Why Loglines Are A Vital Tool For The Writer
The primary goal of the logline is to excite the industry professional. But there's more to it than that, and the stakes could not be higher.
At its core, a logline describes a story’s central conflict. The well-crafted logline allows the reader to visualize the entire story in a single sentence. It also gives the reader confidence that they’re in capable storytelling hands, even if the writer is unknown to Hollywood.
The key to writing a kick ass logline is to first recognize the basic story elements and how they work together to describe conflict. Understanding the elements answers two big questions: what belongs in a logline? And what doesn’t?
The writer must also be able to describe the elements in a way that will stand out among a sea of similar concepts. A poorly written logline will ensure the script or novel will flounder in the muck at the bottom of the reader’s pile. If it even gets that far.
And that’s not all! Identifying the elements might reveal problems in the story itself. Whether rewriting a draft or outlining a first draft, the humble logline serves as storytelling guardrails. This is especially true when collaborating with another writer, or a director or producer.
A kick ass logline will keep everyone on the same page.
Now that’s exciting!
Go to Next Episode: MTL Ep 02 - The Need To Master the Logline
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