We all know loglines should be concise and have a great hook, but which part do you struggle with the most—stakes, conflict, clarity, or goal?”
A logline is a one- or two-sentence summary of your screenplay that highlights the main character, their goal, the stakes, and the central conflict.
Here’s the template I use:
After ______ (the inciting incident/the event that sets the plot in motion), a _______ (an adjective and the protagonist's position/role) tries to _______ (goal of story) so/in order to ________ (stakes).
Example: After a teenager is accidentally transported 30 years into the past, he must find a way to both return to his own time and reunite his parents before he and his future cease to exist.
What do you struggle with the most?
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Hey, Leonardo Ramirez. I usually struggle with fitting a unique concept/experimental concept into a logline template. Sometimes I get it to fit, and sometimes I go with a unique logline.
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That makes total sense Maurice Vaughan. I can also see where that would be a struggle as it relates to world building. I tend to want that to be an aspect of the logline but often have to surrender that and being happy for it to be a word or two - economy of words.
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I like the template, Leonardo Ramirez . I tend to struggle with the stakes the most, because I suspect that is the most interesting part of a story at first blush. What I mean is that once someone dives into a screenplay or film, the characters, setting, etc. take over, but the initial interest generator is usually the concept/stakes.
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I'm the same way, Leonardo Ramirez. I end up using a word, two words, or a few words to describe the world in the logline and save the rest for the synopsis.
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I have to give credit where credit is due Patrick Koepke. I may have used the formula but the template I got from Maurice Vaughan. And I think you're right - stakes are the most interesting part but I do find that a lot of writers leave that out of their logline.
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Yes Maurice Vaughan ! And then I feel like I've cheated the audience of the part that took me a year to build.
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Leonardo Ramirez You can't go wrong following Maurice's lead.
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I don't know, Patrick Koepke. I might lead you to some shady places. Haha
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Maurice Vaughan When you're in Texas in August like I am, you don't mind a little shade from time to time.
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the most difficult thing about writing a logline is crossing the goals of the hero and the antagonist. Often, authors forget that a logline should have an antagonist and write in general terms that the hero should overcome something.
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Patrick Koepke Houston is where I met and married my wife. The heat was unbearable. I love the people but don’t miss the heat.
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That’s true Arthur Charpentier. Great point!
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Leonardo Ramirez Houston is my hometown. I don't miss the heat either, but I still love the city when I visit.
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In the few cities I've lived Patrick Koepke, the people of Houston are the most generous and sincere I've ever had the pleasure of calling neighbor. And the food is the best.
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The person reading. How can you make it standout to them. They have the title, how does the logline fluctuate a synchronicity to make them read, identify, or rage a hard curiosity on sight to immediately indulging pages.
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I hear you Jermar Jerome Smith. That's my weakness as well. When we are so familiar with the story, we forget that we're writing for an audience. What helps me is adding some love and care into the mix and remembering that I'm writing for an audience that I care about who has never read any of my work before.
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Jermar Jerome Smith
My only logline that interested a Russian director looks like this:
A female lawyer undertakes to defend a young gamer who brutally murdered his mother. A simple case becomes ambiguous when the heroine finds out that the defendant himself was a victim of his mother for a long time.