Singularity
Posted: 2018-03-26T23:40:21+10:00 In:

The true story of how a notorious Jewish counterfeiter saved his life by cooperating with the Nazis in the largest counterfeiting scheme in history.

The true story of how a notorious Jewish counterfeiter saved his life by cooperating with the Nazis in the largest counterfeiting scheme in history.
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    7 Reviews

    1. Best Answer
      Singularity

      >>>>The true story of how a Jewish counterfeiter trades his services for freedom from the Nazi war machine.

      Except it’s not a trade in terms that he’s free to walk away from the scheme.? He has no choice:? It’s help the Nazi’s or go to the gas chambers.? It’s do or die.? And freedom is not an option as a carrot dangled out in front of him..? The best he can hope for is to? merely survival from one day to the next — for as long as the Nazis need his skills.

      Of course, he does gain (not win) his freedom.? Thanks to the Allies defeating Germany, not because of Nazis beneficence.

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    2. Best Answer
      Uberwriter

      The true story of how a Jewish counterfeiter trades his services for freedom from the Nazi war machine.

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    3. Best Answer
      Singularity

      Nir:
      I? went back and forth on whether it was necessary to explicitly mention that he was in a concentration camp.? I finally assumed a logline reader would know — or assume — the context of a concentration camp.? After all, the film was a German production.? And unlike some other countries, Germany has been diligent in fessing up to ugly and dark chapters in its history rather than sweeping them under the rug.?

      But I take your point. So:

      The true story of how a notorious Jewish counterfeiter in a concentration camp saved his life by cooperating with the Nazi’s in the largest counterfeiting scheme in history.
      (28 words)

      I tacked on “The true story” because I think it enhances the sales pitch.? It says “I’m not making this up, folks.? It really happened.”? Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it sells better.

      Another thing: It was tempting to frame the logline in terms of his leading a crew of other Jewish concentration camp prisoners.? But that’s not technically true.? The counterfeiting scheme was already in progress when he arrived.? He eventually becomes the de facto, if not official, leader because he’s the only one who can deliver the goods. And the stakes on his shoulder are as high as they can get:? death for himself and his fellow Jews if he doesn’t deliver.

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    4. Best Answer
      Singularity

      I dunno…

      Being put in a concentration camp is a VERY BIG event in one’s life, especially for a Jew during the Third Reich.

      I and millions of other people would find the act of being thrown into a concentration camp mighty hooky. If you don’t specify this, you undermine its importance when compared to the other story elements – not only are you coming across as callous with respect to the subject matter at hand but also you’re neglecting to specify the immense obstacle the MC faces – why do that? Obstacles and stakes make a story interesting, even if they’re obvious parts of a story you’d do best to mention them in the logline.

      Not many Jews made it out alive, a true story about a Jew who did, regardless the method, is interesting. Needless to say, this guy’s particular story has its own twist on Holocaust survival and as a result an amplified interest in the story. That’s why the logline would read better if you mentioned what he did, why and under what specific circumstance.

      Mu suggestion:
      After being thrown into a concentration camp, a notorious Jewish counterfeiter saved his life by cooperating with the Nazis in the largest counterfeiting scheme in history.

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    5. Best Answer
      Singularity

      >>>(for the sake of an inciting incident)

      Tempting because the inciting incident is so deliciously ironic: the man who busted him for counterfeiting in 1936 is the man who recruits him to counterfeit in 1943.

      But, again, I decided the hook was so strong that it wasn’t necessary.

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    6. Best Answer
      Singularity

      Excellent question, variable.? In my rough draft, I inserted the detail of the concentration camp.? But I decided it was unnecessary, the story hook is enough to bait interest.?

      And in my calculus, the hook is the most important element of a logline.? A logline’s primary job is? to hook people into reading the script, not inform.

      The hook certainly grabbed my attention, made me want to see the movie.? Mission accomplished.? (It’s one of my favorite movies.? An excellent example of plotting and character. I highly recommend it.)

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    7. Best Answer
      Uberwriter

      crisp
      .
      .
      shouldn’t it include “when thrown into a nazi concentration camp”?

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