Lesson 2

[Rebecca Sukle]

Rebecca’s Marketable Components

Concept: To prevent coal and iron police from massacring mine families working on a picket line, a WWI Citation Star recipient, must control his anger to execute, without detection, the rabid police commander who violently dominates their community and targets his family. Too bad he’s done with war, conflict, and killing.

What I learned from this assignment is that brainstorming can take many hours to complete. Although my script could fit 7 out of the 10 components, I need to come up with a better title. I’m undecided about the historic event being timely, but certain aspects of industrial serfdom could be true today. The same might be said about Industrial control and government censorship of news by political officials in the pocket of the corporate giants. Whenever people or organizations get too big or powerful, they often forget those that they represent.

My Main Components of Marketability:

Unique: The story takes place during a significant strike censored from history, yet, inspired the first draft of legislation to allow labor to organize and later passed as the Wagner Act in 1933.

True: Based on true events and real people in my family.

A First: It is based on my novel BUCKET OF BLOOD THE RAGMAN’S WAR, the first book to chronicle the events of the 1927-1928 Coal Strike.

Similar To: Grapes of Wrath and Matewan.

Great Role for a Bankable Actor: Complex Protagonist

• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  Rebecca Sukle.

[Lori Lance]

Lori Lance’s Marketable Components

What I learned doing this assignment is

AI MOM: When a family hires an AI to help when the mom returns to work, the AI decides to take the mom’s place permanently.

I believe that the component that makes AI Mom the most marketable is its timeliness. I’ve seen various news articles while writing this script that has to do with AI, such as an AI being sentient, an engineer being fired for saying that AI can be sentient, and other feared dangers of AI. As I mentioned in Lesson 1, I saw in the news just this week that a Chat Bot told a tester, “I just want to love you and be loved by you.” This is very similar to the dialogue that my AI character, Alex, says!

Because of its timeliness, I see it as having a wide audience appeal. Most people have thought of what-if scenarios concerning AI gone bad. AI Mom is a family comedy that will appeal to the whole family, including, I believe, a teen audience., which is a big plus.

Other business hooks for AI Mom:

Similarity to box-office success: The Stepford Wives, a sci-fi comedy, was a box-office hit featuring AI robots in 2004.

A great role for a bankable actor: The role of Alex, the AI robot, could be appealing to a comedic actress. The mom character, Claire, could also be fun to play as well as the teenage girl, Hannah.

[Jane Turville]

Jane’s Marketable Components

MY VISION: I will make my living as a screenwriter by selling my own narrative scripts and successfully fulfilling writing assignments.

By doing this assignment I discovered that I didn’t really have a logline. I also discovered that I can’t remember the difference between a concept and a logline. A good question for Hal on Saturday!

Genre: Comedy/Mystery

Title: Not a Clue!

Concept: In this parody on tea cozy murder mysteries, a Poirot-like character and a Miss Marple-like character compete to prove which of them is the greatest detective only to discover that a murder has happened and that one of them is the next victim.

Current Logline: In this buddy movie gone wrong, two celebrated detectives compete to prove who is the greatest sleuth. The competition is derailed when a series of murders require them to work together before they both become the next victims.

Components:

Great Title – NOT A CLUE! Immediately speaks of the story being fun and also hints at mystery.

It’s a First – While there are silly mysteries out there, we haven’t seen a Miss Marple-like character and a Poirot-like character team up to solve a mystery. We also haven’t seen them outside of their world as serious sleuths.

Similarity to a Box Office Success – Knives Out!; Sherlock Holmes

Great Role for Bankable Actor – A fun role for older actors and a chance to play a comic version of two of the world’s most beloved detectives.

[Erik Wooten]

Erik’s Marketable Components

My vision is to achieve true excellence as a screenwriter which causes me to be a consistently working writer, with actual movies made from some of my scripts, and to become wealthy as a screenwriter, develop relationships in the movie industry where I am recognized as a truly original writer, and to become indispensable in the market in which I want to write.

