Perspective: The Importance of Log Lines

I happen to be teaching at The Animation Workshop in Denmark right now, and among other things, I’ve been working with the students on log lines for their graduation films.  And it’s reminded me yet again how valuable constructing a log line is.  Not just for being able to succinctly pitch your project, but for really digging down into the heart of what the story is.  Not only that, but it proves to be an incredibly valuable tool in honing in on how to best structure the film visually in terms of its cinematic design (the holistic design supporting the story through the unification of production design, editorial shape, staging, and cinematography). 

When I develop a log line, I start with describing who the character is at the core, and to do that, I also examine what the character wants in the story.  Even more importantly, I look at what will happen if s/he fails--what the stakes are.  Because in confronting the main issue in the climax, we discover the most pivotal element for the main character... it should be the opposite quality, the thing that will be most threatened, where the character has the most to lose.  In other words, if the main character confronts betrayal, then loyalty must be important to him; if the main character confronts failure, then perhaps she is a perfectionist.  Of course, the log line also presents what form the antagonistic forces in the story will take, but this sense of opposition between what the character holds most dear and what will be threatened or at stake in the story is vital.  Positioned correctly, this allows for irony in the story (and in the log line) that makes it both compelling and worthy of telling.

This ironic element, this pivotal piece that makes us want to watch or listen to the story to see how it will unfold, is often also the key to a compelling cinematic design.  Once identified, you can explore how to support or contrast line, shape, space, value, colour (hue, saturation, and temperature), movement, and rhythm to deepen the expression of the central issue and the strongest arc in the story. 

This sounds simple, but building a strong log line is difficult, challenging you to drive into the purest form of the narrative.  Once you’ve found that, it becomes a solid base to build upon, both in terms of the story and its visual expression.  It’s also a good reminder that in a visual medium such as film, these two explorations (the story and its visual expression) belong hand-in-hand.

Comments

[Jerri]

Great stuff!
Thanks as always,
Mike Quinn

[KindrieGrove]

Your comments on visual elements and story going hand in hand aside, I found your post helpful for fiction writing and even fine art painting narrative. Thanks Rikki, hope you are having a great time in Denmark.
Cheers & love,
Kindrie

[Tandy Martin]

This was really useful to me because I was asked to write one for a film I'm pitching.