![]() ![]() Take the logline for “Back to the Future,” for example: “A young man is transported to the past, where he must reunite his parents before he and his future cease to exist.” High stakes leave the reader wanting more-meaning they want to read your full screenplay. The logline for “Miss Congeniality,” for example, explains “an ugly duckling FBI agent goes undercover as a contestant to catch a killer at the Miss United States Pageant.” 6. Highlight the contrast between your main character and the dramatic situation they face in your story. Summon your inner Alanis Morissette and use the conceit of irony to show that your story is original and unexpected. Case in point: The logline for “Bird Box” says that “a survivor and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.” Safety is clearly the protagonist’s goal, but it’s unclear whether she achieves it. Do this by clearly describing the protagonist’s goal and the central conflict preventing them from reaching this goal. The logline should create a clear narrative that intrigues the reader-without spoiling the ending. The inciting incident, “decides to write a book,” is included just after the description of the protagonist. Look at the logline for “The Help"-"An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid’s point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis." Name the catalyst that sets off the action in your screenplay. For example, the logline for “The Godfather” opens with “the aging patriarch,” which clearly identifies and describes the protagonist. An adjective or two and the proper noun that best represents them works well. Don’t waste precious words providing character names instead, describe their fascinating qualities. Kick off your logline by introducing your protagonist(s). Active: “The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.”.Passive: “Control of a clandestine empire is transferred by an aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty to his reluctant son.”.Look at two different versions of the logline to “The Godfather”: Active voice raises the stakes and engages the reader-that means characters doing something, rather than something happening to them. Just like your high school English teacher told you, avoid using a passive voice at all costs. To ensure that you capture the magic of your screenplay while distilling it down, follow these steps: 1. Use an active voice Writing a logline can sometimes feel more difficult than writing a full screenplay. Alternatively, the film’s logline (“An escaped psychopath returns to his childhood neighborhood, terrorizing and killing several people while his doctor desperately tries to warn the local sheriff of the killer’s intent”) is a descriptive summary that still packs a punch. For example, the tagline to John Carpenter’s “Halloween” (“The night HE came home”) is intriguing but doesn’t explain the story. Make sure it has these elements (not necessarily in this order):Ī film’s logline is different from its tagline, which is a provocative but less-specific statement meant to entice moviegoers to watch a film. Occasionally, that project is yourself-many actors also write personal loglines to summarize their acting capabilities for directors and producers.Ī standard logline is one to two sentences, consisting of 25 to 50 words. Loglines are an integral part of the movie pitch that help sell a project idea. The traditional logline introduces a screenplay’s major elements and highlights why it should be made into a film.
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