The uniqueness of your logline may be what it takes to get your foot in the door 

Nafiss Nia, a screenwriting gem in Amsterdam, the founder of 1001ProductionHouse hosted a workshop about writing a successful logline during the first meetup of the screenwriters in Adam group. 

What is a logline about? 

The logline is an initial selling point a new fresh identity which makes your script different from all the rest. It’s a piece of commentary provided by the screenwriter on his/her script. The main function of a logline is to convince the typical busy studio head to spend a few minutes to read the premise of your script - which must be explained in a few sentences! A logline could also be send out to journalist to convey the message of the movie to the public. 

Do we all read loglines? 

I truly believe that we do even tho during the conversation at the workshop it became clear that apparently a percentage of people truly don’t think about reading a logline before striking the decision to watch a movie. However, they are on board of reading reviews about the director. To me it seems odd, because a film is not created or broken down by one singular person or process. As Nafiss Nia pointed out; ”it’s a team effort”. The director can’t deliver his best work when his team is not on alert phase one. The visual part of a movie is off course focused around the vision of a director, but the story element, the reason why your heart will tear up during a character monologue, or the subjective inner fight that a protagonist goes true is not the work of a director. It’s the genius emotional writing skills of a writer. For me a cardboard character, or a thin story can’t be saved by the hands of a brilliant director, it can only be saved by the hands of a talented writer. 

How to write a logline

When writing a logline, it’s key to keep in mind those all revealing W-WORDS: Who (is it about?) – What (happened?) – Why (did it happen?) – Where (did it take place?) and When (did it take place?). These are questions whose answers are considered basic in information-gathering. For a logline it is usually sufficient to pick three of the 5W’s and provide them with a matching answer. Next, one of the best lines I have heard is by renowned screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin who advices writers to write with intent. And in a logline you shouldn’t shy away from letting the audiences know what the intent of the movie will be. As Nafiss pointed out; “Why should I go out with you to see this movie?”. Make it clear what is it that the audience is getting from seeing this movie!

Elements of uniqueness

The life of an artist seems to revolve around finding the uniqueness within, but when are we truly unique? It’s as simple as starting off with asking: what would make my script unique to me? There is a crucial lesson I am taking away from this workshop. Which is; don’t be too protective of your story, in life we also have to give away the essence of our story to find people who want to be connected to us. Share your scripts elements of uniqueness and realize you are a storySELLER. Your main job before diving into the creative work, you will  undoubtedly put into your script is to find the right selling words. What makes your car different and better from all the rest that are standing in the parking lot?

Dying to find out what you value as your scripts unique selling point…? Please feel invited to share it here below in the comment section... 

suicideandcheese:

tears from the moon
confess their sorry frost.
it’s a lonely rock, they say.
it wears the face of tranquillity,
and yet, it is iced in the heart.
for no one has been to touch it
for so long. and it feels only to be
gazed upon as your sideshow oddity.

The HBO show The Newsroom has aired its Season One Final episode on the 26^th of August – I have been following this show from the beginning and laughed and cried along with the brilliant dialogues of Aaron Sorkin. Yes I know, not many critics will agree with me here, but I have to say that I admire this show because of the endeavor of a brilliant writer to look at the world he lives in and pointing out that something has got to give – something has got to change! We have to want more from our anchors, who are assigned to report us the truth, our TV bosses who are there to create ground breaking, heart aching, real and honest reaching the sky kind of programs.

The criticism is loud and clear spread over the internet

I understand why some journalist are not swept away by this show, and I even understand their attempted attack directed at Mr. Sorkin for being too self-righteous or as Michael Wolf at The Guardian puts it in his condescending attempt to analyze and break down the media business in the article: “Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom’s missing reality principle”. Writing that Aaron Sorkin is working out his heroic fantasy of being in the news business in The Newsroom and he is being indulged (I assume he means by HBO) because he is a rich man is simply undermining everything this genius writer and the awe-inspiring HBO are doing for television, news and informing the public about the way information reaches their ears. This show in many ways indeed is as The New Yorker labeled it; a platform in which Aaron Sorkin shows ‘his defiant intellectual superiority’. His dialogues are a magnificent demonstration of his beautiful mind and his effection for dialogue. He shows that we are entitled to more then merely the chewed off sandwich we get thrown in our faces every time we switch on the news - we should be served more than just the exact amount of news which we need to know in order to experience a brief emotion of adrenaline which makes us consume Your MEDIA and not in fact the whole TRUTH!

