THE STAGE 32 LOGLINES
Post your loglines. Get and give feedback.
LITTLE ODDS
By Julie Williams-Nash
When clueless Little Odd falls from its cloud and gets mistaken for a deadly mutation, it embarks on a fantastical adventure with a motley crew of oddities and other magical creatures to get back home safely.
SYNOPSIS:
Little Odd falls off its cloud – Cloud Ninety-Nine-a-Hundred. Innocent in the ways of the world, it lands in the big city, with no idea how to get back… So begins a fantastical, mystical, magical adventure that sees Little Odd collect a bizarre troop of friends, all lost and confused misfits – the Runaway, Gurney Cat, Fantabulous Fish-out-of-Water, his wife Crispy Duck, Great White Rabbit, Young Buck, Puzzled Penguin, Friendly Farmer and Ludwig the Lion. They encounter other characters-good, bad and ugly. Comical twists and turns, scary and sad, themes are the planet, hope & the state we’re in.
Little Odd meets its first friend, the Runaway – a young girl trying to survive in the Dump. She warns Little Odd not to get into trouble – it does. The Rabble Rousers mistake Little Odd for a Mutation. Captured, tossed in a Lock-Up Bunker it meets Vermin Rat. Runaway and Gurney Cat to the Rescue. A mad-cap escape to the Great White Rabbit’s Underground, a dash to the Faerie Queen’s Enchanted Glade, an onward journey where they meet other ‘Little Odds’ until they arrive at the Land of Wonder. By now they are a motley crew of twelve.
They must endure a talent show judged by the Vain Mermaid, Slapper the Sea Lion and Octave the Octopus. When Vermin the Rat is discovered, another escape to the Mountaintop – where they meet a Druid – who whisks them off into space on a journey to the moons of Jupiter. Back on Earth, they are tricked into signing a contract by the Master of Ceremonies to be the Headline Act at a festival. The MC is a trickster. During the performance, the Runaway takes sick - a mercy dash to safety – and dodge the MC. They find respite with an Innkeeper who arranges their safe route out of the Land of Wonder to the Island, at the Ocean’s edge. Here, the Chief informs them of a perilous task ahead descend to the Ocean floor to enter the Underworld via the earth’s plates. With each adventure, a bit more of their task is revealed – for they really are a clueless bunch. Many more adventures beneath the sea – a perilous entry into the Underworld - the Great White Rabbit doesn’t survive. Hollow Men help the Little Odds, who must enter the Castle of Catastrophe to rescue the Three Keys. They escape to the Pyramid of Protection, a magical, mystical way out of the Underworld. Back to the Land of Wonder for a spectacular finale – but will Little Odd ever get home?
Register / Log In
Rated this logline
Hi, Julie Williams-Nash. I already said Little Odds sounds fantastic. I'll say it again. It sounds fantastic! The cover is too!
I think your logline needs some work. Here’s a logline template that might help: After/when ______ (the inciting incident/event that sets the plot in motion), a _______ (the main flaw the protagonist has to overcome in the script or an adjective that describes the protagonist’s personality) _______ (the protagonist’s title/job/career) tries to/attempts to/fights to/struggles to/strives to/sets out to/fights/battles/engages in/competes/etc. _______ (goal of story and try to add the obstacles here) to/so/in order to ________ (stakes).
The inciting incident can also be at the end of the logline: A _______ (the main flaw the protagonist has to overcome in the script or an adjective that describes the protagonist’s personality) _______ (the protagonist’s title/job/career) tries to/attempts to/fights to/struggles to/strives to/sets out to/fights/battles/engages in/competes/etc. _______ (goal of story and try to add the obstacles here) to/so/in order to ________ (stakes) after/when ______ (the inciting incident/event that sets the plot in motion).
Loglines are one or two sentences. A one-sentence logline sounds better, and it takes less time for a producer, director, etc. to read it. Try to keep your logline to 35 words or less. Long loglines can make producers, directors, etc. pass on a project.
Avoid using “must” in loglines. “Must” usually means the protagonist is forced to do whatever they need to do in the story instead of doing it willingly. You might need to use “must” in a logline though, like when the protagonist is forced by another character to do something. Using “must” to choose between two options is fine.
Names in loglines are usually for biopics, well-known stories, and franchises (like Mission: Impossible).
Sometimes I put the location and date that the story takes place in instead of the inciting incident if it’s a Period Piece script.
All stories don’t follow this logline template. Biopics, documentaries, and Experimental scripts might not follow the template. The series logline for a TV show can follow this template, but the pilot logline and episode loglines for the show might not.
1 person likes this
Great advice Maurice - I'll work on Loglines this weekend - here's one I made earlier...'When clueless Little Odd falls from its cloud and is mistaken for a deadly mutation, it must find its way back home – with the help of a motley crew of oddities and other magical creatures. Together, they embark on adventures through the Dump, the Land of Wonder, the Pits of Despair, Somewhere Beneath the Sea and the Underworld. Getting Little Odd safely back to its cloud seems impossible, until it’s done.' :)
Your logline is better, @Julie. I think it could be tightened up some though. Something like: When clueless Little Odd falls from its cloud and gets mistaken for a deadly mutation, it embarks on an adventure through strange places with a motley crew of oddities and other magical creatures to get back home safely.
Or this: When clueless Little Odd falls from its cloud and gets mistaken for a deadly mutation, it embarks on a fantastical adventure with a motley crew of oddities and other magical creatures to get back home safely.
1 person likes this
Oh yes - thank you Maurice - can i use one please?
Rated this logline
You're welcome, Julie Williams-Nash. Yeah, you can use the logline.