Now let's ask ourselves: is my script character-driven or story-driven? Here's a rule of thumb to help you figure this out: if your protagonist does something that causes the story to unfold (like a family embarking on a road trip to enter the "Little Miss Sunshine" contest), it's probably a character-driven script. What's especially important to note is that one of them works better with character-driven scripts, while the other works better with story-driven scripts. I'm in a unique position here at InkTip where I'm able to look at and track viewings on loglines, and I'm even able to test sample loglines with different structures - and I've noticed in recent years that two particular types of loglines work better than others. So much so that, if your logline doesn't adhere to this standard, it can negatively affect their impression of your script and result in an instant, impulsive "pass" decision. I can't stress this enough: people who read a lot of loglines eventually become accustomed to reading loglines that follow a certain format or industry standard. Especially to someone who reads a lot of loglines. And ultimately, even though it's the hook that reels them in, good structure really does make it easier to convey that hook. Next: realize that loglines, like the scripts you write, have structure. Figure out what your hook is before you even begin shaping it into a logline. But if we happen to have such a script, then it's our job to make sure the logline conveys those story elements AND good writing.įirst: go back and re-read my article on The Hook. There's nothing we can do about specific needs if a producer is looking for a family-friendly Christmas romcom, chances are he won't read anything else. If this is your agent, congratulations, you're all set.įor the rest of us, let's remember that producers are looking for two things in a logline: story elements that meet their specific needs, and good writing. So if she says it's going to be a great script, it's going to be a great script." He replied "I've known the agent for twenty years, and I trust her. I asked this producer what moved him to download this one in particular, because I know guys like him just don't have time to read every script that lands on their desk. Personally, having worked in development, I can say for certain that I wouldn't have requested the script. And I'll say this, calling it awful might've been a bit hyperbolic on his part, but it wasn't really a logline it didn't reveal anything about the characters or the plot or the premise or the nuanced dialogue or even the fact that it was a thriller. So I asked him to show me the logline, which he was happy to do. But he almost missed out on reading it because the logline was awful. It was a real genre-buster, it had the most unique and amazing hook, all the major roles had major star attraction, the characters were likeable, the dialogue was textured and nuanced, the pacing was a great ride, the thrills kept coming. A producer called me recently to rave about a script he'd just optioned.
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