Reader Question: How to write a logline of my story?
S.Kalyan Tagore asks:
Hi Scott, thanks for this blog.
I have a story idea for an action film. Its a one page (i dont know what to call it, — a treatment?
I am not sure of how to get the logline of that story.
First let’s define “logline”. And for this, let’s refer to a series I ran analyzing the ICM Story Department — Coverage Packet. Here is their definition:
The logline provides a one-sentence summary of the script’s premise and plot.
That right there speaks to the fundamental challenge: How to reduce a story to one-sentence? The second part of the ICM definition gives us a clue:
It [logline] should succinctly describe the situation of the protagonist and include any major story elements.
So here’s my take on what you need to write a good logline. Ask these three questions:
• Who is the Protagonist?
• What do they want?
• Who is keeping them from it?
Protagonist. Goal. Nemesis. So for instance, my logline to K-9:
Pursuing a powerful drug lord, a headstrong policeman gets a new partner — an equally headstrong K-9 cop.
I am aware there are screenwriting gurus out there who promulgate different ideas, generally calling for more elaborate loglines: 4, 5, or even 6 story elements. But I direct you to the addendum to the logline definition provided in the ICM Coverage Packet:
Concise, concise, concise. One sentence that generally describes the script. General is the key word. Don’t worry about every detail of the story in the log line.
If your story summary is drifting into two or three sentences, you’re no longer dealing with a logline, but moving into a synopsis. If you want to write a logline, write a logline: A one sentence story summary covering your Protagonist, Goal, Nemesis.
The logline’s function in Hollywood has not changed all that much from the old studio days. It’s still primarily used as a means of conveying a story’s most basic narrative elements to sellers and buyers. And if they say, “Gimme the logline,” they mean “Give me the story in the absolute most stripped down basic form so I can hear it, remember it, and repeat it if I need to.”
In April, I introduced a new 1-week Screenwriting Master Class Craft seminar called “Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets.” It covers Loglines, Synopses, Breakdowns, Treatments, Scriptments, and Beat Sheets. I’ll be offering it again in the fall, so look for that.
One final thing: It’s not just important for a writer to work up loglines of their story ideas in case they happen to bump into Spielberg at the local Taco Bell. The very act of writing a logline engages you with your story in a unique way, forcing you to determine what its most fundamental narrative elements are. Knowing them can help steer your creative process by providing a touchstone throughout.
If you want to look at some examples of loglines, go to IMDB and search any movie. You’ll find a logline for all of them there.