WHAT IS A LOGLINE?
A logline provides a brief, one-to-two-sentence summary of a screenplay that encapsulates the main premise, essential characters, and central conflict. This helps convey the essence of the story quickly and effectively.
A good logline should introduce the main character (protagonist), her goal / desire/ dramatic need, and the main conflict of the story.
ASK YOURSELF
Who is your main character?
What are they trying to accomplish?
Who is trying to stop them?
What happens if they fail?
EXAMPLES
After a twister transports a lonely farm girl to a magical land,
she sets out on a dangerous journey to find a wizard with the
power to send her home. After killing a wicked witch, she
returns to her farm in Kansas happily observing that there is
no place like home. (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)
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When Ronald Reagan falls into dementia at the start of his
second term, an ambitious intern is tasked with convincing
the commander-in-chief that he is an actor playing the
president in a movie. (Reagan, unproduced)
___________________________________________________
A German businessman risks his life and fortune to save over a thousand Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. (Schindler’s List)
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There are tons of other things that happen in those films, but the logline briefly describes the essence of the story, ensuring that the core concept is strong and clear.
LOGLINES vs. TAGLINES
If a logline is a concise summary of the screenplay, a tagline is a catchy, memorable line used primarily for marketing. You often see tagline on posters, trailers, and other advertising materials.
The Matrix (logline): A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and joins the war against its controllers.
The Matrix (tagline): The future is a mind game. Or… Reality is a thing of the past.
Feel free to come up with your own.
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