To me it is a lazy way to describe your script and it makes it seem clichéd and unoriginal – how many movies could you describe as the hero giving the bad guys a “dose of their own medicine”? If you find a more original way to describe your script it will sound more original. Personally I hate them and I think you should avoid them. I think they’re used often mainly because they can convey a lot of meaning in a relatively short space. One thing that I hate about this logline, and it’s something I see a lot, is that it uses a clichéd figure of speech (:dose of their own medicine”). After all, Die Hard was about McClane whooping terrorists’ asses in an LA office building. I think this log line sums up the story pretty well. New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building. Here’s the one sentence log line I found for Die Hard on IMDB: If you can accomplish all of these things in your log line you’re doing pretty well. Producers are typically looking for something specific, like a teen comedy, so your log line must tell them what it is in terms of genre, tone and scope. It’s going to make it hard to pitch because people won’t know what it is. I read a lot of log lines where I can’t tell if it’s a drama or comedy. He’s usually the one who provides conflict for your protagonist.ģ.) What is the genre, tone and scope of the screenplay? This is a little harder to define but just as important as the other two elements. A good way to get at the conflict is to mention the antagonist. In some cases you might have a dual protagonist (which I don’t recommend for new writers) but even in that case it must be clear who the protagonists are.Ģ.) What is the central conflict of your story? Drama is conflict and if the conflict isn’t clear in your log line you don’t have a solid concept for your screenplay. There are three main questions that your log line must answer.ġ.) Who is the protagonist? This sounds obvious, but I’ve seen a lot of screenplays where you can’t really tell who the protagonist is. Your log line must be compelling and make people want to read the entire script, practically at all costs. guide or go to any movie website and you’ll see that their “log lines” are often written by hacks and usually do very little to sell the film. I think this is a horrible definition of what you want your log line to be. Guide” that describes a film in a sentence or two. I often see screenwriting books and websites define the logline as the “short blurb in the T.V. being able to recite your logline can be very important as you never know who you might run into. You should practice it out loud so that you can easily recite it. You will use it in your query letter to agents and producers and you will use it to pitch your script idea to anyone who asks about it. The log line will be a one or two sentence pitch of your film. In fact, I feel like many of my own early efforts suffered from this same problem so it’s something I’ve tried to correct by making sure I have a solid log line before I even start writing the screenplay. I think this is excellent advice and I see so many new writers spinning their wheels on concepts that simply have no chance of ever selling or even getting read. The first part of his writing process is coming up with a solid marketable log line, well before ever actually starting to write the full screenplay. In fact, I’m a big fan of Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat, where he walks you through his writing process. It can save you a lot of time as you won’t exert yourself writing something that can’t be pitched or sold. In fact, I recommend writing your log line before you even write your screenplay. If you have a really great log line it will open doors for you no matter what approach you take in trying to sell your screenplay. The first step to selling your screenplay is crafting a solid log line.
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