Picking Right Idea

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  • Re: Picking Right Idea

    Concept is Queen. Commerce is King.
    Know this: I'm a lazy amateur, so trust not a word what I write.
    "The ugly can be beautiful. The pretty, never." ~ Oscar Wilde

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    • Re: Picking Right Idea

      Someone here said that "Meet The Parents" was a great idea, but surely "EAT The Parents" is better?

      (eg: boy meets girl - boy gets girl - boy eats girl's parents - boy loses girl - boy gets put on death row - boy loses virginity - girl gets job as state executioner - boy loses appeal - girl gets satisfaction - boy meets his absent parent in hell... Satan!)
      Know this: I'm a lazy amateur, so trust not a word what I write.
      "The ugly can be beautiful. The pretty, never." ~ Oscar Wilde

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      • Re: Picking Right Idea

        Originally posted by Crayon View Post
        Someone here said that "Meet The Parents" was a great idea, but surely "EAT The Parents" is better?

        (eg: boy meets girl - boy gets girl - boy eats girl's parents - boy loses girl - boy gets put on death row - boy loses virginity - girl gets job as state executioner - boy loses appeal - girl gets satisfaction - boy meets his absent parent in hell... Satan!)
        I'd watch that.
        "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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        • Re: Picking Right Idea

          Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
          I'd watch that.
          Really? The second act is awfully weak. Aha! I'll simply pitch it as a biopic.
          Know this: I'm a lazy amateur, so trust not a word what I write.
          "The ugly can be beautiful. The pretty, never." ~ Oscar Wilde

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          • Re: Picking Right Idea

            The problem with the posited solution in the OP is the flawed subjectivity of the writer.

            1) OP says writers need to pick great ideas but all-too often run with lesser ideas - yet those writers thought their ideas were great, hence they ran with them.

            2) OP provides examples of ideas that aren't great but that again raises the 'quality check' flaw in my first point but also adds another subjectivity flaw: the OP could be just as wrong as the writer he says is doing it wrong. Maybe the writer's idea is great or maybe it is subpar but so too is OP's alternative idea.
            M.A.G.A.

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            • Re: Picking Right Idea

              OP could be wrong but in being more discerning (saying "no- more often) he will be less likely to commit to an idea that is not strong. This may result in some misses (other than De Luca who thought Boogie Nights was a movie?) but it will also result in a better cultivation of ideas.

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              • Re: Picking Right Idea

                Why am I being called OP -- like you guys and girls don't know me? I'm standing right here!!!!

                The whole point was many writers are bad at picking ideas and they may never get better at it. But some of us are capable of learning and that's who I'm speaking too.
                Others are going to make the same mistakes over and over. Others are going to be lucky and ideas they think of just happen to be very marketable.

                And I'm always posting in my mind to a few writers who may hear me -- most active members on this board have made up their mind about how they write and do things -- that's fine. I'm taking to the new generation with this whole thread for the most part. Or for the few old people like me that maybe can still learn new ways to do things and improve.

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                • Re: Picking Right Idea

                  Subjectivity and self-analysis is always a problem. It's why I pitch road testing ideas - first off, do the research to make sure it doesn't exist, and then pitch it to everyone on earth and get their reactions.

                  Honestly, just the act of boiling your story down to a quick pitch is more than a lot of people do before they start writing. If you can't express it in one to three sentences and have it make sense and be interesting, that should tell you something. The script pages section here has a bunch of these - "I don't really have a good logline yet, but it's kind of about this and then this happens and there's this guy and I was inspired by a relative." That's a problem!

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                  • Re: Picking Right Idea

                    Originally posted by JoeNYC View Post
                    When a Goth’s secret metalhead crush is obsessed with the hottest girl in high school, she helps him score a date so he can realize she’s not his true love, but will her plan backfire?
                    Some Kind of Wonderful (1987). One of the most beloved and memorable teen romcoms. Good luck with generating interest with that.

                    Roughly the same amount of luck needed to sell your script about a guy who travels back in time in a VW Golf, and causes his dad to fall in love with him.
                    M.A.G.A.

