9 Components Of The Perfect Logline (Part 1)

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Logline:

Many aspiring writers battle with loglines. Quite a few working writers struggle, too. Afterall, it’s a different skill from writing a script. The good news is crafting a logline becomes much easier when the writer knows what to include and, more importantly, what to leave on the cutting room floor. What darlings must be sacrificed in the name of brevity? Thankfully, the answer is straightforward. 

This article describes a specific strategy for crafting a logline that will motivate the industry professional to actually read the script. This is, after all, the primary goal of the logline – to set expectations that will get the script read. 

A kick-ass logline lets the potential reader know they are in capable storytelling hands.

Defining the Logline

A logline is a single sentence of about 35 words that defines the story’s central conflict through context/setting, a flawed main character & their opposition, triggering events, goal, stakes, and tone.

In order to describe a story in a single sentence, the logline will focus solely on the central conflict – the major external conflict that resolves in the climax. The central conflict consists of the main character, what they want, why they want it, who or what doesn’t want them to have it, and what happens if they don’t get it.

Additionally, the logline may describe the setting or context that will help the reader to visualize or understand the story. And, perhaps most importantly, the tone and style of the logline must accurately represent the story as it is. 

Now that we know what stays in the picture, what then gets spliced out? Keep it simple. Multiple settings, subplots, or minor characters are best saved for a synopsis, as are internal conflicts and ornate descriptions. 

Elements Of A Logline

As we dig a little deeper into each of the eight elements mentioned in the definition above we’ll use Michael Mann’s Ferrari, a biographical sports drama written by Troy Kennedy Martin. Identifying each of the elements separately will make crafting a logline much easier. 

At this point, when identifying each element, it’s not necessary to restrict word count. The important thing to recognize is how the element is used in the story. Take time and space to explore. In the end, once each element is clear, it will be just a matter of reducing and condensing them into a cohesive single sentence logline. Easy peasy.

1) Context & Setting

Perhaps nothing is more vital to help the reader to visualize the story than its setting. It serves as a familiar frame of reference or a visual anchor for the reader. It may even be key to understanding the conflict in the story.

Example: In the script for Ferrari, the setting is 1957 Italy. The status quo has Enzo (Adam Driver) mourning the death of his son, focusing on racing, not the manufacturing and retail sales, and spending time with his mistress and illegitimate son. 

2) Main Character

The logline represents only the central conflict of the main point of view (POV) character. But this does not have to be a goal driven, change character, known as the protagonist. The protagonist is just one type of main character. 

The Protagonist is the most common type of main character. The protagonist’s circumstances have changed, which reveals a need that drives a goal which is resolved in the climax, only if they themselves can change. If the protagonist fails to achieve their goal, they experience specific personal negative consequences (stakes).

The protagonist of the movie Ferrari is the growing legend, the ultra-competitive, philandering Enzo Ferrari. His whole life is wrapped up in racing. While he’s not actively racing, he is an active protagonist with the goal of regaining control of the company. Typically, in a logline, the main character’s name isn’t used. The exception is when the main character, or at least their name, is well known to the audience.

The Hero has a reactive goal — to stop their opposition. The opposition’s active goal drives the narrative. The hero seeks either justice or the restoration of the status quo. Heroes aren’t just super human. They can be ordinary people, like doctors, lawyers, firemen, or wizards. It is the opponent’s goal that will be described in the logline. Further differentiating the hero from other main character types is stakes. The hero typically risks everything on behalf of others.

Examples of the hero are easily found: Harry Potter, John Wick, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell from Top Gun, and Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Not to mention all the heroes that populate the Marvel and DC cinematic universes.

3) Opposition

Without opposition there is no conflict. No conflict means no story. Conflict can only come when a character who wants or needs something specific faces significant opposition. That is to say, the audience must know the opposition as overpowering. Significant opposition promises that the main character will have to struggle for their desired outcome.

Some types of opposition simply oppose the main character, while others may drive the narrative forward. Opposition is not only found in allies and enemies, but in nature, culture, ghosts, and machines. The one thing all opposition types have in common is that they significantly stand in the way of the main character achieving their desired outcome.

Just as there are different types of main characters, there are seven different types of opposition that a main character may face. The first three are characters with differing levels of empathy — or sociopathy.   

The Antagonist directly opposes the protagonist’s goal. They may or may not have their own goal, need, or desire, but the one thing they cannot allow is for the main character to succeed. It’s a zero-sum game. Only one can triumph. The antagonist is not necessarily a bad person. They may even be an ally with a different perspective of how to pursue a common desired outcome. 

Returning to our example Ferrari, winning the Mille Miglia, a prestigious road race, is a major step in Enzo’s goal, but it is not the climax of the story. Enzo’s goal is to regain control of his company. The antagonist is Enzo’s wife Laura who controls the company.

The Villain drives the narrative in stories with heroes. Inverting the protagonist/antagonist dynamic, the villain’s desired outcome must be thwarted by the hero in the climax. Yes, the hero has a goal of justice, but it is reactive to the villain’s goal. The hero has the main POV of the story. A superhero must foil the supervillain’s plans, just as a detective must solve the crime to bring justice. If the villain were to have the main POV, they would be considered the main character. 

Every superhero movie starts with a villain’s plan. The Joker is always up to something that forces Batman into action. However, Joaquin Phoenix in The Joker, for instance, is not a villain in the story sense. He is a main character as he has the primary POV. 

The Monster has no conscience. The monster may be some kind of animal, or a sociopathic human. It has no empathy. It wants what it wants, pure and simple, that is, to destroy the main character. It can not be reasoned with. It will not change. As long as the monster is on the prowl, there is no rest for the main character. The main character must endure and even find a way to defeat the monster. The monster is found in sci-fi movies where technology runs amok or when aliens invade. They are found in nature and the supernatural. But also in war movies, for instance, where humans perform unthinkable acts. These monsters may even represent, in physical form.

The four Oppositional Forces of Nature, Culture, Technology, and the Supernatural may be represented by aspects of several characters, none of which, individually, would serve as a villain or monster. The main character is forced into circumstances where they cannot easily flee. Like the monster, the force itself may seem impossible to overcome, leaving the main character no choice but to simply endure until the force subsides, such as one of Mother Nature’s storms, or daybreak in a vampire flick.