Components Of A Logline

In his book, “The Art Of Dramatic Writing”, Lajos Egri presents an approach to premise that consists of two parts: “A leads to B”.

As I think through my premise for “Dead Religious”, I might start with this:

“Hardship leads to Faith” (A leads to B).

Good start, but it doesn’t focus sharply on what I’m after.

Andy Stein, whom I heard speak a number of years ago, presents the idea of a logline that consists of a sentence made up of three parts, with each part summarizing one of the three acts in the film. 

Maybe that’s too forced, but it’s getting closer to the design of a logline, which will be the motivating power behind everything I write, and will serve as my sales pitch once the script is done.

This was my first crack at a logline/premise for “Dead Religious”:

“When his impromptu prayer leads to disaster, a low-life entrepreneur seeks answers by enlisting a soothsayer to contact the dead founders of world religions.”

Okay, getting there. But it’s still vague. What do I mean by “seeks answers”?

Michael Hauge, author of “Writing Screenplays That Sell”, submits that a logline must include the word “wants” – because many beginning writers miss the importance of having the hero pursue a definite, clear goal.

With this in mind, I asked myself, “What does my hero really want, specifically, besides the ambiguous need for answers?

So I decided to make the guy an atheist who goes after something completely counter to what he believes.

Here’s my latest version (changes in italics):

“When a spontaneous prayer from a lonely atheist causes the death of a little boy’s mother, he seeks a spiritist to contact the dead founders of world religions in order to bring the woman back to life.”

Now the hero has a definite goal. And the logline hints at potential growth in the character.

So what are the components of a logline? How about this:

Define the hero.
Define the want.
Establish the arena of external conflict.
Hint at the arena of internal conflict.

I’ll probably continue to revise this as I go, but I think I have a good compass to guide me as I develop the story. Take the time to really think through your logline. It’s key!