Testing your Premise...

[EJ Pennypacker]

So La Femme had an interesting post a while back on Premise Testing, but I wanted to debate and go deeper to just what makes a solid, commercial, Hollywood premise, and just what we should be thinking of/ ticking off on our Premise Testing List.

From La Femme's old post on Premise Testing, she says:

“Here is a worksheet I would recommend using for every premise you come up with. Simply fill it out in pencil and voila, watch the skeleton of your story come together.


Title:

Premise line:Genre:Hook:

Theme:

World (location/situation):

Main Character:
Wants/Needs
Flaw
Age/stage of life

Antagonist:
motivation/goals:

Set up or inciting incident:

1st act break event:

Midpoint reversal:

2nd act break event:

Ticking Clock:

Showdown or Climactic Scene:

How does this story fit into the current zeitgeist?

What age is the audience for this story idea?

What is universally resonant about this story?

Approximate Budget:

List Three Movies which are in ANY way similar:
When was each released?
What was the box office?”

Now, the above is a solid breakdown of your idea. But I wanted to go deeper still and create a Premise Testing List of things writers should/could be thinking about for amping up that Hollywood mainstream idea.

So I'll start off with...

1) CASTABLE.

Are your protag or antag - or even supporting cast members - "castable"? I remember reading GALAHAD, and thinking "Wow, who wouldn't want to play ANY of these characters?". You've got Lancelot. King Arthur. Galahad. And lots and lots of famous and popular characters -- all of these are "castable" roles that I'd imagine any actor would kill to play.

2) RELATABLE.

KNOCKED UP is a great premise because we've all (at least most of us) have had a "scare" moment with someone, and KNOCKED UP takes it to its limits and presents the idea of: What if someone you had a one night stand with, you got pregnant? That’s a relatable idea. One that I think male and female's alike can relate to easily. Therefore "relatable" in a premise would be a bonus that makes your concept even more attractive to Exec's in Prod. Co. and Studios, right?

3) OVERSEAS ATTRACTION.

If THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR isn't a blatant attempt to "cash in" on the ever growing Asian market, I don't know what is. KUNG FU PANDA pi$$ed off the Chinese Government, because they said they should've thought of that premise themselves, not the US. Clearly commercial ideas need to travel well overseas (isn't it something like half the money a project will make in its lifetime - will come from overseas markets?) so clearly it’s time to think about ideas that will play out well all around the world.

4) FRANCHISE.

Okay, one movie can sum this up nicely. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. Whether you love or hate them (or think Ted & Terry are some of the smartest writers in Hwood) "franchise" is something we should all hope to cash in on (and we'll be laughing to the bank).

If anyone else has other things to add to this, then let the debate carry on...!

EJ

[Raw_and_Vital]

Good list.

I am wondering about one thing. RELATABLE.

i personally think this one is up for discussion. I enjoy a movie that I can relate to. But I also like the kind of movie that is something I can't.

Cloverfield for instance. I can't relate to having any experience with a monster attack, But it puts me in this danger zone that I am not used to being involved in. I get to experience it for a full hour and a half.

End of the World movies, (Independence Day, Deep Impact, Armageddon, etc) I don't think I can relate to any of these but I get to experience that sense of danger. That scenario that I am not used to being around.

I guess the whole "Relatable" subject all depends, in my opinion.

Thoughts?

[EJ Pennypacker]

My take on it is two things.

1) From a concept POV - but like you said I can't relate to CLOVERFIELD.

2) From a THEME POV. The movie WHEN HARRY MET SALLY is a great 'theme' that I think is extremely relatable to almost everyone in the world.

EJ

[mineymole]

This is very similar to the Writer's Boot Camp Unity Page.

[EJ Pennypacker]

Do you have anymore info on this mineymole?

EJ

[wcmartell]

I have a script tip on this - Happy Meals. That is, what are the potential promo tie ins? What's the other merchandise your film can sell - toys, games, etc? Companies are diversified these days - the parent company may own a toy company, and if they don't - they can make money licensing the toys.

But after hearing a million pitches from people, I think just having a great idea is usually the most important thing... most don't have enough imagination.

On Relatable: You want to relate to the characters and their emotional problems... in a world that is a major escape from reality. Emotional problem = relatable, plot problem = escape, fantasy. So SUPERBAD has characters we can relate to involved in this crazy quest where things get more and more out of control.

- Bill

[Biohazard]

Originally Posted by EJ Pennypacker

...I can't relate to CLOVERFIELD.

Of course nobody can directly relate to being attacked by a gigantic creature from space, but we can all relate to the idea of saving a loved one from harm, whether it has happened to us or not.

There are several people that I know, that I'm such good friends with, that I'd run into a burning building to save them if I had to. Cloverfield connects with me in that kind of way. I know that I will never be in a situation like the one in the film, but there might be a time in reality where I am in a situation where someone I love and care about is in immediate, life-threatening danger. I just hope that never happens.

[Raw_and_Vital]

Good way at looking at it. I agree with you all. I guess I was looking at the scenario rather than the characters emotional voyage...

[Terrance Mulloy]

Originally Posted by Biohazard

Of course nobody can directly relate to being attacked by a gigantic creature from space.

I can. It's called Marriage.

[Angeloworx]

Overseas Attraction definitely falls into a more complicated and deeper consideration. I think this issue falls into the RELATABLE(using the definition that Bill mentioned) category. Have themes resonate in the most humanistic level. Mummy and KungFu are fantastical stories... very simple, universal themes. The history and/or characters you exploit also indicate the audience it potentially attracts. Is it really necessary to consider if the movie is to be distributed internationally when writers or any creative player does not have any control over marketing or distribution?
I think the franchise idea could be instrumental in pitches more so than in the actual script. Then again, I haven't done many pitches.