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Lesson 2
Reply to post your assignment.
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20 Replies
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Tasha’s Marketable Components
1. Current logline:
A woman who was once exorcised has to navigate the world of dating as she tries to find the one guy who isn’t scared of her possessive other half.
2. Two Components of Marketability that have the most potential for selling this script:
Unique – Not many possession stories follow the character after they’ve been exorcised. Usually it’s just about the possession.
Great role for a bankable actor
Bethany: girlfriend material/formerly possessed by a demon/ wounded by her family’s abandonment/ desperate to hide her past from her current relationships
3. Brainstorm to elevate those two components:
Unique:
I should really emphasize the idea that this story follows a person after her possession. How does the stigma of having been possessed affect how the character navigates the world? Do people have a hard time trusting that she won’t become possessed again? If she talks in her sleep, do people think it’s starting all over again?
Great Role:
Maybe the main character is no longer possessed, but the demon is still attached to her, which means she’s still dealing with the supernatural. And the demon interferes in her dating life like it’s a bad ex that doesn’t want to see her happy. She could try to figure out how you get a restraining order on the demon.
4. What I learned doing this assignment is brainstorming how to best deliver on even just a few components of marketability is a great way to elevate your script.
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Deb’s Marketable Components
What I learned – It was exciting to read through the 10 components and see that I had a few! I understand how important it is to deliver on at least one or two. I found four components that could help sell my script… but decided to focus on these two:
Logline: A plastic bag passes from one owner to another and affects each life in a significant way.
Unique – The concept is that we follow a cursed plastic bag as it exchanges hands between several people. The bag represents life, coming at us hard, and asking ‘What will you do with me?’
Timely – The frame that holds these vignettes together centers on a teen with a cell phone addiction. It addresses disconnected teens and the families that love them.
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Baking Bad – 1968
Married to a chauvinist pig, a Berkeley, California, Home Economics teacher finds feminism while helping her sister and friends make and sell gourmet magic brownies.
A. Unique. Increase of democratic feminism (since obtaining the vote) and culinary cannabis.
*B. Great Title Yes. Positive response.
C. True. No.
* D. Timely — the story is connected to some
major trend or event. Shades of Vietnam (Ukraine) war and democracy, feminism which continues to be an issue, acceptance of cannabis in our society to the level or gourmet.E. It’s a first. Not really.
F. Ultimate. No.
G. Wide audience appeal. Yes. Women, democracy/war (Ukraine) and cannabis gourmands.
H. Adapted from a popular book. No.
* I. Similarity to a box-office
success. Inspired by Breaking Bad.* J. A great role for a bankable
actor. Yes.Reba: A meticulous Home EC teacher who leads a daring escape in a pink food truck. She balances her dutiful role as a wife to Merle with a hidden, adventurous side. Her expertise in baking drives the narrative.
Margie: Reba’s younger sister, a carefree hippie. Her spontaneity and boldness compliment Reba’s cautious nature.
What I learned–Simplify and touch on what creates emotional interest.
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Subject: Monica’s Marketable Components
What I learned doing this assignment is the difference between a logline and high concept. I still think I’m a bit confused on the difference.
Pick one or two components and tell us how your script already fulfills them AND how you might highlight these two in order to elevate the pitch.
1. Tell us your current logline.
When her sister goes missing from a bar an undercover cop works tirelessly to discover her whereabouts before she’s lost forever.
2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick one or two that have the most potential for selling this script.
D. Timely — connected to some
major trend or event. – Human trafficking continues to be in the news.<div>I. Similarity to a box-office
success. – The next Taken.3. Do a quick brainstorm session about ways to elevate those two components for this script and tell us how you might pitch the script through the two components.
I. The next Taken – Taken’s budget was $25 M, Box Office $226 M worldwide; Traffick/Stop’s budget is $10-15 M.
D. Timely – human trafficking continues to be big business, not only in Canada and the US, but worldwide, as evidenced by the success of the documentary/action/crime movie Sounds of Freedom, budget $14.5 M, Box Office to date $210 M worldwide.
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Sheila Rinear’s Marketable Components
Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and post it at the top of your work.
I learned how spot-on those 10 components are and how I actually hadn’t ever considered them when writing my scripts. So, this new awareness will hopefully make my approach to writing and pitching scripts a lot smarter.
