How to Write a Logline (with Examples)

A logline is your whole screenplay in one sentence, and it's often the only thing a reader sees before deciding whether to open your script. This guide covers what a logline must contain, how long it should be, the mistakes that sink most of them, a step-by-step method, and original example loglines you can study.

Updated September 2026 · 8 min read

1. What a logline is

A logline is a one-sentence summary of your story that tells someone who the story is about, what they want, what stands in their way and why it matters. It doesn't describe the ending. It sells the premise.

You'll use it everywhere: in query letters, on contest entry forms, on script-hosting sites, in pitch meetings, and when someone at a party asks what your script is about. Readers and producers use it to decide, in seconds, whether a script is worth their time.

A logline is also a writing tool. If you can't state your story in one clear sentence, the problem is usually the story, not the sentence. Many writers draft the logline before the script and use it as a compass.

2. The five parts of a logline

Most strong loglines contain the same building blocks:

On top of these, the best loglines have a hook, often called irony: a built-in contradiction that makes the premise feel fresh. A fire-fearing man who must become a firefighter. A pacifist forced to lead an army. Irony is what makes a listener lean in and say, "Wait, tell me more."

Describe, don't name

A character's name means nothing to a stranger. "Jonas" tells us nothing; "a disgraced ferry captain" tells us a history, a skill set and a wound. Use a short adjective plus a role. Proper names are fine for famous real people or places, but for your invented protagonist, a description works harder.

3. How long a logline should be

One sentence, usually 25 to 50 words. Some writers allow two sentences, but most readers expect one. If yours runs past 50 words, you're almost certainly including subplots, backstory or the ending.

A good test: say it out loud in one breath. If you run out of air or the listener's eyes glaze over, cut.

4. How to write one, step by step

• Step 1. Name the protagonist's defining trait. Pick the one quality that matters most to this story, ideally the one the plot will test.
• Step 2. Find the inciting incident. What event pushes them out of normal life? Start the logline with it, often using "When…" or "After…".
• Step 3. State the goal as an action. "Must rescue," "must win," "must hide." Avoid internal goals like "learns to love again" as the main engine; they belong to theme, not plot.
• Step 4. Add the opposition. Name the antagonist or the force in the way, as specifically as you can.
• Step 5. Raise the stakes. Add a clause that shows the cost of failure, often starting with "before…" or "or…".
• Step 6. Look for the irony. Check whether the protagonist's trait clashes with the goal. If it doesn't, ask whether a different protagonist would make the story sharper.
• Step 7. Cut and test. Remove every word that doesn't add information. Then read it to someone who knows nothing about your script and ask them to tell the story back to you.

Here's the method in action. A first draft usually looks like this:

No incident, no concrete goal, no antagonist, no stakes. Apply the steps and it becomes:

5. Example loglines

The loglines below are original, invented for this guide. Each one shows a slightly different shape.

Thriller

The hook is the protagonist's skill: she is the only person positioned to see the threat.

Comedy

Irony drives it: the one thing she can't do is the one thing the job demands.

Drama

The antagonist isn't a villain here; it's someone he loves. The stakes are personal on both sides.

Horror

A specific, visual mystery plus a personal ticking clock.

Short film

Short film loglines work the same way, just with a smaller world and a tighter clock. That fits a script of a few pages; see our guide to screenplay length.

6. Common mistakes

• A passive protagonist. If things only happen to your hero, there's no story. The logline needs a verb they perform.
• A vague goal. "Find happiness" or "discover the truth" can't be filmed. What will we actually see them trying to do?
• No opposition. Without an obstacle, the goal is just a to-do list.
• Missing stakes. If failure costs nothing, the reader has no reason to care.
• Too many characters. A logline usually names one protagonist and one opposing force. Ensemble stories still need a single spine.
• Giving away the ending. A logline sets up the question; it doesn't answer it.
• Clichés and adjectives. "Heart-pounding," "epic journey," "against all odds" add words, not information.
• Rhetorical questions. "What would you do if…?" wastes the first half of your sentence. State the premise instead.

This could describe thousands of films. Nothing in it is specific to your story.

7. Logline vs tagline vs synopsis

These three get confused constantly, but each has a different job:

A tagline for the thriller above might be "Every word is a weapon." That's evocative, but it tells a producer nothing about the story. Writers pitch with loglines; studios sell with taglines.

Once your logline works, it becomes the backbone of everything else. It maps neatly onto your outline: the inciting incident, the goal and the obstacle usually line up with the major turns of three-act structure. If you're just starting out, our guide on how to write a screenplay shows where the logline fits in the whole process.

8. Frequently asked questions