Loglines are tricky things – distilling 120 pages of script into one sentence and imbuing it with the power to summarise, titillate and intrigue is a surprisingly difficult task. As a writer it can be hard to develop a good logline because you are invested equally in each part of your work – identifying the crucial story elements and leaving everything else out feels like you aren’t doing your script justice. But remember, a good logline is crucial to selling your script; in a covering letter, in a pitch, in the 30 second window you have with an executive when you accidentally meet on the Great Wall of China. That being the case it is vital that you develop a good logline for your magnum opus, something with sizzle and pop, but also, crucially, something that tells the audience what the script is about.
The difference between a logline and a tagline
A logline is a one (or occasionally two) sentence description that boils the script down to its essential dramatic narrative in as succinct a manner as possible.
A tagline is a piece of marketing copy designed to go on posters to sell the film
– In space no one can hear you scream (Alien)
Crucially, a logline contains all the elements necessary for the telling of a good story. It is written for industry professionals to show them that you can create a viable story for the script – a marketing hook alone won’t cut it.
One further note that you won’t like: A logline is the DNA of your script. If you can’t make the logline work, it’s probably becasue the story in your script doesn’t work. This is why some people suggest writing a logline for your idea before embarking on the script.
Not sure where to begin? These tips are going to help:
1. A logline must have the following
– the protagonist
– their goal
– the antagonist/antagonistic force
2. Don’t use a character name
It has no intrinsic information and so is a useless word. Instead, tell us something about the character.
– A sous-chef
– An ex-superhero
3. Use an adjective to give a little depth to that character
This is your chance to show some character. Beware of cliche, and also of the power of irony. It’s helpful if the characteristic you describe will have something to do with the plot.
– A mute sous-chef
– An alcoholic ex-superhero
4. Clearly and quickly present the protagonist’s main goal
This is what drives your story and it will drive your logline too. Make sure that the goal is present early in the script – if you don’t make good on your logline’s promise early enough the rest of the script won’t get read.
– A mute sous-chef wants to win the position of Head Chef at her boss’ new restaurant
– An alcoholic ex-superhero searches for his daughter
5. Describe the Antagonist
The antagonist should be described in a similar, but preferably shorter, manner than the hero. If the hero faces a more general antagonistic force then make it clear that they are battling something, not just life’s bumps and buffets.
– A mute sous-chef wants must fight off an ambitious rival to win the position of Head Chef at her boss’s new restaurant.
– An alcoholic ex-superhero searches for his daughter after she is kidnapped by his dementing, jealous former sidekick.
6. Make sure your protagonist is pro-active
He or she should drive the story and do so vigorously. Good loglines will show the action of the story, the narrative momentum that carries you through the script. In some cases the protagonist will be reactive, but note, this is not the same as passive.
7. If you can, include stakes and/or a ticking time-bomb
These are very useful narrative devices that add urgency tou your script. If they fit in easily, include them in your logline.
– To save his reputation a secretly gay frat-boy must sleep with 15 women by the end-of-semester party.
8. Setup
Some scripts operate in a world with different rules to our own and require a brief setup to explain them, e.g. most science-fiction stories. Others have a protagonist whose personal or psychological history is crucial to the story and needs to be explained. Again, be brief.
– In a world where all children are grown in vats…
– Driven to a mental breakdown by an accident at work, an aquarium manager…
9. About the ending
Do not reveal the script’s supercool twist ending, even if it is the next The Usual Suspects. The story, and thus the logline, should be good enough to hold up by itself; a surprise ending should be a lovely bonus found when reading the script. N.B. This all changes when you get to writing your treatment.
10. Don’t tell the story, sell the story
Create a desire to see the script as well as telling them what’s in it. Loglines are like poetry, every word counts. Tinker, test, and tinker some more.
Bonus
If you can’t write a decent logline of your idea before embarking on the script, then maybe reconsider writing that thing. If it’s unfocused and muddled at the loglines stage, it’s not going to get any better as you write.