Current Logline: Not realizing she’s kicking off The Hundred Years’ War, the treasonous Queen of England pits her two sons against each other wagering she’ll be the only royal left standing to wear the crowns of both England and France.
C. True. This story is inspired by true and historic accounts with
relevantly researched and fictionalization.I’d elevate this concept by making clear that in the Middle Ages The Salic Law, which forbade women from sitting on France’s throne/ruling, was what enraged and motivated the Queen of England to go after what was rightfully hers. It also earned her history’s label of “she-wolf.”
J. A great role for a bankable actor. Actually, there are three huge
roles for bankable actors.Queen Isabella of England had been next in line for the throne of France but was sent off to England in a marriage/treaty arrangement. Physically and willfully strong, she is a warrior more at home leading Special Forces than she is hosting at court. She manipulates anything and anyone she needs to with breath-taking charm.
Edward III of England, Isabella’s legitimate son whom she despises, is like his mother: brilliant and one of history’s greatest military strategists but is significantly damaged by self-doubt and nightmares inflicted by his mother’s manipulations. His deep well of courage ultimately guides/saves him.
Robert de Charney, Isabella’s illegitimate son whom she adores, is a truth-seeker and a peace-loving warrior. He secretly maneuvers his way into Edward’s camp as a dream-seer and re-directs history’s trajectory.
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Linda’s Marketable Components
What I learned doing this assignment is that I loved doing it. I’m continuing to go through all the components to see how they can elevate the pitch and/or synopsis.
Current Logline:
In a big-hearted but gritty journey, two beings with deep emotional wounds—an ex-cop and abandoned dog–meet at exactly the right time to save each other’s lives. Based on the true story in a New York Times bestselling book.
Components–A. Unique & D. Timely–connected to some major trend or event.
Elevated Pitch: The events of this story happened in 2006 Minneapolis, long before George Floyd. It shows a twist to the discussions on unwarranted police brutality—the long-term effects of facing constant danger for a first-responder working a high-crime beat.
Components–C. True and G. Wide audience appeal.
Elevated Pitch: Showing the emotional wounds shared by a troubled man and an abandoned/abused dog broadens the relatability of this true story when their deep understanding and empathy motivate them to heal and save each other’s lives.
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Terrell’s Marketable Components
What I learned doing this assignment is how to adjust the story to make sure it’s meet the marketing hype.
LOG LINE: An American’s love connection in the Philippines leads to a life-altering encounter with multiple women, entangling him in a mystical conspiracy orchestrated by a powerful prophetic witch and a quest for revenge.
D. Timely: In social media circles there’s a “Passport Bros.,” phenomenon where western/American men are like western women suck, Asian women make better wives and Western Women are like fuq you, good riddance, and men are traveling to countries like the Philippines to find wives or girlfriends they are already met online, knowing very little about the culture and even less about the folklore and how it is connected present day.
F. Ultimate: Every monster, every spell, every curse, every back water belief is totally real or true.
The fact that the story is set in the Philippines and involves a love connection between an American man and a Filipino woman could be seen as timely, given the current interest in Southeast Asian culture and the growing number of mixed-race couples. From a western point it diversifies the potential for the cast and a light love story could interest female audience members.
Ultimate: numerous monsters could interest the younger male demographic. The haunted house aspect (contained movie taking place mainly at a small cursed resort) could interest an older demographic for male and females.
LOG LINE 2 ULTIMATE: When an American falls in love with a cursed woman he must wade through an army of mythical monsters lead by a powerful witch to win heart and break the curse.
LOG LINE 3 TIMELY: when a small business owner finds a way to circumvent a local curse and revitalize her business by inviting foreign men to her resort via the internet for love connections with local women, a powerful witch seek retribution for the land taken from her.
Being the nerd that I am no. 2 peaks my interest
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Rob’s marketable components
What I learned doing this assignment is that there are many more elements to the marketability of my project than I had previously thought. While I may choose to highlight only one or two of those elements in any given pitch, I have several more to draw upon if/when needed.
1. Current logline: When a down-on-his-luck cranberry sauce maker wishes on a Thanksgiving wishbone that the holiday had never been created, he is flung back in time to 1621 Plymouth Plantation, where he must re-invent the holiday so he can make the wish that will take him back home.
