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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Review My Logline  /  Comedy crime (based on a lesser known DC superhero
Posted by: ChristopherW, July 19th, 2021, 3:54am
several of my longlines for Detective Chimp.

A highly skilled detective must race against the clock to outwit an occultist in order to save a little girl from a fate worse than death. Oh and that detective is a chimp

Super Intelligent Detective Chimp Bobo must outwit occultist Sherwood Morgan to save the life of a little girl .

When a debutantes daughter is kidnapped, by Eccentric Sherwood Morgan only Detective chimp, the super intelligent sleuth can save her.

(I was going to add a pun but wasn't sure) any advice would be appreciated.
Posted by: AnthonyCawood, July 19th, 2021, 4:16am; Reply: 1
Hey Christopher,

Detective Chimp is a DC character so you can't sell anything you write using that character as you don't have the rights to do so.

If you are intending to use as a writing sample or just to hone your craft, well I'd say don't and use something of your own, but if you really need to...

I prefer the first logline... maybe "A world renowned detective races against the clock to outwit a fiendish adversary and save the girl he's kidnapped... no easy task when the detective in question is a chimpanzee"
Posted by: ChristopherW, July 19th, 2021, 7:16am; Reply: 2
Yeah this is purely for fun and practise. I am entering it into a local club competition where the brief is lesser known characters. I am not looking to sell or profit off it.
Posted by: Lon, July 19th, 2021, 4:36pm; Reply: 3

Quoted from ChristopherW


A highly skilled detective must race against the clock to outwit an occultist in order to save a little girl from a fate worse than death. Oh and that detective is a chimp


This is fine. It has everything you need for a good logline. But notice the term is "logline" -- singular. One sentence of 25-30 words (though a few more won't kill anyone). Lose the tacked on bit about him being a chimp and just say it in the body of the logline:

A highly skilled chimpanzee detective must race against the clock to outwit an occultist in order to save a little girl from a fate worse than death.


Quoted Text
Super Intelligent Detective Chimp Bobo must outwit occultist Sherwood Morgan to save the life of a little girl .


It's missing the sense of urgency you include in the first one with the "race against the clock" bit. It's not bad, it's just kind of "meh."


Quoted Text
When a debutantes daughter is kidnapped, by Eccentric Sherwood Morgan only Detective chimp, the super intelligent sleuth can save her.


You've got some missing punctuation (should be "debutante's") and your comma game's a bit wonky. It should be:

When a debutante's daughter is kidnapped by Eccentric Sherwood Morgan, only Detective Chimp, the super-intelligent sleuth, can save her.

But even with the commas corrected, it's missing the stakes and, as with the previous one, the sense of urgency. The first one's the best of the bunch (with the correction I suggested, that is :) ).
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