1. Your Story
Your logline is just another way of telling your story--your whole story, including the end. When someone hears it, they should say, "Wow, what a great story," period.
These three story questions will get at
the
guts of
your movie. Sentence length is limited - if
you find you can't
add
more letters, use fewer or shorter words.
Think very carefully about each question
and
make
sure
your answer is short and to the point.
a. WHO is it about?
Hint: the simpler the better. Use adjectives, profession or desires only if crucial to plot.
Avoid modifiers like "who".
....E.g., A
boy...
b. WHAT happens to them?
Hint: Start
with
an
active
verb. This is the event that propels the story toward the ending.
....discovers
an alien living in his shed...
c. HOW do things end up?
Hint: Not too much detail. Pay attention to rhythm. Make clear what's at stake.
....
..
and
helps
him
get home
before the Feds catch up to him.
(E.T.,
The
Extra
Terrestrial)
2. Your Theme
THEME is what people want to know when they ask
that
annoying
question, "So
what's
it
about?"
Make it a one word answer, as corny as it may
sound,
like
Love,
Betrayal, or Prejudice. Philadelphia, for
example is a movie
about prejudice;
Star
Wars is a movie about heroism.
If you're not sure, just close your eyes and slug
in
the
first
thing that comes to mind. Change it later if you
think of something
better. Your movie must be about something.
Your theme:.....
3.
Your
Title
Based on your story and your theme, choose a title for
your movie.
Your title:.........
4.
What
type
of
movie is
it?
Genre:..............
Sub-Genre:.......
5.
Rating:.....
Now put the three
answers together as a sentence, and
you
have your movie logline!
Option A: Click the button below.
This gives you an easy to cut-and-paste form
containing what you typed in above.
However, it also sends a copy to me so I can
track how the site is being used.
I delete all messages sent this way - I'm not in
this to steal loglines.
But if you're not comfortable with this, use
Option B.
Option B: Copy what you've
entered above into a word processor, but
don't click the button.
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