2. Two Components of Marketability for selling this script.
D. Timely – Finally, a perennial Thanksgiving comedy!
I. Similarity to a box-office success. “Back to the Future” (budget $19M; WW box office $383M).
3. Brainstorm to elevate those two components:
Timely: There are dozens of Christmas-themed movies that are beloved and rewatched by millions every year. But there is no equivalent for the Thanksgiving holiday, no film that truly captures the essence of what Thanksgiving is all about. Pilgrim Phil attempts to change that, in the guise of a family comedy.
Similarity to a box-office success: This is actually a melding of two hit comedies, “Elf” and “Back to the Future,” with the elevating angle of a heartwarming story about the importance of family, gratitude and love.
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Tony J Scott Marketing Components
I learned that marketing your project has rules and it’s strictly business. Don’t take it personal.
· Genre: Scyfy Action Horror
· The Vatican Order
· MAJOR STORY HOOK: When the Vatican/Vampire peace terms are broken, a retired Vatican priest, Father Julian Davenport, trapped in a time loop, is ordered to murder all illegal vampires while being hunted by a killer monk. Can he end the time loop, save the life of his precious niece and protect his biggest secret.
Unique: This is a unique take on a vampire story as well as time loop story.
Great Title: The title tells us immediately about the main character. You don’t have to wait till act 2 to understand it.
Timely: Story involves self hatred, drug addiction, religion and politics.
Ultimate: It’s a world-building project where vampires and humans coexist.
Wide Audience Appeal: The story is about loving someone so much you’d die for them, betrayal and loads of action.
Similar: Live Die Repeat, Underworld Series.
Great Roles for Bankable Actors:
· Father Julian, a retired, remorseful and penitent priest separated from his family because of dark reasons beyond his control but has a love for family that is unbreakable.
· Olivia, sure of herself to confused as all hell to the point of hating herself and ready end it all who loves her uncle more than herself.
· Killer Monk, traumatized as a child and hates vampires with a passion but witty while killing his victims.
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Logline: Enola is a dark comedy about a young, female, golf-phenom who, with her working class roots, crashes the highly competitive ranks of the LPGA. She makes a deal with the devil and develops an unusual winning habit.
Components:
Great role for a bankable actor: my lead character is everything, this is where I would put the focus of my pitch. The story is her journey, her relationships, and all about her realizing what’s at the heart of the matter of – winning.
For a second component I’m considering Unique versus It’s a First. This isn’t the first Serial Killer movie, and not the first Serial Killer Comedy, but possibly the first Serial Killer Sports Comedy.
And thus, maybe Unique would be a better pitch because it’s pieces and parts. For example, Enola is more of an accidental-Serial Killer, and throughout the story she is trying to confess. Also, my comedy isn’t sketch, mock-umentary, or even slapstick (these seem to lead comedies), it’s more of a dark-comedy subversive style like Eating Raoul and American Psycho.
To elevate these parts of my pitch is to make Enola a rock-star that would be most appealing to a bankable actor, even director. And the second part would be to distill down and focus whether Unique or First is better.
What I learned, these components are the foundation of the pitch, and I can see how they will be necessary for a rewrite. Just as every page in the script is important, focusing the pitch will be as well.
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Rita’s Marketable Components are a great title and wide audience appeal.
What I learned from this lesson is keep rewriting my loglines, there’s always room for improvement.
Current logline –
Hoping to appease her overbearing mother, a perpetually single woman strikes a deal with her grinchy office rival to pose as her boyfriend for Christmas, as sparks fly, she realizes she still has feelings for her high school sweetheart.
Components of Marketability
– Great Title
– Wide audience appeal.
Revised logline –
My Christmas Boyfriend is a family-friendly, rom-com about a perpetually single woman who hopes to appease her overbearing mom by striking a deal with her grinchy big-city office rival to pose as her boyfriend for a small-town Christmas celebration.
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Lin’s Marketable Components
Logline:
In 1974 a young, naive, woman, estranged from her parents forces her way into a 4 year , all male, electrical apprenticeship program where she is clearly not wanted and gains their respect, changes their opinion of women in the trades and becomes the first woman in the state of California to go through the 4 year apprenticeship and become a journeyman.
Marketability:
I was surprised I had several to choose from. Here’s two:
True – Based on a true story.