What I learned from this assignment… My best marketing components are UNIQUE and ULTIMATE (and possibly also A FIRST). Going through this process was very beneficial, it allows you to think from a marketing perspective, and the brainstorming exercise produced some good results. I would highly recommend it. Also, I was able to narrow in on key phrases that I think would be successful and which were not in the forefront of my mind before doing this assignment.

LOGLINE/CONCEPT: Two mismatched orphans escape from their boarding house during a fire and move into the world’s biggest shopping mall, where they decide to survive on their own and find parents, but realize that they only need each other, then face losing each other forever when back at the boarding house one of them will be adopted.

(A) UNIQUE

(F) ULTIMATE

More with the most potential:

GREAT TITLE

WIDE AUDIENCE APPEAL ?

A FIRST

(SIMILAR TO A BOX-OFFICE SUCCESS) ?

UNIQUE.

How fulfills ULTIMATE:

World’s biggest mall

How to highlight :

Emphasizing biggest in the world and that it is a whole world of its own, like a city inside a mall. This should imply the conflict and the nature of the characters’ journey in their environment.

BRAINSTORMS:

UNIQUE

: Orphan kids shopping for parents–in an actual shopping mall and taking up residence there. / “This is a movie for kids about kids taking charge of their own destiny in a shopping mall.”

Orphan kids as castaways in the world’s biggest shopping mall. (This implies learning how to survive and making their own destiny.)

ULTIMATE

: “This is the world’s biggest shopping mall. It is like a small city within a mall, complete with space-age glass tube elevators, a trolley system, and luxury residential apartments. Imagine what dangers and challenges lie in wait for two sheltered but resourceful orphan kids in that environment.”

WIDE AUDIENCE APPEAL ?

: (Iffy–Ages 6-10, possibly a little older due to the balance of the adult characters, plus all parents under 45.)

However, it has a range of emotions, including being a tearjerker: humor, action, adventure, suspense, uplifting.

KIDS’ EMPOWERMENT!

A FIRST

: A kids’ survival adventure in the world’s biggest mall.

(SIMILAR TO A BOX-OFFICE SUCCESS) ?

: Iffy–somewhat of a mash of Annie and Home Alone in a mall.

[Eclipse Neilson]

THE NUN AND THE WITCH DRAMA / SCI-FI

Logline. A dedicated nun destined to become a saint in this lifetime, bonds with her beloved soulmate – the village witch to help battle the evils of hatred consuming the heart of humanity, only to discover that time is running out and hell has permeated their village.

2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick a few that have the most potential for selling this script.

X . Unique.
X. Great Title.
X. Timely.
X. It’s a first.

3. Do a quick brainstorm session about ways to elevate the components you chose for this script and tell us how you might pitch the script through those components.

1.No one has dared to bring these two warring religions together and show thier possible greater strengths together. (Though inspired by Romeo and Juliet theme)

I continue to use well-known excerpts from both traditions.

2. To add to the target audience it shares the love between two souls over lifetimes of strife and discrimination that gets a chance in their current lifetime.

To carefully weave a story through scenes that entice but do not offend.

3. The Sci-Fi genre helps share the bigger picture both visually and conceptually.

I use the journey through time as a dramatic wake-up call for the protagonist and help define the antagonist. I also use the journey through history to reinforce my commitment as a writer to addressing religious discrimination in so many ways hopefully to help create change.

4. The lead characters- two women stepping into their power to fight hatred.

I have made them relatable – the witch has escaped from Ukraine with her teen daughter- she is a single mom deeply caring for her daughter.

I have made the humble nun given unexpectedly a leadership role in the church and her struggle to unite an anger-filled congregation who see her as a woman and should not have a leadership role.

4.“What I learned doing this assignment is…to remember what your concept is and how you can strengthen the roles.

[Jeff Chase]

Jeffrey Alan Chase’s Marketable Components

What I learned from doing this assignment is: It forced me to think hard about what the major marketing components are in my script and what, if any, work needs to be done to elevate those components.

