Jun 1 • Film/Series
Loglines Sell Scripts. Period. (Part II)
A logline is your first handshake — it’s the hook that gets someone to actually read your script. If it doesn’t spark interest, you’ve lost your shot before page one.
I recently saw someone post, “Looking for a producer for the next big thing in Hollywood,” followed by this logline:“A woman defies all odds to become the star she’s meant to be.”Look, I don’t mean to be harsh, but that’s about as vague and generic as it gets. It doesn’t tell me anything. No character. No conflict. No world. No reason to care.
Here’s what a strong logline needs to do:
- Who is the protagonist?
- What are they up against?
- What do they want?
- Where is this all happening?
Even something offbeat like:“Beth’s monkeynut addiction won’t stop her from chasing her dream of becoming Seattle’s top barista.”…at least gives us a name, a quirk, a goal, and a setting. Is it polished? No. But it’s clear and specific — and that’s what opens doors.
Don’t play it coy. Being vague doesn’t protect your IP — it just makes your script easy to ignore. Truth is, you’re not giving anything away by writing a solid logline. You own your material the moment you wrote it. And if someone does try to run with a copycat idea from a single sentence? Their version is going to be wildly different anyway. Yours is already documented.
Bottom line: If you want someone to take your work seriously, take your logline seriously. It’s your foot in the door — make sure it kicks hard.
PS. This came from a post I saw on LinkedIn!
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Loglines Sell Scripts. Period. (Part II)
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