What makes the perfect film synopsis?

What makes the perfect film synopsis?

A good synopsis can help your plot make it to cinema or TV, even if you haven’t got a script. However bear in mind busy producers, studios, agents and commissioners get dozens of synopses every day and learn to make snap judgements based on their first impressions. That doesn’t mean they’re always right, of course, but knowing Steven Soderbergh was rejected by Lucasfilm will be of limited comfort after your 20th rejection. Here’s how to write a film synopsis that gets your idea to the next level.

 

What is a synopsis?

A synopsis is a summary of the plot of a work of art such as a movie, TV series, radio drama, play or book. Its job is to tell the story to someone who will decide whether to film, record or publish it.

 

Should a synopsis give away the ending?

When submitting your idea or plot, it’s vital that the person assessing it knows the whole story. A romantic film really only works when the couple gets together at the end; for example, if your story features someone marrying someone unexpected, it suddenly becomes a tragedy. Children’s films can have sad endings, but not all studios are interested in such stories.

 

Synopsis vs. treatment, logline, pitch and blurb

Synopsis vs. treatment, logline, pitch and blurb might all get lumped together, but the synopsis, pitch, treatment, logline and blurb are all different things.

• Blurb: the basic plot of the start of a story, intended to lure readers and viewers to buy or watch the product and find out how it ends.
• Synopsis: a brief account of a whole story, the word is sometimes synonymous with “blurb” when marketing to the public.
• Treatment: a more in-depth synopsis, covering each chapter, section or part individually to give a fuller account of how the plot and characters develop.
• Logline: an extremely condensed synopsis or blurb, perhaps a single sentence or two short lines. It can appear at the top of a synopsis to spark curiosity in the reader.
• Pitch: somewhere between a blurb and a sales meeting, a pitch is a persuasive account of the story, and why the person needs to take it on. Knowing how to write a pitch and memorise it is a great way to capitalise on chance encounters, hence the term "elevator pitch".

How to write a film synopsis

So, you have your Oscar-worthy idea but now it’s time to write your film synopsis. Here are a few pointers for creating a synopsis that will get you noticed.

Ideal word count for a synopsis

A synopsis for a story should all fit into one side of A4, or 300–500 words. There are cases where a longer synopsis is warranted, but you’ll need to be sure it starts compellingly to ensure the reader gets hooked. If you’re writing for a highbrow or academic producer, they will probably expect a longer synopsis. For general commercial entertainment, however, the studio wants a story they can sell on the strength of a short TV ad or poster, so the more concise, the better.

The title

The title of the synopsis should be the title of the work, and it should include any subtitles that are relevant. If it’s a working title, just go with your current favourite. It’s common for shows and movies to have a completely different title from the one originally submitted.

Hello, characters

Your characters drive the story from start to finish. The audience is experiencing the story through their senses and emotions, so they need to be rounded, interesting people. Start your synopsis with a brief introduction of the characters and how they relate to each other.

The challenge

Now, you need a challenge. This will be the whole point of the story, so make sure you are clear about what is in front of the characters and the difficulties and adversaries they need to overcome. That could be invading a hostile planet, finding a magic wand, winning someone’s heart or reaching the biscuit tin on the top shelf – as long as the audience has empathy and interest, it can make a great story.

The end

Finally, the people reading the synopsis need to know how it ends. As we covered above, it’s vital that they know this, as it will determine how well the story fits in with their output and genres. It’s not essential to include spoiler warnings or, even worse, leave the ending out. This is not a blurb!

And you are...?

You can place this at the end or at the beginning, like a letter, but don’t forget to tell them who you are and how to contact you. You might want to put a brief bio if it’s relevant, but it’s not always necessary. The advantage of putting your details at the end is that it’s simply less stuff for the reader to trawl through before they reach the synopsis. If they never reach the bottom, your email address is probably irrelevant anyway.

Get it right

Ultimately, the success of the synopsis depends on the quality of the story, however, so that should be your first priority. Don’t start submitting synopses until you’ve nailed the plot from start to finish. When you have those two elements in place, you’re at least in with a fighting chance.

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