Loglines: I’ve spoken countless of them over the phone to development types. It was back in the day when you could actually call a Director of Development at a production company and tell them your story in one breath. I’d scour my Hollywood Creative Directory and highlight all the companies that I thought might be interested in my scripts. I was marketing at least three screenplays at a time, all different genres. I have pages of contact info noting the day I called, who I spoke with about what project, and any follow-up notes. I still have all those sheets of papers with names that are pretty much meaningless now. It just shows my tenacity if nothing else, not to mention an indefatigable spirit. The enthusiasm has waned a bit over the years but I don’t give up. I’m juggling different interests and goals, but screenwriting is still on my personal short list.
I look back at those telephone pitches with feelings of my own naiveté when I hoped against hope that “Wow, the gatekeeper is going to love my story and shepherd it along.” Yes, I knew their job was to answer the phone, show interest, and, randomly, give the go ahead for a writer to send along a script through an entertainment attorney and/or after signing a release form of some sort. I had some success in sending out the scripts with files of subsequent rejection letters as proof. Some of those rejections were actually very complimentary about my stories.
And then, on a few occasions, I’d fly to Los Angeles for pitch session weekends. I met event organizers that were really the best cheerleaders imaginable, those that orchestrated these massive pitch fest cattle calls. I bought into these events because they validated the time, energy and money I spent on pursuing a screenwriting career. I’d sit in front of production company reps and pitch myself and my script for five minutes, along with hundreds of others awaiting their chance in the hot seat. I couldn’t fathom being on the other side of that table, the reps with glazed over eyes. In my feverish marketing days, I actually befriended a few directors of development and soon realized they were really trying to get their own projects off the ground. The job kept them plugged into the industry. That’s not to say all of them were playacting. I think they cared about getting good stories developed, but I honestly don’t know how much power they had in the production company hierarchy. I guess it depended on the production company itself. Some producers acted as their own development office, so there was an opportunity, as a screenwriter, to be closer to the source.
So, I know this blog is entitled Loglines and I deviated to pitching. It’s simple. Pitching starts with the logline, whether it’s a written query, synopsis, pitch meeting, or a ride in the elevator. The logline should flow from your lips like honey from a comb. I’ve come to acknowledge that nearly every sentence that describes a movie is a logline. The whole idea is that is should spark the interest of “tell me more” or “show me what happens.”
I did a little investigation in the “Top Box Office” loglines. You be the judge. Hopefully you’ve seen at least one if not all three of the films.
CASABLANCA – Set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War II: An American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications;
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PULP FICTION – The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
For me, the best one is Tarantino’s PULP FICTION logline. I want to know more about the four tales of violence and redemption. And the cast of characters are so diverse that I’m intrigued by their connection. The worst of the bunch is CASABLANCA, actually one of my favorite movies that I studied at length as a Film Theory student in college when my task was to read movies a la deconstructing the story elements. CASABLANCA is a film that works on so many levels and has an alluring back story regarding how it was made. The most trite one is THE GODFATHER because it sounds like there’s not much going on and this movie simmers right below the boiling point and then erupts like Mt. Vesuvius at times. Suspense is at every moment and I don’t get that from the logline.
These are my opinions of course, but I bring this up for a reason! IF you capture attention with a compelling logline that begs the intended to cry out “Tell me more!” don’t follow it up with a lousy, mid-draft script. Think about it. You get an absolutely gorgeous invitation, but the party you attend is an absolute bore fest. Will you stay or make a polite gesture of bowing out. Make sure there’s plenty of festivities at your party—food, music, fun, games, whatever it take to keep someone engaged and love it so much that they thank you for inviting them!!
So, my lesson for myself and anyone reading this is, make the logline good and the script GREAT!! Look back on the loglines I’ve added for an example and think about the movie they introduce. Even if the logline isn’t the absolute greatest, the movies were absolute hits. If nothing else, get the logline to want the reader to find out more. And then deliver with the best party an invitation could promise!!
Happy writing in 2021!!