What is a Tagline?

The use of taglines, loglines, and other means of designating what a film is about can be somewhat confusing to a new screenwriter or cinematographer. It’s very common to struggle with the various terminologies and what it all means. In fact, some mistakenly get caught using the term tagline and logline as interchangeable terms when in fact they really are not the same or even alike. So what is a tagline and what’s the difference between a tagline and a logline?

What is a Tagline?

A tagline is a short line of text that essentially clarifies the central idea of a movie and adds dramatic effect. You might recall taglines and slogans that commonly accommodate businesses.

But it’s likely that you’re not 100% certain what a tagline is when used in film. What’s the purpose of a tagline and how can we tell a tagline from a logline?

Movie or film taglines generally speak directly to the plot of the film and the experience that the audience can expect from watching the film. Taglines are generally just a few words long, they often use puns or turns of phrase, and they are catchy – like a slogan.

What’s the Difference Between a Tagline and Logline?

The difference between a tagline and a logline in film is that a tagline is literally a short slogan that accommodates a film title whereas a logline is a one or two sentence description of the film including details about the character, the action, and what the audience can expect.

Loglines are created before the film screenplay is written as a way of announcing the film idea to the producer. If the producer likes the idea, the film will move to screenwriting where a screenplay is created. Without a great logline, films don’t make it past the idea state.

Likewise, a tagline is an accommodation to the film title like a slogan that helps the audience to connect with the film title. Many taglines are punny and they tend to be catchy.

They don’t necessarily give insight into the characters or what’s going to happen in the film, but they might provide a bit of a rhyme that adds value or a catchiness to the title.

Tagline Examples

Over the years, some of the most iconic films have had incredible catchy taglines. For example, you might recall this tagline from Father of the Bride: “The Bride gets the THRILLS, the father gets the BILLS.”

Additional taglines that have come about in past films include the following:

• The Magnificent Seven – “They were 7…and they fought like 700.”

• Easy Rider –  “A man went looking for America, and he couldn’t find it anywhere.”

• The Sound of Music – “The Happiest Sound in All the World.”

• Taxi Driver – “On every street in every city in this country, there is a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.”

So, what is a tagline? A tagline in film is a catchy slogan that goes along with the title to grab the audience’s interest and intrigue them such that they want to watch the film.