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THE OTHER SIDE
By Taha Ahmed
SYNOPSIS:
.The Other Side” is a surreal psychological horror film that begins in a deeply human space and gradually descends into a dreamlike, distorted reality. The story follows a family living under the shadow of war. A peaceful day shatters when their mother is killed by a stray bullet, unleashing chaos — explosions, armed groups, and the collapse of their home. Forced to flee through an unforgiving landscape, the family confronts exhaustion, hunger, and despair. Reality begins to warp: time stretches, visions of whales swimming across the sky appear, rain falls from their movements, giant corn kernels litter the desert, and even a lone shawarma vendor emerges in the middle of nowhere — moments that reflect both trauma and fragile hope.
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1 person likes this
Unique concept, Taha Ahmed! I think your logline needs more information. Right now, it's just the setup.
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 job/career/role) 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 job/career/role) 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
Thank you for the detailed feedback! I really appreciate your guidance and the template it’s very helpful. I’ll work on refining my logline accordingly.
1 person likes this
You're welcome, Taha Ahmed.