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By Sophie Von Rheden
A West Berlin countess must track down a valuable oil painting while grappling with the disappearance of her East German lover, whose sudden reappearance years later as a British duke and sponsor of her son turns her life upside down.
SYNOPSIS:
The Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of hope that reopens after the end of the 1980s, allows the young West Berlin countess Anna-Maria to cross the Berlin Wall. On the other side, the East German officer Richard Brauer longs to find his father in England, but fate has other plans.
The love between them blossoms, a love that transcends borders and ideologies. They do not realise that they have the same roots in the same village in East Germany, where the German countess is hunting for a valuable family portrait that her grandfather entrusted to Richard's grandmother, who served the family as a cook. Instead of a simple exchange of identities, their lives become intertwined in a way they could never have imagined, and after a passionate night they lose sight of each other and have no contact for the next three decades.
After the birth of her son, she settles in Palma, where she makes a name for herself with her own real estate agency. One day, she meets the new sponsor of her son Max, who is a renowned polo player. This wealthy London Earl is the former East German comrade and thus the rightful father of his protégé, and in possession of the painting.
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Hi, Sophie Von Rheden. Here’s a logline template that might help:
“After ______ (the inciting incident/the event that sets the plot in motion), a _______ (the protagonist with an adjective) tries to _______ (goal of story) so ________ (stakes).”
Loglines are one or two sentences (a one-sentence logline sounds better and it takes less time for a producer, director, etc. to read it). You can add the antagonist in the logline. The inciting incident can also be at the end of the logline.
Avoid using “must” in loglines because “must” sounds like the main character is forced to do whatever the goal of the story is (instead of the main character doing it willingly), and “must” doesn’t sound active. Audrey Knox (a TV literary manager) also said this during a logline review webinar on Stage 32 (https://www.stage32.com/webinars/The-Write-Now-Challenge-The-Logline-Rev...). Instead of using “must,” use “attempts to,” “fights to,” “struggles to,” “strives to,” “sets out to,” “fights,” “battles,” “engages in,” “participates,” “competes,” etc.
Example #1:
“After a group of dog criminals arrives in a small town, an impulsive dog sheriff defends a dog treat factory so they won’t steal food that’s meant for hungry dog families.”
Example #2:
“A dysfunctional couple works together to survive against bears after they crash on an abandoned road miles from help.”
NOTE: Not all stories will follow this logline template. Biopics and documentaries might not follow this template. The overall logline for a TV show might not follow this template, but the logline for an episode in the show could.
Hope this helps. :)
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Maurice Vaughan Hi Maurice, Is this Logline closer to what you mean? Have a nice weekend all-around.
Hi, Sophie. I like your logline, but I think you should explain how the comrade turns her life brutally upside down, and I think the logline needs the stakes (what happens if she doesn't find the valuable painting).
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