Log Lines

Question

"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets, then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again."Joe Myers "Got any others?"

Usenet · Accepted Answer

"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets, then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again."

This simply recounts a few disconnected (at least disconnected as described) incidents from a story. It's not a premise, thus does not work as an effective logline.

Let's put it this way. If somebody asked you what your story was about, you might begin with, "A woman finds herself in a surreal landscape --" but even then, what exactly this means is so cryptic, that it's likely that whoever you're talking to would interrupt you and say, "What do you mean she "finds herself in a surreal landscape" -- does she go to sleep an wake up there? Is she magically transported there? Is this a science experiment gone awry? Is she just walking down the street and steps through a dimensional doorway? What do you mean?

And it's extremely unlikely, if you were to go on to tell someone what your story was about, that you'd choose the words that you chose above -- because, again, there would be nothing but questions. Why did she kill the first woman she met? Who was this woman she killed? Who is she? Is she a professional killer? Did this woman try to kill her? And why team up with three other women to try to kill again? Why? Who? What?

Granted, a logline has to be intriguing -- but there's a big difference between being intriguing and simply being confusing.

The point isn't to try to tell the whole story in a line -- the point is to tell the premise -- and the premise is the central problem of the story.

A modern urban woman wakes one morning to find herself in a deadly surreal landscape of this, that, and the other, where she must fight to survive and find her way back home.

The situation -- the central problem -- the tone.

That's what you want a logline to convey.

Where are we? What is the problem that needs to be solved, and what kind of movie is it -- a comedy, a drama, a romance, an action film. That is the goal of any logline.

NMS

Usenet · Answer

(in article ):
[nq:1]"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets, then teams up with three complete ... is it -- a comedy, a drama, a romance, an action film. That is the goal of any logline. NMS[/nq]
See? "Wizard of Oz" would never get off the ground in this day and age...

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets, then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again."[/nq]
Dogged by his shiftless, morose friend Rick, a piano player flees Paris for the jazz clubs of Northern Africa, only to lose his job and his liquor license when Rick uses his piano to hide his stash.

Alan Brooks ~~ A ******* with an Underwood

-- "Everyone Comes To Sam's"

~~ Important MWSM Documents -- The MWS FAQ: http://www.online-communicator.com/faqs.html

Usenet · Answer

(in article ):
[nq:2]"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets, then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again."[/nq]
"Dogged by his shiftless, morose friend Rick, a piano player flees Paris for the jazz clubs of Northern Africa, only ... an Underwood -- "Everyone Comes To Sam's" ~~ Important MWSM Documents -- The MWS FAQ: http://www.online-communicator.com/faqs.html
Think "Casablanca" meets "Midnight Express"

Usenet · Answer

See? "Wizard of Oz" would never get off the ground in this day and age...

No -- a ****** logline wouldn't get off the ground -- in this day and age or any other.

"A lonely little girl is swept away to a magical world full of wonderful beings and evil witches and must face terrible dangers in order to find her way back home."

Gets off the ground just fine.

NMS

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]The situation -- the central problem -- the tone.[/nq]
What's the logline for "Deader"? I've read its loglines on IMDB and the Howard Meibach's books but, according to its author, what's the logline for Deader?

Usenet · Answer

What's the logline for "Deader"? I've read its loglines on IMDB and the Howard Meibach's books but, according to its author, what's the logline for Deader?

A journalist for a lower east side underground newspaper finds herself drawn into a nightmarish world when she investigates a cult whose members commit suicide -- and return to life.

NMS

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Dogged by his shiftless, morose friend Rick, a piano player flees Paris for the jazz clubs of Northern Africa, only ... uses his piano to hide his stash. Alan Brooks ~~ A ******* with an Underwood -- "Everyone Comes To Sam's"[/nq]
Terrific, Alan. You could call it, "Acnalbasac".

Doug

"Sometimes you gotta say goodbye to the things you know, and hello to the things you don't."

-- Steve McQueen in "The Reivers

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the firstwoman she meets, then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again." Joe Myers "Got any others?"[/nq]
Hey, we played this game on the Wordplay forums last year! "Write A Logline For A Film That Is Entirely Accurate Yet Completely Misleading."

One of my contributions was for THE SOUND OF MUSIC: A defrocked nun seduces a widower and his seven children, then runs them out of the country.

Log Lines

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