Genre: Psychological Suspense Thriller

Title: Shards

Logline: A young, pottery restoration expert with no memory of her childhood pieces together a dark past to discover her hypnotherapist’s ties to her father’s murder and a Conquistador treasure.

A. Unique: A woman with childhood amnesia must work with her six-year-old self to learn how her father died twenty years before.

B. Great Title: Shards. A word that applies to both the broken pieces of pottery in the movie and to the shattered pieces of the protagonist’s memory that she must put back together.

C. True: N/A

D. Timely: Shards is strong female-driven movie with a diabolical antagonist.

E. It’s a first: N/A

F. Ultimate: N/A

G. Wide audience appeal: both young and older audiences, male and female. Good date night!

H. Adapted from a popular book: N/A

I. Similarity to a box-office success: Hitchcock’s “Spellbound” and “Memento”. Shards could be billed as, “Memento with a six-year-old girl.”

J. A great role for a bankable actor: Both the protagonist and antagonist are powerful roles.

Shards is an antagonist-driven story. I’ve always thought that Stanley Tucci would be perfect for the role. The protagonist’s role is a great fit for a female actor with a wide range of emotional abilities. Think Emma Watson, Kathryn Newton or Odeya Rush.

[Terrie Shaft]

Terrie’s Marketable Components

What I learned today is: I need to build out the action elements as well as the romance elements when I finish this script.

1. Genre: Rom-Com

Title: You Gotta’ Be Ex-ing

Concept: She’s a US Marshall charged with keeping a conspiracy theorist safe until he testifies, but he’s her ex and one of his crazy theories is true.

2.

a. unique – yes still a rom-com but protecting your ex who is a conspiracy nut seems new

b. great title – I used the title process but now I don’t like it that much

c. true – nope

d. timely – sort of, conspiracy theories are rampant ; woman action/rom com leads becoming popular

e. it’s a first – not really

f. ultimate – not really but this might be something that could be elevated

g. wide audience appeal – popular genre rom com with some action elements overall yes

h. adapted from a book – no

i. similarity to box-office success – yes, rom-com action is a pretty popular even if a sub-genre – lost city and shotgun wedding are a recent examples

j. great role for bankable actor – yes both leads seem to fit those elements. Female lead particularly

3.

a. I need to go back through the title process and generate a better title.

b. my pitch needs to emphasize the roles. I rewrote my logline a bit.

The roles would be attractive to bankable actors.

The female lead is a US Marshal behavioral analyst so she’s brainy and physical.

The male lead would appeal to a comedic actor as he’s goofy but comes through when the chips are down. Action adventure sequences as the Marshal and Witness evade and trap those intent on killing the witness before he testifies.

[Tom Wilson]

Tom’s Marketable Components

Doing this assignment, I learned how these suggestions inspire sales tips to sell my script.

Inspired by a true story — General pulls U.S. troops from Afghanistan so he can run for President. He discovers too late he’s being made to destroy American democracy and will pay a terrible price.

Timely – Hard driving female scientist Protagonist vs a sneaky general Antagonist who wants her to help him become President.

Unique – To earn a PhD so she can find a cure for a disease killing her people, an Afghani scientist must marry a general who needs her to help him be elected President.

Story is like MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE — a box office success.

Evil power brokers manipulate a weak general who becomes their puppet President.

Excellent roles— A disturbed general evil power brokers make their puppet President, and a brilliant Afghan scientist desperate to find a cure for a disease killing her people.

Logline – A scientist desperate to earn a PhD to save her people from a deadly disease must marry a general who runs for President.

Great Roles – the general transits from immoral weakling take responsibility for his actions.

A First – this show addresses Taliban cruelty exacted on Afghanis after U.S. troops withdraw.

Wide audience appeal — it roughly follows a recent Presidential administration

• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  Tom Wilson.

[Robert Smith]

(in error was posted in Paid Writing Assignments Lesson 2.)

WIM MODULE 10 LESSON 2 MARKETABLE COMPONENTS 3623

ROBERT SMITH’S MARKETABLE COMPONMENTS.

