So we know the logline is just as important as a creative tool as it is as a vehicle to spark the interest of others. It helps you to maintain focus on what the core of the story is really about and ultimately, your final screenplay should be a detailed extrapolation of it. If you’re ever stuck writing a scene, you can always look to that logline and it will push you in the right direction. If you have a perfectly constructed logline that genuinely taps into the essence of what your film is all about, then its meaning should resonate on every page of your script. Screenwriting guru Blake Snyder has often referred to the log line as the DNA of your film, and I believe that statement to be very true. While the logline can serve you well both in written form and verbal form by getting the attention of producers, readers, agents, and anyone else you may want to interest - you also need to take into account the benefit a strong logline has on yourself as a writer. 'The Last of Us' Sets Early 2023 Release at HBO: Here's Everything You Need to Know Oscars 2021: Best Original Screenplay Predictionsīrendan Fraser and Colin Farrell Stand Out Among New Batch of Best Actor Contenders The goal is to sell the idea of the script, rather than the story itself, and the most effective way to do this is with a strong logline.ĩ Vintage Typewriters and Retro Keyboards for Every Kind of Budget That’s okay though because you don’t need to give away the entire story - in fact you shouldn’t. And unfortunately, when dealing with anyone that can really do something for your film, all you might have is a sentence or two worth of time to get your idea across. After all, it simply isn’t possible to convey every last detail of a 110 page script in a sentence or two. If you’ve ever tried to explain your entire feature film to someone in one sentence, you’ve surely found that it can be quite challenging. While it’s critical to have a good logline so that you can concisely explain your film on paper, it works just as well verbally. While loglines today are no longer printed on the screenplays themselves, they effectively serve the exact same purpose - to efficiently represent the story and get the potential reader interested. Loglines were used in the early days of Hollywood so producers could read a short explanation of a script (most often printed on the spine of the screenplay), allowing them to skip over uninteresting screenplays without even pulling them out from the shelf. It’s the one or two sentence summary of your film that not only conveys your premise, but also gives the reader emotional insight into the story as a whole. In 2-15 words, what does the Antagonist want? Like the hero’s goal, this should be specific.The logline is truly an art form of its own.(Ex: brutal warlord, corrupt politician, drug kingpin, arrogant realtor, zombie) Being alone, losing his family, jeopardizing his child’s safety, having her family name destroyed) What is the hero’s biggest fear? This is usually the logical fear associated with the loss of the motivation.Typically starts with “When” or “After” (Ex: “When” his parents get divorced… When her family becomes the target of a hate crime… After coming out of the closet… After witnessing a murder…) What is the “inciting incident” or “motivation disturbed”? This is a moment typically happens after the setup, and either disturbs or aids the hero’s motivation.What does the hero risk if he/she doesn’t achieve the goal? (This is often directly related to the motivation) (Ex: losing his life, losing her child, going to jail for life, being ostracized by society).Where specifically is your hero’s goal located in space? (Ex: New York, a junk yard, a chapel, the Mexican border).Starts with a VERB (Ex: find kidnapped daughter within 72 hours, save grandma’s house from foreclosure, find the groom and get him to the wedding in time, find and kill the evil villain) What is the hero’s goal? This must feature 1 or more of the following: a) an event in space/time b) an object in space/time or c) a person in space/time. “to”… spend time with his daughter… save her dying husband… be accepted by her family… feel young again) What motivates the hero? In other words, WHY does the hero pursue the goal? Starts with “to”.(Ex.In 1-3 words, who is your hero? (Ex: arrogant husband, lazy bowler, 17-year-old conman, confident businesswoman).
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