Unique – A small, petite woman working in a man’s world.
Brainstorm:
True – Will a 46 year old male tradition remain or perish?
Unique – Can one woman change the mind and hearts of men or is their bias permanent?
What I learned is that there is more to a script than the concept.
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Ron’s Marketable Components
1. current logline: a young Naval officer learns how to cope with the unforgiving nature of warfare during WWII
2. Two key selling points:
A. Like other successful WWII movies – there seems to be an infinite interest in WWII. We’ve seen Band of Brothers, The Pacific, soon Masters of the Air; we’ve seen Saving Private Ryan, U571, Greyhound, Fury. This is one more facet in a broad war, the PT boats used to intercept Japanese shipping in the Solomons.
B. Unique – nobody has told this story on film for 60 years. Also, it can be visually stunning. Imagine an 80′ boat, powered by 4500 hp, doing ~45 knots, throwing a huge rooster tail behind it.
3, Elevated Pitch: While there have been lots of successful WWII movies, this one is unique among them, telling the story of long-forgotten men who took wooden boats out in the dark to attack ships 10 times their size – and with poor quality weapons at that!
What I learned doing this assignment: that a “list of minor selling points does not equal one KILLER selling point”. I will keep this in mind going forward, because my tendency would be to amass points. Now I see I have to be a lot more focused on one or two.
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John Woodward’s Marketable components
Doing this assignment, I learned to include Components of Marketability in materials created to promote the script.
1. Current logline —
A washed-up cage fighter meets an alluring woman hours before her estranged husband, a notorious broker of black-market art, tries to kill her. Desperate to start a new life, she persuades the fighter to steal a cursed masterpiece her husband stole from a ruthless boss in LA’s Russian underworld. In their struggle to escape, they fall in love, but can you trust your lover when the tie that binds is murder?
2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick one or two that have the most potential for selling this script.
* A. Unique.
* B. Great Title
* C. True.
* D. Timely — connected to some major trend or event.
* E. It’s a first.
* F. Ultimate.
* G. Wide audience appeal.
* H. Adapted from a popular book.
* I. Similarity to a box-office success.
* J. A great role for a bankable actor.
3. Do a quick brainstorm session about ways to elevate those two components for this script and tell us how you might pitch the script through the two components.
Strong audience appeal —
Producers, managers, agents and other industry professionals recognize the enduring popularity of Noir Thrillers. The genre includes movies that were often both financial and artistic successes. These include Chinatown, Basic Instinct, Casablanca, Pulp Fiction, No Country for Old Men, Fargo, Momento, Rambo, Body Heat, The Last Seduction, Single White Female, and Gone Girl. The Noir Thriller genre also includes femme fatale thrillers, a popular subset of the Neo-Noir Thriller genre. For almost 100 years, the genre has proven itself as an enduring favorite of filmgoers. Many of these movies had such strong market appeal that they have endured for decades in the minds of movie fans.
The Takedown Artist delivers on the neo-noir genre conventions with thrills that include intense action, intrigue, twists, mystery, suspense, surprises, betrayal, passion, and love. Perhaps most important, the relationship between Chance and Allison has a level of depth that is rare even in some of the best noir thrillers.
Great roles for bankable actors.
Chance Mitchell is both on the ropes and at the end of his rope. He’s a tough guy with questionable morals who at the same time is capable of self-sacrifice in the name of love. A retired MMA fighter, he knows how to escape a rear naked choke applied by professional cage fighters, but like many of the toughest of men, he has more difficulty escaping a submission hold applied by a woman in Allison Van Zandt’s weight class.
Allison Van Zandt is vulnerable yet sly. A woman of many dimensions. Wounded yet tough. Open yet inscrutable. Victimized yet predatory. A tender trap any man would find it hard to resist. No mere damsel in distress, she can give as well as take. A tough match for even the toughest of men.
Diego Dedon is an Iago-like schemer and goon of an MMA fighter. Street smart. Super tough. Willing to sledgehammer anything or anyone that stands between him and what he wants. Vile, brutish, murderous if cornered. He’s one of Chance’s best friends, who may be loyal only to himself.
