I started to read Blake Snyder's Save the Cat recently. Something I immediately noticed about his thoughts on the logline is that there has to be irony for our main protagonist (and our main antagonist as well).
What bothers me the most, in my case, is that I don't know how to define said irony. If you were to write a logline with a protagonist, antagonist and a specific setting, where would be the irony? What would make the character fall on his or her ass, so to speak? How would the truth assert itself? Do you have any examples?
2 people like this
www.writeandco.com/what-is-irony-screenplay/
3 people like this
Hey @Marcel! That's a great question and one I struggle with all the time, I think they typically mean they're looking for clear confrontation and a twist at the end. But someone who is much better at this than me is WME's Chris Lockhart who has taught a couple of special webinars for us on this topic that you should check out --
What Makes an Attractive Logline >> https://www.stage32.com/webinars/What-Makes-Your-Logline-Interesting-for...
Logline Workshop (for Writers' Room members only) >> https://www.stage32.com/webinars/Special-Event-Logline-Workshop-with-Chr...
4 people like this
It's really interesting to see the journey the word "irony" and its meaning have had over the last few decades. The semantics are constantly evolving as we use and manipulate it.
1 person likes this
I'm not sure if I've used irony in a logline, Marcel Nault Jr.. Thanks for the article. I'm sure it'll be helpful.
2 people like this
Hi Marcel - thank you for sharing. I also highly recommend the webinars that Emily posted below. Loglines are a special craft unto themselves.
1 person likes this
Thank you all for the tips and advices! I really appreciate it.
I'm trying not to discourage myself too much when it comes to my logline, even though I have to beat it into submission once in a while, so to speak. lol I think it's much better if the irony is explicitly said in it. Otherwise, what's the point? The viewers at home won't care about the main protagonist or the story.
2 people like this
I think Emily's suggestions are great to check out. I used to work with Chris, and he is a true story whiz!