I think I confuse loglines with other promotional messaging a lot. Are loglines only used for recruiting financing and hammering out the plot? Or are they also used in garnering public interest? What would the messaging for the new Fantastic Four movie be considered? Logline or something else entirely? "The Fantastic Four", a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel¹s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.
Screenwriting : Logline versus Promotional Releases by Austin Lance
Logline versus Promotional Releases
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Most companies prefer loglines when you want to submit your script because they can see in a single glance what your script is about so that they can easily make a selection. To read a synopsis takes time
So if you're making an independently produced project, is a logline necessary?
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Put the cart before the horse. If you had a logline right now, what would you do with it? If you have a good answer, then write a logline. If you don't, don't stress about it. If you're funding and producing your own movie, you might need a brief description of your project when you set about submitting to or playing in festivals, but at that point you'll probably have something more PR-y than a dry bland old logline. Like that FF blurb you have. That's almost a logline, with a little PR upgrade.
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You're confusing a tagline with a logline. A logline is the meat of your project in a nutshell (which makes loglines vegan). A tagline is the promo line for the film and that is a marketing decision and has nothing to do with scriptwriting. The thing that most trips-up young screenwriters is they try to "hook" the exec without spilling the beans (again with the veganism), which wastes everyone's time. Some do it because they are confused what the purpose of a logline is (people have busy schedules; spec scripts are a dime a dozen) or they have a misguided notion that they should keep their stories a secret, as though production companies are out selecting mystery boxes a la The Price Is Right.
That makes perfect sense. I like Loglines as a way of focusing my ideas into a clear message, but 90% I dont need them since I do mostly independent financing. Thank you for clearing that up.