Writing a good logline means not only understanding your project thoroughly, but also understanding your audience and knowing why your film is worth their time. to visit his estranged wife and her office building is taken over by terrorists.” The Retreat: “A just-hired employee goes on a company weekend and soon discovers someone’s trying to kill him.”ĭie Hard: “A cop comes to L.A. Here are a few examples from Snyder’s book:Ĥ Christmases: “A newly married couple must spend Christmas Day at each of their four divorced parent’s homes.”
#A LOGLINE EXAMPLE FULL#
Here’s a quick primer to get you up to speed.Ī logline is one sentence that explains what a film is about. In Hollywood, they’re used to sell ideas to big studios that don’t always have time to read a script or listen to a full pitch. Not sure what a logline even is? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. And yet the process of crafting a logline can be incredibly valuable. Loglines aren’t something most independent filmmakers (especially those operating exclusively in the short form on, say, Vimeo) have to think about. We’ve recently been digging into Blake Snyder’s classic screenwriting book Save the Cat! And while much of it is as “Hollywood” as you’d expect, there’s a lot of gold in there too. And to be honest, there’s a lot we can learn from them.
Even though many purposefully disregard Hollywood’s conventions, methods, and structures, we’re still affected by them. Whatever your feelings about Hollywood, it’s impossible to deny its influence on all of us.