THE STAGE 32 LOGLINES

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DIAMOND DUST

DIAMOND DUST
By Sage Godrei

GENRE: Thriller
LOGLINE:

Logline of new thriller PILOT: Diamond Dust

A female bioengineer is called back to work at the forensics lab after being banned for 3 years. She notices there is something wrong with the equipment causing guilty parties to roam free. She takes matters into her own hands as a vigilante serial killer. Gaining justice by her own methods and means.

Maurice Vaughan

EXOGENOUS sounds exciting and marketable, Sage Godrei.

Your logline is more of a short synopsis. I think you can cut out some of the details.

Here’s a logline template that might help:

After ______ (the inciting incident/the event that sets the plot in motion), a _______ (an adjective and the protagonist's position/role) 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 names in a logline (unless it's a Biopic or a famous story -- like a fairy tale). Use an adjective and the protagonist's position/role instead of a name.

Avoid using “must” in loglines because “must” sounds like the protagonist is forced to do whatever the goal of the story is (instead of the protagonist 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, documentaries, and Experimental scripts 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.

Nate Rymer

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Tasha Lewis

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