RANT: HIGH CONCEPT vs. yawn...

[Unknown Screenwriter]

I thought I would attempt to solicit some IndieTalk opinions about a subject that is near and dear to me...

The topic is screenplays overall with an emphasis on screenwriting contests... I have a friend who's an A-LIST screenwriter and over the last few weeks, we've been on the phone till the wee hours of the morning discussing this business of screenwriting...

The following is my opinion only and for ME... In this business, it keeps ringing true on a day by day basis...

Here we go...

First of all... I know a lot of people that want to write a SPEC script and use it as a way of breaking into the business... They may ultimately want to be directors or producers but that being said... One of the very best ways to break into this business is to write that BREAK-OUT spec script that blows everyone away.

Let me also define "the business" a little further...

I'm talking about writing spec scripts for Hollywood. Not necessarily Indie films with little or no budget... I'm talking about writing something that gets your foot in the door with the big boys of Smell-A.

My opinion, as discussed with my A-List friend, is that everywhere we go, we have NEGATIVE OBSTACLES getting in our way... I'm not talking about the usual obstacles i.e., not knowing anyone, needing an agent, etc...

No...

I'm mostly talking about entrepreneurs... i.e., screenwriting contests, screenwriting books, screenwriting magazines, screenwriting gurus, etc.

I've been able to peek through the Hollywood barrier more than a few times since I've been writing... I've had some success and have even gotten a job or two but admittedly, I'm not an A-List writer... However, the little I've been able to access other working writers, producers, directors, etc., one thing stands clear above and beyond everything else...

HIGH CONCEPT SCREENWRITING.

Again... For clarification purposes... I'm not talking about indie low budget, Avant-Garde or experimental films... I'm not even talking about stuff like David Lynch would write... Charlie Kaufman yes, but not Lynch. I'm talking strictly about scripts that get sold to Hollywood and made into a film...

Everywhere I turn, I see screenwriting contests, books, gurus, etc., telling the proverbial wanna-be to write what they know, write what you feel, etc... From much of these recommendations, I see lots of screenwriters winning contests with historical stories, quirky character stories, etc... In fact, many a contest seems to be won with smaller type NON HIGH CONCEPT screenplays.

This would be fine as long as the screenwriters aren't trying to break into the business... And, I no means have any data or information to back this up but out of the some 75,000 PLUS screenplays that get written every year, the majority of the people that write these ARE IN FACT attempting to get noticed, discovered, a job, or better yet, SOLD.

Which takes me back to the problem...

It seems to me... With my limited observations with screenwriters/filmmakers that most are missing one very important factor... HIGH CONCEPT.

I schlep my way through at least 10 to 15 spec scripts a month for friends, for money, for coverage, etc. and at least 99% of these scripts suck. Poorly written, no structure, no real story, no real protagonist or antagonist, etc.

The 1% that do make the grade are RARELY high concept. Don't get me wrong... They are well written scripts. Clear characters and decent storytelling but one huge problem... WHO CARES?

Over the last 10 plus years, we seem to be somehow endorsing everyone and their brother to write these cute, quirky, character driven, scripts... Which they do and do very well but these very same scripts fail to make the grade in Hollywood. This would be fine as long as the writer doesn't want to try and break in but my unofficial survey tells me different. My unofficial survey tells me that 99% of the people I know that write screenplays DO IN FACT WANT TO BREAK INTO HOLLYWOOD or the HOLLYWOOD SYSTEM.

If you're lucky, one of these cool little scripts might get you some meetings but as usual, I know many many people that DIE in these meetings when asked what other material they are working on... As soon as they SPEAK about their projects, big group YAWN.

Please don't misunderstand me...

I am not telling anyone to quit writing those cool little quirky scripts... What I am saying is that to break into the Hollywood system or maybe I should say to maximize your chances of breaking into the system, you really need to have a high concept story. I would even go so far as to ask yourself the following question about your story, "WOULD I PAY $10 TO GO SEE THIS STORY AT A THEATER?"

Better yet...

A better question might be to ask your next door neighbor, your teenage brother, your sister's boyfriend, etc., if THEY would pay $10 to go see your story at a theater... Chances are (if these people are AVERAGE movie-goers) the answer will be NO.

I guess my complaint is this...

I see a ton of thoughtful and dedicated work on a monthly basis... Almost all falls short of its eventual goal i.e., to break someone into the business because the story is flat... Not important. Not something that will make you sit up and wonder about it.

