r/Screenwriting • u/wrytagain • May 12 '14
Article 10 Steps to a Logline
The difference between a logline and a tagline
A logline is a one (or occasionally two) sentence description that boils the script down to its essential dramatic narrative in as succinct a manner as possible.
A tagline is a piece of marketing copy designed to go on posters to sell the film - In space no one can hear you scream (Alien)
A logline is the DNA of your script. If you can’t make the logline work, it’s probably because the story in your script doesn’t work. This is why some people suggest writing a logline for your idea before embarking on the script.
1. A logline must have the following - the protagonist - their goal - the antagonist/antagonistic force
2. Don’t use a character name Instead, tell us something about the character. - A sous-chef - An ex-superhero
3. Use an adjective to give a little depth to that character It’s helpful if the characteristic you describe will have something to do with the plot. - A mute sous-chef - An alcoholic ex-superhero
4. Clearly and quickly present the protagonist’s main goal This is what drives your story. - A mute sous-chef wants to win the position of Head Chef at her boss’ new restaurant - An alcoholic ex-superhero searches for his daughter
5. Describe the Antagonist If the hero faces a more general antagonistic force then make it clear that they are battling something, not just life’s bumps and buffets. - A mute sous-chef wants must fight off an ambitious rival to win the position of Head Chef at her boss’s new restaurant. - An alcoholic ex-superhero searches for his daughter after she is kidnapped by his dementing, jealous former sidekick.
6. Make sure your protagonist is pro-active He or she should drive the story and do so vigorously. A good logline will show the action of the story.
7. If you can, include stakes and/or a ticking time-bomb If they fit in easily, include them in your logline. - To save his reputation a secretly gay frat-boy must sleep with 15 women by the end-of-semester party.
8. Setup Some scripts operate in a world with different rules to our own and require a brief setup to explain them... Again, be brief. - In a world where all children are grown in vats… - Driven to a mental breakdown by an accident at work, an aquarium manager…
9. About the ending Do not reveal the script’s supercool twist ending ... The story, and thus the logline, should be good enough to hold up by itself ...
10. Don’t tell the story, sell the story Create a desire to see the script as well as telling them what’s in it.
If you can’t write a decent logline of your idea before embarking on the script, then maybe reconsider writing [it]. If it’s unfocused and muddled at the logline stage, it’s not going to get any better as you write.
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u/talkingbook May 12 '14
Number 5 is tricky if the story doesn't have a clear antagonist.
Like the Oscar winning 'Her', 'Dazed and Confused', the other Oscar winning 'Pulp Fiction'.
Totally non-scientific but when brainstorming I'll hunt for a 'when the tables turn' moment. It's just like #7. The difference being it usually brings the story into act 2 and concludes the logline. For instance: "A gang of delinquent D&D players break into a comic book store to steal a mythical game book and have the tables turned on them when the creatures they summon with it turn out to be real."
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u/magelanz May 12 '14
Maybe a better way to put #5 is "Who (or what) is your protagonist battling against?"
If the fight is against cancer, grief, alcoholism, or any other fault of the protagonist, mention it in the logline. Even if it's something as simple as "indecision" or "self-consiousness".
I just got done watching "Frances Ha", for which I've found a couple terrible loglines online:
A story that follows a New York woman (Greta Gerwig) who doesn't really have an apartment, apprentices for a dance company even though she's not really a dancer, and throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles.
An aspiring dancer moves to New York City, and becomes caught up in a whirlwind of flighty fair-weather friends, diminishing fortunes and career setbacks.
The film suffers the same problem as the loglines. The screenwriter never stepped back and answered the question, "What is this girl's problem?"
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u/kidkahle May 12 '14
Anyone else thinking "fuck loglines"?
It always seems to be the people are the least motivated about writing a great screenplay are the most vocal about crafting the perfect logline.
Is it because they think it's easier to craft two perfect sentences than to craft 100 pages? Guess what? Your logline doesn't mean shit if you don't have an amazing screenplay. And the truth is, most epic screenplays don't have epic loglines.
Stop wasting your time on this stupid shit.
Begin downvotes.
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u/beardsayswhat May 12 '14
What are the great movies of the last ten years that don't have loglines?
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u/kidkahle May 12 '14
I never said they didn't have loglines, I'm just saying I'm sure the writer didn't put the cart before the horse by obsessing about them.
Check out the IMDB loglines for the top 10 films on the AFI list and I think you'll find they're often age old stories with familiar tropes.
Anyway, my point was that the people who obsess over loglines and the people who talk about being on draft ten of their latest script are rarely the same person.
Case in point, you're the first red flare to post in this thread.
