Most of us share the fear of being in front of a doctor and receiving this type of news. What if our health fails us at some point? Do we have a backup plan? What if someone close to us gets a terminal diagnosis? How do we deal with raising their spirits while going through our own devastating recognition that we will lose someone we love? We all have to face the fact that we’re all aboard the same train that ends in death. This is the one guarantee in life: we will all die. How has this affected your life? Have you been through the loss of a loved one? How did it make you feel in the moment that you first heard the news? It is in the exploration of these moments that you will find your truth and your voice. In revealing your voice, you will immerse us in your vision. As a member of your audience, I can tell you that we want you to be willing to go there.
EXERCISE
Think of universal life moments in your life that were starting points. What happened after the start? What was the journey? What did you learn along the way? How long until it ended with a new recognition, a new shift?
How has death affected your life? What are your feelings about death? Who do you fear losing the most in your life?
What are the biggest shifts in your life? Do the positive shifts outweigh the negative shifts? If not, why do you think this is?
Write down moments in your life when you met someone who you felt was particularly special. It could be a love interest, a mentor, or someone you admire. How did their presence affect you? What influence did they have on your life?
When you connect with an emotion conveyed in a story, write down what it reminded you of in your own story. Recognize this emotion as a universal one. Think of ways to implement it in your writing.
Chapter Five
WRITE A LOG LINE FOR YOUR SCRIPT
If you can’t write your idea on the back of my calling card, you don’t have a clear idea.
~ David Belasco
Writing a log line is something that most writers do after they’ve written their script, but I encourage writers to write their log line before writing their script. Your log line is your story. It is your roadmap. It tells you where you are going and how you plan to get there. It also tells you if you are taking a wrong turn. If your log line doesn’t work, more often than not, something about your story is not working. As discussed earlier, when you’re thinking of your log line, you want to think, “who, dilemma, action, and goal.” When describing your dilemma, draw a picture that makes us feel empathy for your central character. Next, include the action that he or she takes as a result of the dilemma and, finally, include your character’s goal. Very often, your central character’s goal at the end of the story winds up being the opposite of what it was at the start. This is where irony comes into play. Irony is a key part of a successful log line and, therefore, a key part of a successful story.
By writing log lines for your life, you practice putting together a successful log line. Sometimes, it is easier to first learn to write log lines by fictionalizing your truth because you can change the story however you please in order to fit the structure of an ideal log line. You’re not as mentally locked into a certain story line as you are when writing a log line that reflects the story of your script. So, by learning to write log lines when there is less at stake and your story is malleable, you’ll learn how to most effectively use log lines to best structure the story of your actual script. Once you master the art of writing log lines, you’ll find them to be an invaluable tool for analyzing your story and selling your pitch. Log lines reveal so much. If they are your starting point, your stories will have a much stronger chance of working, and it will also be easier for you to write. If we know what direction we’re going in, the destination becomes more accessible.
I am going to give you a series of examples of log lines from current movies and television shows. Then, I will discuss and/or reflect on them as a way to help you see how to best write yours. I find that log lines are just a structured way of organizing story. Many of us rebel against structure because it forces us into a discipline. Yet, it is with discipline and consciousness that writing can truly be birthed and bring you the results you want. Even though it may go against your normal process, try making this your new process and see how powerful the results are.
Since it was one of my favorite movies of 2009, let’s start with The Hurt Locker. A log line for The Hurt Locker is, “A highly specialized Army bomb squad, forced to work together to identify and dismantle bombs in a city where they can trust no one, must learn to rely on each other to stay alive.” The who is “A highly specialized Army bomb squad.” The dilemma is “forced to work together to identify and dismantle bombs in a city where they can trust no one.” The action taken is “must learn to rely on each other.” The goal is to “stay alive.” The irony is the fact that they have to “come together” in a place where they can trust no one.
If you’ve seen the movie, try coming up with your own log lines for the movie. This is another great way to practice writing log lines. Again, it’s easier to organize a story you’re not mentally and emotionally locked into, and the practice will help you to condition your mind to think this way. With this movie, you can write a log line from each of the three central characters’ point of view. For example, one could be, “When replacing an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit leader who was killed in the line of duty, Sergeant First Class Will James must figure out how to maintain his highly successful track record of dismantling IEDs and bring a unit together, all while battling with his own inner demons.” An example of a log line from J. T. Sanborn’s point of view could be, “After losing his team leader in the line of action with an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit, Sergeant J. T. Sanborn must figure out how to keep the new “reckless” leader, Will James, safe while successfully completing the mission.” A log line for Specialist Owen Eldridge, the unit’s third member, could be, “After watching his friend and leader die in the line of duty, Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) must learn to trust the new leader, Will James, who he feels threatens his life and the lives of others, all while coming to terms with his own fear of death.” The point is to take a story and organize it in a way that gives you an emotional hook while revealing the map to where we’re going.
