So what is a logline?
And how can knowing how to write one, help you and your brand?
Loglines are one sentence summaries of movies, tv shows, or other pieces of narrative content.
Loglines are a simple way of communicating the crux of a storyline.
In mainstream storytelling, they tend to follow (a version of) this formula:
SETTING, PROTAGONIST, PROBLEM, ANTAGONIST, ACTION, GOALS.
This is not too dissimilar to the idea of a brand mission statement which describes what the brand does.
BRAND NAME, TARGET CUSTOMER, PROBLEM, PAINS, SOLUTIONS, AIMS
We can learn a lot from a logline‘s ability to distil complex ideas.
Example, Logline for ‘ToyStory’
“A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman figure supplants him as top toy in a boy’s room”
Example, Logline for ‘The Godfather’
“The ageing patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.”
Example, Logline for ‘Titanic’
“Two star-crossed lovers fall in love on the maiden voyage of the Titanic and struggle to survive as the doomed ship sinks into the Atlantic Ocean.”
When your idea, business or brand feels too complicated, or nuanced to succinctly explain (much like a movie script), try creating your very own logline.
Ask yourself:
Where does it exist?
Who is it for/about?
What is the problem?
What are the hurdles?
What are the solutions?
How does the story end?
