A disillusioned nuclear missile silo officer, yearning for job satisfaction, gets more than he bargained for when Earth is occupied by alien invaders and saving mankind means destroying Washington DC.

Thanks Phil congratulations to you as well.

Go silver...

Thanks Phil and congratulations to you as well.
Go Silver...

btw- Congrats Nir on your World Series of Screenwriting award for your short script. Saw your name there while I was celebrating mine :-) (Phil)

And make it a crisis shared with his shift partner, a female officer. That's the obvious and more realistic go-to for the "B" story. Considering the layers of security around each silo, it's not likely that an outsider could get anywhere close enough to beseech shelter from the storming aliens.

And mixed-sex shift partners get into affairs all the time.

And make it a crisis shared with his shift partner, a female officer. That's the obvious and more realistic go-to for the "B" story. Considering the layers of security around each silo, it's not likely that an outsider could get anywhere close enough to beseech shelter from the storming aliens.

And mixed-sex shift partners get into affairs all the time.

"Crimson tide" meets "Independence Day"!
You have the ingredients for a good SF thriller in a closed environment.
Now the difficulty starts in
1) making it realistic. Even if you take liberty with the real silo and missile launch protocols, it must have the feel of authenticity.
2) making it crescendo. Something has to be at stake and you have to throw more and more difficult obstacles to your Protagonist. Start with he has to save earth by killing everybody in Washington and it's difficult to top that. Start by saving the girl and you can top that by helping the generals to save his country, save the human race.
3) making it snappy. Because the situation is enclosed, you need to have sharp dialog to create further tension. Tarentino was tasked to rewrite Crimson Tide's dialog for that purpose.
4) making it fun. Unless you intend to make a drama out of it, it's B movie subject. So don't over intellectualise it.

Blue Parrot:

I am aware of the problems and scandals involving nuclear weapons from other news sources.

I would point out that the cheating scandal in the silos was symptomatic of the intense and unremitting pressure officers are under to be ready for the worst possible scenario, a genuine nuclear attack. Which competency they must consistently demonstrate if they are to fulfill their "yearning" for a specific objective goal: career promotions.

In comparison, the "yearning for job satisfaction" of your MC seems rather vague. I suggest a tighter focus, a more specific definition of whatever it is your MC yearns for. His objective goal can't be to blow up DC. That's the one thing he does not want to do, what he would only do in the last Act when all other options are exhausted. (And by definition, a dramatic objective goal is what the MC decides he wants to do by the end of Act 1.)

I did a scan of the web pages here for loglines with a plot involving aliens from space getting down and dirty on planet earth. I got 50+ hits. That's why If I'm went into medieval mode: your idea is running in a very competitive, very crowded field.

fwiw

Blue Parrot:

I am aware of the problems and scandals involving nuclear weapons from other news sources.

I would point out that the cheating scandal in the silos was symptomatic of the intense and unremitting pressure officers are under to be ready for the worst possible scenario, a genuine nuclear attack. Which competency they must consistently demonstrate if they are to fulfill their "yearning" for a specific objective goal: career promotions.

In comparison, the "yearning for job satisfaction" of your MC seems rather vague. I suggest a tighter focus, a more specific definition of whatever it is your MC yearns for. His objective goal can't be to blow up DC. That's the one thing he does not want to do, what he would only do in the last Act when all other options are exhausted. (And by definition, a dramatic objective goal is what the MC decides he wants to do by the end of Act 1.)

I did a scan of the web pages here for loglines with a plot involving aliens from space getting down and dirty on planet earth. I got 50+ hits. That's why If I'm went into medieval mode: your idea is running in a very competitive, very crowded field.

fwiw

dpg- wow you went to technical town there may man lol. I do appreciate you taking the time though (you too Nir, cheers!)

To respond a little ...

This is aiming to be a high concept logline so I'm not trying to ram in the usual stuff. It's a first attempt at one, anyway.

My idea was inspired by a string of news reports in the US about problems within the officer ranks at these silos. If you're curious you can google them or have a look at this VERY funny and FRIGHTENING piece that was on 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y1ya-yF35g&list=TLcpyVuVtliF8N67_XyylHoWKvM3oWoYuY

Yes, I want this to be a contained thriller sci-fi. It all pretty much happens in the missile silo. He gets his news about the big picture through Youtube or something like that.

I imagine him meeting a girl at a bar in the beginning, lonely hearts kind of thing, maybe a strip joint. The alien attack happens, she runs to the silo asking for shelter. He lets her in but unknowingly lets in one of the aliens in too perhaps. There is another guy in the silo with him but there is no need to mention him in the logline. Maybe there are few officers, guys and girls. I kinda picture it like Aliens, but on Earth, in a missile silo. a bit of Das Boot atmosphere also.

In my yet-to-be-fully-outlined idea, I'm picturing the kind of sci-fi type scenario where the 'mother' alien has wrapped herself around the Capitol building. If the hero nukes her, all the aliens die, hence the targeting of DC. And yes, I figured people would kinda get a kick out of that lol.

Anyway, early days. Thanks again!