Synopsis or Tagline. Aren't They The Same Thing?

Taglines and synopses are essential for independent filmmakers and screenwriters submitting to film festivals, but many make the mistake of thinking they are the same or not important at all. In reality, both taglines and synopses are film industry standards, each serving a unique purpose. A tagline is a single, catchy sentence designed to grab a reader's attention and spark initial interest in your film or screenplay. It's often displayed on the movie poster used for marketing. On the other hand, a synopsis is a brief description of your film or screenplay, typically under 100 words, that summarizes the story, reveals the genre, but does not spoil the ending. The synopsis is meant to further entice readers and provide a clearer understanding of what the story entails.
Commonly, filmmakers and screenwriters use the same exact sentence for both the synopsis and tagline, especially when submitting to film festivals. I address the need to separate the two in this video. To find out more about the film festivals that are managed by Mikel Fair, please visit filmfestivalcircuit.com/
You can support the creator of this video and learn about the film industry in the book "The Film Festival Submitter's Handbook 2024 edition" which is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRWJRQHZ

[@LarryEColeman]

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[@ZinaO.]

Thank you for your video! I’m more of a author/poet, but I do have a “skeleton” of a screenplay/dabble in it/think about screenplays (and have a love of film and its critique/analysis). This came in my recommended section.
I appreciated the direct and clear cut definitions, then how you elaborated, and gave examples. Out of curiosity, was the synopsis of The Matrix less than 100 words?

[@MikelFair]

Thanks for watching. Yes, the following synopsis of The Matrix is 28 words. "When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence."