They Win. You Lose. Sex, Violence and Songs from the Shows
Stan ArnoldPenpusher
Two incompetent, drunken corporate video producers toil aimlessly at the bottom of a barrel no-one wants to scrape and, as they owe money to a sadistic, Ealing comedy-loving, international crime boss, they have to take increasingly frantic measures to save their lives and reproductive organs.
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What is the ultimate goal of the lead character? What defines success?
Also why two lead characters? You describe them as the same, they are both incompetent, drunken corporate video producers. If they are the same why not have one lead character? If they are different (In a way that will create conflict) you should indicate that in the logline.
Hi
Thanks for your review. Success is defined as survival. They are not bright enough to think any further than that.
The two lead characters are both incompetent drunks, but have different approaches to life. They are lifelong friends and enemies. But I found that difficult to get into the logline (which is long enough as it is!)
Try They Win. You Lose. on amazon. The first of the series is free. That said, it might be difficult for American readers, For example. Ealing comedies were 1950s films made in England, and are now (understandably) unfashionable. I’ll try and get the conflict theme into my next attempt.
Thanks
What is their specific objective goal, their m.o. to ensure mere survival? They owe money — and they have absolutely no plan, no hair-brained scheme whatsoever to get out from under the debt? Can you point to one classic comedy feature film in which the character has absolutely no objective goal whatsoever in the face of a serious problem? And it’s hilarious from FADE IN to FADE OUT?
To sustain comedy for the length of a feature film depends on a character conceiving a plan to do something, get something. That sets up audience expectations. And then the antagonist , life and other characters subvert those expectations. No goal —>no expectations —> little or no comedy.
And what are the stakes? What is the worse thing that will happen to them if they don’t pay it off?