When writing a logline, there are a few features to consider, this including:
- The log line must have the main character (protagonist) and force against them (antagonist)
- Both protagonist and antagonist need an adjective to describe them along with what they're trying to achieve
- State the protagonists end goal.
Binary oppositions -
- Young vs old. Ages of people within the school may range
- Real life vs fantasy life. The protagonist, Nina, is conflicted between knowing that she wants friends but not being able to always give in - because of her trust issues in the past/ because of the promise she has with the other dimension?
- Good vs evil
Logline - A lonely, brain-smart female is desperate to have friends, but her history and connection with the other side controls her emotions and forces her to act otherwise, in time for the transition of worlds.
Act 1 - Exposition
It's Monday morning, Nina begins getting ready for the first day of a new school year. She seems tired and inattentive, until we see her put on her accessories. Her fingers carefully place a specific charm bracelet onto her wrist. She stops for a second after continuously rushing, and looks at the charms, then to the mirror. Something whispers in her ear, nothing that she doesn’t usually hear however. Her attention sprouts to a photograph of a woman on her wardrobe next to her mirror.
Flashback in Nina's memory to young Nina, she's looking in the same mirror wearing a dress. A woman we can interpret as her mum stands with her.
Her dad breaking her attention in their 3 storied house, Nina grabs her bag and heads out front, following her dad, Chris, to the car. We see the outskirts of what seems miles away from a central town, and we feel alone in this area, as it only consists of Nina, Bea and her dad, plus the occasional neighbour. Nina walks upto, around and into the car. Chris notices her charm bracelet, as he asks "where'd you get that from?" Nina responds, with hesitance "Bea gave it to me." A moment of silence, Chris, protective, breaks with “What she tells you isn’t true, remember that. give the bracelet back to her when you get home.” Nina stays silent, and we make our way to her new school.
Flashback in Nina's memory to young Nina, she's looking in the same mirror wearing a dress. A woman we can interpret as her mum stands with her.
Her dad breaking her attention in their 3 storied house, Nina grabs her bag and heads out front, following her dad, Chris, to the car. We see the outskirts of what seems miles away from a central town, and we feel alone in this area, as it only consists of Nina, Bea and her dad, plus the occasional neighbour. Nina walks upto, around and into the car. Chris notices her charm bracelet, as he asks "where'd you get that from?" Nina responds, with hesitance "Bea gave it to me." A moment of silence, Chris, protective, breaks with “What she tells you isn’t true, remember that. give the bracelet back to her when you get home.” Nina stays silent, and we make our way to her new school.
Flashback to Nina and Bea in Bea’s room. Bea is Nina’s sister, they live in the same house but Bea always seems to be in a “world” of her own.
Bea has charms and a string, she puts charms into a cup, with an orange solution straight after. She has sepia type books scattered in her surroundings, with a board on the wall full of points, symbols and notes. “You’re going to meet loads of people on your first day, Nina. You can’t get too close. I need the charms with them, not you with them. It doesn’t work like that.”
Cut back to Nina’s new school. As she walks in, there’s eyes on her at all angles. They smile, with a welcoming touch. Sabrina, a warm, approachable, young teen introduces herself to Nina, seeing that she’s new.
They both communicate, talking about their studies. We find that both are in the same class, as they proceed to walk in and sit next to each other. Nina feels delighted, she’s felt particularly lonely recently.
Montage of Sabrina and Nina becoming friends. As they become friends, students both in the same area of school and in class communicate with her. She makes friends, ones in which go out shopping, eat lunch together, have inside jokes, etc. It seems Nina has forgotten about the task.
Act 2 - Rising action
Nina comes home one day, with Bea sitting in the living room. It’s been some time since they’ve discussed matters with the charms, but obsessive Bea has been calculating every day. Nina gets a fright, as she stumbles in with her unexpected view. Bea mumbles, “It’s time.” Nina remembers what her dad told her, and thinks back to the great connection she has with her friends. It’s what she’s always wanted.
“Actually Bea, I’m going out with Melisa and Sabrina tonight. I won’t have time to…"
“Perfect! give them the charms then, and say I had an emergency, or dad wants you home, or something. “
“Actually Bea, I think …”
“What? don’t tell me you’ve actually become friends with them. I knew it… Did you forget the date?” Nina stays silent.
“Well?” Bea is impatient and approaches her sister.
Silence,
“Of course you did. Which is why I've already taken matters into my own hands. You’re the one with the powers here Nina, but I've still got the brains.”
“What are you talking about?” Nina sais, worriedly.
We have a flashback of Bea and Nina’s friends meeting earlier. Nina’s friends are walking out of school, Bea approaches them, explaining how she’s Nina’s sister. We meet Anastasia, Melisa, Silver, Clinton, and Sabrina. Bea’s persuasive, the research has gotten to her head making her passionate about the subject, almost crazy like. It brings out a new character in her, one that is making conversation with Nina’s friends. She ends up giving the charms to both Sabrina and Melisa, saying Nina wanted them to have it.
Flashback to reality.
Nina’s in utter shock and despair, she watches Bea speak -
“What’s the hype about silly school friends when you can have the power of another world? They’re about to be a great help for us.”
Nina exclaims at this point.
“Your interests are different to mine, Bea. I’ve always wanted friends, real friends. especially since mum…”
“Don’t bring her into this. I get that you've been lonely, and neglected… So have I. but could you not imagine our power?” The audience have a sense that Bea is mentally overwhelming.