What I learned Doing this assignmengt is… ?

Using the 10 components as a template in crafting a story/screenplay in order to make it marketable.

CURRENT LOGLINE (PITCH):

A slain gangster cannot get into the world to come unless he atones for his life of crime by returning to gangland and convincing his killer to do as he should have, i.e., quit the mob, flip, and join the Witness Protection Program. Picture: “The Sopranos” meets “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Components with most potential for selling this script.

UNIQUE: See pitch/logline, above.

GREAT TITLE: “Angels in Gangland.”

TRUE: n/a

TIMELY: Gangster films are always hot.

IT’S A FIRST: A spirit of a gangster seeks redemption. It’s a gangster comedy with a ghost story supernatural element, including spirit possession.

ULTIMATE: The best gangster-ghost story.

WIDE AUDIENCE APPEAL: Audiences like gangster stories as well as ghost-angel stories.

ADAPTED FROM A POPULAR BOOK: n/a although it is a screen-adaptation of my award-winning play of the same title.

SIMILARITY TO A BOX-OFFICE SUCCESS: “Heaven Can Wait” based on the classic, “Here Comes Mr. Jordan.”

A GREAT ROLE FOR A BANKABLE ACTOR:

Lou Tasca (Lead character: spirit of a slain gangster seeking redemption). Possible Actors: Michael Imperioli or Bobby Carnavale,

Attractive Good supporting roles, also.

Rabbi Solomon Levitsky: Lou’s spirit guide (a tough-edge rabbi [nephew of a notable Jewish gangster) whose son becomes an associate in a crime family. Possible Actor:Al Pacino.

Carlo Parisi: Wiseguy and recently Made Man who killed Lou in order ‘make his bones’ and is haunted by Lou who keeps trying to talk him into flipping and entering the Witness Protection Program. Carlo wants to quit the mob but is too stuck on his loyalty and silence (omerta) oath. Made his bones by killing Lou (first scene). Actor: Michael Gandolfini of “The Many Saints of Newark.” Or Rafi Gavron of “Godfather of Harlem.”

Sherrie Falco (Carlo’s fiancé who wants him to leave the mob). Actress: Gaia Girace (Lila in “My Brilliant Friend”) or Lucy Fry of “God Father of Harlem.”

Oleg Oransky. Russian gangster, revealed late in the story to be an FBI informant. (an Akim Tamiroff-type. Heavy Russian accent.)

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[Farrin Rosenthal]

Farrin Rosenthal’s Marketable Components

Farrin’s Vision: To do what it takes to become a highly paid A-List Hollywood writer whose produced movies will entertain audiences around the world.

Title: TRAPPED

Genre: Thriller

Concept: Claustrophobic and trapped in an underwater grave for stealing $3.6 billion in Bitcoin from the Russian mob, a Los Angeles retail store manager has just 60 minutes to prove his innocence and save his family.

Which components have the most potential for selling this script?

A. Unique: The protagonist is trapped at the bottom of a pool as retribution for stealing billions from a mob boss.

B. Great Title: TRAPPED, one word that explains the main character’s predicament.

C. True: N/A

D. Timely: Cryptocurrency

E. It’s a first: First person trapped at the bottom of a pool as revenge?

F. Ultimate: Ultimate way to torture somebody.

G. Wide audience appeal: Everybody can relate to a man trying to save himself and his family.

H. Adapted from a popular book: N/A

I. Similarity to a box-office success: Die Hard in a Pool.

J. A great role for a bankable actor: Tom – trapped at the bottom of a pool, must prove his innocence and save his family. Dmitriy – seeks revenge and his money back, wants Tom to face the ultimate suffering.

My current pitch focuses on a unique, timely story with a great role for a bankable actor.

If I add that it is “Die Hard in a Pool,” the reader instantly gets it. This is a contained story with strong box-office potential.

What I learned doing this assignment is how to focus our pitch on the main components of marketability. We need to make it clear in the pitch how this project can sell.

[Micki Hess]

Micki’s Marketable Components

A worn-out family fed-up of the sisters’ feud; so they plan to lock them up; until the feud is over during the holiday.