I feel that contests, books (not all books mind you, but a large portion), gurus, and magazines do would-be future Hollywood screenwriters a huge injustice when they pick these quirky little scripts that rarely sell as winners... I feel that contests should be somewhat like the minor leagues of baseball... They need to prepare the hopeful screenwriter of what and how they should be writing.

Every time one of these cute little heartwarming scripts wins a contest, other hopefuls see this and figure, "Hey, I have a story like that..." Again, I'm not putting these kinds of scripts or stories down in any way. I've read lots of them in fact... What I am saying is that when one of these scripts wins a contest, it creates a lot of false hope in the minds of other screenwriters.

I will be the first one to say that Hollywood is losing ground with it's cookie cutter, sequel, built-in audience, book adaptation formulas of movie-making.

They suck. Just go watch SAHARA... LOL.

What I would like to impress upon those of you who really know how to write and WANT TO BREAK INTO HOLLYWOOD is to take that great writing of yours and turn it into a HIGH CONCEPT story and when you finally get to that A-List mountain top, go ahead and divert your attention to those cool little screenplays you once churned out and won contests with.

WHY?

Because I think that's the only way we're going to see a real improvement in the films we see... This weekend, I really wanted to go to the movies... In fact, going to the movies USED to be something I looked forward to on the weekend...

Not anymore.

Just one look at the myriad of slop playing here locally gets me back to work on my own script(s).

So what's the difference between the slop and the quirky, cool little scripts? HIGH CONCEPT, pure and simple. No more -- No less.

Almost all use similar structure but the idea just isn't BIG ENOUGH!

I know there's a lot of us out here that have some compelling, character driven story inside of us waiting to get out... That's cool. Do it. Just don't expect that kind of story/screenplay to get you into the system. Take that same technical expertise you have and attach it to a HIGH CONCEPT, and now we're talking... Once you're in the system, then you can make changes to it... i.e., Robert Rodriguez. He went against the grain of Hollywood and made his SpyKids films as well as Sin City... All high concept but done his way. That's how you change things in this world. You can't change shit in Hollywood by writing cool little stories that nobody cares about... I would recommend writing a book with stories like those because I think you would still stand a much better chance of getting your work made if someone publishes it into a book first.

You gotta have a big story. Without it, nobody in Hollywood will care. They KNOW what sells. Small stories rarely do and when they do, they rarely make money.

Like I said... If you're just into making your own films from your own work... No problem. This rant isn't meant for you but if you want to break into Hollywood... Make enough money to start making your own films your own way so you can make some improvements to the system, write HUGE! Come up with those HUGE ideas and write them the same way you write those small, compelling stories you do so well...

filmy

 

[spinner]

...I guess you'll have to pardon my waxing philisophical again, but....

I think that you are right in questioning whether or not someone will want to see the well written quirky film, but then, wasn't Van Helsing a high concept film? I ask again, how high concept is Dukes of Hazard?

I think that the little films are an attempt to find an alternative to Sahara. You can't change the mindset if there isn't an example of good filmmaking out there and that seems to be what the problem is.

when you are a little filmmaker and you have no contacts, no 'a-list' actors, no money, it would seem that the only thing you can hope to have is 'a little screenplay that could'.

I understand the 'will anyone want to see this' part of your post. That's a hard question and therein lies the risk of being in this field. maybe if the high concept people would back a small film with their hollywood machine....

I know the point is to make money. But at the same time, there is an awful trend happening and it is the dumbing down of audiences. why else would we have crap like fear factor and springer? maybe it is time to expect more of the audiences?

(this is just a comment and observation. I don't know enough about this industry yet and sometimes it seems quite daunting. I'm not trying to be unrealistic, I'm just thinking out loud...er, typing....)

--spinner

 

[Beeblebrox]

I agree with you FJ, except on one little point. High concept is not necessarily about being BIG. It's really more about simplicity. Obviousness. I prefer to call it the Million-dollar idea. Jurassic Park was a million dollar idea, but then so was Shallow Hal, a relatively small comedy. And certainly those ideas can be smart and quirky. Sure they are rarely executed that way, and most of them turn out bad, but that simply proves that it's easier to make a bad movie than a good one.

But at the same time, there is an awful trend happening and it is the dumbing down of audiences. why else would we have crap like fear factor and springer? maybe it is time to expect more of the audiences?

I agree with you that studios often pander to audiences, but they don't dumb them down. The reason why Fear Factor and Springer are on the air is because the audiences want it. No one is forcing it on them. But those same audiences also make hits out of CSI, Lost, E.R., Seinfeld, and other smartly written, compelling shows. In fact, the studios make the mistake of lumping audiences into one big mass with singular tastes. Audiences are fickle, schizophrenic things, and you just never know what's going to hit.

