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A great title might get your movie produced. Simple as that. A bad title could get it tossed
into the dustbin, no questions asked. A great title might create "buzz" all over Hollywood; a bad
one could provoke but a yawn and a stretch.
Why is a great movie title so important?
The first words a Hollywood reader sees on your script are in the title. And you only get one
chance to make a first impression. If it's a stinker, so goes the war. Your project needs to
stand out from a thousand others stacked by his desk, and it needs to stand out in a hurry.
And that's only part of the reason a great title is so important.
A great title puts the reader in the proper frame of mind to "get" your movie; and it's all
downhill sledding from there. A great movie title sparks the imagination of actors and directors,
making them want to "do" your movie. A great movie title inspires the producers with dollar sign;
they can see it grabbing the imagination of movie-goers the world round.
But even more importantly than that . .
A great movie title will make it easier for you be fired up about marketing your project all over
Hollywood. If you're not fired up to begin with, let's just call the whole thing off before we
get started.
How do I come up with a great movie title?
Easy. A great movie title should . .
- Take the reader somewhere--geographically, visually, emotionally
- Tell us what the movie is about, capture the dramatic or thematic essence of the story
- Be out of the ordinary, fascinating, easily remembered
- Not comment negatively on the movie itself, or give a potential reviewer a chance to use it in
a negative way.
- Be the kind of title that . .
- "buzz" might be created around.
- could easily appear on the marquee at the local cinema.
- makes you feel proud every time you pitch your project.
- causes people to say "good title" spontaneously.
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So that's the answer. After you've come up with a title for your movie that takes people
somewhere, that tells us what the movie's about, and that's out of the ordinary, try it out on
people. Try it out on the other members of your writing group, your friends, your spouse. You
want them to say "Great title!" spontaneously. Keep changing it until they do.
Avoid exclamation points and question marks in the title.
They go without saying and tend to look amateurish. And questions are often rhetorical. A great
title should be exclamatory enough as is.
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Consider which titles grab you and why. Which ones make you want to see the movie?