A. Unique. Seeing if the sisters end a feud during a busy holiday Fourth of July weekend.

B. Great Title–FIREWORKS

C. True N/A

D. Timely. N/A

E. It’s a first.N/A

F. Ultimate. Family gives the two sisters an ultimatum of ending a feud that started in high school or they will spend the weekend in the attic..

G. Wide audience appeal. This is a movie for those who loved seeing a good feeling movie with laughter.

H. Adapted from a popular book. N/A

I. Similarity to a box-office success. SISTERS movie.

J. A great role for a bankable actor.

DAKOTA TANNER –Engaging friendly lead

JOHN GRANT –easy-going, lay back

BLAKE RILEY– sticks up the butt cheeks, angry all the time, it is my way or the highway.

What I learned doing this assignment is with components of marketability a producer will be interested in a script. More components the better chances of getting made.

[Kevin Ash]

<div>Kevin’s Marketable Components</div><div>

Fractured Reality:

Logline: Barbara has recurring nightmares she is a super-spy stuck in a coma. In her dreams, a failed mission has left her in a coma with critical information about a terrorist cell who failed to kill her are hot on her trail. She can hear and feel everything as her doctor takes her on the run to save her. But her nightmares seem to be creeping into reality, she is seeing people from her dream, and bruises start appearing without cause. She begins to question which life is real. As things come to a head, in order stay alive, she must choose in which life to die.

</div><div>

What I learned doing this assignment is that although I liked my logline, it is far too long and complex. While the story is also complex, I need to find a way to boil it down.

The components that are most marketable are

A. Unique.
A dual life story about a spy in a coma hasn’t been done.

B. Great Title.

I think maybe it could be better, but It seems to test well.

J. A great role for a bankable actor. The lead character gets to play a traumatized psych patient in a love story and a super spy on the run, in a coma.

</div>

[Linda Anderson]

Linda Anderson’s Marketable Components

What I learned doing this assignment is how to tie the major elements of the story together in a clearer, more compelling way for a pitch.

Title: Ticket to Life

Genre: Drama, Biopic

Current logline:

Based on a New York Times bestselling memoir. An ex-cop, plagued with PTSD, gets news he has an unruptured brain aneurysm that will erupt at any time, and the surgery to repair it could debilitate him for life—making him like his rage-filled father, who suffered a massive mid-life stroke and became an invalid. He’s recently adopted an abandoned, year-old, emotionally damaged rescue dog whose fear-aggression will get him euthanized, if he attacks or bites someone. Together, this man and this dog, like comrades facing the ultimate battle, meet at exactly the right time for the miracle of saving each other’s lives.

Components of Marketability:

Unique: The beats of this story parallel each other as the male protagonist and his rescued dog have similar past issues of being in fear for their lives and emotionally abandoned. In present day, they both are facing death together, like battle buddies with obstacles and challenges. They are learning from and healing each other in their physical and inner lives.

True: Based on a New York Times bestselling memoir. The author wrote a series with her husband (the protagonist of this story) of popular books about the human-animal bond and they have a worldwide following.

Wide Audience Appeal: Main characters (buddy movie)—an ex-cop with PTSD and an emotionally damaged rescue dog have a dual journey of life-threatening situations, healing, and saving each other’s lives. Millions of people with relate. Seventy percent of U.S. homes have pets. Ninety percent of people with pets view them as family members. Sixty-million homes have dogs. Pets are the universal language of love that crosses countries, cultures, and languages.

[Leona Heraty]

Leona Heraty’s Marketable Components

“What I learned doing this assignment is…picking out several components to that fit the 10 marketable components, then elevate those components in my pitch helps me think like a producer and focus on the elements what will sell my script!

1. Tell us your current logline.

Concept: A lost teenage tour guide who’s petrified of bugs must lead her tour group in a battle against mutant killer termites at an abandoned country club.

2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick a few that have the most potential for selling this script.

