Silver Screenwriting

By Jen Grisanti

To help you understand how to write log lines for your life, let’s dissect a log line from the movie, Pretty Woman: “A cutthroat businessman who wants to remain detached needs a date for some social engagements, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets… only to fall in love.”

This log line sets up the dilemma while making us feel empathy for the central character with the words, “A cutthroat businessman who wants to remain detached needs a date for some social engagements….” Then, it gives us the action that he takes, “and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets….” The irony is the goal: “fall in love” is completely the opposite of what he set out to do.

One log line for my life is, “When a work obsessed corporate executive experiences a perceived fall from grace when she is told that her contract is not being renewed, she is forced to turn her plan B into her plan A and discovers that her plan B was her plan A all along.” The set up of the central character is, “When a work obsessed corporate executive….” The dilemma is, “experiences a perceived fall from grace when she is told that her contract is not being renewed….” This is becoming a life experience for millions. The dilemma is prevalent. What do we do when our “moment,” which we’ve worked for all of our life, ends? The action is represented with “She is forced to turn her plan B into her plan A.” Many of us can connect with the idea that life takes a turn and we are forced to design a new plan. After this happens, many of us discover that the universe nudged us because it was our time. The goal is “and discovers that her plan B was her plan A all along.” This is utilizing irony as well. This is very universal. We can go back to our core and figure out what made us happy about doing our jobs in the first place. Then, we can design a new plan.

By writing theses types of log lines, you can find your truth. By finding your truth, you can write story from an authentic place. This will help you to identify your voice.

Next, I believe that writing a strong log line for your script, creating a powerful dilemma and having it stem into a clear goal will make your story work in the best way possible.

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