The writing of loglines and taglines

Once, I thought I needed to keep maintaining my French, I decided to watch a movie that I have already watched several times in English. I went for my favourite movie back then, Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg made a spiel that doesn’t need translations I soon realised. I just learnt one language everyone in the world speaks. Want to know what that language is? Screaming! Yes, I just realised that screaming throughout the movie did not need any translations or subtitles.

AA! EEE! OOOO! Raaaaa!

Anyways we have a lot to cover with regards to scriptwriting and branding here. Today looking at the writing of loglines and taglines will help not only to understand what to look at when creating loglines and taglines but to understand the difference between the writing of loglines and taglines.

What is a tagline?

A tagline is a line that is used on the marketing material or promotional material of a movie sometimes even a book and often it relates to a brand as well. It is a line that is drawn up to create/entice an emotional response from the person viewing it. They’re often found on trailers and movie posters and brand advertising. Taglines spice up things to make the viewer want to find out more by means of purchasing a movie ticket or the product. Taglines don’t give away the storyline and plot, it’s effectively made to intrigue, create interest and take action on those emotions. A tagline can be seen as a slogan or some catchy words that capture the viewers’ attention aiming to create a response.

Examples

De beers – “A diamond is forever”

Chicken run – “Escape or die frying”

Can you remember the taglines for the following brands? L’Oréal, Nike, Budweiser, or Kit Kat?

What is a logline?

A logline is 1 – 6 lines that carry the weight of a film proposal. It’s almost the first part of a film proposal that determines whether the rest of the film proposal is worth going through by production company representatives, or funders and investors. The logline describes the film in these few sentences. It’s almost like a 1–6-line synopsis summarising the entire movie script in just a few words. The logline must show the movie script off with a unique storyline, by using the right words in the 1-6 sentence summary, not only would the reader understand the storyline and plot but can envision the trailer in his/her head. Having words that not only give away the story but also show double meaning with double visualisation creates powerful loglines.

Examples

With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

Django

During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.

Jurassic Park

Do you remember the tagline for Jaws?

The writing of loglines and taglines takes into consideration a few elements, however, no matter how much you can understand and learn from here it ultimately is the passion, drive, and creativity that will lead to memorable taglines, movies and books.

Discussing the elements in the writing of loglines and taglines is of no help unless the writer is clear about who, what, why, when, where of the story they are pitching, if it’s a service or product that is being offered, then behind everything that is sold under that brand the tagline should reveal what the brand or company stands for in very short words. The catchier and more enticing the better. This phrase should stick in people’s minds and the minute it’s heard it should without even thinking link back to the brand, now that’s genius marketing.

Elements of a tagline

1) It’s a signature statement

When people hear it, it’s unique to the brand, it’s the signature slogan of the brand wherever and whenever it’s seen by its colours, writing style, word choice and promotional music.

For a movie or book, the tagline can be relevant to the plot or the main protagonist of the story without giving the entire storyline away such as Superman’s tagline “You’ll believe a man can fly.”

2) It’s memorable

The slogan is so catchy that it sticks in the head.

3) It gets right to the point

To get right to the point, it’s specific, short and simple.

4) It shares a vision

The brand, the scriptwriter or the author has a vision that makes it …

5) Believable

The slogan brings the vision to life making the product fulfil the need in the market or fulfilling an expectation that the viewer is seeking by being enticed by the movie, book, or product.

Elements of a logline

Having to write a logline should be a great thing that a screenwriter can look forward to when it comes to pitching their proposal. This is perhaps a long hard think in the writing of loglines and taglines, but it could be so worth it, imagine the amount of thinking that it took to write the screenplay itself or the rest of the proposal. Don’t let the reader lose interest in all that time and work that is already been put into this part of the proposal.

At the beginning of this article, I wrote that the logline is 1-6 lines, according to industry standards it is 1 sentence and 2 for more complex movies.

1) What is so distinguishing about the protagonist?

He fits in well working as a reporter for the Daily Planet, but he is no ordinary reporter.

2) The event that leads the protagonist on the hero’s journey

The everyday lives of Clark Kent’s nearest and dearest are in danger.

3) What is the intent of the character

To be close to the woman he loves every day and that’s the only way he can protect her from the recent dangers and a new threat.

4) What or who is standing in his/her way?

The greatest threat in the history of mankind. A threat that could destroy the earth and kill billions.

5) What does he/she need to conquer to succeed?

To save the world the man of steel must find the object that the villain created to destroy earth so that earth can be saved.

6) Where does the event occur?

Does the story unfold on earth, in a house, in a hotel, in space, in a ship or on the sea?

Logline:

An alien sent to earth lives among humans as a reporter in Metropolis. Being at the forefront of imminent dangers mankind faces a new villain unlike any weapon seen by man to destroy the earth.