Good luck, and feel free to submit samples in the comments box.
Great article.
This helped me so much! Thank you! And if you're curious, this is what I wrote:
A subdued cleaning lady has to work her way through three dangerous situations as she enters what at first appears to be an empty office building to do her cleaning chores, and encounters a number of egocentric men.
It's going to be a dutch story, so I've translated it for you 😛
This is the logline for my screenplay.
I really love what you have to say about Loglines and how to include everything, but nothing extra. I'm a film student and this information is valuable. Thank you.
Thanks James,
That simple information about loglines really helped me with the novel 'Fire & Ice'. More power to your elbow – as we say here in Ireland.
Thanks for posting this, James — I've been working on adapting my comic book series for tv and this is a great springboard for getting it started.
Thanks for the advice! I used your 'formula' and – what are the duties you are not allowed to tell about?
Wonderful site James…thanks!
Thanks James,
The information about loglines and taglines really helps me. Thank you so much.
Thank you James, just what I needed, good straightforward notes.
Great stuff , James. Thanks very much.
A lonely teenager lives completely alone in a boarding school, without any friends or teachers. However, he soon discovers he might not be the only one living there…
Is this all right?
Why would he even be at school if there were no teachers?
very helpful. I'm writing my first short film and just beginning to learn all about this stuff : )
great helps!!… thanx alot
here is logline of my film that is in development stage – "Top Comedian looses his power of comedy; his soul as he faces the fear of death; Cancer… and then the struggle begins within to get his power back!
"A stressed-out cynical young adult seeking love and fulfillment must fight against rival forces on the side of good and evil after learning he is prophesized to change the fate of the human race."
"An ex-assassin turned superheroine is on the run from a vengeful CIA Agent who has discovered her secret identity."
I hope you will consider doing a marketing blurb how-to as well! I know that's more for books, but I think this kind of advice transcends all mediums.
Beautiful post about logline thing, thanks a lot for this brief info!
That was so refreshingly simple, yet profound.. Loved it!
What about: In a world where all children are grown in vats, a mute sous-chef must fight off an
ambitious rival to win the position of Head Chef at her boss’s new restaurant while helping an
alcoholic ex-superhero search for his daughter after she is kidnapped by his demented, jealous former sidekick, who was driven to a mental breakdown by an accident at the aquarium where he now works…
When a mother and her talented daughter move to California to chase the Hollywood dream, they discover not everything is how it seems.
d
Lol at Rolando Calfa. Love the extension.
"A confused young screen writer must decide whether to pitch his idea on this page or risk his pitch being stollen by his ever so eager competitors who read these posts." How is that?
How would you do this for a new sit com with multiple characters ?
A handsome dude commenting on this article is suddenly attacked by ninjas and ……..
My comedy log log log logline is hard f f f for me to write about, be be be cause my key
pad stut stut stut stutters, damn!
An uneducated poor and cocky nobody, falls in love with the daughter of an oxford educated business tycoon and single handedly defeats him in business to prove his worth and get the girl.
Generalize the group. A gang of misfits, a diverse set of friends, mixed-matched couples…. hope that helps.
Generalize the group. A gang of misfits, a diverse set of friends, mixed-matched couples…. hope that helps.
An affluent housewife wants to catch her husband in the act, so she and her two childhood friends venture on a girl’s weekend at her summer home on the historic Honeywell Lake, but she finds out more about herself, her husband and her friends than she bargains for. ????
An affluent housewife wants to catch her husband in the act, so she and her two childhood friends venture on a girl’s weekend at her summer home on the historic Honeywell Lake, but she finds out more about herself, her husband and her friends than she bargains for. ????
That is lol, Rolando!
Can anyone advise if you need to spell out that it's a comedy in your logline?