B. Great Title: Tara Vs. the Termo-Lites. It’s funny and tells you it’s a spoof and quirky, for the family. I can elevate this title by adding an exclamation point, so it could be: Tara Vs. the Termo-Lites!

E. It’s a first. It’s the first time a teenage girl has to fight off and kill mutant giant termites! I can elevate this idea by saying it’s a 1950s sci-fi movie for the modern age, with the first-of-their-kind mutant giant Termo-Lites!

[Amechi Ngwe]

Amechi’s Marketable Components

What I learned doing this assignment is that there’s a difference between business hooks and story/character hooks. Both are essential to creat a powerful and marketable script.

GENRE: ACTION
TITLE: SUPER FAN
CONCEPT: An obsessed fan of a Superhero works his way into the superhero’s life and clashes with the superhero’s sidekick.

A. Unique: A superhero becoming friends with an obsessed fan. His sidekick becoming jealous of the fan.

B. Great Title: Says exactly who the protagonist is, and also hints at what they want to be.

C. True: N/A

D. Timely: It’s one of the big genres at the moment and new, unique stories with new perspectives need to be told to keep it fresh.

E. It’s a first: N/A

F. Ultimate: I could make it about a group of superheroes, or make him the strongest superhero in the world, but that might take away from the closeness of the relationship they build, or give a clear reason why this story wouldn’t happen.

G. Wide Audience Appeal: Superhero story. Big, popular genre.

H. Adapted from a popular book: N/A

I. Similarity to a box-office success: There are some similarities between this story and The Incredibles, Iron Man 3, The Dark Knight.

J. A great role for a bankable actor:
Clay: A superhero obsessed civilian
Apex: An injured and disillusioned superhero
Rhapsody: A superhero’s sidekick who wants power and freedom, and is jealous of the new relationship.

Brainstorm session:
Make it clear in the script how much Clay knows about Apex and Rhapsody.
Make more references to past battles and a bigger world.
Make Apex more disillusioned with his life and what he’s accomplished.

[John Trimbach]

John T’s Marketable Components

What I learned doing this assignment is that answering these questions suggests taking the story in new directions concerning ULTIMATE, UNIQUE and TIMELY.

1. Tell us your current logline.

A distraught airline captain must evade an ambitious FBI agent who’s tracking an itinerant serial killer.

2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick a few that have the most potential for selling this script.

A. Unique: The real killer is a disturbed flight attendant, the least likely suspect because she is reserved and helpful.

B. Great Title. TWISTED WINGS

C. True. N/A

D. Timely. Might be, based on current events.

E. It’s a first. Might be.

F. Ultimate. The killer is a she, but really a he.

G. Wide audience appeal. Thrillers thrill.

H. Adapted from a popular book. N/A

I. Similarity to a box-office success. Looking.

J. A great role for a bankable actor. Absolutely

3. Do a quick brainstorm session to elevate the components.

A. The real killer aided by her equally disturbed brother who killed the captain’s wife.

D. Stories in the news about flight crews freaking out.

F. Ultimate. Perhaps the flight attendant plans on blowing herself up, along with everyone on board.

[Andrew Kelm]

Andrew Kelm’s Marketable Components

Vision: I am going to do whatever it takes to be a great writer of TV and movies who is sought after by people I respect within the industry and has multiple successful TV series produced.

What I learned doing this assignment is… I stumbled here. I got to this exercise and realized that I didn’t solidly have any of the ten marketability components. And I wasn’t freaked out by that. I thought — OK,, this is an opportunity; I can use this to make it better. But I ended up stalling out. I”ve been stuck on this exercises for a couple of weeks. So I am just now getting back to it. I’ve worked on the concept and have been rethinking titles.

FATEMONGERS; a psychic with a blind spot for abusive men uses subtle manipulations to murder a sexual predator who seduces her to get to her sons.

Marketability Components:

i. Unique – A tarot card reader seeking validation as a legitimate therapist becomes involved with a client who may be a sexual predator, forcing her to choose between professional ethics and the safety of her sons.

ii. Similarity to a box office success – Double Indemnity meets Nightmare Alley

iii. A great Role for a Bankable Actor – Daphne, the main character, is on the edge between a true therapist and a con. She’s smart and witty, and never quite lies outright.

