LOGLINES

On the first page of a script is the “logline”. Here you describe your story in one or two sentences. It’s the first thing a producer/investor to determine if he/she even wants to read the script.

A logline conveys the dramatic story of a screenplay in the most abbreviated manner possible. It presents the major throughline of the dramatic narrative without character intricacies and sub-plots.  It is the story boiled down to its base.  A good logline is one sentence.  More complicated screenplays may need a two sentence logline.

As simple as this seems, it can be difficult for a writer to extract the center of his story to create a logline.  A writer bonds to all aspects of her narrative, and bias can prevent the scribe from isolating which story elements are crucial for logline presentation and which elements can be temporarily brushed aside.  Crafting a logline takes a great deal of practice and an understanding of basic dramatic structure.  Often, the writer must exhaust all possibilities in order to devise the perfect logline.

Sometimes writing the logline can take longer than writing the synopsis itself. With this mind, it’s a really good idea for a writer to think of his logline before he starts writing his screenplay. It helps crystallize the concept and story so that the writer can remain focused on what needs to be told throughout the writing process.

The accepted template for a good logline goes something like this: “It’s about (a character/characterization) who (action/desire, goal) but (conflict, the thing that’s getting in their way)”.

Another way of producing a great logline would be:

who the story is about (protagonist)
what he strives for (goal)
what stands in his way (antagonistic force).

Some great examples include:

The civilian son of a mafia boss tries to protect his family after his father is critically wounded in a mob hit but finds himself dragged into the family business’ corruption and power. (GODFATHER)

A young farmhand on a distant planet joins the battle against the universe’s evil forces but doesn’t realize that his family’s dark secret will have serious repercussions for him and his friends. (SUPERMAN)

A mild mannered Englishman begins to wonder if he’ll ever meet the woman of his dreams when he always attends weddings as a guest, never the groom, but when he meets a sexy American woman, he decides to pursue her as she could be the one to lead him up the aisle. (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL)

After a twister transports a lonely Kansas farm girl to a magical land, she sets out on a dangerous journey to find a wizard with the power to send her home. (WIZARD OF OZ)

After murdering her lover, an aspiring singer struggles for stardom by using her crime as a stepping-stone to fame and fortune (CHICAGO)

An adventurous secret agent is sent on a mission to stop an evil megalomaniac from doing his evil deeds but his passion for women and gadgets help and hinder him in equal measure in his efforts to save the world. (DR. NO - JAMES BOND)

An evil man escapes from his lifelong exile and returns to seek revenge on Admiral Kirk. (THE WRATH OF KAHN)

A suicidal family man is given the opportunity to see what the world would be like if he had never been born. (IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE).

An archaeologist goes on a quest to find and prevent Hitler’s Nazi soldiers from obtaining the Lost Ark of the Covenant (INDIANA JONES)

A psychologist struggles to cure a troubled boy who is haunted by a bizarre affliction – he sees dead people. (SIXTH SENSE)

After a series of grisly shark attacks, a sheriff struggles to protect his small beach community against the bloodthirsty monster, in spite of the greedy chamber of commerce. (JAWS)

After being institutionalized for a suicide attempt, a teen fights for sanity and closure to but must overcome his greatest adversary - his mother (ORDINARY PEOPLE)