Anyone good enough to write your idea better than you could, already has their own idea that they're working hard on. So don't worry. Pitch it!
won't she be cooking the babies from the vats? or only the ones bred in rare-vineyard balsamic vinegar?
make it funny? light?
But can you say it all in one breath?
The comedic giveaway would be contained in the adjective used to describe your protagonist combined with the situation. If you need to spell it out, you can do better.
I correct your log lines,pitch,synopsis and share brilliant creative ideas to perfect your script. Contact me.
I correct your log lines,pitch,synopsis and share brilliant creative ideas to perfect your script. Contact me.
You got me laughing already. Your comedy will do great
You got me laughing already. Your comedy will do great
I agree with Tia Hall-Brown, generalize the group and add the goal
I agree with Tia Hall-Brown, generalize the group and add the goal
You write comedy below your screenplay's title
You write comedy below your screenplay's title
You write comedy as a title on its own, which falls below your screenplay title and before the logline
You write comedy as a title on its own, which falls below your screenplay title and before the logline
Stunned silent but…….huh?
Stunned silent but…….huh?
This is only a tip of the risk
This is only a tip of the risk
A whole village is razed to the ground when a demented and perverse herbalist deceive the people that a certain girl was responsible for the recent deaths in the village and must be sacrificed to the gods to cleanse the land, while the local chief is away to a nearby village to seek diagnosis and treatment for cholera.
a panicked nobody writer furthers his research on perfecting loglines all while fighting off the voices in his head that suggest to forever keep changing the perfect wording.
On a regular workday at home in NY city, a young screenwriter witnesses a girl's kidnapping below his window and becomes involved, which entangle him with the kidnappers and eventually embroils him into the Russian mafia's underground in the US and with a shipload of stolen uranium seeking a buyer….his actions precipitate a nuclear catastrophe that could end the world as we know it….
there is a twist though…lol
Typically unlikely and bollywoodish
Thanks Gul… You are right, this is for bollywood.:)
Ahh…La Boheme…?
Yes la boheme…
56-year-old ex F1 champion was not sure if where to begin his life from, after losing 30 years in unknown. His search for his loved ones leads him to take on the steering wheel once again, this time outside the stadium. He will not let the fate take it away from him again.
A tragedy, the loss of a child, turned into something positive to save the lives of others.
No.
and… is replaced by another handsome dude a year later.
Title: Target
After the death of her best friend a seventeen year old suicidal heiress pretends mental and emotional stability to free the people she loves from her misery.
thanks guys, it is helpfull for my cv, I am a sous-chef now, although i use to be a drunk ex-superhero …
A group of teenagers learn to live, love and lie their way through drugs, drama and daily life.
i think a film like this exists. the guy falls for her but finds out she has cancer or sth like that
Very helpful! BUT: how would you write a logline for movies like Pulp Fiction, Babel and other non-linear films or films with multiple protagonists?
Cemetery Hill – A disturbed teenaged boy forces a homeless man to help him hide his murder victim in a cemetery.
Fate crosses the galaxies to unite a dying man with a hunted alien, on a quest to save Earth from extinction.
A flying prodigy thrust into the twilight of a war, is rescued from certain death by a beautiful young woman who longs for the remembered love of her father, the brutal German Field Marshall
That is the case iff one is true-handed and the watch is
worn on the left wrist (as iss historically finished).
Lost in a strange world, a quiet Muslim girl meets a disillusioned Jewish pianist, and discovers her musical potential through their unexpected friendship.
thank you, now I can probably create mu own logline. 🙂
Should I just stick with the first sentence?
A man longing to do something that he knows is unquestionably good and right, decides to kill a pair of child molesters. He flees the scene of the crime and journeys across the western US where he meets an Indian with mystical insights an ancient storyteller and a little girl who help him see that having the courage to do what you’re meant to do is what truly matters in life.
if you asked a producer if this was an unquestionably good and right logline, after reading it to him (because who could cold-turkey remember all this) he would punch you dead in the face.
funny. damned funny.
