A synopsis is a concise summary of your entire film — beginning, middle, and end — typically one to two pages. Unlike a logline (which teases) or a treatment (which narrates fully), a synopsis tells the complete story in compressed form. Festival programmers, grant committees, and agents use synopses to evaluate projects quickly.
When You Need a Synopsis
- Film festival submissions — most require a 1-page synopsis
- Grant applications — foundations want to understand the full story
- Agent/manager queries — attached to query letters
- Producer pitches — supplementing your logline and treatment
- Distribution packages — for sales agents and distributors
Synopsis Format
Length
- Short synopsis: 1 page, 300-500 words (most common request)
- Long synopsis: 2-3 pages, 800-1,500 words (less common)
Always check submission guidelines for specific requirements.
Structure
A synopsis follows the three-act structure of your film:
Opening paragraph: Introduce the protagonist, their world, and the central conflict. This paragraph should convey genre and tone.
Middle paragraphs (2-3): Cover the major plot turns — inciting incident, rising action, midpoint, complications, and the crisis that leads to the climax.
Final paragraph: The climax and resolution. Do not withhold the ending — synopses reveal everything. A festival programmer needs to know how the story resolves.
Writing Style
- Present tense — "Sarah discovers..." not "Sarah discovered..."
- Third person — even if the film has a first-person narrator
- Active voice — "Sarah confronts Mark" not "Mark is confronted by Sarah"
- Specific and visual — "Sarah hurls the ring into the river" not "Sarah gets rid of the ring"
- Emotional clarity — convey what characters feel, not just what they do
Common Mistakes
Withholding the Ending
The #1 mistake. A synopsis is not a marketing document — it reveals the full story, including the ending. According to the Sundance Institute submission guidelines, programmers need to evaluate the complete narrative arc.
Too Many Characters
Focus on the protagonist and 1-2 key supporting characters. Minor characters dilute the synopsis. If a character is not essential to the main arc, leave them out.
Plot Summary Without Emotion
"Sarah goes to the store. Then she goes home. Then Mark arrives." This is a sequence of events, not a story. Convey motivation, conflict, and emotional stakes.
Too Long
Respect the page limit. A concise synopsis demonstrates that you understand your own story. If you cannot summarize your film in one page, you may not have clarity about what the story is really about.
Synopsis vs. Other Documents
| Document | Length | Reveals ending? | Purpose | |----------|--------|----------------|---------| | Logline | 1-2 sentences | No | Hook/pitch | | Synopsis | 1-2 pages | Yes | Full story evaluation | | Treatment | 8-15 pages | Yes | Detailed narrative pitch | | Screenplay | 90-120 pages | Yes | Production blueprint |
Write your screenplay in Seikan and develop your synopsis, logline, and treatment alongside it — all in one connected workspace. Free to start.