Dialogue as heated as a fire breathing dragon  

I have to agree with the article; “In defense of Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom“ by David Denby expressing: “I also enjoyed the show—certainly more than she did” (meaning Emily Nussbaum)”and, afterwards, I felt a kind of moviegoer’s chagrin. Movie audiences get very little dialogue this snappy; they get very little dialogue at all. In movies we are starved for wit, for articulate anger, for extravagant hyperbole—all of which pours in lava flows during the turbulent course of “The Newsroom.”  The dialogue in The Newsroom is energetic; it’s driven and aspires to a change.  Sorkin gives his characters bold dialogue and assigns them into creative leaders of their own professional work. Above everything his dialogue shows intelligence we don’t hear that often specially, because as in the show it does not settle for easy answers it shows guts with every move.

Aaron Sorkin’s performance art – The Newsroom

This is a show where a lot of critics have tripped over their created fact that Sorkin is using the platform for his own performance art. So let him! The man is a genius, being the godfather of works such as A Few Good Men, Moneyball, The Social Network and  “The West Wing” gives him that credit. The West Wing which comes closest in comparison to The Newsroom was more tastefully presented, displayed more charm and Sorkin’s voice was more dressed up. In The Newsroom he is arrogant, he pushes the envelope  and takes a front and centered seat in the drama he is writing, but in my mind he is a talent who deserves his own performance piece; he is the voice for many without a voice and we should applaud this show for the hope it exelurate’s and HBO who by taking this project on displays real leading-edge cable network willpower.

The News is more than just whisked up emotions!

The Chicago Tribunal writes: Just as Sorkin’s “The West Wing” romanticized Washington politics, “The Newsroom” finds optimism in the very industry whose flaws it seeks to expose.  Well, yes he does! I say the industry is beautiful and as The Newsroom shows; the external powers outside of the industry are paralyzing and chaining journalistic freedom (at The Newsroom). As we see in the role of the TV boss Leona Lansing played boldly by Jane Fonda, fear of outside forces is what has crumbled a once great platform. As far as I can see Sorkin indeed finds optimism in the industry and he wants to recover a once, beautiful vibrant ground breaking process that took place in a newsroom. it’s as Charlie Skinner (played marvelously by Sam Waterston) - the unapologetically old-school president of the news division at ACN and the one responsible for orchestrating the new newsroom 2.0 team says in the first episode:  “for a long time now I badly wanted to watch the news on my TV at night, and then it occurred to me I run a news division”.

The Storyline of The Newsroom – inspiration to do better!

Many claims have been made about the lack of talent in this show, especially the lack of converting personal strength in their TV characters by the actresses Maggie Jordan and Olivia Munn who can’t convey “two or three conflicting emotions at once, with subtlety and humor and split-second timing” as Mark Hale pointed out in his article: “broken hearts and breaking news” which I can only underline. But the other side of the coin for me is that these two girls are exactly the ingredient which makes this show compelling - actually so perfectly imperfect. Since the show starts with a pretty clear statement; the old (experienced) elite who created The Newsroom 1.0 have abonded the fort, because they did not want to work with McAvoy after his heartbreaking monologue at the opening scene during the university college tour. The team who showed loyalty towards McAvoy and stayed on his team; The Newsroom 2.0 is a group of 20-something year olds (among them Maggie Jordan and Olivia Munn) a team who is not extensively trained yet and still untouched by the virus of making TV because of ratings. These are young pupils that with the guidance of the mentors (McAvoy, MacHale and Skinner) are working towards creating a objective news program. Their fearless attempts to bring about new topics to discuss on the show every week is admirable and unique. Therefore, for me this show also represents appreciation for the young crowd who is just stepping up to the plate and I thank Aaron Sorkin for displaying them as imperfect with clumsy hearts, but hard working characters. They have zest and with every episode you see that their drive for growth, desire for change and bringing about new and strong news builds up their characters. You root for them to become strong and successful characters, because you have seen where they come from and the moral code they uphold.  

HBO deserves perhaps the most credit!

HBO has proved over and over again to be the cable television network of the future with the audience in mind, there shows touch on topics that make people dream bigger, think more in-depth and want to experience better. The Newsroom makes me want to write more intensively, investigate and research more thoroughly and aspire to be better than I am, that is the beat a show should aim to bring about. Therefore, I am delighted that HBO has commissioned a second season of The Newsroom.  

I would like to end with a note from Matt Zoller Steiz arguing the negative reviews: “suggested we have become so comfortable with cynicism and despair that we can’t dream anymore” adding that The Newsroom was “corny but inspiring”.