 

[Unknown Screenwriter]

misunderstood...

...I guess you'll have to pardon my waxing philisophical again, but....

I think that you are right in questioning whether or not someone will want to see the well written quirky film, but then, wasn't Van Helsing a high concept film? I ask again, how high concept is Dukes of Hazard?

I think that the little films are an attempt to find an alternative to Sahara. You can't change the mindset if there isn't an example of good filmmaking out there and that seems to be what the problem is.

when you are a little filmmaker and you have no contacts, no 'a-list' actors, no money, it would seem that the only thing you can hope to have is 'a little screenplay that could'.

I understand the 'will anyone want to see this' part of your post. That's a hard question and therein lies the risk of being in this field. maybe if the high concept people would back a small film with their hollywood machine....

I know the point is to make money. But at the same time, there is an awful trend happening and it is the dumbing down of audiences. why else would we have crap like fear factor and springer? maybe it is time to expect more of the audiences?

(this is just a comment and observation. I don't know enough about this industry yet and sometimes it seems quite daunting. I'm not trying to be unrealistic, I'm just thinking out loud...er, typing....)

--spinner

Thanks for the reply but I think you missed my point...

Of course Van Helsing is high concept. Dukes of Hazzard is the built-in audience formula just like Starsky and Hutch.

Maybe you didn't completely understand my post... High Concept sells.

For someone attempting to break into the Hollywood system, the little script that could is nice to talk about but will rarely ever even get a recommend, let alone an actual read once you attempt to pitch it to someone... That is unless you pitch it as a high concept.

Maybe you didn't read where I said small quirky characters and scripts make great reading when they're done well... However, these same screenwriters that illustrate they have the technical expertise to write a good screenplay can and should be able to take that expertise and create a high concept story around it. At least they SHOULD be doing that if they want any attention from Hollywood.

My whole point here is to create a high concept and still write that quirky script around it. This way, Hollywood takes notice and we start getting some decent films in the pipe. Formulaic tripe like Sahara or Mindhunters is simply that... TRIPE.

I only mention this because I see at least 2 or 3 good writers and their scripts every year... These writers are easily talented enough to write for the big screen i.e., for the Hollywood studio system. However, that simply won't happen unless these writers come up with a high concept (have I said it enough?).

A big problem lies in the current system... i.e., lots of movies get made from a pitch or idea but NO SCRIPT. The reason why this is a problem is because a pitch is a pitch... not a screenplay. However, if someone in Hollywood likes your pitch enough, they will pay to have you write it. The problem here is laziness and technical expertise. Once paid a low to mid six figures to write the script, does it really matter how well it's executed?

It does to me of course and to many other people I know who are on the outside looking in with an occasional trip to the inside... But by and large, the opinion of several producers I know in Los Angeles (a couple have made some big films) is that the A-List screenwriters are simply LAZY. Many broke in the business with a well written spec script, got an agent and then started working on studio projects. The average large budget studio project will net a writer from $100K to a half mil depending on who you are with the average being right about $250K.

Lots of screenwriters who break into the business never write another spec script... They simply add to the onslaught of crappy films we see in the theaters...

That's why films like OPEN WATER work within the system... No, it wasn't a spec script but it was high concept hence, the reason it got sold. Sure, every once in a while, a small quirky film gets made and does well... I applaud these filmmakers and screenwriters but even having said that, the next film they write or pitch (based purely on numbers) should probably be high concept.

You mention Van Helsing... Sure, it is high concept but high concept does NOT have to be special effects laden tripe. High concept sells itself... The idea is the star of the story... High concept is where you tell me what the film or story is about and I can already fill in the blanks on my own...

High concept CAN BE a SMALL QUIRKY FILM and that's my friggin' point. LOL. So instead of stories that nobody will care about, simply go deeper...

And even though Sahara is high concept, it is of course an adaptation. Another attempt to cash in on the built-in Clive Cussler audience...

There are good examples out there... Quite a few actually... The problem is that there is more crap than good examples.

Any screenwriter who's technically proficient at his or her craft should be able to write a high concept screenplay... That's all I'm saying. Take that same expertise you use for a small quirky story and create a high concept story around it. It doesn't have to be special effects. Doesn't have to even require name actors if the concept is high enough. Any genre is okay just make it the kind of story we ALL want to see... Little films can still be high concept.

That's my point.

filmy

 

[Zensteve]

I'm not actually sure what you mean by High Concept.

I've never heard that term before.

