A logline is a one- or two-sentence summary of a film or series that names the protagonist, what they want, what stands in their way and what is at stake. It is the version of the story you say out loud when someone asks what you are writing, and it should make them want to read the script.
Loglines are used in query letters, pitch meetings, contest entries and coverage reports, but their most useful job happens before anyone else sees them. A logline is a test: if you cannot write one, the story usually has a gap — no clear goal, no real opponent or nothing to lose.
What goes into a logline?
A logline needs four elements: a specific protagonist, a goal or problem, an obstacle and stakes. A fifth, irony, is what makes it memorable — a twist that sets the character against the situation.
- Protagonist: described by a telling trait rather than a name. "A retired lighthouse keeper" says more than "Eli".
- Inciting situation: the event that starts the story, usually in a clause beginning "when" or "after".
- Goal: what the protagonist actively sets out to do. It should be visible on screen.
- Obstacle: who or what is stopping them — ideally a force that grows.
- Stakes: what is lost if they fail. Without stakes, the goal is just an errand.
How to write a logline
The quickest way to write a logline is to fill in a template, then rewrite it until it no longer sounds like one. A reliable starting shape is: When [inciting incident], a [flawed protagonist] must [goal] before [stakes], despite [obstacle].
- Name the protagonist by the trait that matters most to the story, plus one adjective that implies a flaw.
- State the inciting incident in as few words as possible.
- Write the goal as an action verb: find, steal, escape, protect, prove.
- Make the obstacle concrete. "Dark forces" is vague; "the cartel that paid for the house" is a story.
- Add the stakes, including a ticking clock if there is one.
- Cut to 25–45 words. Remove names, subplots and anything that only matters on page 70.
- Read it aloud to someone who does not know the story and ask them what the movie is about. If their answer differs from yours, revise.
Logline examples
These original loglines are written for the six one-page screenplays in our Screenplay Museum, imagined as full-length stories. Each shows a slightly different emphasis.
Last Call (drama)
When a soaked young man walks into her all-night diner with a bag of cash from his father — who died six years ago — a guarded owner must hide him from the people following the money before they reach the one place she still calls safe.
The Keeper (mystery)
After nine years of logging empty seas, a lighthouse keeper sees a light answer his from open water and must find out who is signaling before the island's owners decommission the tower and send him ashore for good.
Two Calls (thriller)
An isolation-ward doctor becomes the only link between a quarantined patient and the fugitive who loves her, and must decide whether bringing him in will save the patient or deliver him to the men who are watching both of them.
The Interview (comedy)
A buttoned-up job candidate realizes the start-up interviewing her cannot make payroll on Friday — and that the only way to get paid is to save the company from its 22-year-old founder.
After the Flood (drama)
When the river takes her family's "lucky" house, a teenage girl narrates the rebuilding as if nothing has changed, until her mother's silence forces her to admit what the town has really lost.
The Locked Room (single location)
Three strangers stuck in a midnight lift must keep each other calm when they realize the courier's ticking parcel might not be a clock.
Notice what is missing: no character names except where the title needs one, no theme statements and no adjectives like "gripping" or "heartwarming". The situation does the selling.
Logline vs tagline vs synopsis
A logline, a tagline and a synopsis all summarize a story, but they serve different readers. The logline tells an industry reader what the story is; the tagline makes an audience curious; the synopsis tells the whole plot, ending included.
- Logline: one or two sentences, written for producers, agents, contests and collaborators. States protagonist, goal, obstacle and stakes.
- Tagline: a short marketing line for a poster or trailer. It hints at tone and hooks curiosity without explaining the plot. A tagline for The Locked Room might be: "Fifteen floors. Three strangers. One very loud clock."
- Synopsis: a prose summary from half a page to a few pages, written in the present tense, that covers the major beats and reveals the ending.
A film treatment goes further still, telling the story scene by scene in prose. The one-sentence version comes first because every longer document expands it.
