carsgogl.blogg.se - Movie logline

#MOVIE LOGLINE SERIAL#

Remember earlier I said that a story very basically is: “Someone wants something and goes after it against great opposition.” In a lot of cases, that’s one of the main entertainment hooks of the screenplay or movie. Sometimes we need to include the method the protagonist will use in order to show what’s really happening on screen for most of the movie. Sometimes just including the story goal isn’t enough. Remember, in the logline we really want to give a clear sense of the story. That’s the, “befriend a notorious incarcerated psychopath and use his knowledge” part.

You might also notice this logline includes the method the hero is going to use to achieve the goal.

And what’s at stake is the life of the latest victim.

The antagonist – which is that killer she’s trying to stop.

#MOVIE LOGLINE SERIAL#

The goal – stop an active serial killer.

The main character – the young female FBI trainee.

A logline exampleįor THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS the logline is…Ī young, female FBI trainee must befriend a notorious incarcerated psychopath and use his knowledge to track and stop an active serial killer before his latest victim is murdered. Stakes – that’s what’s hanging in the balance, what will happen if the hero fails to achieve the goal. Antagonist or main conflict – that’s the “what’s stopping them” part.Īnd there’s a fourth element that’s optional, but often very helpful when trying to convey your story. Goal – that’s the “what do they want” part – what are they trying to achieve by the end of this movie.ģ. Hero or main character – that’s the “who.”Ģ. And at its most basic, a story is: “who wants what and what’s stopping them from getting it.”ġ. The logline tells the story in your screenplay.

There can be slight differences in loglines you use to pitch a project, and loglines you use just for your own internal use when you’re developing an idea and getting ready to write your screenplay.īut either way - almost all loglines still need a few essential pieces, so that is a good place to start. It really is the first iteration of your entire story, and it will give you a nice, focused North Star to keep the story idea clear in your mind and help you navigate other decisions along the way.Ī good logline tells enough to convey a solid sense of the movie, but is succinct enough that the reader or listener doesn’t get bored or confused. In this quick session, we cover what to include in your logline, 3 common missteps to avoid, and my super simple method for writing loglines.Ī logline is just a one- or two-sentence description of the story in your screenplay.