How to write a documentary logline (with examples)
The first line a funder reads, and the one that decides whether they read the next. Here’s how to make one sentence pull its weight.
A documentary logline is one or two sentences that capture who the film follows, what’s at stake, and what makes it singular — written to make someone want to see it. A reliable shape: [a specific subject] must [face a struggle] as [stakes/obstacle], revealing [a larger meaning]. Lead with the human and the tension, not the topic; if a reader can’t repeat it back, it’s not done.
What a logline has to do
Its only job is to make the reader want the next paragraph. In a funding application — or a festival form, or an email to a broadcaster — the logline is the hook that earns attention for everything after it. It conveys subject, stakes and singularity in a breath, without plot mechanics.
A formula that works
You don’t have to follow it rigidly, but it’s a strong default:
[Specific subject] must [goal or struggle] as [obstacle/stakes] — revealing [larger meaning].
The key word is specific. “A community fights climate change” is a topic, not a logline. “As the sea swallows their island, three families decide what’s worth saving” is a film.
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Examples
- “As her coastal village plans its own retreat from a rising sea, a teenage mapmaker documents the homes that will vanish — and the neighbours deciding what’s worth saving.”
- “A retired miner returns to the town the industry abandoned, determined to record every story before the last of his generation is gone.”
- “When a viral video makes her a reluctant icon, a young activist must decide who she becomes when the cameras never turn off.”
Each names a person, a tension, and a hint of larger meaning — in one sentence.
Common mistakes
- Leading with the topic instead of the person and the stakes.
- Vagueness — “explores,” “examines,” “sheds light on.” Replace with concrete action.
- Cramming the whole film in — the logline is bait, not a summary. Detail goes in the synopsis and treatment.
Frequently asked questions
One sentence is ideal; two at most. If it runs longer, you’re writing a synopsis. The test: can someone read it once and repeat the gist back?
The logline is one or two sentences designed to hook; the synopsis is a paragraph that lays out the story, stakes and access. The logline sells the read; the synopsis delivers it.