How to Write a Logline: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

What Is a Logline?

A Logline is a short, punchy, attention grabbing way of quickly describing your film. It should give someone the heart of the story without explaining every plot point.

A strong logline will usually tell us:

• who the story is about;
• what happens to them;
• what they want;
• what is stopping them;
• what could happen if they fail;
• and what makes this story different.

What Is the Purpose of a Logline?

A Logline should be able to convey the tone and emotion of your story in a sentence.

When Will a Screenwriter Need a Logline?

If you’re planning on selling your screenplay, or getting funders on board you will need this to be able to quickly present your idea. A really strong logline can get the attention of people in the industry who might be in the market for exactly what you’re doing.

It is worth writing your initial logline before you’ve even written your screenplay as it can be your guiding star while you write to avoid losing your way on those more difficult writing days where the ideas aren’t flowing.

What Is the Difference Between a Logline, Tagline and Synopsis?

Logline vs Tagline

A logline is a short synopsis of your film whereas a tagline is almost a marketing slogan, an attention grabbing phrase of few words.

Logline vs Synopsis

A synopsis is a detailed description of the film with turning points, plot summary and climax of the story.

Logline vs Elevator Pitch

A paragraph or two aimed at getting interest in your project. It should explain what your script is about and use hooks to get attention and leave people wanting more.

Logline vs Film Treatment

Most detailed explanation of your film that tells the entire film, each beat, each character their intention and the outcomes of their decisions. A Treatment is usually finished before writing the entire script it can help to streamline and test out ideas and also take to execs and producers to see if they are interested in picking up the project.

What Should be in a Logline?

You may not need to spell out every one of these things, but they should help you work out whether your logline is giving the reader enough information.

The Protagonist

The protagonist is the main character in your story. They are the person we follow and the person whose choices move the story forwards.

In a logline, you do not always need to use the character’s name. In fact, describing them can often tell us much more.

For example:

“A woman must save her family.”

This gives us the basic idea, but it is quite vague.

“A grieving mother must save her family.”

This is more interesting because “grieving mother” tells us something about who she is and what she may already be dealing with before the main story begins.

Think about what is most important for us to know about your protagonist. It might be their job, their age, their personality, their situation or a flaw that will make their journey more difficult?

In Jaws, the protagonist is described as a local sheriff. In a stronger version of the logline, he might be described as a water-fearing sheriff. That detail matters because he will eventually have to face the shark at sea.

The Inciting Incident

The inciting incident is the event that knocks the protagonist’s life off course and begins the main story. It is the moment when something changes.

This could be:

• a person going missing;
• a murder;
• an unexpected arrival;
• losing a job;
• receiving a diagnosis;
• discovering a secret;
• or being given an opportunity they cannot ignore.

In Jaws, the inciting incident is the arrival of the shark and the first attack on the beach community. Before this happens, the sheriff is living his normal life. Once the shark attacks, he has a problem that he has to deal with.

Loglines will often start with phrases like:

• “When…”
• “After…”
• “Following…”
• “Upon discovering…”

For example:

“When a killer shark begins attacking a seaside community…”

This quickly tells us what happens to start the story.

The Protagonist’s Goal

The goal is what the protagonist is trying to achieve. This is one of the most important parts of a logline because it gives the story a clear direction. We need to understand what the main character is actually trying to do.

A goal might be to:

• find a missing child;
• escape from somewhere;
• stop a killer;
• win a competition;
• prove someone is innocent;
• get home;
• save a relationship;
• or uncover the truth.

In Jaws, the sheriff’s goal is to stop or kill the shark. That is a clear goal because we can understand what success or failure will look like.

Internal goals, such as wanting to be happy, wanting to move on or wanting to find themselves, are important to the character’s journey but they can be difficult to use on their own in a logline. Try to connect the character’s emotional journey to something we can actually see them doing.

Instead of:

“A lonely woman tries to find happiness.”

You might write:

“A lonely woman enters a local dance competition in the hope of rebuilding her life.”

The second version gives the character something active to pursue.

The Central Conflict or Obstacle

The central conflict is the main thing standing between the protagonist and their goal. A story becomes interesting when a character wants something but can’t easily get it.

The obstacle might be:

• another person;
• a villain;
• an animal or creature;
• a powerful organisation;
• society;
• the weather;
• a lack of time;
• or something within the protagonist themselves.

For example, the obstacle in a disaster film might be the disaster itself. In a crime film, it might be the killer. In a relationship drama, it could be another person, a betrayal or the characters’ inability to be honest with one another.

