It's simple: the logline is one or two sentences
that say everything about your story, and can be used as a
double-check throughout the screenwriting process. From these few
lines, you should be able to break out every element in a
successful screenplay!
A good logline has four key elements:
-
a type
of protagonist (your hero)
-
a type
of antagonist (the bad guy or obstacle)
-
a
conflict (what’s stopping the hero?)
-
an
“open-ended question” (what will
happen?)
Include an adjective to describe your protagonist
and antagonist. Isn't a homicidal baker more interesting than just
a day-old one?
A good logline has a sense of irony; it's that thing that intrigues
us or makes us curious about what happens next. It’s a
surprise twist at the end of the sentence that we didn't expect.
Yet remember: the logline doesn’t have to tell the whole
story. One of the reasons a good logline intrigues is because we
don’t know what happens. That’s why it should be
open-ended.
A good logline has a sense of audience and cost. Do you know who
your movie is for? Teens? Women? Is it a date movie? Or the big
magilla: the 4-quadrant hit like Shrek or Pirates of the Caribbean
that appeals to Men AND Women above AND below age 25. Draw from all
four of these quadrants and you've really got yourself a winner.
Just make sure you know who you're targeting!
A great logline must also have a great title. Title and logline are
the one-two punch that makes studio executives swoon and agents
reach for their cell phones. Good ones like Legally Blonde "say
what it is," but do so without being so "on the nose" that it's
unappealing. Winner of the best title of all time?
The 40-Year-Old
Virgin — not
only the title, but the concept.
Your logline should have the four key elements; if not, make it so!
And be sure to look at your logline throughout the process to be
certain you haven't strayed off the path of your story.
That’s why we display your logline at the top of The Board
(see below) for easy reference.
