Logline Writing Basics



This is one of those aspects of being a screenwriter that I always struggle with – compellingly summing up my story in a sentence or two. It sounds like it should be easy enough, but a poor logline can be the Achilles heel of a great script. If you can’t sell it in a logline, no one will give it a chance.
Here’s an article from the Story Bodyguard on writing a clear, concise, compelling logline:
When you create your logline you are aiming for succinct and emotional.  Choose active, colorful verbs.  The action of the story is what creates interest.
The logline is about 35 words so every word must count to give impact to the story.  This is your quick pitch whether written or verbal.  Give it punch.
You need to know the basic beginning, middle and end of your story as well as the main theme (even if they change later) in order to write the logline.
Here’s the formula Blake Snyder proposes, it’s a good one:
On the verge of a Stasis=Death moment, a flawed protagonist Breaks into Two; but when the Midpoint happens, he/she must learn the Theme Stated, before All Is Lost.
·         Right at the beginning your protagonist is stuck somehow.
·         He/she has a flaw, weakness.
·         Something happens to push the protagonist into a conflict situation.
·         At the middle the protagonist is challenged to learn/get/implement the theme.
·         Because, otherwise, everything is lost.
Even if the story itself is convoluted the logline is straightforward and hints at the main essence of the story.  Here’s the logline for Inception.
In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception
Think about your story and then write several loglines.  You may end up combining different elements to finally arrive at your best.



Beginning Screenwriting: Creating Your Logline and Synopsis
One your screenplay is complete, use a logline and synopsis for marketing tools. They effectively and concisely tell your story. If well done, they incite a person to request your script. Therefore, they are bait!
One your screenplay is complete, use a logline and synopsis for marketing tools. They effectively and concisely tell your story. If well done, they incite a person to request your script. Therefore, they are bait!

TIP: A logline and synopsis are not included inside of the pages of your screenplay.  Creating these before you write your screenplay, they are beacons. Your logline and synopsis can keep you on track.
What Is A Logline?
The logline is the shortest written account of your script. It best conveys what it's about. Also called a ‘one liner,’ but it doesn’t have to be exactly one sentence long.
A logline conveys the concept of your script, its beating heart. While a logline relates the strength of your idea, it’s not the execution. Execution shines through in your synopsis and ultimately, your script.
In length, the logline is typically one or two sentences. It highlights the dramatic core of your story. Most importantly, the purpose of the logline is marketing. It compels a reader to read your script, or a viewer to go see your movie. The best place to read loglines is IMDb or on sites like Fandango.
An example of a logline would be:
THE MATRIX: A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers. (IMDb)
What Is A Synopsis?
A synopsis is a more detailed version of your story, and is a bit longer than your logline. A synopsis comes in 2 lengths –1 succinct paragraph, or several paragraphs, from 3-6, lasting about a page long. A word count would be from 300-500 words, approximately.
A 1-paragraph synopsis outlines the setup of your story, then what happens to get it going, with your major character, their goal and the conflict.
A 1-page synopsis goes into a bit more detail, including a supporting character or love interest, pertinent details about your antagonist. It includes more twists and turns of your screenplay. Whereas the logline shows off the strength of your idea, a synopsis gives you the opportunity to show off the craft of your writing; for example, your attention to genre-related details.
Most importantly, If you like a logline, you will want to read the synopsis, for more detail. Typically a logline and synopsis go hand In hand. The curiosity inspired by them both should spur a reader, whether producer, director, development executive, agent; to request your script.
How The Logline And Synopsis Are Used
Both logline and synopsis are used as a development tool and a marketing tool. Since it takes much less time than reading an entire script, they can be used to tell the story of your movie, quickly. The logline relays the basics, and the synopsis - in just a few minutes. You want them to pique interest!
·         Does she escape?
·         Who wins?
·         Will they fall in love?
·         Did the heroine survive?
This builds that sense of ‘I wanna know what happens!’. It is this compulsion that draws all of us to story telling, and keeps us hooked. Besides that, these tools show off your writing.
Using Them Separately And Together
Here are 3 ways a logline and synopsis are used.
·         Before you’ve created a script, logline is written to pitch your movie to others. You might test it out on strangers in line for a movie, or send it to a few friends, like, hey, what do you think of this? Would you go see that movie?
·         Once several people weigh in on your logline, and like it, you would further expand the basic idea into a synopsis, a 3-paragraph skeleton of the story. These guide your writing.
·         After your script is finished, and you’ve gotten feedback on it, done a rewrite, and had it proofread: you send the logline and synopsis to others as an introduction of your script – to market it.
Crafting Your Logline
Author of Save the Cat, the late Blake Snyder has become a pivotal figure in teaching screenwriters how to structure and write their scripts. He has referred to the log line as the DNA of a movie. That means that any time you're working on your script, go back to the log line and it will help you keep focus in your story so it doesn’t go off the rails. In the words of Stephen Covey, The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

