Loglines
If you have a difficult time writing loglines here are two logline templates I’ve slightly altered from Max Adams’ book The Screenwriter’s Survival Guide.
The first is for stories where the protagonist’s problem is an external force like a monster or evil men. The second is when a protagonist’s problem is an internal bad guy, like a poor attitude toward love or growing older.
1. (Title) is a (genre) about (protagonist) who must (tangible goal) or else (dire thing that will occur if protagonist fails — Ex: who must find the lost Ark of the Covenant and keep it safe or else the Nazis will use it to rule the world; Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark).
2. (Title) is a (genre) about (protagonist) who (inciting incident that creates the problematic circumstances, preferably ironic — Ex: who falls in love with her fiance’s brother; Moonstruck).
Leave a Reply
Danger & Doom: Brainless Brother
An Exciting New Ebook for Kids Ages 8-10!
“Exciting! … I could barely stop reading your story until I finished it!!”
— Christina (age 8)
“Hilarious!!”
— Martin (age 9)
“He laughed out loud. … An eight-year-old laughing out loud? Success!”
— Sarah, mother of Judson (age 8)
What would you do if your brother lost his mind… literally? Will Doom find Danger's runaway brain before the test at school, or will he have a brainless brother forever?!
Short Notes on Long Comics
Three-Act Story Structure in Graphic Novels
"Short Notes on Long Comics is awesome!”
— Calista Brill, Editor for First Second Books
Short Notes on Long Comics will show you how three-act story structure is used in 10 of the most popular graphic novels on the market. From their example, you can learn how to structure your own story and make your graphic novel the best it can be.
Hey Tim,
I must have read this loglines catergory forever ago & forgotten about it. Having recently looked at it, I see how helpful this is. My only question is, (and this is with regard to the first template you laid out), does it work for plural or multiple protagonists? Or is there a third template for ensemble casts?
That depends. For a story like Boogie Nights or Crash (which have ensemble casts), the second template is probably more useful. If your ensemble cast has a single, tangible goal, and there’s dire consequence if they don’t achieve that goal (like in Guardians of the Galaxy), then the first one would probably work just fine.
Perfect analogy Tim!! That’s exactly the answer I needed.hah My cast of characters & story is very much a cross between “Guardians of the Galaxy,” meets “Lord of the Rings.”
Thanks again buddy.
No problem. Happy to help. 🙂