Dreaming up the right title for a screenplay is one of my favorite parts of writing. But it can also be a headache. Sometimes the right title eludes us.
I’m reminded of Peter Benchley (Jaws) and how tough it was for he and his publisher to agree on what to call his now-classic thriller. With the manuscript ready to go to print, they were still without a title. Many ideas were batted around. Among them:
A SILENCE IN THE WATER
GREAT WHITE
JAWS OF LEVIATHAN
JAWS OF DEATH
Eventually they settled on the short and obvious, “Jaws”.
We have to be sure our title communicates what we really intend it to communicate. The ideal title is short and catchy. It should suggest genre. It should incite curiosity.
Here are a few ideas I learned from Bart Gavigan of Spark Productions in one of his stellar seminars. Your title could be:
1) A super-compressed version of your premise or logline
(THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE VERDICT, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, BACK TO THE FUTURE, IN THE LINE OF FIRE, GET SHORTY, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER)
2) The name of the hero
(CROCODILE DUNDEE, FLETCH, GOOD WILL HUNTING, FORREST GUMP, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, THE KARATE KID, BATMAN, NANCY DREW, SCHINDLER’S LIST, MICHAEL CLAYTON)
3) A phrase or word reflecting the theme
(LOST IN TRANSLATION, TENDER MERCIES, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, AS GOOD AS IT GETS, LOST, MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS, SHINE, BABEL)
4) A location where the central action occurs
(CASABLANCA, BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, ON GOLDEN POND, ON THE WATERFRONT, PLANES TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES, TITANIC, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, CHICAGO, CASINO ROYALE, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM)
5) A major obstacle or prominent object the hero must overcome
(VERTIGO, GOLDFINGER, VOLCANO, TWISTER, PRIMAL FEAR, JAWS)
At least this gets us started. If you can brainstorm a dozen titles in each of these categories, eventually you’ll land on a real zinger. Have fun!
I’m reminded of Peter Benchley (Jaws) and how tough it was for he and his publisher to agree on what to call his now-classic thriller. With the manuscript ready to go to print, they were still without a title. Many ideas were batted around. Among them:
A SILENCE IN THE WATER
GREAT WHITE
JAWS OF LEVIATHAN
JAWS OF DEATH
Eventually they settled on the short and obvious, “Jaws”.
We have to be sure our title communicates what we really intend it to communicate. The ideal title is short and catchy. It should suggest genre. It should incite curiosity.
Here are a few ideas I learned from Bart Gavigan of Spark Productions in one of his stellar seminars. Your title could be:
1) A super-compressed version of your premise or logline
(THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE VERDICT, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, BACK TO THE FUTURE, IN THE LINE OF FIRE, GET SHORTY, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER)
2) The name of the hero
(CROCODILE DUNDEE, FLETCH, GOOD WILL HUNTING, FORREST GUMP, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, THE KARATE KID, BATMAN, NANCY DREW, SCHINDLER’S LIST, MICHAEL CLAYTON)
3) A phrase or word reflecting the theme
(LOST IN TRANSLATION, TENDER MERCIES, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, AS GOOD AS IT GETS, LOST, MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS, SHINE, BABEL)
4) A location where the central action occurs
(CASABLANCA, BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, ON GOLDEN POND, ON THE WATERFRONT, PLANES TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES, TITANIC, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, CHICAGO, CASINO ROYALE, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM)
5) A major obstacle or prominent object the hero must overcome
(VERTIGO, GOLDFINGER, VOLCANO, TWISTER, PRIMAL FEAR, JAWS)
At least this gets us started. If you can brainstorm a dozen titles in each of these categories, eventually you’ll land on a real zinger. Have fun!
Just please don't do this:
http://johnaugust.com/archives/2009/say-name-movie
Posted by: AEG | 11/06/2009 at 12:18 PM