 

[bird]

Yes, I'm not sure what you mean by 'high concept' either (no reason to blush, Zen). Coming from a fine arts background, if someone said 'high concept' they usually refered to the avant garde of an artform. If one refered to 'low concept' they were talking about pop culture. Sometimes the two meet as in the pop movement of the sixties or the graphic work of the Bauhaus.

 

[Beeblebrox]

That's why films like OPEN WATER work within the system

I'm not sure about this as an example. Open Water was made completely independently. It was never bought or sold as a script. Now, I think the MOVIE works because of the concept, but that's really more about how you sell a movie to an audience rather than working within the studio system.

 

[Beeblebrox]

I'm not actually sure what you mean by High Concept.

I've never heard that term before.

If you want to work within the system, you'd better learn it!

High concept simply means that the idea can be boiled down to one or two sentences that tell you everything you need to know about the movie. Jurassic Park is a great example. Scientists bring dinosaurs back to life using DNA and build a theme park around them. There's no one who wouldn't want to make or watch that movie. The concept alone sells it.

 

[spinner]

Thanks for the reply but I think you missed my point...

Of course Van Helsing is high concept. Dukes of Hazzard is the built-in audience formula just like Starsky and Hutch.

Maybe you didn't completely understand my post... High Concept sells.

For someone attempting to break into the Hollywood system, the little script that could is nice to talk about but will rarely ever even get a recommend, let alone an actual read once you attempt to pitch it to someone... That is unless you pitch it as a high concept.

Maybe you didn't read where I said small quirky characters and scripts make great reading when they're done well

My whole point here is to create a high concept and still write that quirky script around it. This way, Hollywood takes notice and we start getting some decent films in the pipe. Formulaic tripe like Sahara or Mindhunters is simply that... TRIPE.

High concept CAN BE a SMALL QUIRKY FILM and that's my friggin' point. LOL. So instead of stories that nobody will care about, simply go deeper...


filmy

...no, I did read everything, but not being an insider I guess I don't have enough reference to know what HIGH CONCEPT is.

You mention Van Helsing... Sure, it is high concept but high concept does NOT have to be special effects laden tripe. High concept sells itself... The idea is the star of the story... High concept is where you tell me what the film or story is about and I can already fill in the blanks on my own...

...I don't know if I think that this is what quirky is. If you can figure it out, then doesn't that make it just as formulaic as the next Sahara? The Ususal Suspects was not a film you could fill in the blanks on your own.
(by the way, hollywood needs to understand that special effects are nice, but you better have a story if you want people to stick around, the matrix forgot that)

High concept CAN BE a SMALL QUIRKY FILM and that's my friggin' point. LOL. So instead of stories that nobody will care about, simply go deeper...

...how do you know that nobody will care about the story unless you put it out there? I assume you mean to show something in a way that no one has seen yet (since it is said that there are no new ideas)...I hope that is what you mean, that is what I want to do with my documentary, the idea isn't new, but the spin is...


You obviously know alot, I hope you can be patient with those of us who are still just trying to get their feet wet. We're not dumb, just lacking in information. It does help to hear from people in the know....

--spinner

 

[NicklausLouis]

I'm not actually sure what you mean by High Concept.

I've never heard that term before.

High Concept is exactly what it says - a concept that is a high priority for execs to purchase.

A few High Concept ideas from famous films:

"A man creates an amusement park full of cloned dinosaurs that end up getting lose and attacking the park patrons."

"A man is stranded on a deserted island for four years."

"Aliens attack Earth on Independence Day."

"A man decides to have the memory of his exgirlfriend erased, but during the procedure decides to call it off."

"A man has a mid-life crisis, quits his job, and regresses to his teenage mindset."

"A family of superheroes comes out of hiding to stop an impending threat to humanity and even worse, their family."

"A boy befriends an alien castaway."

"An archieologist searches for the Arc of the Covenant."

"A young farmer from an alien planet realizes his deatiny and destroys an evil force in the galaxy."

"Eleven thieves plot to steal 160 million from three Las Vegas Casinos."

Get it?

How 'bout this:

"A dying man makes a deal with the devil to prolong his life for the sake of his wife and unborn child, only to discover his wife made a deal of her own."


Basically, a High Concept is a Big Idea. It's a simple hook for an audience. Every Major Blockbuster has a High Concept at it's core.

What Filmy is saying is that Hollyowdd execs are looking for a High Concept in the screenplays they buy, not for good characters or good storys, they are looking for good ideas. So if you want to seel a script to Hollywood, make sure your script has a High Concept, then (to make a good script great) write a great story and characters around that. Otherwise you end up with White Chicks.

