOGLINE: Against the orders of their superiors and amidst one of the most dangerous and botched campaigns of World War Two, two young soldiers must find and rescue their wounded compatriot, before they come face to face with the advancing enemy.

POSTER LINE: "One last stand..."

Juniper said...

Title: Whatif?

Where would you be if you had made that one big decision differently? Ever wonder “What if” you had made another choice? Now you can. In the game show “Whatif?” participants see a glimpse of whom they’d be with different life choices. Then they must choose again.

The choices are
1. Stay with original choice.
2. The “whatif” choice.
3. The “whatif” choice and have the memory of the old life.

The problem is, one different choice often leads us down different paths. We have no way of knowing where it’ll lead us or if those we love now will be a part of your life.

Touched by an Angel meets The Running Man meets Sliding Door.

Tagline: Live it again for the first time.

Cunningham said...

Juniper - are you pitching a game show or a movie about a game show?

Juniper said...

A t.v. series that takes place through a game show.

I should stand closer to the plate b/c the pitch obviously fell short!

I'm always wondering what if....

Blue Genes said...

Title : Lacy

Lacy is a would-be fashion designer who after years of struggling to get her shoe on the runway finally decides to end it all. But when the hem of her Vera Wang dress catches onto a gargoyle on her building and breaks her fall, leaving her lying unconscious in the street in her sexy underwear, she wakes up to find that she has unwittingly catapulted herself into soft-porn internet and cable stardom. But can she turn her 15 mintues of clothingless fame into a lifetime career in the world of clothes?

Posterline: Hanging by a thread

Oh, and I liked your Regina finish. Here's another possibility:

So for all of you would-be commentators out there just zip-it. We're not interested in what you think about our name. This is a Vagina monologue.

Or, more succinctly: Come on people, enough about our Regina!

Blue Genes said...

Oops. Meant to write "This is a Regina monologue". I plead guilty!

wcdixon said...

blue genes: I figured as much...clever.