A log line for Up in the Air is, Ryan Bingham, an emotionally detached high-flying corporate executive who fires people for a living, is suddenly “grounded” by his company and must learn to attach to his life by revising his philosophy and getting over his fear of commitment. The who is, “Ryan Bingham, an emotionally detached, high-flying corporate executive who fires people for a living.” The dilemma is “is suddenly grounded by his company.” The action is “must learn to attach to his life.” The goal is “by revising his philosophy and getting over his fear of commitment.” The dilemma is interesting in this movie because Ryan doesn’t really see his life as a dilemma until his way of life is threatened. When he is told that his life, as he knows it, may come to an end, he must deal with his own sense of mortality expressed by his philosophy that “the slower you move, the faster you die.” If you watch this movie a few times and read the script, you will see that the development of the story is incredibly well done. I love how the structure of the B story of his sister Julie getting married resonates and heightens the dilemma of the A story in a quiet way that really has a strong emotional effect that helps Ryan get to where he needs to be.
In the movie Avatar, a log line is, a misdirected Marine awakens to find himself a paraplegic, goes on a mission to Pandora where, if he completes his task, he could get his legs back, but when he finds love chooses to protect his home. This log line really shines a light on the dilemma of the central character, Jake. Jake’s external goal is to get the use of his legs back. The dilemma he faces is that in order to get his legs back, he has to do what the bad guy asks him to, and this means betraying his love interest. The who is “a Marine.” The dilemma is, “awakens to find himself a paraplegic.” Also, part of the dilemma is “but when he fi
nds love chooses.” The action is “goes on a mission to Pandora where if he follows his command could get his legs back,” his goal “to protect his home.” This actually further expresses the dilemma but also heightens the decision Jake must make in order to achieve the goal. We will explore dilemmas in a later chapter, but this movie’s dilemma heightens the emotional stakes and connects you to the story in a universal way. It also explores the idea of wish fulfillment by looking at both sides of the dilemma. We know what we are rooting for in this story.
In the movie 500 Days of Summer, a log line is, when a smitten boy falls head over heels for a girl who breaks his heart he does everything to get her back while learning the lesson that just because we love doesn’t mean it will be returned, but it can move us in the right direction. In this story, the clarity of goal really touches the audience on an emotional level. This movie is an example of a great movie that doesn’t end in typical Hollywood fashion. Its ending, where the woman has the upper hand, is similar to Up in the Air. I find it fascinating that both movies were written by men. The endings they chose reflect the changing roles of men and women in the modern relationship. As the “breadwinner” status becomes more and more the role of the woman, men are choosing to write in a way that reflects the effect this has had on them in their relationships. Women are making the choices. This is what you want your log lines to do: Promote discussion about your story by provoking controversy or connecting us to a universally relatable emotional experience.
In the move, I Love You, Man (Dreamworks SKG, 2009), the log line reads, a groom without a best man goes on a search to make his fiancée happy and finds a new friend but wonders if his choice will lead them to happily ever after. We feel empathy from the beginning with the words “a groom without a best man” and this also sets up the dilemma. This is a strong use of words because it reveals so much in such a brief way. The action is, “goes on a search.” The goal is, “but wonders if his choice will lead them to happily ever after.” By posing the goal as a question, it makes you want to see the movie to find out the answer. The dilemma is further heightened by the friend he makes. This is also where the irony is. He takes action to make his fiancée happy and solve his dilemma; however, by taking action, he winds up making things worse. This is clever and makes you want to see the movie. How many of us have done things with one intention in mind only to find that the complete opposite results? This is universal.
In the movie The Hangover (20th Century-Fox, 2009), the log line reads, when an unlikely threesome come together to take a groom to Las Vegas for a drunken bachelor party, they awaken to find they’ve lost the groom and must retrace their steps to get him to the wedding on time. This is a great premise because the majority of the viewers seeing this movie have been to bachelor or bachelorette parties and can fully connect with the idea of how things can get totally out of hand when alcohol, drugs, and the desire to celebrate, mourn, and satiate are put together. The who is the “unlikely threesome.” The dilemma is, “awaken to find they’ve lost the groom.” The action taken is that they “retrace their steps.” The goal is “to get him to the wedding on time.”
Since The Hangover has such a universal premise, I’d like you to do an exercise stemming off the same premise. Write a log line as if you were in this same predicament with your friends. Set up a different scenario that leads to the same dilemma. Think of different ways to describe the central characters. Think of a different action that is taken with the same type of goal in mind. This is all to prepare you to write log lines for your own story.
