Loglines

So, a guy walks into an elevator and standing in front of him is Steven Spielberg. That happens everyday right? Well, it probably does. But how often is the guy a screenwriter who would love to pitch his movie to Spielberg ? Maybe once in a lifetime, if that, especially if Spielberg is willing to hear the pitch. The guy has only seconds. Will he blow it? I dunno, but I have read enough to know that the guy better have his logline in order or he doesn't have a chance in "h-e-double-hockey-sticks".

The experts generally agree that the logline needs to explain who the main character is, what her problem is & how she's going to solve it. Which means the folks writing the descriptions for TV Guide are getting all kinds of practice. If a logline is a one sentance pitch, then I want my loglines to have well-defined protagonists who are up against larger-than-life antagonists. I want my loglines to give a sense of the atmosphere and setting of my script. I want my loglines to identify the conflict between my protagonists and antagonists , to lay out what's at stake. I want my loglines to identify the genre of the script. I need my loglines to do this all in one sentance and I am so wordy that this leaves me feeling anxious.

Adjectives help identify the protagonist and antagonists with greater clarity. If the descriptive is juxtaposed to the goal, it can be used for greater effect. For example, the neglected farmgirl in the Wizard of Oz just wants to get back home.

It has to grab the reader, make the reader want to read the entire script. No pressure. It has to tell who the main character is, who the antagonist is, and what makes the script unique. It should emphasize the internal and external conflict. It should identify the sizzle: sex, greed, humor, danger, thrills, satisfaction. I have a lot of work to do....

What the experts are really saying is that the logline is the superobjective (or spine) of the story.

I finally decided I should just write a bunch of loglines: good, bad or indifferent. Practice is the way to go. I'll let you know what kind of luck I have.