The Logline
The Logline is a brief summation of your screenplay. Simple idea, right?. Sure, but creating a compelling and memorable one that will represent your screenplay in one or two sentences is quite challenging. Why such importance put into one or two sentences? Well, in busy Hollywood, the Logline is sometimes all the decision-makers have time to read, so it better be absolutely superior to anything they have ever seen...that day. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting this marketing tool right. You've spent a lot of time writing a screenplay and you want someone to read it. More times than not it is your story's Logline that controls the action of the thumb. Sounds pretty cold but that's the way it is.
How do you create a Logline that will stun? Be clever but not cute. Cut to the chase because you have no choice. Capture the story's throughline. Some writer's like to utilize a template but I have found that to be too structured and dry. A better way is to answer specific questions about the screenplay and fit them together in an imaginiative way.
Start with answering the following questions:
Who is the story about?
Without using a name (I.e. girl, man, etc) describe what kind of person this is. It could be what he/she does for a living or a personality description but let people know that this is the protagonist. This is the hero who is taking the journey. Also, all good Protagonists have flaws so it would be a good idea to throw that in there as well. For example, a pyromaniac fireman or a forgetful IRS agent.
What is this person setting out to accomplish?
This is where you set up the Protagonist's goal and what is to be presumably reached by the end of the story.
Who or what stands in this person's way?
Your party crasher here is, of course, the Antagonist. Why is he, she or it the worst of the worst?
In some instances, you might need a setup to come before your Logline. This is perfectly acceptable. A setup might go something like "In nineteenth century South Dakota,..... or Under the sea during the Punic Wars,...
The amount of Logline instruction out there can fill volumes, but even with all that information quite a few people just cannot seem to get it right. If you know your screenplay inside and out as you should, then answering a few questions about it shouldn't be rocket science. After that, give it some "flash."
Examples
*Aliens try to invade earth on Independence Day. (Independence Day)
*An attorney, because of a birthday wish, can't tell any lies for 24 hours. (Liar, Liar)
*A Soviet submarine captain uses Russia's ultimate underwater weapon as a means to defect to the west. (The Hunt for Red October )
*A private detective must team up with an ex-football star to catch the killer of a topless dancer. (The Last Boy Scout)