Would you...

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  • Would you...

    ... deliberately give your screenplay a name that you knew had no chance of surviving process in order to attract attention?
    I heard the starting gun


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  • #2
    Re: Would you...

    yes

    Last night in San Pedro

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    • #3
      Re: Would you...

      It's your screenplay. Title it what you like.

      Except if it's like "Schindler's List" or "Star Wars." It's not that kind of thing, right?
      "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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      • #4
        Re: Would you...

        I wouldn't but the Robotard 8000 would disagree.

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        • #5
          Re: Would you...

          Absolutely.
          "I just couldn't live in a world without me."

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          • #6
            Re: Would you...

            Originally posted by Southern_land View Post
            [Would you] ... deliberately give your screenplay a name that you knew had no chance of surviving process in order to attract attention?
            No.

            If I couldn't come up with a effective and usable title then I would regard that as a failing. I see it as the screeenwriter's job to envisage a marketable end product, and to supply all of the primary written elements.

            Anyhow, I don't imagine that an unforgettably unusable title would increase the likelihood of industry readers giving a script a 'recommend'; and a screenwriter resorting to such gimmicky tactics might be regarded as unprofessional.
            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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            • #7
              Re: Would you...

              Adam Herz's original title for American Pie was "Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love." Worked for him.

              I think people do it and it works. It gets them read.

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              • #8
                Re: Would you...

                Eric Garcia writes really funny stories with biting sarcasm. Every time Hollywood decides to make on into a movie they run it through the "blanderizer" first.

                "The Repossession Mambo" is typical of this. Great title. When it was finally released it was blanderized into "Repo Men". (They blanderized everything else about it too.)

                I don't think it matters how good your title is. Someone is probably going to screw it up.
                "I just couldn't live in a world without me."

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                • #9
                  Re: Would you...

                  Yes. If your script doesn't get read, it's dead.

                  AMERICAN PIE's spec title was: "Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love" There is not a cinema marquee large enough for more than maybe 4 words, so there was no way in hell that was going to end up the release title. It was the "gets the script read" title.

                  (CV beat me to it!)

                  - Bill
                  Free Script Tips:
                  http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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                  • #10
                    Re: Would you...

                    mines no where near as inventive as "Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love" - but you can say mine in a single breath

                    Thanks all
                    I heard the starting gun


                    sigpic

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                    • #11
                      Re: Would you...

                      Originally posted by cvolante View Post
                      Adam Herz's original title for American Pie was "Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love." Worked for him.
                      I wasn't aware of this but I think it answers the question. I was wavering but I guess in the first instance the challenge is to get read and if the title does it, problem solved.
                      "Friends make the worst enemies." Frank Underwood

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                      • #12
                        Re: Would you...

                        There was a trend a few years ago of putting profanity in titles.

                        I think if you did it now it'd feel a little hackneyed, but, you know, if you could be clever about it, it won't hurt.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Would you...

                          So should the OP query with a logline as well? Or should they not bother with a logline, and just rely on their memorable, but unusable, script title when querying?
                          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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                          • #14
                            Re: Would you...

                            Originally posted by Crayon View Post
                            So should the OP query with a logline as well? Or should they not bother with a logline, and just rely on their memorable, but unusable, script title when querying?
                            It was a serious question: How might one best format their queries for a script which has an unusable joke/shock title? Any thoughts, anyone?
                            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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                            • #15
                              Re: Would you...

                              Originally posted by Crayon View Post
                              It was a serious question: How might one best format their queries for a script which has an unusable joke/shock title? Any thoughts, anyone?
                              I've been led to believe that a good logline is the most important element in a query letter, so I think you should feature a good logline even if you lead off with an unuseable shock title.

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