A clever teenager hacks a military computer to play a nuclear war game only to trigger the computer into preparing to “play” a real nuclear war.

Prefer dpg's. Whilst following conventional logline form (formula tab..) is great for those new to the logline game, it can dance dangerously close to conformity and hence a one way ticket to snoresville. Yes, loglines need to be clear and logical, but give the audience some cred.. when the "must(goal)" is self evident, blatantly stating it in the logline can read as ameteurish/ student-y. Dpg's tells me what I need to know without falling into that trap... and its definitely not a tagline..

I've always said (as you probably know) that loglines serve two purposes for a writer - 1) to help develop the concept and 2) pitch it.
Like you wrote, if a logline does both all the better. However, if as a writer you struggle to compose such a logline for a particular concept, perhaps best to focus on a logline for the former and separately a tagline for the later.? Then perhaps post the tagline with a note specifying it as such, it could even be useful to add a 'Tagline' category in the drop down menu as an option. That's what taglines are for - to sell the 'sizzle'.

Often, the word 'logline' gets misused, which means when some people ask for a logline what they're really asking for is the 'sizzle' instead of the plot, in other words, they want a tagline.
My experiences to date have shown that decision makers respond more to a tagline upfront. If the 'sizzle' gets them they'll ask for more information, and that's when you give them the logline. So, I totally agree about the need to prioritise the 'sizzle' over the 'steak', only it depends on who you're talking to and when.

That said, a logline is a logline and a tagline is a tagline, while they share common ground they are two separate beasts, and the name of this web site pretty much sums up what we're working on in that regard.

Nir Shelter:

I need to clarify? my demented thinking in regards to "the steak" versus "the sizzle".? (Actually sparring with you over this film has clarified my thinking? on an aspect of loglining that has simmered on the back burner of my brain? for some time. So thanks.)

I think we're on the same page on the primary purpose of a logline. However, in my case I also read from an extra page. ?I employ two loglines for my stories.

1] A?"steak" version to organize and clarify my thinking -- the development phase. It's a straight forward road map laying out the basic plot elements.

2] A?"sizzle" version that I use pitch the plot to others -- the promotional phase.. This version puts an emphasis on the hook of the finished product.

My impression is that most loglines posted here are about story ideas in the development stage.? So you are absolutely correct to focus on what is needed to produce a "steak" logline with the essential plot elements as outlined by Karel under "The Formula".

But I believe when it comes time to promote a finished product, a writer ought to consider whether there is a need for a "sizzle" version. If a writer can compose one logline well suited to the purposes of both phases (development and promotion) -- great! But I have not found that to be the case with my own scripts.

Loglines are a tool.? And sometimes the tool may need adjusting, depending on the purpose, the task at hand.

fwiw