When learning how to write a logline, use its common form: one or two sentences naming the protagonist, their goal, and the central obstacle. For the wider writing process, see how to write a screenplay.
- Protagonist
- The protagonist is commonly the character whose goal and choices drive the story.
What is a logline formula?
Use this starting pattern: A [specific character] must [concrete goal], but [central obstacle] stands in the way. For an invented ferry story, the character is a mechanic, the goal is evacuating her island, and the obstacle is an impounded boat.
How do you write a logline?
Build a logline around a concrete struggle
- Identify the character
Choose a description that matters to the struggle. “Ferry mechanic” connects the character to the boat she needs.
- State the goal
Write what the character must accomplish. “Evacuate her island” gives the reader an outcome to picture.
- Name the obstacle
Show what prevents that outcome. Her boat is impounded, and the harbor chief guards the dock.
- Connect the details
Put the character, goal, and obstacle into a sentence. Keep details that sharpen the struggle, such as rising floodwater.
- Test the wording
Replace phrases that could describe unrelated movies. Exchange “faces a challenge” for the specific action your character must take.
What do good loglines look like?
Aim for a struggle the reader can picture, not a description of the character’s feelings. These before-and-after examples describe the same invented movie.
Before: A woman must find courage and overcome challenges to help her community during a disaster.
After: A ferry mechanic must steal her impounded boat to evacuate her island before floodwater rises, while the harbor chief guards the dock.
“Find courage” describes an inner change without showing the task. “Steal her impounded boat” puts the mechanic into direct conflict with the harbor chief. That struggle can become visible on the script page:
EXT. FERRY DOCK - NIGHT
Floodwater washes over MARA’S work boots. She wedges bolt cutters around the chain securing the dock gate.
Beyond the gate, her ferry rocks against its mooring.
The HARBOR CHIEF steps between her and the chain. He holds out his hand for the cutters.
Mara tightens her grip.
Use the struggle to develop scenes with the guide to outlining a screenplay. Keep the logline beside your draft as a reminder of the central goal. For advice on completing that draft, read how to finish your first screenplay.