#Example of a logline generator#

Loglines: The Long and Short on Writing Strong LoglinesĬlear, concise info. Here is a list of some valuable reads on generating loglines. Have fun with these online story element logline generators. There are some great resources online to kickstart creativity.

#Example of a logline generator#

In a literary chicken or egg scenario, a logline works as both a marketing tool after you’ve written your screenplay and an idea generator before you face the blank page. When you are building a story, you need to figure out the world, the conflict, the obstacles and the best main character to face the journey before you start writing. “A young girl is swept away during a tornado from her home in Kansas and lands in the magical kingdom of Oz where she meets new friends and embarks on a quest to return home and also get her friends what they need.” Starting your Story with a Logline GeneratorĪ logline is needed after you’ve written your story, but it can also be amazingly useful as a form of idea generation. Technically, all the plot points are true in this logline, but it’s not the spirit of the film. However, before she reaches her destination, she will murder once more.” She manipulates three heartless, braindead and cowardly strangers to help her escape punishment and get back home. “A disgruntled teenager runs away from home and finds herself in unfamiliar territory when she accidentally commits a murder. For example, take this pitch of The Wizard of Oz: Being able to concisely identify the main character, their emotional state and attributes, the dilemma or conflict and the obstacle is confirmation that you understand the building blocks of your story.Īnd when you are pitching your story, you want to make sure that what you are selling is as advertised.

If you give away the ending, you lose the ability to give a satisfying viewing or reading experience.īesides the usefulness of the logline as a selling tool, it’s also incredibly beneficial to the writer to see if they truly understand their story. A logline is a tease, it is meant to entice you to want to read the screenplay or watch the film.

Hopefully you noticed what we didn’t include in a logline - how it ends. In the Star Wars example above that is the battle station and the evil warlord.

Your logline must include the story element that hinders the main character from achieving their goal. Antagonist Force - All good storytelling includes conflict.For example, the question in Star Wars is “In a galaxy far away, will a young farmer from a desert planet master his dormant powers to save humanity from a world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue a Princess from the powerful and mysterious clutches of an evil warlord?” Turn the question into a statement and you have a log line. Goal - What does your main character want? This is often kickstarted from the inciting incident that leads to the conflict and ultimately the question of your film.Concentrate on character revealing adjectives which can give the reader a window into the main character’s emotional state, such as “a grieving father” or a “lonely architect”. Protagonist - Don’t get bogged down in names which crowd the logline (unless it’s a biopic and the person is well known).This all may sound easy, but distilling the complexities of your screenplay into two lines can often be a challenge. If your film is genre based, you may also have to include a brief set-up that gives context to the world. A logline is a one or two line pitch of your story structure (usually under 40 words) that clues the reader into who is driving the narrative (the protagonist), what they want (the goal) and what stands in their way of getting it (the antagonist force).