The 2011 Blacklist and the Art of a Good Logline

thebloodfiend · Dec 23, 2011

http://blcklst.com/lists/2011_black_list.pdf

I'm reading through it, and, so far, I haven't found any impressive loglines.

I like this one:

THE THREE MISFORTUNES OF GEPPETTO
by Michael Vukadinovich
A prequel to the story of Pinocchio in which Geppetto endures a life of misfortune, war, and adventure, all to be with Julia Moon, his true love.

But the rest? Meh.

Especially this:

GOOD KIDS
by Chris McCoy
Four overachieving high school students in Cape Cod reinvent themselves during the summer after graduation.

and this:

JURASSIC PARK
by Imran Zaidi
A high school couple and two of their friends ditch school to catch a special preview screening of JURASSIC PARK.

I'm wondering if the art of a well written logline is lost. Most of these simply don't intrigue me. Even my fav isn't a well written logline.

I won't even talk about this:

PINOCCHIO
by Bryan Fuller
A wooden puppet, Pinocchio, dreams of becoming a real boy.

I mean, I get that it's a remake. But what about this logline, besides the word Pinocchio, makes anyone want to pick this up?

So, is it even necessary to learn how to write decent loglines anymore? Or are these exceptions that someone managed to get onto an agent's desk? I mean, I thought the Blacklist was for scripts that would normally get little to no attention -- meaning, debut scriptwriters and unknowns.

Writing Again · Dec 23, 2011

Answer: Yes! If for nothing else because a good logline is an excellent tool for solving problems in anything you write.

If you are having trouble writing a scene in a script, a chapter in a novel, or any other problem that involves continuity -- A good logline will show up the weakness and indicate what you need to do to improve it.

I am aware a logline is primarily thought of as a selling tool, but it is far more than that. It is an excellent tool to bring clarity to your writing.

P.S. None of the "loglines" I saw on this list would qualify.

mario_c · Dec 23, 2011

Bear in mind many of the loglines are rewritten by the agents and managers who do the voting. Why? Well, many of the scripts are kept under tight wraps during development, and especially during option and pre-production. It's a strange process (and to be fair, I don't officially work in da 'Wood, so I don't know the nuances) - writers do everything in their power to get the word out about their spec, and agents then have to keep the ideas out of public view while they take said spec "across town".

Killgore · Jan 2, 2012

I've never read a log line I found intriguing. Citizen Kane sounds boring when distilled into a pithy log line.

Charles Foster Kane is a complicated man whose life has been full of corruption, compromise, and tragedy. After his death, more questions exist than answers, which are up to a journalist named Thompson to unravel, especially of his last words: “Rosebud.”

The 2011 Blacklist and the Art of a Good Logline

thebloodfiend

Cory

Writing Again

Living Life In The Sandbox

mario_c

Your thoughts are not real...

Killgore