How and Why should you write a Logline?

How and Why write a Logline

How and Why should you write a Logline?

How and Why should you write a Logline? 

A logline is a one line summary of your movie.

Why should you write a logline?

This one line, or sentence, is going to be the foundation of the rest of your script development, so it is important for you, the screenwriter, to take time and make sure this logline is as strong as it can be.

From this one sentence, you will be able to identify the main conflict of the story and develop further conflicts inside your script, while staying loyal to your original idea.

How do you write a logline? 

The logline should not be longer than 30 to 40 words, and yet it should accurately summarize your film's core conflict.

When writing your logline, you must include:

- Who is the hero

- What is their main goal

-What main obstacle/conflict comes to counter that goal

-How is the hero going to respond and face that obstacle ?

This may feel like little information, and yet I urge you to forbid yourself to write further words in this sentence. Once you have these parameters written down together in a way that makes sense, your film is strong enough for you to move on to the next steps of developing your script (don't forget the synopsis!)

Here is a template you can use to write an efficient logline:

When (HERO) faces (CENTRAL SITUATION), he/she has to (CENTRAL ACTION) or risk (STAKE)...

 Does the logline reveal the end of the film? 

Well, it can, of course. People tend to reveal the end of their film in their logline and synopsis when there is an exciting twist at the end that makes the whole story come together. Otherwise, I would recommend to stay focused on the main conflict in the logline, not on the resolution of that conflict. 

The importance is in the hero's attitude towards the obstacle, we are not interested yet in knowing if the hero is successful in their approach. 

Now, what should you do? 

Get to work and write that logline! Your idea is worth being shared to the world.

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