#LOGLINE IN FILM HOW TO#
#LOGLINE IN FILM MOVIE#
#LOGLINE IN FILM TV#

Logline #4 - Toula's family has exactly three traditional values - 'Marry a Greek boy, have Greek babies, and feed everyone.' When she falls in love with a sweet, but WASPy guy, Toula struggles to get her family to accept her fiancée, while she comes to terms with her own heritage. But when they are kidnapped by their evil nemesis, there are only two people in the world who can rescue them. Logline #3 - After segueing from a life of espionage to raising a family, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez are called back into action.

Logline #2 - A 17th Century tale of adventure on the Caribbean Sea where the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow joins forces with a young blacksmith in a gallant attempt to rescue the Governor of England's daughter and reclaim his ship.Īre you getting the hang of it so far? Here's a few more: Logline #1 - The extraordinary story of a thoroughbred racehorse - from his humble beginnings as an under-fed workhorse to his unlikely rise and triumphant victory over the Triple Crown winner, War Admiral. In this exercise, first I'll give you the logline, and then provide the answers at the end.

#LOGLINE IN FILM TV#

Those TV magazines always do a nice job of breaking down a film into one or two sentences. You open up your TV guide and you're deciding what to watch based on the description or logline of the film. Pretend for a moment that you're in your living room with your feet up getting ready to watch a movie. We will look at five examples of well-known, memorable films and see if their loglines can give us the big idea of the movie.

#LOGLINE IN FILM HOW TO#

The clear and concise logline you present to someone, is what will get them excited about reading your work.įor this article, I've put together a pitching exercise to get you thinking about how to describe your own work using simple loglines. It's the main goal of the story that you want to convey to your audience.Įvery year, agents, Studio Executives and Producers receive hundreds of scripts, books and query letters from writers wanting to submit their work, so they have to filter those down into only pursuing the projects that they think would make great films. What they're looking for, in Hollywood-speak, is what's called a 'Logline.' My definition of a logline is this: It's a one- or two-sentence description of the overall idea of the story. But what is that person really asking you about your work? 'What's your screenplay about?' 'Tell me a little bit about your novel?' We've all heard these questions before. That's an easy concept to relate to, because let's face it, we've all made fools out of ourselves at some point. My definition of 'High Concept' simply refers to: Stories that all of us can relate to on some tangible and emotional level.įor example, we all want to fall in love we all share a thirst for adventure we all deal with difficult moral dilemmas we all have similar family issues and we all like to watch people make fools out of themselves. Stories that are labeled as 'High Concept' can certainly be subjective, but we're not necessarily talking about the crazy, Psycho Ninjas from Mars-type movies. In layman's terms, we're talking about stories that put butts in the seats on a Saturday night. Let's look at the types of films that the major Studios are buying these days.īeyond some of the wonderful independent films that are being made within and outside of the Studio system, Hollywood primarily wants to acquire what they call, 'High Concept Ideas'. You have to learn how to pitch effectively to get your projects purchased in this very competitive marketplace. We all know that Hollywood is not a meritocracy where only the best scripts, books or ideas get made into films. This is an essential tool for any writer working in Hollywood today. The next step is to convey your idea clearly and succinctly to those who are in a position to buy it.

#LOGLINE IN FILM MOVIE#

In Hollywood, every movie starts out in the form of underlying material, such as a novel, a screenplay, a comic book or even a great idea. Why do Writers Need to Learn How to Pitch?

Once you learn what a 'High Concept Idea' is and how to create exciting story 'Loglines' for your work. Pitching your ideas effectively, whether from a script, novel or even your own mind, does not come naturally for most of us. Have you ever been stuck listening to a friend tell you a joke that seems to go on without ever reaching the punch line? Your mind starts wandering and you stop paying attention as the joke painfully loses its momentum.

Logline in film