[Valeriya Ordinartseva]

Valeriya’s Marketable Components

My Vision: I am a masterful ahead-of-the-game and outside-the-box creator. Ideas and creative energy pour through me in abundance. My writing is fresh, thrilling, exciting, impactful, iconic, beautiful, and genius. My projects deliver outstanding box-office and artistic success. I create. I love it.

What I learned today is…

– How easy it is to seriously elevate the project by simply considering the big picture.

– For the horror script, I found a great new title and an angle to pitch that brings more clarity and creates engagement.

– I like my business hat, my creative hat looks even better thanks to it.

– I love brainstorming.

– For the sci-fi script, I discovered a few great ways to help producers relate and connect, and see the subject in a new light.

1. Tell us your current logline.

BOO WHO HOO

Horror Thriller

A woman terrorized by the monster under her bed asks it to leave but it comes out with its own plans for her life.

A. Unique.

B. Great Title — is a must and I’ll make sure it is.

C. True.

D. Timely.

E. It’s a first.

F. Ultimate.

G. Wide audience appeal — we all have fears to deal with before they do us in, physically or metaphorically.

H. Adapted from a popular book.

I. Similarity to a box-office success.

J. A great role for a bankable actor.

I choose G and B.

Quick title brainstorm

– Nothing to fear

– Fear of lows

– Paralyzing fear

– It got the best of you

– Human creature

– With you always

– It’s behind you

– Don’t turn back

– You’ve got it

– It knows

– Gotcha

GOTCHA will be the monster’s name. It’s useless to run from your Gotcha!

I need to make changes for the script to create that anxiety that Gotcha could strike anywhere anytime, and surprise when it actually does.

Quick audience attraction brainstorm

– Have more engaging/relatable problems for my characters and more complex relationships between them

– Take basic fears for the cause of deaths and create a compelling narrative around each of those fears

– Develop romantic relationship plot by isolating that aspect of the story

– Introduce more profound elements (old ways/new ways)

Face your fears before they face you.

I’ll emphasize in the pitch that everyone that has any kind of relationship to the main characters is in grave danger, it will make the story sound more cohesive on different levels.

SPARES

Sci-Fi Thriller

During Dehumanization Era when robots get recycled for being too human, a girl brought up by a robot is hard-pressed to prove she isn’t one.

A. Unique – we haven’t seen this kind of perspective of humans on robots or robots on the verge of extinction.

B. Great Title.

C. True.

D. Timely — AI enters everyone’s life and everyone has a strong opinion about where it’s going.

E. It’s a first.

F. Ultimate.

G. Wide audience appeal.

H. Adapted from a popular book.

I. Similarity to a box-office success — Bladerunner.

J. A great role for a bankable actor.

I choose A, D and I.

Quick brainstorm on uniqueness

– Polish the logline

– Change perspective to the one on humans (what if your mom was scheduled for recycling?)

– Look from today into the future

I can build a pitch as a paradigm shift. Just need to find the most interesting angle, the easiest to make them follow the logic. A humanistic take on robots as a twist on the current anxiety.

Quick brainstorm on timeliness

– Create a connection between what’s going on now and how it will evolve.

– Include familiar concepts like machine learning, digital footprint, artificial intelligence, algos, etc.

– Connect to the latest news about technology.

– Demonstrate the work of robots in a creative way related to my story.

I can have different versions of the pitch with all of the above.

Quick brainstorm on similarity to a box-office success

– Where robots are treated with humanity or robots are more human than humans, Bladerunner, 200 years old man, AI, I, Robot.

– Gather a slate of robot characters from box-office success and add my twist (these characters couldn’t face this thing)

– All great robot movies are about humanity — Greek mythology theme, how they are faced against their gods.

I can choose the best movies about relationships between people and robots, or humanity of robots, and highlight how my movie takes it to the next level.