Screenwriting : Antagonist logline by Nour Gharbi

Nour Gharbi

Antagonist logline

Hello everyone, my question may seem silly, but I was wondering if it is mandatory to indicate the antagonist in a logline or if it is possible to focus only on the obstacles? Thanks.

Craig D Griffiths

For me, a logline is the shortest, most complete version of the story. Whatever it takes.

Rutger Oosterhoff

Without a bad guy there is no interesting good guy. Still.Obstacles versus stakes. Without stakes, obstacles, often 'created' by the antagonist, don't even matter.

Daniel Stuelpnagel

Nour Gharbi in this I agree with Craig's comment above, and nothing is mandatory, although plenty of people will tell you different.

The logline for me should be intriguing, accurate, clear and concise, whichever story elements the writer chooses to include is really up to you. It should hopefully carry some indication of genre and tone, but we are free to break away from conventions and make it interesting!

Maurice Vaughan

It’s not mandatory to add the antagonist in a logline, Nour Gharbi. You can just focus on the obstacles, or you can focus on the obstacles and the antagonist. And a lot of time, the antagonist is the obstacle, so you could just add the antagonist in the logline.

Maurice Vaughan

"Without stakes, obstacles, often 'created' by the antagonist, don't even matter." True advice, Rutger Oosterhoff. :)

Kiril Maksimoski

A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be - now you might say - just a regular one, antagonist pointed out and all...but here we have an actual anti-hero and the "protagonist" is just a side kick to the story...point is - everything is allowed, except what ain't...

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