3 Tips to Write a Logline Producers LOVE

Get readers hooked on your screenplay

A logline, or log line, is a brief summary of a feature, pilot, or short script that hooks the reader and describes the central conflict of your screenplay. Loglines are concise and usually run between 24–27 words. Yes, two sentences.

Though 25 words is not a lot of runway to summarize all the excitement that unfolds in a full script, once I became a producer, I quickly understood the reason for this limitation. I only have a few seconds to read and analyze a logline to see if it works for the specific goals of the festival producer or screenwriting competition I’m working so words are time and, as you know, time is money — it’s how business works. But, with the right formula, it’s all you need to craft a logline that garners all the right attention and THAT is the primary goal of a logline.

I’m going to detour for a brief moment to discuss the synopsis because many writers seem to get hung up between creating a logline versus a synopsis. Both are valuable and have their place. Keep reading to see the differences.

Synopsis

A screenplay synopsis is a brief summary of your screenplay’s core concept, major plot points, and main character arcs. You outline these elements in hopes that the synopsis (sometimes in concert with your logline) will pique the interest of those deciding the fate of your script whether that be producers, readers or film funding executives. Your synopsis can…