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                    • Re: Picking Right Idea

                      Originally posted by Bono View Post
                      Also let’s be blunt. Have you (asking entire group) had success with your own logline? People give out logline advice on here and I’m not sure they’ve even sent a successful query themselves. Let alone all the success Jeff has had.
                      I got a lot of read requests but I'm sure its Black List score was also a determining factor though, to be fair, no one replied saying the logline sucked.

                      If I had Jeff's success I wouldn't have posted my arc-based threads. And I'd be driving a better car.
                      M.A.G.A.

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                      • Re: Picking Right Idea

                        Originally posted by JoeNYC View Post
                        Jeff, you’re deeming the JOHN TUCKER story idea as “great” only because of the fact that it sold -- It sold, so that proves it was a great story idea.

                        No. In my opinion, Jeff and members, which relates to the topic of this thread, I do not deem a “great” story idea this way (being sold).
                        .
                        .
                        .
                        Don’t you think MGM and Fox were interested, not because of the story idea was so great, but because of all the variables that came with it: commercial idea, strong targeted audience, sensible budget, it’s writer is a proven successful screenwriter presently working in the industry, etc.?
                        JTMD was a 'great' script for exactly these reasons: high concept, intriguing, commercial and talent-attracting. Most of which you identified yourself. Just because it doesn't meet your definition of 'great' doesn't mean it isn't. A great idea is not just 'wow, never seen that before' - it's all the other attributes, too. You clearly have no idea what 'high concept' means and you speaking for the reaction of everybody (amateur and pro alike) is spectacularly ridiculous.

                        And to answer your question that you decided to conveniently answer yourself: yes, it would make people think 'wow, how come this hasn't been made yet?' and it DID cause that reaction - hence it sold, twice, got produced, and made moolah. Up to that point, the romcom jerk just 'lost' the girl or lost his 'cool' rep.
                        Last edited by SundownInRetreat; 08-09-2020, 01:52 PM.
                        M.A.G.A.

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                        • Re: Picking Right Idea

                          Originally posted by SundownInRetreat View Post
                          Some Kind of Wonderful (1987). One of the most beloved and memorable teen romcoms. Good luck with generating interest with that.

                          Roughly the same amount of luck needed to sell your script about a guy who travels back in time in a VW Golf, and causes his dad to fall in love with him.
                          I love that 2nd idea!

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                          • Re: Picking Right Idea

                            Originally posted by Cyfress View Post
                            BTW, We should do a rematch of the TV pilot notes. I'd love a rematch. That was the most exciting thing to happen around here in a long while and I'd like to run it back. If you're too busy or just don't feel like that's cool.
                            Best idea since the Romans invented roads.
                            M.A.G.A.

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                            • Re: Picking Right Idea

                              Originally posted by JeffLowell View Post
                              Subjectivity and self-analysis is always a problem. It's why I pitch road testing ideas - first off, do the research to make sure it doesn't exist, and then pitch it to everyone on earth and get their reactions.

                              Honestly, just the act of boiling your story down to a quick pitch is more than a lot of people do before they start writing. If you can't express it in one to three sentences and have it make sense and be interesting, that should tell you something. The script pages section here has a bunch of these - "I don't really have a good logline yet, but it's kind of about this and then this happens and there's this guy and I was inspired by a relative." That's a problem!
                              And maybe we keep burying the lead of the story.

                              Jeff is a great writer and a big part of that is him choosing great ideas. People keep separating these things out like they are two different skills -- but to me they are one and the same. Being able to find a great concept that can be boiled down to as few words as possible and write a readable/sellable script are using the same set of skills to me.

                              If I can't get a one sentence logline that people understand easily -- then I know my feature is in trouble before I begin.

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                              • Re: Picking Right Idea

                                Originally posted by Bono View Post
                                I love that 2nd idea!
                                Good job I drive a VW Golf then. I have all the inside knowledge I need to make this script believable.


                                Originally posted by Bono View Post
                                If I can't get a one sentence logline that people understand easily -- then I know my feature is in trouble before I begin.
                                It's also not high concept.
                                M.A.G.A.

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