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Loglines and Treatments
A logline is a one (or occasionally two) sentence…
Loglines and Treatments
A logline is a one (or occasionally two) sentence description that boils the script down to its essential dramatic narrative in as succinct a manner as possible.
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Describe the Antagonist
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The antagonist should be described in a similar, but preferably shorter, manner than the hero. If the hero faces a more general antagonistic force then make it clear that they are battling something, not just life’s bumps and buffets.
A mute sous-chef wants must fight off an ambitious rival to win the position of Head Chef at her boss’s new restaurant.
An alcoholic ex-superhero searches for his daughter after she is kidnapped by his dementing, jealous former sidekick.
Make sure your protagonist is pro-active
He or she should drive the story and do so vigorously. Good loglines will show the action of the story, the narrative momentum that carries you through the script. In some cases the protagonist will be reactive, but note, this is not the same as passive.
If you can, include stakes and/or a ticking time-bomb
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These are very useful narrative devices that add urgency tou your script. If they fit in easily, include them in your logline.
To save his reputation a secretly gay frat-boy must sleep with 15 women by the end-of-semester party.
Setup
Some scripts operate in a world with different rules to our own and require a brief setup to explain them, e.g. most science-fiction stories. Others have a protagonist whose personal or psychological history is crucial to the story and needs to be explained. Again, be brief.
About the ending
Do not reveal the script’s supercool twist ending, even if it is the next The Usual Suspects. The story, and thus the logline, should be good enough to hold up by itself; a surprise ending should be a lovely bonus found when reading the script. N.B. This all changes when you get to writing your treatment.
Don’t tell the story, sell the story
Create a desire to see the script as well as telling them what’s in it. Loglines are like poetry, every word counts. Tinker, test, and tinker some more.