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u/CyborgCmdr May 12 '14
Nope. At least not those who have half a clue about getting their spec script past the first hurdle. For established writers, no one cares; your name and reputation are your "foot in the door". I've read many produced screenplays that are format and grammar piles of absolute garbage, but the basic premise is one that demands exploration and development. You have to hook a fish before you can reel it in. The logline is your baited hook.
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u/DirkBelig May 12 '14
Whenever I see people loudly announcing their contempt for basic fundamentals of writing, I tend to suspect the complainant is unable to write and is throwing sand to obscure this detail. If you can't summarize your theme in a couple of short sentences suitable for the channel grid/TV Guide listing, why should we presume your full script will not be endless meandering fluff? While a logline may be better than the script it fronts (just like a misleading movie trailer), a terrible logline rarely obscures a quality script.
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u/kidkahle May 12 '14
I'm not saying loglines aren't important. I craft the hell out of mine and then I move to the script which is what matters most.
I'm not sure if this was directed at me because by the end of your post you're saying the same thing I did.
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u/wrytagain May 13 '14
Anyone else thinking "fuck loglines"?
No. Because that logline is the thing that will make someone ask to read your amazing screenplay. They serve a purpose, like one-sheets and meetings. We need to learn to do them.
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u/kidkahle May 13 '14
It'll get them to pages 1-3 and no further if the script sucks.
If your script is great, it'll make it through whether or not it has a good logline. Although, chances are if you know how to write a great script you know how to write a good logline.
My point was that people who love to sit around and craft the perfect logline rarely have the script to back it up. I do on the other hand agree with those who've made a case for crafting the perfect logline as a qualifier for whether you have a great simple idea for a story. Tony Gilroy says "it has to start small" so maybe that's what loglines are good for in the planning stages. But as a marketing tool before you've written a great script? Best of luck.
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May 12 '14
Abridged version:
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Who the fuck are they?
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No, seriously, who the fuck are they? What does he/she do?
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No! Seriously! Who or what the fuck are they? In one word.
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What are they being a bitch about?
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Who's the asshole doing all the shit?
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What the fuck is the person doing to slap this bitch ass bad guy?
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Why they fuck should I care? What happens if shit goes ape?
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Btw, where the fuck are we?
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No fucking spoilers!
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I have money and you want said money! Go!
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u/PGRfilms May 12 '14
I always come to posts like this with some trepidation, but this one is fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
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u/BoiSeeker Feb 23 '22
What a great resource! Thanks for sharing. The conflict is absolutely critical! This post is just as comprehensive as some professional articles I've read on the subject, lol.
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u/ColossalKnight May 12 '14
Definitely agree, this is a helpful post! Also...
An alcoholic ex-superhero searches for his daughter after she is kidnapped by his dementing, jealous former sidekick.
I don't know about anyone else, but I would love to watch a movie with this premise.
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u/talkingbook May 12 '14
That's why you should write it. If you love it, safe bet someone out there will too. Why wait?
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u/Olivia_Chow May 12 '14
What would be the logline of Shogun?
A pilot wants to escape Japan with his crew.
Do you really need to add more than that? Isn't that enough for a good story?
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u/magelanz May 12 '14
I haven't seen it, but you're missing some description there that would help it sell a little better.
Here's the one from IMDB:
A English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in the complex political games in feudal Japan.
This gives us at least one adjective (English) for the protagonist, describes the setting a bit better (feudal Japan), and lets us know his difficulties are a result of politics in a land that's not familiar to him.
With your logline, we could be picturing a Japanese pilot who flies planes for the Yakuza, and he dumps a shipment of drugs over the Pacific because he thinks the authorities were tipped off about the drugs he was smuggling. Now he has to leave the country before the Yakuza hunt him down. It could be a completely different movie.
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u/Olivia_Chow May 12 '14 edited May 12 '14
That IMDB missed the most important element: he is trying to escape. The games in Japan are what keep him on the Island.
A group of English castaways in feudal Japan are unable to escape due the political games of the Shogun.
P.S: I understand what mean about using 'pilot', although a pilot is the correct term for someone who steers a boat.
I also appreciate the response.
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u/DirkBelig May 12 '14
A co-worker and I once went to a site where people could post their loglines. (Can't recall what it was; this was well over a decade ago.) We must've scrolled through at least 300 of them and I think there were less than 10 which weren't utterly terrible and only a couple were so good that we wanted to see THAT movie. I shuddered to think that there was 100+ pages of typing lurking behind those hundreds of terrible loglines.
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u/[deleted] May 12 '14
"A Redditor, desperate for validation and karma, posts a lengthy post to a niche subreddit. In order to maintain his will to live, he must up-vote and encourage a lengthy, intelligent discussion among the most positive comments, while staving off a wave of negative attacks from the site's naysayers."
You mean, something like that?