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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Review My Logline  /   The Butterfly Effect  Logline Review
Posted by: RShwab, January 10th, 2021, 3:23pm
Genre: ROM-COM

A retired dancer facing mounting hardship in a provincial Chinese town believes a marriage offer from an American tourist is a dream come true, but finds and makes worse trouble when she arrives at his home.

Posted by: LC, January 10th, 2021, 6:07pm; Reply: 1
I feel like I've read a version of this logline before...?

The main thing I would say is related to this bit:

...but finds and makes worse trouble when she arrives at his home.

Reads not as compelling as I think it could be.

Are the consequences of her arrival deadly, disastrous, comical? Does she turn his life upside down, resulting in...?

What's the genre? Ah, okay, RomCom. Forget that question.

Regardless, the stakes need to be raised (as a teaser) in that last bit of the logline.

Also, the title.
I realise titles are reused a lot, but that's a really well known title with sequels attached sequels. I'd personally think about changing it.
Posted by: RShwab, January 10th, 2021, 8:15pm; Reply: 2
Thanks for the helpful reply.  Yes, this is a revised story/logline with focus on the female Chinese protagonist.

I get your point on the title.  It might still work.  The Third Wheel is another possible title from a piece of dialogue.

Maybe:  For a retired dancer facing mounting hardship in a provincial Chinese town, a marriage offer from an American tourist is a dream come true until her arrival at his home stirs a heartache  of trouble.
Posted by: LC, January 10th, 2021, 10:14pm; Reply: 3
Ha! I kinda liked your stir-fry pun.  ;D Could work in well with a RomCom in that setting.

Is the fact she's a retired dancer pertinent to plot? It needs to be or else I'd ditch that.

I'll let others weigh in now...

I will just make one last point and that is to put the script up for feedback, (or some of it) if it's a work in progress.
https://www.simplyscripts.net/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-workinprogress/

It's far easier to give feedback on a logline when some of the script can be read.
Posted by: RShwab, January 11th, 2021, 3:40pm; Reply: 4
I almost used "stir-fry'. Thanks.

It is important that she is attractive (a dancer) but older and without options.  
Posted by: eldave1, January 13th, 2021, 3:23pm; Reply: 5

Quoted Text
For a retired dancer facing mounting hardship in a provincial Chinese town, a marriage offer from an American tourist is a dream come true until her arrival at his home stirs a heartache  of trouble.


This one is definitely better... minor suggestions.

To escape financial hardship, an alluring but aging dancer in a provincial Chinese town accepts a marriage proposal from an American tourist only to discover that heartache is a far worser fate.
Posted by: rolo, January 16th, 2021, 7:06am; Reply: 6
Not to be a smart ass, D. But "worser" isn't grammatically correct (at least in my neck of the woods). Should be "heartache is a far worse fate." :)
Posted by: eldave1, January 16th, 2021, 12:00pm; Reply: 7

Quoted from rolo
Not to be a smart ass, D. But "worser" isn't grammatically correct (at least in my neck of the woods). Should be "heartache is a far worse fate." :)


good catch. Sometimes I don't write so good :)
Posted by: RShwab, January 30th, 2021, 4:31pm; Reply: 8
Let's keep the "alluring and aging dancer" phrase.   Thanks.

My collaborator has some screen credits and we are rewriting the 120 page script.  

I will post a full treatment in a couple months.  
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