Noun: LOGLINE

The mind-crippling sentence or two that’s supposed to sum up the idea of our script but not give too much away or too little yet sound exciting and attract intrigue… the sometimes-impossible seeming part which despite the attempts can never be quite be tweaked to perfection.

No, that definition’s not from Google. But it’s probably more accurate.

For years of my writing experience the logline was always the last parts of the script that I thought of. I would always prioritise other aspects- i.e the title. However, when it’s put into perspective the logline is just as important. It’s what the audience will read if the title alone can’t influence their decision of whether to watch it. When I’d reach the end of the road- my script’s complete, it’s logline time- I’d fall into the pot-hole that is the creation of the logline. The pot-hole that would deflate my tyres of enthusiasm. I could never distinguish what key elements make an intriguing logline. There’s another point… I personally find that a logline works better when it’s intriguing as opposed to ‘good’. The intrigue makes the goodness of it built-in. But, what can be done to make a logline intriguing? If you haven’t already then read:

the only screenwriting book you'll ever need -SAVE THE CAT!- BLAKE SNYDER

Chapter 1 page 5 jumps right in to discuss loglines. And due to this book, I learnt one of the best contributes to a logline is IRONY. For instance:

“A businessman falls in love with a hooker he hires to be his date for the weekend.”

- Pretty Woman

The ironic element allows the reader to think… wait a minute, how can that work out? And before they know it, they’re sat in the cinema half a bag of popcorn in waiting to see how that can work out.

the art of crafting the perfect logline

It’s good for a logline to be complicated, but not confusing. Yes, arguably a contradiction. But to expand - The previous logline explained a complicated scenario in under 20 words. If it were to be stretched to over 30 words, the reader would probably lose interest towards the end and become confused. The aim of the game when creating your logline? Short and sweet- That old chestnut.

make your logline stand out

The previous logline was not only ironic but, unconventional. Typically, a businessman would see himself as too professional to associate with a hooker. But being unpredictable goes hand in hand with intrigue for a logline:

“A newly married couple must spend Christmas Day at each of their four divorced parent’s homes”

- 4 Christmases

Take 4 Christmases logline for example. This is a perfect representation of an unconventional scenario that you’d be intrigued to see the end outcome . Again, under 20 words. It’s frustrating because it’s made to look so easy, but once you come to term with these different contributions, you realise it kind of is.

This next contribution isn’t as vital as the ones previously stated, it’s more a “cherry on top” type of aspect. It’s my personal opinion that if the logline can be in-keeping with a major, evident theme in the production then it looks better alongside it. For instance, the logline for my own play:

“What’s a Vicar’s Wife to do when not everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet; even the Vicar himself?”

- The Vicar’s Wife

The logline is relevant to the church imagery associating with the Vicar ( The subject of the play) however It does this while setting up a scenario of conflict, typically that would create intrigue for an audience and make them want to see the end result. The logline doesn’t particularly connote irony like the previous two, but makes the promise of a complicated scenario.

loglines are a balancing act

Touching on the last paragraph, perhaps not all the contributions mentioned are needed in the same logline, but can work as guidelines for what to include if you feel like you’ve hit a wall with a logline and it’s made you lose your feet for a starting point.

the final purpose of a logline

All in all it should highlight what the film is about. A good equation to work too would be

Protagonist + Action + Antagonist

The best place to start is to type a basic sentence describing what your script is about. So why am I saying this now, towards the end? Because, if you were to do this without applying the previous points to it, it would be a rather dull, basic logline. The other points were too important to wait around for.

Mainly remember once you’ve written this sentence, read it out get comfortable with it and think, how can I make this:

IRONIC? UNCONVENTIONAL? COMPLICATED?

Think you’ve gone and done it? I’m all ears for an intriguing logline. Give me something to read. And think what the f*ck