# Log line > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Log_line > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Log_line.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Log_line > Source revision: 1301470443 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Brief summary of a television program, film, or book}} {{For|the navigational device used to measure a ship's speed|Chip log}} A '''log line''' or '''logline''' is a brief (usually one-sentence) summary of a [television program](/source/television_program), [film](/source/film), short film or book, that states the central conflict of the story, often providing both a synopsis of the story's [plot](/source/Plot_(narrative)), and an emotional "[hook](/source/hook_(rhetoric))" to stimulate interest.{{Cite web|url=https://industrialscripts.com/loglines-guide/|title=How to Write Outstanding TV & Movie Loglines: The ULTIMATE Guide|date=2019-06-11|website=Industrial Scripts®|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-01}} A one-sentence program summary in ''[TV Guide](/source/TV_Guide)'' is a log line.{{harvtxt|Brewer|2014|p=29}} "A log line is a single sentence describing your entire story,"Russell, James (2000). ''Screen & Stage Marketing Secrets: The Writer's Guide to Marketing Scripts'', p.61. James Russell Publishing. {{ISBN|9780916367114}}. however, "it is not a straight summary of the project. It goes to the heart of what a project is about in one or two sentences, defining the theme of the project ... and suggest[ing] a bigger meaning."Perebinossoff, Philippe; Gross, Brian; and Gross, Lynne S. (2005). ''Programming for TV, Radio, and the Internet: Strategy, Development, and Evaluation'', p. 73. Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|9780240806822}}. "A logline is a one-sentence summary of the story's main conflict. It is not a statement of [theme](/source/theme_(narrative)) but rather a [premise](/source/premise_(filmmaking))."Steiff, Josef (2005). ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to Independent Filmmaking'', p. 57. Penguin. {{ISBN|9781592573905}}. "A logline ... helps content creators simply and easily sell their work in a single sentence, because the emphasis is on what makes their property unique ... the logline provides the content creator with a concise way to focus on the three main anchors of their writing," the protagonist, the protagonist's wants (goal(s) or desire(s)), and what is at stake (risks).Bishop, Lane Shefter (2016). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=RGPfCwAAQBAJ&dq=%22logline%22&pg=PT14 Sell Your Story in A Single Sentence: Advice from the Front Lines of Hollywood]'', {{unpaginated}}. Countryman Press. {{ISBN|9781581575101}}. The term was introduced in 1982 to describe an entry in a [television programming guide](/source/TV_listings) summarizing the plot of a show.{{Cite web |date=December 27, 2024 |title=Definition of LOGLINE |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/logline |access-date=December 29, 2024 |website=Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary |language=en-US}} ==Elements== Narrative elements often referenced in a logline include the [setting](/source/setting_(narrative)), [protagonist](/source/protagonist), [antagonist](/source/antagonist), [inciting incident](/source/inciting_incident), and a [conflict](/source/conflict_(narrative)) and a [goal](/source/goal) (the conflict's resolution).{{cite web|url=http://graemeshimmin.com/writing-a-logline-for-a-novel/|title=Writing a Logline|date=March 2013 |publisher=Graeme Shimmin|accessdate=2017-09-13}} Change, such as character growth, and action should be suggested. A log line should contain four facts: "the main character, what the main character wants," the villain(s) or obstacle(s), "standing in the way," and, "the unique aspect(s) of the story."Farnham, Ronald (2011). ''How to Write a Screenplay in 30 Days or Less'', p.51. AuthorHouse. {{ISBN|9781463440336}}. ==Examples== {{quote|Charlie Brown is finally invited to a Halloween party; Snoopy engages the Red Baron in a dogfight; and Linus waits patiently in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin.|Logline for ''[It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown](/source/It's_the_Great_Pumpkin%2C_Charlie_Brown)''{{cite web|url=http://titantv.com/|title=Logline|work=[It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown](/source/It's_the_Great_Pumpkin%2C_Charlie_Brown)|publisher=TitanTV|accessdate=2005-10-25}}}} {{quote|A talented but irresponsible teenager schemes to steal his college tuition money when his wealthy father refuses to pay for him to study acting at Juilliard.|Logline for ''[How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater](/source/How_I_Paid_for_College%3A_A_Novel_of_Sex%2C_Theft%2C_Friendship%2C_and_Musical_Theater)''{{harvtxt|Brewer|2014|p=29}}}} == See also == * [High concept](/source/High_concept) * [Save the Cat!](/source/Save_the_Cat!%3A_The_Last_Book_on_Screenwriting_You'll_Ever_Need) ==References== {{Reflist}} {{refbegin}} * {{citation | editor-last = Brewer | editor-first = Robert Lee | title = 2015 Writer's Market | publisher = [Writer's Digest Books](/source/Writer's_Digest_Books) | location = Cincinnati | isbn = 978-1-59963-840-9 | year = 2014 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/2015writersmarke0000brew }} {{refend}} {{filmmaking}} Category:Television terminology Category:Film and video terminology {{film-term-stub}} {{tv-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Log line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Log_line) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Log_line?action=history)). 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