Re: Loglines that aren?t compelling, such as “The Way Way Back” and “Risky Business”

I think they are potentially misleading examples. The scripts were written by insiders, people were already working in the industry. (Check the bios of the writers on IMDB) They didn’t need loglines to their scripts read; they had at their disposal a network of friends and coworkers.

Industry outsiders who don’t have access to industry network, need a concept that grabs attention of industry insiders, a logline with a unique hook or twist.

>>>blackmail

Why blackmail his parents to get startup money? Wouldn’t a more obvious and contemporary source for startup money be crowdsourcing?

Also, it seems to me that resorting to a blackmail plot gimmick is too facile a way for him to raise money and tacky (imho). And how is the parents ethical lapses germane to the protagonist’s own character arc and story arc? I suggest that the parental problem more dramatically germane to the teen’s struggle is in their lack of faith in their own son. They don’t believe he’ll amount to anything. That’s why they won’t fund his venture. Ergo, through his objective goal he’s going to prove them wrong. He can succeed — and without their help.

(One way to work that is to play their refusal off against how they treat another child, a rival character for parental attention — and funding. Or the ‘model’ teen of another family whom his parents keep throwing in his face as the kid he ought to be, the one they wish they had.)

fwiw