In The Silence of the Lambs, Clarice wants to catch a serial killer. However, to do that, she needs help from Hannibal Lecter, another dangerous killer who manipulates and tests her. You don’t need to mention every problem the protagonist will face. Focus on the main source of conflict that drives the film.

Without an obstacle, a logline can feel flat because it only tells us what happens, not why achieving the goal will be difficult.

The Stakes

The stakes tell us why the protagonist’s goal matters.

Ask yourself: What will happen if they fail?

The stakes could involve:

• someone being killed;
• losing a child or partner;
• losing a home;
• losing a career;
• destroying a relationship;
• exposing a secret;
• failing a community;
• or putting the whole world in danger.

The stakes don’t always have to involve life and death. A small, personal consequence can feel just as important if we understand what it means to the character.

In Back to the Future, Marty needs to return to his own time. However, after changing the past, he must also make sure his parents fall in love. If he fails, he may never be born.

In A Quiet Place, the stakes are clear without being directly explained. The family must stay silent because making a noise could get them killed.

The stakes give the story urgency. They show us why the protagonist can’t simply walk away from the problem.

The Story’s Unique Hook

The hook is the part of the idea that makes the story stand out. Lots of films have similar foundations. There are millions of stories about people falling in love, solving murders, escaping danger or trying to save their families. The hook is what makes your version feel different.

It might be:

• an unusual setting;
• an unexpected main character;
• a strange rule within the story;
• a fresh way of telling it;
• an ironic situation;
• a surprising combination of genres;
• or a strong “what if?” idea.

For example, Groundhog Day is about a selfish man who needs to change. That part of the story is not unusual on its own.

The hook is that he is forced to live the same day over and over again.

Inception is about a thief taking on a difficult final job. Its hook is that he enters people’s dreams and is asked to plant an idea rather than steal one.

Your hook should come from the story itself. Don’t just say your film is unique or like nothing we have seen before, employ the famous Show Don’t Tell method and show us what makes this story different.

The Genre and Tone

The genre tells us what kind of story it is.

This might be:

• comedy;
• horror;
• thriller;
• drama;
• romance;
• science fiction;
• fantasy;
• action;
• or crime.

The tone is slightly different. It tells us how the story feels.

A film might feel:

• dark;
• warm;
• funny;
• tense;
• bleak;
• romantic;
• unsettling;
• playful;
• or absurd.

You do not always need to write, “This is a psychological horror film,” in the logline. The words you choose should help the reader understand the genre and tone.

For example:

“A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that can take on the appearance of its victims.”

Words such as “hunted,” “shape-shifting alien” and “victims” make it clear that this is a science-fiction horror story.

Compare that with:

“A successful lawyer is forced to tell the truth for 24 hours after his neglected son makes a birthday wish.”

The idea of a dishonest lawyer suddenly being unable to lie suggests a high-concept comedy.

The logline should give an honest impression of the film. A light comedy shouldn’t sound like a dark thriller unless the story genuinely mixes those two tones.

How the Parts Fit Together

A simple way to build a logline is:

When something happens, a particular type of person must achieve a clear goal, despite the main obstacle, before something important is lost.

You can then add the story’s hook and choose language that gives us a sense of the genre and tone.

For example:

“When a killer shark begins attacking a seaside community, a water-fearing local sheriff must hunt it down before it claims more victims.”

In this example:

The protagonist: A water-fearing local sheriff.

The inciting incident: A killer shark begins attacking the community.

The goal: The sheriff must hunt down the shark.

The obstacle: The shark itself, as well as the sheriff’s fear of water.

The stakes: More people will be killed if he fails.

The unique hook: A man who is afraid of water must face a deadly creature at sea.

The genre and tone: A tense creature thriller.

Not every logline needs to include all seven parts in an obvious way. Some details can be suggested rather than fully explained.

The aim is not to squeeze the whole screenplay into one sentence. The aim is to give someone a clear, interesting sense of the story and make them want to know more.

Examples of Strong Loglines

1. The Silence of the Lambs — A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help in catching another serial killer.
2. The Sixth Sense — A boy who communicates with spirits seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist.
3. The Matrix — A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.
4. Jurassic Park — During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power failure that allows its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.
5. Taxi Driver — A mentally unstable Vietnam War veteran works as a night-time taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge for violent action.
6. Good Will Hunting — A young janitor at MIT has a gift for mathematics but needs the help of a psychologist to find direction in his life.
7. Liar Liar — A fast-track lawyer cannot lie for 24 hours because of his neglected son’s birthday wish.
8. WALL-E — In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of humankind.
9. Titanic — A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated RMS Titanic.
10. Beetlejuice — The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by the unbearable family that moves into their home and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.