Hello beautiful people!
Let’s look into loglines.
But man, does it provide some efficient-ass brand clarity!
So, as we head into this mission of giving buyers the exact words to use about us when they’re describing exactly how we help make their projects better, please promise me you’ll exercise a lot of patience with the process (and yourself) and trust that this could be years in the making, this logline of yours.
As our long-time lovers of the Self-Management for Actors work know, everything we do builds upon itself. You may find lessons here about your bullseye, your tier, your targets, where you want to live, all sorts of magical things! And you may learn about your logline while doing ninja work in areas unrelated to the logline itself! Be open to seeing the possibilities all around you in this enoughness-filled life of yours.
Like when we did our earliest show bible work (Day 5), I want to give you access to our badass mini-course on loglines from the old SMFA Essentials program. This comes in the shape of an MP3 and PDF workbook for you to use.
Listen up!
Next, download the PDF workbook for this offering and try out the process outlined therein.
Now, many times actors like to use loglines that include the names of actors whose essences mirror their own. I get that. In fact, in the first two editions of Self-Management for Actors, I talked about how the hybrid type (two well-known actors whose vibes led buyers to understand yours) was something quite popular and useful in an actor’s “so tell me about yourself” pitch or logline work.
In the years since those earliest editions of the book, however, I see where that can go off the rails. You don’t know what association *I* have for an actor you may name. This could be someone that is in my “instant fight” classification in the population of thirds (Day 14) or simply someone whose career has spanned so many years that you don’t know which cross-section I’m using as my point of reference, so the use of their name may fail you.
Moreover, since the days when I recommended this tactic, I now see how it’s just plain lazy. You’re hoping their juju rubs off on you simply by invoking their names in your marketing materials. Don’t do that. Instead, see the use of these folks’ names as the inspiration for your “about me” or logline distillation process, not the end result.
So if I were to add another section of fill-in-the-blank goodness to the above PDF, I’d say:
- Name the actors you’re dying to include in your “about me” work or logline itself.
- Write their (detailed) breakdown.
- Rewrite your goodies using the words that capture what it is in those folks that you know is a part of your essence as well.
Now, other people may say — and they may say it all the time — “You know who you remind me of?” Good. Let them say it. More on that genius concept here.
Let it be their brilliant idea! People love being the ones who “discover” something that you ninjaly helped lead them to. It’s why we describe this whole process as “dropping breadcrumbs down the path” for how to cast you next. Yes, you’re doing a lot of work to get buyers to draw the conclusion that you could just tell them outright… but no one likes to be TOLD anything. They like to figure it out.
Be sure you give ’em lots of ways to figure out what you WANT them to figure out about how to cast you next. And then let them do that. Let it be their brilliant idea.
Today’s work: Take a stab at writing up your logline! Do the work in the above PDF. Work out here in the comments so your ninja family can share what they’re seeing about work you may be too close to to see, but so close to right-on with that a little nudge will help! Take an early version of your new logline (or one of several loglines you want to try out) for a testdrive in the “about me” section of your social media profiles. See how it feels to let it hang out there and be a representation of who you are.
One last quick “rule” when it comes to loglines: Clear beats clever, every time. Clear also beats cutesy. Clear also beats COMPLETE. I know that last one is counter-intuitive, but you’re gonna have to trust me. Leaving OUT something is a next-tier logline move. It allows the buyers’ brains to fill in the gap (which brains love to do). But with all of this, never sacrifice clarity. It’s the whole point of having a logline after all!
Please remember that a logline is an evolving thing, just like your resume, your footage, your headshots, your website. All of it is meant to shift organically over time, just like WE do! Never be afraid to celebrate the fluidity of your wonderful tools!
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
