Log lines

In the business of screenwriting, everyone dreams of getting a big sale with their passion project, projects they worked on for years. Unfortunately, most aspiring screenwriters spend time writing their screenplays without taking the other necessary steps to get the deal done.

The screenwriting business isn’t as simple as a great story idea. If it were anybody and their uncle could do it. Most people believe they have come up with the best story idea Hollywood has ever seen.

But show business doesn’t just hinge on great stories. While concept may be king there, there are other players in the king’s court and I’m not just talking about story structure. I am referring to the other industry specific tools screenwriters must master.

• Options
•  Treatments
• Log lines

Since I’ve already discussed the first two, this month I want to look at the log line and how it works together with the other tools in the screenwriter’s tool belt.

Log Lines?

Log lines are often overlooked and overdone. Basically, log lines are a 1 to 2 sentence description of what your screenplay is about. The hard part about writing log lines is not giving too much information, but teasing the high points of your narrative.

Your log line should introduce the world of the story, the conflict and the hook, all without wasting any words. Trim the fat—just the meat of the story.

Once you develop your log line, not only will you use it as a guide for writing your screenplay, you also want to use it as your opening line of your treatment that you send out to potential agents, studios or producers.

This will be everyone’s first look at the story you’re trying to pitch. Screenwriting coach and legend Scott Myers advises, “Concise, concise, concise. One sentence that generally describes the script. General is the key word. Don’t worry about every detail of the story in the log line.”

If it is so simple, why do so many screenwriters skip this step in the screenwriting process? Killer log lines often help get movies green-lighted. Below are a few.

1. Matrix A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.
2. Silence of the Lambs A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.
3. Star Wars An orphan farm boy on planet in the galaxy far far away must unite with robots and rebels to fight against an evil controlling empire to save the galaxy.
4. The Hangover A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.
5. A Very Long Engagement A French woman sets out to find the truth about her missing fiancé after he is sent off to serve in World War I.
6. Good Will Hunting A young janitor at M.I.T. has a gift for mathematics but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.

Log lines should tease your story not tell it, as shown in examples above. Give the hook, concept and introduce a few characters, then get out of the way. Ideally, that should be enough to give anyone the premise of your story.

Creatives may feel their work deserves a more thorough explanation in order to entice the right people, but the hard truth of the business is that studio execs, producers and even literary agents don’t have the time to read all of the countless scripts, treatments or queries they receive.

Hence, the power of the almighty log line. It’s great for explaining the concept of your story in the shortest amount of time, with the most impact. And in Hollywood, timing is everything!

Don’t Waste Time!

It can take years and possibly decades to get a movie made after a screenplay is written. The production process is time-consuming and scripts often become dated quickly.

Hollywood is not some get quick rich business, by the time screenwriters “make it,” they have paid their dues by writing dozens of screenplays either on assignment or spec. It takes time to learn the craft of screenwriting, just as with any other profession.

Once a script is completed there are still quite a few stages it goes through before a movie arrives in theaters.

• Being optioned or sold.
• Pre-production.
• Production.
• Post-production.
• Marketing.

None of which will happen without an interesting and concise log line that will tease and sell your story. It’s important to remember log lines don’t need to be complex or long, just clear and to the point.

As a rule of thumb, it should be one to two sentences. The goal is for people to understand your story from your log line.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.