Johny Beaumont So stick with the first sentence then, with perhaps a few tweaks? If I ever meet a producer who is into punching me in the face, I think I would not like that relationship anyway. Ha!
A man haunted by the tragic loss of his wife and son kills a pair of child molesters then flees to the Badlands where an Indian takes him on a spirit journey, reuniting him with the people who have been most significant in his life.
A New York transplant struggles to achieve stability when his life is turned upside down by a brain tumor diagnosis and he must learn to accept emotional support.
This now seems a bit muddled. I'd focus on the decision to kill – contrast it with his moral intentions, not present it as moral.
What are the stakes? What is the conflict? If they don't learn that, then… what? What's standing in their way?
I am intrigued!
The title and the logline are a bit wordy, but the premise has grabbed me!
How does going on a girls' weekend help her catch her husband? You imply a direct relationship with the word "so".
Jen Govey …can I please ask your opinion on this one Jen? "Despite growing up in a third world nation and never seeing a baseball game, a gentle spirited athlete grows up to become his country first major league baseball player."
I like Donny's original. It came as such a surprise when you get to the part about her only having 2 months to live that I was arrested by how touching the situation was.
I've learnt more here from reading the spoof loglines (and some real ones) than I did from the article! Well done, sounds like some of you write loglines for play. 😉
Leapin'Lizards
A dancing, singing lizard needs to save his home from destruction. He breaks all the rules and changes the world forever.
Thnx a lot James…
Good question, and I wish someone would answer it.
Past and present collide during a high school reunion, when a happily married woman’s sanity is threatened by her first love; a sexy, charismatic, but destructive man, intent on making her crave him, by reminding her how good they used to be together.
I already have the outline of this story. I am trying to get some feedback on this logline.
Is it too long?
Have I included enough information?
Thanks.
Two long time friends since the age of 7, grew up, graduated high school, then went off to college only to fall in love with the same girl that caused their friendship to go sour and that caused a very bad uproar between the two x-best friends and the girl husband.
SawWind Hollow – Horror
On Halloween night in the small town of Saw Wind Hollow, a fiesty teenage girl's plan to cut loose and have fun is interrupted when the veil between our world and the spirit world vanishes. Now she must uncover the town's dark past in order to stop an ancient evil from destroying those she loves and even the world.
In Ancient Egypt, a beautiful, charismatic slave catches the attention of two identical, yet very different, royal brothers whilst trying to help her miserable people.
What do you guys think of this one?
Hi, "catches the attention" and "whilst trying to" slow it down…get some sexier verbage!
How's this? Oh and could you also tell me if I need more commas or have them in the wrong places?
In Ancient Egypt, a beautiful, charismatic slave creates and breaks familial bonds during her fight against oppression.
Very informative and helpful !!!
A Computer analyst and his podcaster wife take the family on a fun-filled beach camping trip, until they run afoul of black market, endangered animal poachers bent on collecting and selling newly hatched turtles to restaurants overseas.
Tom Norton A charismatic Egyptian slave rises from the masses, creating and destroying royal bonds in her unquenching desire for freedom for her people.
After the assassination of the President by a super villain, a female superhero is hired to protect the first elected female President.
An inspiring Ad executive on her way to landing her dream job must first prove her innocence and sanity against someone trying to end her career and ruin her life.
An inspiring Ad executive on her way to landing her dream job must first prove her innocence and sanity against someone trying to end her career and ruin her life.
Jeffrey Correia In the words of Captain Jack Sparrow "That's good, can I use that?"
I'm not a pro, but I like the Norton original best.
remove some details
smh
great advice, thanks a lot!
An eccentric physicist explains to his drunk roommate how he made a machine that will open a portal to another dimension which allows him to win the heart of his soulmate since he can't in this world, then he travels across dimensions to hold the one he always cared for most.
Couldn’t agree more with the last bonus line.