A well-written logline will get you access to the managers, agents, and producers capable of putting your ideas on screen. So, with no further ado, here’s how to write a logline.

A Logline Doesn’t Tell a Story, It Sells an Idea

You have a brilliant idea for a movie. Scorcese won’t be able to resist it, Spielberg or Cameron either! You have to tell someone, so you invite your best friend over for dinner. Plates cleared and drank ultimately; you dive in. You describe the beats in poetic detail. You weave in backstory and motivation. Conflict! Plot twists! Sound effects! You look up, expecting to see the awe, and instead find a glossy-eyed distraction. Self-doubt creeps in.

Then you remember all the times you’ve watched others struggle to describe a movie they loved. “Go see it,” they say. “Trust me,” they promise.

Describing a movie is problematic because movies weren’t meant to be described; they were written, directed, and seen. If you want to hold your friend’s attention (or, more importantly, the concentration of managers, agents, and studio executives), you have to learn the art of selling a story, and that starts with a great logline.

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What is a Logline?

So come on already, how do I write a great logline?

Technically, a logline is a precise one-sentence summation of a screenplay that follows a fairly straightforward formula: protagonist + catalyst + protagonist’s goal + antagonist/conflict. It sounds easy, but when it’s your work in question, whittling down a hundred and twenty pages of set pieces, dialogue, and career into a 30-word blurb is a helluva thing. We’ll get into how-to later, but first, let’s cover why loglines are essential.

Why Is Learning To Write A Logline Important?

Loglines are a deciding factor at every step of the creative process. Agents and managers receive hundreds of submissions every month and read only a fraction. Loglines are the first step in their weeding out process. Do they occasionally miss out on bankable talent? Sure. But more often than not, the process works.

Loglines are the first hurdle in the producer, studio executive relationship as well. When Producer A says, “I’ve got a great script! You’ll want to fast-track this one!” the first thing Studio Executive B is going to ask is, “What’s the logline?” Movies are created by artists and financed by executives. Loglines are the established connection between them. You’ll still have to deliver the goods, but a well-crafted logline will get you in the room.

The Core Elements of a Logline

As mentioned above, the basic formula of a logline is protagonist + catalyst + protagonist’s goal + antagonist/conflict. You’ll need to include each element, but you don’t have to follow the exact order. For instance, the catalyst may take precedence over the protagonist(s) in a disaster movie. If this formula feels frustratingly vague, well, it should. Just try to remember that a logline gets you in the room, and talent gets you on the screen. Let’s look at the loglines from a couple of blockbusters that we can learn to write a great logline.

Apocalypse Now

Logline: During the U.S.-Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.

Word Count: 33.

Protagonist: Captain Willard.

Catalyst: Assassination mission during the Vietnam War.

The protagonist’s goal is: Kill a renegade colonel.

Antagonist/Conflict: Man vs. man. + survival in a hostile environment.

When you read that logline, you immediately think of Francis Ford Coppola’s layered masterpiece, but to illustrate the importance of talent in the creative process, read that logline again and replace Captain Willard with John Rambo. It is suddenly a very different movie. Don’t try to pack your full vision into 30 words. It simply won’t fit. Get in the room; you can showcase your talent later.  

The Hangover

Logline: A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps to find him.

Word Count: 27

Protagonists: Three groomsman

Catalyst: Drunken misadventures and a lost groom in Las Vegas

Protagonist(s) goal: Comedic search and rescue

Antagonist/Conflict: Pre-wedding ticking clock

The Hangover had a funny concept, and the logline sets the stage for an easily imagined comedy. The finished product was, of course, due to excellent writing, acting, and directing, but any executive with access to studio cash could see the potential.

Now, imagine if they had submitted a logline that talked about the baby, the tiger, the individual character arcs, and as many plot beats as possible. Ironically, it’s the introduction of specific details from the script that does the most damage. The fact that the memory loss was due to roofies is only funny via Zach Galifianakis’ character. Baby Carlos requires context. The stolen tiger involves context. Without the whole story, the details aren’t amusing, and the concept isn’t as compelling.

Summing Up How to Write a Logline

For a screenwriter, loglines are easy to loathe. They feel like something the studio should farm out to a junior marketing associate. But like it or not, they are an intricate part of the movie-making process. Don’t write your logline for other writers. Don’t write your logline for that friend of yours who zoned out. Write it for the decision-makers, the managers, agents, and producers flipping through ideas and hoping that talent will follow.