#Logline definition film movie#

Therefore, numbers one and two are the most important as well as the most difficult to attain. The five requirements are in descending order of importance. My comprehensive definition of High Concept is comprised of five requirements, each of which is mandatory. The premise or logline is the core of High Concept. In defining High Concept, we talk about the premise of your story, not what happens in Acts 1, 2 and 3.

This is the reason why films like 'Pulp Fiction,' 'Star Wars' and 'Sideways' could never be sold from a pitch. They have to be read to be appreciated and their appeal isn't obvious by merely running a logline past someone. Non-High Concept projects can't be sold from a pitch because they are execution driven. But only High Concept projects can be sold from a pitch because they are pitch driven. Story ideas, treatments and screenplays can all have High Concept premises. That is an example of a common pitching technique and not what defines High Concept. You cross two well known films that touch upon the material you are about to pitch so the producer has some idea where you're going with your pitch.

What they used is a framing technique that is given prior to pitching your project to prepare the listener for what's coming. Others define it by describing it as 'one film crossed with another film.' In Robert Altman's The Player, the writers pitch their project to a producer as Out of Africa meets Pretty Woman.

A man who battles his wife for custody of their children is one sentence, but it's a million miles from being High Concept.

#Logline definition film movie#

The common belief is that it's any movie that can be pitched in one sentence. High Concept is a term that's been confused, misunderstood and misused by writers for decades.