Poke

 

[spinner]

I agree with you that studios often pander to audiences, but they don't dumb them down. The reason why Fear Factor and Springer are on the air is because the audiences want it. No one is forcing it on them. But those same audiences also make hits out of CSI, Lost, E.R., Seinfeld, and other smartly written, compelling shows. In fact, the studios make the mistake of lumping audiences into one big mass with singular tastes. Audiences are fickle, schizophrenic things, and you just never know what's going to hit.

...you really think the people who watch CSI are watching fear factor? Oh, well, there I go speaking only for myself again. I think you are right, you never know what is going to hit. I just hope the trend will be to be drawn by something that is deeper than who your baby daddy is....

...anyway, you gotta pay me a WHOLE LOT more money if you think I'm gonna eat a Madagascar hissing roach...er, say enough to finance my film....?

--spinner

 

[NicklausLouis]

...you really think the people who watch CSI are watching fear factor? Oh, well, there I go speaking only for myself again. I think you are right, you never know what is going to hit. I just hope the trend will be to be drawn by something that is deeper than who your baby daddy is....

People enjoy what they enjoy. Honestly I know plenty of folks who watch both shows religiuously. I watch neither, but I do watch both "24" and "American Idol." What you may call mindless entertainment, I may call a rip roarin' good time. And let's be honest, if it was really "mindless entertainment" wouldn't every Tom, Dick, and Harry be a TV producer? The fact is that even the shows we deem mindless have a lot of thought put into them.

Beeble's right. You can not lump every person into a large group called "audience." everyone has their own tastes, and rarely do two people have the same exact tastes.

Poke

 

[spinner]

...Point taken, wise Poke. You are a scholar and a gentleman,...in your own weird way...

...maybe I'm a bit of a snob...I hope not, I tend to think I am a pretty open-minded person...
well, I like to think so anyway....

...I think I'm beginning to get what you all mean by high concept, I'm not an expert, but I'm beginning to get it...I think....


--spinner

 

[bird]

C'mon, no need to be condescending. I've stated what I believe 'high concept' meant coming from a fine arts background. If someone asked me what films I thought that would include, I would have answered: Last year at Marienbad, An Chein Andalu (sp), Meshes of the Afternoon, Balance, Walking, etc. Yes, most of us want to work and be successful within the 'system' (so, of course, we can then, subvert it) but we, also, come from many different life experiences.

Also, not to sound snotty, but given the above definitions, 'high concept' simply sounds like a fabulous logline.

 

[Spatula]

Don't forget "Waking Life". There's a REAL high concept!

I agree with bird... it does just sound like a fancy one-line synopsis... but on the other hand, I used to think a Key Grip held everyone's keys while they were shooting (you know, so no one falls on thier keys).

But regardless of the terminology, I agree with the need for better stories. It should be something catching in one line. Something where you see the aim, goal and style of the film from a simple, conscise synopsis.

Our film, Macbeth 3000 might have something like this:

"A comedic, political modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth."

Or the Perfect Sandwich:

"1970's kung-fu experimental cinema applied to the making of a grilled cheese sandwich. Now in Black and White!!!"

I'm getting the idea behind the "high concept" idea. It's about having a central issue- an important, attractive issue. It's almost the story's vanity. Interesting... learnt some new terminology today!

 

[Zensteve]

"A dying man makes a deal with the devil to prolong his life for the sake of his wife and unborn child, only to discover his wife made a deal of her own."

Genius! I'd pay good money to see this flick.

 

[indietalk]

Also, not to sound snotty, but given the above definitions, 'high concept' simply sounds like a fabulous logline.

You're right Bird. If the synopsis can be boiled down to a logline, it's easy to market and to get people to understand what it is about in a 30 second commercial or on a poster. It doesn't even have to be fabulous. Godzilla: Giant lizard terrorizes city. You don't even need the logline, a poster with Godzilla stepping on a few buildings on fire would explain it.

 

[NicklausLouis]

C'mon, no need to be condescending.

There was no condescension in my post. At a certain point the idea of a High Concept had to be explained to me in the same fashion. If you took offense to what I said, I'm sorry, there was no maliciousness meant.

Also, not to sound snotty, but given the above definitions, 'high concept' simply sounds like a fabulous logline.

Exactly. That's exactly what a High Concept is.

 

[bird]

Don't mind me, PMS you know.

'Fabulous' was probably overkill, I should have said, 'High Concept' sounds, fabulously, like a simple logline.

I'm an ass today.

 

[NicklausLouis]

I'm an ass today.

We all go a little bit ass sometimes.

Poke