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10 WAYS YOUR SCRIPT TITLE CAN WORK FOR YOU

Copyright © 2003, Lenore Wright

First impressions count. Great screenplay titles create a positive impression -- a turn-on, not a turnoff. If the title of your script hooks your readers right from the start, you'll have a better chance to keep them reading.

Some writers create a title first, then their script takes shape around it. Other writers don't come up with a title they like till they've finished their final polish.

To help you invent a great title for your script, I've come up with several examples of how titles can (and should) work for you and your script.

NOTE: No title works in all these ways at once, but the more ways YOUR title works for YOU, the better.

Titles Can Convey the GENRE of Your Movie

Studios market movies by genre so a title that conveys your movie's genre will help you get your script read and remembered.

Examples of titles that REVEAL GENRE:

~ MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (Techno-Thriller)
~ STAR WARS (Science Fiction - Action)
~ FATAL ATTRACTION (Romantic- Thriller)
~ DIAL M FOR MURDER (Murder Mystery)

Titles Emphasize CONFLICT or CRISIS

~ BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK
~ HIGH NOON
~ AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER
~ BACK TO THE FUTURE
~ HOME ALONE

Titles That Pose an Intriguing Question

~ MEN IN BLACK (Who are these cool guys?)

~ WHO KILLED ROGER RABBIT? (Who Is Roger Rabbit?)

~ THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW (What the heck is this about?)

~ THE VIRGIN QUEEN (Will she or won't she?)

Titles That Conjure Up a VIVID IMAGE

~ BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
~ HAMBURGER HILL
~ LOST HORIZON
~ A BRIDGE TOO FAR

Titles Trigger a POSITIVE MEMORY

~ TITANIC
~ MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
~ RETURN TO...

Titles That Spotlight the STAR'S ROLE

Biopics use titles this way of course, but it's not limited to biographies. Stars attach themselves emotionally to a great TITLE ROLE. You want the Star thinking -- "Hey, this movie is about ME!"

~ ROCKY
~ BILLY JACK
~ CROCODILE DUNDEE
~ G.I. JANE
~ MISS SAIGON
~ MAVERICK

Titles That Exploit Cultural References

~ SOME LIKE IT HOT
~ ALL ABOUT EVE
~ THE PAWNBROKER
~ MAIN STREET
~ UNTOUCHABLES
~ GREASE

Titles That Establish an Exotic Setting

Only use a title this way if the setting of your movie resonates on many levels within the movie and with your audience.

~ SUNSET BOULEVARD
~ CASABLANCA
~ 42ND STREET
~ ON THE WATERFRONT

Titles That Create a VIVID METAPHOR

~ BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI
~ BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
~ DARK VICTORY
~ FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
~ THE LONGEST YARD

Titles That Cash in on CURRENT SLANG

~ YOU'VE GOT MAIL
~ DAZED AND CONFUSED
~ SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT
~ THE LONG GOODBYE
~ TOP GUN

One caution: Pop titles nave to perfectly timed. Marketing titles too many years after the phrase was popular dates your script.

GUIDELINES FOR CHOOSING YOUR TITLE

--> Reflect the content of Your Movie on as many levels as possible.

Let your title work as many ways as possible: exploiting genre, establishing tone, defining the star's role, creating a central metaphor, emphasizing the central conflict, defining the crisis moment.

--> Your title should be understandable (by a majority of your target audience) but not mundane.

Don't burden your unique, wonderful script with a shopworn title or a cliche phrase. Audiences can only endure so many TERMINAL MOMENTS, FATAL ATTRACTIONS and PRIMARY DANGERS.

JUST FOR FUN!!

Here are some lousy movie titles (only my opinion) that didn't stop their movie from being enormously $uccessful:

~ HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (Who knew.)

~ IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Cheesy title, perfect movie.)

~ LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (Maybe this title is better in Italian.)

~ THE PRODUCERS (Title not funny, movie hilarious)

~ LOVE STORY (Nobody knows why this was a hit, but it was.)

MORE TIPS ON TITLES => CLICK HERE

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About the Editor:

Lenore Wright has 15 years experience writing and selling screenplays in Los Angeles and New York. For free marketing tips and tools SUBSCRIBE to her newsletter Script Market News by sending a blank email to newsletter@breakingin.net

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