#Logline meaning download#

Crafting the perfect logline consumes an abnormal amount of work, because it’s an attempt to stuff 90 minutes of meaning into half a paragraph without losing the importance. And while synopses might have dulled that excitement more before I learned the right way to do those, loglines were the more exhausting part of the pitch process. It’s a completely different skill, and I hate talking up my work (more precisely, I love talking about what excites me about it, I hate telling anyone else why they should think my work is good). This is a high-interest way to target writing skills in a concise format.For as long as I’ve loved to write stories, I have absolutely hated pitching. In a way, students are asked to craft a miniature argument in which they make a claim (text comparisons) and then explain their reasoning using examples (evidence) from the texts. Students can use this same structure to draw comparisons between texts and then explain the rationale behind their comparisons. Have you ever heard films being compared to other films as part of the screenplay 'pitch'? Comparing new story ideas to familiar story ideas allows for 'buyers' and filmmakers to get an overall vision for the story concept.Įxample : Shaun of the Dead is like Dawn of the Dead Meets Spaceballs.Įxample : Nanny McPhee is like Mary Poppins meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.Įxample: Harry Potter is like Sherlock Holmes meets The Sword in the Stone.

#Logline meaning download#

In the roaring 20s of Long Island and New York City, a self-made millionaire uses his fortune won through bootlegging to win back his long lost love who has married into a family of ‘old money.’ Click here to download a FREE copy of the Logline for Text Summary Handout from Bespoke ELA! They elope with tragic consequences, and their families are changed forever. In medieval Italy, a young man falls in love with the daughter of his family’s sworn enemy. Students can take turns sharing their loglines as well as trying to guess the name of the text the logline is describing. The logline provides another creative means to target close reading skills and text analysis in a format that is concise, yet challenging. Students can use the logline strategy to summarize texts, and these short, dramatic summary statements can be used to assess student understanding of key concepts in a piece of literature. It can also help in determining the pivotal events and turning points in the story that create the dramatic interest and tension. Using a logline as a summative tool can help in assessing the important literary elements of a text such as: setting, protagonist, antagonist, and conflict. Leave it open- ended in order to entice the listener.

Stories with magical endings are often a letdown for the audience.ĭon’t reveal the plot twist ending in the logline. The protagonist should work to solve the problem, and the resolution should stem from the protagonist’s own actions. Sometimes, a world operates by a different set of rules, and the rules of the world need to be explained (briefly).Įxample: In a world where children are grown in factoriesĭon't let the problem be solved by magic or fate.įate, magic, or dumb luck should not magically solve the protagonist’s problem. Include the “rules” of the setting if needed. Stakes make a story more dramatic by creating tension. Include stakes such as a ticking time bomb, if you can. How does the antagonist attempt to block the protagonist? This is what creates the actual story. Examples: The young girl, A blind superhero, etc.Ĭlearly state the protagonist’s main goal.Ī quick way to do this is to add the word “wants” after introducing the protagonist.Įxample: A blind superhero wants to save a city from crime.ĭescribe the antagonist.Use an adjective to give depth to the characters. A LOGLINE is a one or two sentence statement that summarizes the film plot as succinctly as possible while also serving as a teaser for the film.