Why The Logline Is The Most Important Part Of The Screenwriting Process - Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson is a veteran Hollywood writer/producer, perhaps best known for his feature films, Dragonfly, starring Academy Award-winner, Kevin Costner, and Love Happens, featuring Emmy-winner Jennifer Aniston. He also co-created and was a showrunner of the FOX television series, John Doe, starring Dominic Purcell, and co-wrote and produced the indie horror film, Choose, starring Academy Award-nominee, Bruce Dern. In the documentary realm, he executive produced the multi-award-winning feature, A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar, and appears as himself in the cult classic award-winner, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. In addition to his produced credits, he is uniquely distinguished for having written and sold dozens of high-profile spec scripts, pitches and teleplays to nearly every major Hollywood studio, including multiple seven-figure deals and at one point, the “highest-paying scripter deal ever" ~ Variety. He has collaborated on projects involving the likes of Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Will Smith, Edie Falco, Chris Pine, Michael Keaton, Richard Gere, Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump), and presently, blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun: Maverick). Upon graduation from film school at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Mike began his career at Paramount Pictures, where he worked as an assistant to Academy Award-winning producer, Scott Rudin (No Country for Old Men), and subsequently for legendary producer, Larry Gordon (Field of Dreams), who set up Mike’s very first spec script sale at Walt Disney Studios. Mike lives and works in the mountains outside of his hometown of Seattle, near the U.S. military’s decommissioned Nike “missile site” where, as a kid, he cut his teeth on his first camcorder short films, thus inspiring The Missile Site Blog.

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#writing #screenwriting #screenplay

[ronineditor]

For what it's worth, I work for a studio on the television side but still have my own films. For me, it shifts a lot when I find more nuance after I've actually already written it. What really keeps me focus are the themes, though... which he mentioned. The bullet points of "why" you're even making this project. Sometimes we get lost in the woods of different ideas but lose focus on why you were even interested in the first place. My logline doesn't change drastically but it definitely adjusts a little, gets better, more accurate to what's there. Almost like how a film changes from the page to what's in the can after production; what worked, what didn't, what changed in the edit. It's never the same.

[frogwne]

Great advice, especially toward the end about handling script notes from 'damaged people.' So true!

[Maria-rssd]

You are soooo encouraging. Thank you for your time and knowledge

[lindaroach]

Thank you for your insight and grief your experience.

[MrDarkoCrude]

Heyyy FC, when writing a logline for a story that has a big twist or deception.. is that taken into consideration at all?

I started watching one of the suggested videos in the description (a genius logline formula in 3 steps), and after the 1:11 mark he is explaining his 3 requirements.

The question hit me right after.

[filmcourage]

How much effort do you put into crafting the logline for your stories?

[whartonbizzo]

Psychological Safety should be and is important to people that work in Hollywood, you learn that at certain point. Amy Edmundson from Harvard Business School recently wrote an interesting article about her understanding of an holistic approach to good work environment.

[ccwoodlands]

The overarching challenge in any creative endeavor is trying to apply objective rules to a subjective product, i.e., a script, movie, etc. When you make a car, you can objectively measure mpg, for example. That’s why this industry and careers in writing are so unpredictable and erratic.

[BrianCouch-un]

'Thanks' for the insights Mike... very helpful in terms of just telling a short, straight story to get the script and the job done. A question related to your link to honesty: What blend of make-up do you suggest as a base coat to I confuse targets/victiims into thinking I'm a nice person, when I'm really just burdening them a treasure map to dead cars with no engines?
Brian Couch

[TheCollection...ofBooks]

I wrote a 7-episode miniseries about a real and dysfunctional group charity hike across the U.S.; my logline for it is "Walking across the country, everyone can hear you scream."

[shawncrawford]

I'm sure the logline is vital in selling a script. But if that ever transcends the actual writing process, art is dead.

[jimjo]

There are no 16 year old movie stars but that doesn’t mean your protagonist can’t be 16. You just surround that protagonist with other older characters that can be filled with “movie stars”.

[Amany]

Do you think it’s possible to find a script writer agent if you’re foreigner but have a translated script for Netflix ?

[cherirose]

Great episode Film Courage! What is Mike Thompson’s website? I’m working on a screenplay and I agree with the longline being extremely important.

[DB-rreo]

This guy is someone I get. I suggest listening to his.

[SHANECatLovingGenXHistorian]

pretty nifty way to collect a lot of emails

[WILLIAMSBENTO-mr]

go straight to the 5:20 mark...holy cow

[brandinewsome]

Really appreciate his honesty (no A-list 16 yo actresses? 😭 I’m sure there’s an exception or someone who can be aged down, but I get what he means)

[thereccher]

Eric Borg's the Idea is recommended here.

[_xBrokenxDreamsx_]

the logline is the central change/transformation that takes place in the story. unappreciative jerk becomes appreciative good guy (it's a wonderful life, groundhog day, liar liar). the rest of the story is justifying that change.