Log Lines

What is a log line? Put simply, it is your elevator pitch. It is your story in three or four sentences. This is not an easy thing to do. You spend months, maybe even years, on your screenplay, then you have to compress it into three or four lines. It may not seem fair, but when you start sending out query letters to try to get representation, that’s all you get to represent your work.

Writing a query letter is an art in itself – but that’s for another time. But it all comes down to the log line. In as few words as possible, you have to catch the interest of your reader. You have to make your main character interesting, say what his goal is, and what are the obstacles in his way.

During my time in GLAWS, I have come across many methods of writing a log line. But the best exercise I have found so far is by writer Christine Conradt, the subject of my last blog post. She wrote this article for www.screeplayhowto.comm . In it, she gives the six elements that need to be in a good log line, then uses examples from her own screenplays. The direct link to this article is www.screenplayhowto.com/screenplay-blog/how-to-write-a-logline It’s short, but then again, so is a log line.

You can also see Ms. Conradt’s page at www.christineconradt.com