What is a Logline?

Definition of what a Logline is:
- A 25 words or less description of a screenplay
- one sentence description of a screen or TV play
- Between one to three lines describing the story, focusing on the concept and not giving away the ending
- the storyline of a script described present tense in essentially 25 words or less
- a one line story plot summary
- Very brief (one or two sentence) synopsis of a screenplay

Examples of Loglines:

E.T.:
An alienated boy bonds with an extraterresstrial child who's been stranded on earth; the boy defies the adults to help the alien contact his mothership so he can go home.

RainMan:
A self-centered hotshot returns home for his father's funeral and learns the family inheritance goes to an autistic brother he never knew he had. The hotshot kidnaps this older brother and drives him cross-country hoping to gain his confidence and get control of the family money. The journey reveals an unusual dimension to the brother's autism that sparks their relationship and unlocks a dramatic childhood secret that changes everything.

My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding :
Toula's family has exactly three traditional values - "Marry a Greek boy, have Greek babies, and feed everyone." When she falls in love with a sweet, but WASPy guy, Toula struggles to get her family to accept her fiancée, while she comes to terms with her own heritage.

Tips on how to construct a great logline for your script:

Reveal the star's SITUATION
Reveal the important COMPLICATIONS
Describe the ACTION the star takes
Describe the star's CRISIS decision
Hint at the CLIMAX - the danger, the 'showdown'
Hint at the star's potential TRANSFORMATION
Identify SIZZLE: sex, greed, humor, danger, thrills, satisfaction
Identify GENRE
Keep it to three sentences
Use present tense