Here are some approaches:
·         My story is a (genre) called (title) about (hero) who wants (goal) despite (obstacle).” (Stephanie Palmer, goodinaroom.com)
·         When your main character is acted upon, and something happens, he or she is forced to do__________, in order to achieve ________and prevent _____________. (Marilyn Horowitz, www.marilynhorowitz.com/)
·         [TITLE] is a [GENRE] about when [INCITING INCIDENT HAPPENS TO], a [PROTAGONIST] must [WANT TO ACHIEVE AN OBJECTIVE], or else [STAKES WILL OCCUR]. Noam Kroll (noamkroll.com/)
If your story takes place in the past or future, include that information. Ditto for an unusual setting; outer space, or in 300 BC.
Crafting Your Synopsis
The point of a synopsis is that the reader can visualize the story. Your logline is your elevator pitch, short and sweet – sparking interest. A synopsis is the next step, building anticipation.
There are two different lengths of synopses. Use the different sizes based on your needs.

Each synopses is used differently. The synopsis that most writers start with is 1 page-long. It has of 3-6 paragraphs, and is used to pitch with the logline. An alternative length is the 1 paragraph. This condenses your story into 1, succinct paragraph. Once you’ve created your longer form, 1-page synopsis, the 1-paragraph synopsis can be easier to tackle. Whether you use a longer or shorter synopsis will depend a bit on the circumstances. If it’s someone you don’t know, keep it short and use the 1-paragraph. If you’ve met and spoken with the person, or you’re submitting something to a sales agent or distributor, go with the 1-page synopsis, which provides more depth and color.
The 1-paragraph synopsis focuses on Act 1 and Act 2. The one-paragraph synopsis consists of a very careful description of the first act, and then a wrap-up of the rest of the movie. The first sentence includes the set-up of the first act: who the main character is and the problem that drives them to take action. The second sentence is about what happens in the second half of the first act. This is the formulation of the main character’s plan of action. This is a cross between art and science. Ultimately, try to choose evocative words that capture the essence of the whole film.
Here’s an example of a 1-paragraph long synopsis
THE HUNGER GAMES. Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister's place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she's pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Logline Basics (Or, how to write the best logline)
The easiest way to phrase your logline is to state the genre, an attribute of the main character, and what the character needs to achieve to meet a challenge. Of course, you may see your script as a slice of life or a series of vignettes or something else that doesn’t lend itself to a clear statement in this form, but attempt it.
LOGLINE BASICS
Brevity is an absolute necessity of creating a good logline. You should go through many drafts to make sure every adjective is the most perfect and evocative and above all accurate. Get out your thesaurus find the best words for the job. You can’t afford a single extra character.
Choose your focus carefully. You need to pinpoint the most important through-line of your story. What you pick must be dynamic: you need to describe action, conflict, challenge.
The easiest way to phrase your logline is to state the genre, an attribute of the main character, and what the character needs to achieve to meet a challenge. Of course, you may see your script as a slice of life or a series of vignettes or something else that doesn’t lend itself to a clear statement in this form, but attempt it.
For example:
“The Last Thing She Did” is a romantic comedy in which a ditsy writer struggles to overcome her reliance on a dead friend’s advice in order to meet a deadline.
Try to avoid generalities. You want to nail what makes your script unique, so don’t waste your time comparing it to previously made films. Save that for your marketing pitch.
Your logline doesn’t need to tell the ending of the story. It just needs to impel a producer or reader to make the effort to open it up. Show you have an interesting and unusual protagonist who must meet an unusual and interesting challenge, and you’re already ahead of the game.
So you say your script doesn’t fit into an easy category of genre or have a single or readily defined hero or heroine. That may be the way you think of your story, but another reader might have a different impression. Try describing the action of your script to a friend and see what shakes loose. It’s fine to know you’re written a masterwork that defies description, but you won’t have much luck getting it made unless you can find SOME way to explain it.
A Word about Plot and Character Vs Theme
The best loglines focus on character with an emphasis on the major conflict or challenge that forms the central arc of the plot. It’s good to include whatever details make your story the most unique: an unusual setting or antagonist for example.
You may be tempted to make your logline about the script’s theme instead but I recommend against this. Producers are interested in the practical matters of who, what, where, when and why. They are less interested in your philosophy on the nature of life or the specific demon that drives your hero’s quest.
In my opinion, the easiest way to write a good logline is in the form of:
[Film Title] is a [genre] IN WHICH a [protagonist] struggles to [challenge to overcome].
Problematic loglines often use passive language and the word about, which can find you expressing your intentions instead of the action. Something you want to avoid at any cost is a logline that focuses on how you intend the viewer to feel instead of what they’re going to see.
For example (don’t do):
“The Last Thing She Did” is a transcendent human comedy about the way we connect through laughter and memories.
Nice, but it doesn’t tell us a single thing about the script. We don’t know who the characters are, what it’s about, where it’s set, and we’re vague on the genre. When you use a logline, remember you are pitching your story to practical people who want to know if they can make your script into a film that they can sell. Save your beautiful writing for your dialogue, and your writer’s commentary



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