In the movie The Blind Side (Alcon Entertainment, 2009), a log line is, when a poor boy, who is huge in size but lacking in education, is picked up and adopted by a wealthy housewife, he learns the value of love and family and soon excels at school and on the field, becoming an NFL prospect. The irony expressed in this really makes you want to see the story. How does a “poor undereducated boy” learn to excel in school and on the field while becoming an NFL prospect? The writer invites us to want to know more. Who doesn’t want to go from being an underdog to being an achiever? This is wish fulfillment. Wish fulfillment is a key element in story. Although I would have liked for the movie to have looked deeper into the obstacles faced in this journey, this movie does show you that if you have heart and a strong message, your audience will be engaged. This story encourages the idea of paying it forward. This is something that all writers should consider when writing their story: How can my message live on with the viewer after they leave the theater?
In the movie Good Will Hunting (Lawrence Bender Productions, 1997), a log line is, when Will Hunting, a mathematically gifted yet misdirected janitor at MIT, is discovered by a psychologist as a result of Will’s answers to a difficult mathematics problem, the psychologist guides him to the real answers in life. This is another very strong story about the underdog, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), who achieves through the guidance of a mentor (Robin Williams). This is one of my favorite movies. I empathized with Will’s plight on so many levels. It doesn’t mean that I am a math whiz or need to be to understand it. It means that they hit universal themes that really connected with the masses. I am sure that it all started with some personal truths expressed by the writers, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
There are also some great television series log lines worth exploring. Setting up a log line for a pilot is very challenging. It isn’t just about a beginning, a middle, and an end. It also involves setting up the series in the premise. You need to sense what episode No. 100 could be. This is not an easy thing to do. You have to look at story in an extended way and develop a strong engine for story in your premise.
A log line for the series Breaking Bad is, “when Walt, a high school chemistry teacher with a wife and handicapped son, is given a diagnosis of terminal cancer, he turns to what he knows best, chemistry, and decides to make and distribute meth in order to have something to leave for his family.” You set up empathy for your central character while setting up the dilemma, “when Walt, a high school chemistry professor with a wife and handicapped son, is given a diagnosis of terminal cancer,” then you move to action, “turns to what he knows best, chemistry, and decides to make and distribute meth” and then you go to his goal, “to have something to leave for his family.” The engine for story comes from the distribution of drugs mixed with the emotional and physical progression of Walt’s disease.
With Mad Men (AMC), a log line is “Donald Draper, a conflicted ad man in the 1960s, must figure out how to keep his secret—that the persona he projects and the world he creates is not from an identity that is his own—in order to remain a leading force in the advertising game. In the first few seasons, it was this secret that added to the momentum.
A log line for the series The Good Wife (Scott Free Productions) is, a betrayed housewife must pick up the pieces after her husband’s very public sex and political scandal lands him in jail and she returns to the workforce to secure her family’s future. This is a very strong premise because it emotionally grabs you. It is reminiscent of true life and many of the latest headlines. Yet, it is a truth that is fictionalized in a series. How does one move past the scandal of a spouse and move forward with her own life while protecting her family? I love this series because I understand the plight of the lead character, Alicia (Julianna Margulies), on an emotional level, and I want to see how she rises to the occasion and overcomes obstacles. Since she is re-entering the legal profession, the engine of story will come from the legal cases and the evolving predicament of her husband.
In this chapter, we have explored the log lines of many well-known projects as a way to prepare you to write log lines for your stories. While writing your log line, you want to set up your dilemma in a way that makes us feel empathy for your central character. Then, you want us to understand the action that is taken as a result of the dilemma and the central character’s goal as a result of the action. Alternatively, rather than ending your log line with a goal, you can end it with a questio
n that makes us wonder if the goal was achieved, or you can heighten the dilemma in a way that gives us a sense of the direction of the goal, but doesn’t reveal whether it was reached. Your log line should also give us a sense of what we’re rooting for in your story. Many strong stories begin with an underdog or a character that has suffered recent loss and must figure out how to take action to overcome her situation. You want to express in the shortest and most succinct way, why we should care and what your story is.
As a way to help your own process, you should go to IMDb.com on the Internet and look up the plot lines of your favorite movies and TV shows. You will begin to recognize the formula for good structure and use this knowledge to structure your own story lines. The goal of your log line is to reveal plot and have a strong emotional hook. You want to entice people to want to see or read your story.
EXERCISE
Read the log lines of your favorite movies and TV shows. Then, write your own log lines for these stories. Write these log lines from your point of view as you experienced the story. This will help you figure out a formula that works for you. As mentioned in this chapter, it is sometimes easier to do this for other people’s stories than for your own.
Story Line Page 6