“But anyway, if correct Sabrina and Melisa are facing their first contact with the other side right now. You need to merge them over. Where’d you say you were meeting again?”
Nina is worried. She tries to stop her. “They’re not worth it, Bea. I’d be wasting the power there is in those charms. They’re useless, really unintelligent. The other side wouldn’t want them. They couldn’t survive.”
“They want people, Nina. Young people.
And I want power.”
Act 3 - Climax
“But they’re evil”
“Everyone’s evil, Nina. Including me. Do you not remember what happened when mom died?”
Nina is silent
“I used to be the wizard, you know that, right? But when she went, I couldn’t take the pressure anymore. She wasn’t here, and there were so many whispers in my head, random birds following me everywhere. It was too much, I transferred my powers to you.”
“The world took something from me, so i’ll take from the world.”
Birds fly past the window of the living room, Nina is suddenly scared and zoned out. Bea
seems crazy,
Distorted, Nina exclaims “Bea, I can't let this happen!”
“Don’t make them angry, Nina.”
Flash to Sabrina's room, she’s getting ready with Melisa. They discuss plans for the night, general teen chat, when suddenly, they both hear whispers.
“Do you hear that?”
“Yeah… is your brother home or something?”
“He said he was at Frank’s house for the night…
I’ll check.” Sabrina leaves her room, with Melisa isolated. Melisa hums, looking at her nails. We suddenly hear and see her humming getting slower and eyes rolling back. She passes out, eyes wide open.
Flash to Sabrina walking down the hallway to her brothers room. She gets to his door, slowing opening it, “Lee..?” Sabrina walks in, no one in the room but the window wide open.We see her eyes roll back in the same way Melisa's did, and she passes out, half collapsed on the bed and floor.
Flash back to Nina and Bea. Nina runs to Bea’s Sepia books picking out a spell. She starts chanting, Bea’s face concerned as the audience hear screeches of things that are not recognisable as human. Nina sits with her eyes shut, chanting. When the screaming ends, her eyes open.
“Where are they, Bea!”
Nina runs out, she goes to her room to get her phone, calling both Sabrina and Melisa, but no one picks up. She makes her way downstairs, trying to act calm asking Chris to take her to Sabrina’s house. He know's somethings up, he's dealt with Bea before "I told you not to listen to her, Nina." But she gives him no further time to question as he grabs his keys and she runs to get shoes.
On the way to Sabrina's house, we hear the whispers Nina had with her dad on the way to school, this time louder. On arriving, after searching the living room making her way upstairs she finds Melisa. Nina is worried and panicked, she holds Melisa and repeats a spell. After continuous trying, eventually succeeding, both characters are scared yet relieved. The audience too, feel safer.
Act 4 - Falling action
Nina wonders where Sabrina is after Melisa explains "She went out the door to find her brother. Go check, ill be fine" Nina was always closest with Sabrina, she rushes out in confusion and a bad internal vibe, feeling sick. She scans the hallway, then to find Lee's room door open. Running inside -"Sabrina!" Nina repeats the process to wake up Sabrina, as she does, the whispering stops.
Sabrina swears and screams, then hug's Nina. "My sister needs help, this is all her fault."
A few moments later, Melisa joins her friends in Lee's room, all characters look shocked. Nina explains the situation as all is revealed to the audience - "There's an alternate universe, one that needs people to join it in order for it to overtake humankind." Sabrina looks down at her charm, Nina bringing her wrist up. "There's demons and leaders who control humans, if merged into their world, they'll take you for their own. " Melisa takes her charm off after viewing Nina's actions, looking down to the floor. "My sister was involved since she was little, after the car crash incident of my mother, well, she thinks they took her."
Melisa remarks, "This is crazy"
"We have to stop my sister. I have an idea"
The girls plan to go back to Nina's house to tell Chris about the situation, in hope that he can help. Sabrina drives to her house. On arrival, Melisa and Sabrina sit in the living room of Nina's house, making small talk with Chris. Nina goes upstairs, yet again to be faced with Bea.
Bea sits in her room crunched up, she looks even crazier now, angrily, she exclaims- "What have you done!" As Bea get's up, almost to attack Nina, Nina holds her hand out to block her. She starts chanting, with whispering starting again. Bea is weak, she falls to the ground. Nina follows her down, grabbing her wrist to place an orange stringed charm bracelet on her.
"It's better this way, Bea."
Bea's eyes turn red and widen, before she is completely unconscious. The audience recognise the expression on her face, its similar to Sabrina and Melisa's beforehand, but this time Bea's lips are pale purple and her eyes bright red. Nina collapses in exhaustion next to her and we fade out.
Act 5 - Denouement -
Flash to the alternate universe, a surrounding we have not yet seen. The land is weird, there’s a desert type haze in a city full of skyscraper buildings. Everyone is expressionless and pale. We see Bea wake up in a souvenir shop. It’s empty, but the souvenirs match symbols we saw on the board of Bea’s room. Bea get's herself together and stands up, she looks confused as she walks around the shop, touching the walls. Suddenly, there are footsteps from the back, before visually viewing,we hear a warm, sweet tone. The audience are given a shock, as we find the footsteps coming closer then to reveal a figure standing as if they're the owner of the shop. This being a woman who is the same as the one we saw in Nina's flashback, her mother. Bea turns around, given a shock.
"Mother?"
The audience are also in shock, everyone assumed Bea was crazy, but she'd been right all along. End scene.
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