3 - 2 - 1 | Screenwriting Thursday: Loglines
Seems like a little flu has been going around LA of late. Definitely threw me for a loop last week!
But here we are, back in action.
I’ve been going through a decent amount of loglines lately and I forget how many people might need some additional insight into how to write a good one. They’re NOT EASY. We would muddle over them for whole days, sometimes weeks to get them just right. So let’s go over a few tips.
Let me know if you want more info on loglines and I’ll keep it going next week.
But First…
3 IDEAS FROM ME
I.
First and foremost: A LOGLINE IS A SALES TOOL. If your story is still in script format we are not looking for the back of the DVD cover or little blurb on a streaming page. We basically want a tiny pitch designed to sell an exec on the idea.
II.
Decent level execs, reps, etc. have read everything under the sun. Your “twist” is probably not as unique as you think it is. If it IS truly unique it will be a selling feature! Don’t make someone read 50+ pages to get to it. Include it in the logline.
III.
When putting together your logline make sure to include your story machine/ 2nd act. We want to know HOW characters are working to achieve their goal in the middle of the story. It answers a lot of questions and provides a certain amount of insight into potential budget.
2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS
I.
I find a lot of self help spaces that argue to push beyond your limits tiresome. I get it, we need to grow and push ourselves; but taken too far it’s unsustainable. Ironically, I’ve found that once you recognize and accept your limitations, you can build structural support around them which actually does help you transcend them. Epictetus seems to agree:
“By accepting life's limits and inevitabilities and working with them rather than fighting them, we become free.”
II.
Linda Naiman: consultant, author and founder of ‘Creativity at Work’:
"When we engage in what we are naturally suited to do, our work takes on the quality of play and it is play that stimulates creativity."
1 QUESTION FOR YOU
Do you have one place where you’re writing down all of your ideas or are they scattered everywhere?
If it’s the former, great job! If it’s the later, samesies! It’s worth going through 1-2 times a year and gathering them all together in one neat space.