A logline formula
A formula is a starting point, not the finished sentence. One that covers most loglines:
Filled in: "When a soaked young man brings a bag of cash from a father who died six years ago, a guarded diner owner must hide him from the people who want it back, or lose the only place she has ever felt safe." Then cut every word that does not change the picture.
How long should a logline be?
One sentence, sometimes two, usually 25 to 50 words — short enough to say aloud in one breath. If yours runs past two sentences, it is carrying plot that belongs in the synopsis.
When to write it
Write it before the outline, as a test of the idea, and rewrite it after every draft. The first version tells you whether you have a story; the last version tells a reader what you actually wrote. If it keeps changing between drafts, the story has not settled yet.
Revising one: before and after
- Too vague: "A woman's life changes forever when a stranger arrives." No character, no goal, no stakes.
- Too much plot: "A diner owner meets a young man whose father faked his death, then they go to a motel, then the gang finds them, then…" A synopsis, not a logline.
- Working: "A guarded diner owner must hide a young man and a dead man's money from the people coming for both — or lose the only place she has ever felt safe." One character, one goal, one cost.
Leave out character names unless the character is famous; a description like "guarded diner owner" does more work than "Mara".
Common logline mistakes
- Describing the theme instead of the story: "a film about grief and forgiveness" tells a reader nothing they can picture.
- A passive protagonist who reacts but never pursues anything.
- Listing every subplot. One clear line beats three crowded ones.
- Hiding the hook. If the twist is the reason to read, put it in the logline.
- Comparing to other films instead of describing yours. Comparisons belong in a pitch, after the logline.
How to test a logline
A logline works when a stranger can repeat it back and picture the movie. Run it through four quick checks before you build anything on it.
- The picture test: can a listener imagine the poster and a scene from the trailer? If not, the goal or obstacle is too abstract.
- The verb test: is the protagonist's goal an action someone could film? "Come to terms with" fails; "bring her brother home" passes.
- The opponent test: is there a person or force that actively pushes back, and does it get stronger?
- The why-now test: does the inciting incident explain why this story starts today and not last year?
If a logline fails one test, fix the story, not just the sentence. A vague goal in that sentence is almost always a vague act two in the draft.
Use the logline to test the structure
Once it works, each part maps onto the story's shape: the inciting incident is the catalyst, the goal defines act two, the obstacle supplies its complications and the stakes decide the climax. Our beat sheet guide shows how to expand a logline into turning points.
Write it in Scenaloom
Scenaloom's Worldview — the story bible attached to each project — has a dedicated logline entry alongside the core issue and your own custom entries. Scenaloom AI reads the story bible when you ask it for help, so suggestions start from your logline rather than a guess. Read about Worldview and knowledge files or start a project.
Want to test formulas on your own story? The free logline generator builds three versions from six short answers.
Questions
What is a logline in film?
A logline in film is a one- or two-sentence description of a movie that gives the protagonist, the goal, the main obstacle and the stakes. Producers, agents, contests and readers use it to decide whether to read a script. It describes the story itself, unlike a tagline, which is a marketing line for audiences.
How long should a logline be?
A logline should usually be one sentence of 25 to 45 words, two at most. Shorter is better if it still names the protagonist, goal, obstacle and stakes. If it needs more than two sentences, the story probably has more than one central conflict, or the sentence is carrying subplots it does not need.
Should a logline include character names?
Usually not. A descriptive phrase such as "a retired lighthouse keeper" tells a reader more than a name they have never heard. Names are fine for real people in a biopic, for a famous character in an adaptation, or when the title is the character's name.
What is the difference between a logline and a premise?
A premise is the core situation of a story — the "what if" that starts it. A logline is a polished, pitchable sentence built from the premise, adding a specific protagonist, an obstacle and stakes. Every logline contains a premise, but a premise alone is not yet one.
Do TV series need a logline?
Yes. A series logline describes the ongoing engine of the show — the situation that will keep generating episodes — while a pilot logline describes the first episode's story. Many writers put both in a series bible: one sentence for the show, one for the pilot.