Vladimir Prudnikov is a battle-hardened psychopath of a villain with somewhat of a refined air about him. To him, the only thing that’s sacred is his right to have what he wants, when he wants it. His motto might be “Women and children first,” only in the sense that they’d be the first sacrificial lambs if they stood in the way of his getting what he craves.
The Chance role offers a challenge and an opportunity for popular action stars (think Jason Stathem) to step up to a role that requires more than the non-stop action for which they are so well known.
The Allison role can do for an excellent, but relatively unknown actor what Basic Instinct did for Sharon Stone.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by John Woodward.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
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Assignment #2 10 components of marketability
David Wickenden Marketable Components
1. Logline: Defending Innocence is a thriller about a psychologist named Laura who kills child abusers and is hunted by her RCMP friend, Janice.
A. Unique – High Concept
B. Great Title—Defending Innocence
C. True—Although fiction, the situation facing children worldwide is true.
D. Timely—With the release and success of Sound of Freedom, this continues the trend. Most people no longer trust the legal system to render justice. Using a vigilante is attractive.
E. It’s a first—N/A
F. Ultimate
G. Wide audience appeal—Equalizer, The Punisher,
H. Adapted from a popular book—adapted from my self-published book, I hold the rights.
I. Similarity to a box-office success—Sound of Freedom,
J. A great role for a bankable actor—Laura (vigilante) smart, driven, passionate.
Janice (RCMP)—haunted/driven/tough.
C. True—Although fiction, the situation facing children worldwide is true.
D. With the release and success of Sound of Freedom, this continues the trend. Most people no longer trust the legal system to render justice. Using a vigilante is attractive.
4. What I learned from this lesson: You really have analyze your story to find it’s hidden strengths.
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Subject Line: Richard Pierre Marketable Components
1. logline: A young African American woman is terrorized by a monster that can only be seen if you’re Black, and must find a way to fight back.
2. Marketable components:
Unique: It’s about an invisible monster.
Similar to Box Office success: IT FOLLOWS & THE INVISIBLE MAN
3. I can pitch my film by really refining the simplicity of my concept: it’s a creature feature with a monster that you can only see if you’re black. And, I can pitch it by referencing the success of It Follows. Furthermore, I can combine these two: WAKE UP is a creature feature with a monster that you can only see if you’re black in the vein of IT FOLLOWS.
4. What I learned doing this assignment is that I need to pitch my ideas by actively creating scripts that harness as many of the marketability components as possible.
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Liz Janzen’s Marketable Components
Current log line for SAFE CONDUCT:
A U.S. Special Forces operative pursues the love of an American medical doctor after meeting her briefly during the war in El Salvador and finally convinces her she needs him.
What I learned doing this assignment is that I realized I have a Timely marketable component. Also, I ‘m now looking at the script in terms of ‘firsts.’ But the two bankable components I’m choosing for this assignment are 1) timely, and 2) a great role for a bankable actor.
Timely: because of Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine.
While SAFE CONDUCT begins during the war in El Salvador in 1981, it soon moves to 1986 and Russia’s war with Afghanistan. Russia’s unprovoked 1979 invasion of Afghanistan led to an eight-year war which Russia lost at great cost to itself. Its current aggression towards Ukraine harks back to the Russian-Afghanistan conflict.
Bankable actor roles:
Steve Barnes: Main character. Principled/ brave/resourceful/excels at his job/perseveres/has a soft spot for women in distress. Knows unequivocally that he’s found his soul mate when he meets Nina.
Nina Banks: Co-star. Cut from the same cloth as Steve when it comes to bravery and principles but harbours a dark secret from her time in El Salvador; resists Steve’s pursuit of her because she is afraid to let love into her life.
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Dan’s Marketable Components
What I learned: the 10 Components of Marketability. Really great info!
1. Logline: When a troubled teen finds a mysterious kaleidoscope that unleashes a plague of horrors into her home, she must figure out how to stop it before it sends her family into a fractal nightmare.
2. Components of Marketability for this script:
E. It’s a first – the horror genre has done many concepts before, usually several times, but a cursed kaleidoscope has not been done yet!
G. Wide audience appeal – this centers around a family, led by pair of sisters – a teen and an 8 year old – so both younger and older horror fans will be intrigued
To elevate my pitch, I’ll really have to emphasize how it truly is a first, which is rare in the horror genre – especially in the “cursed object” subgenre. I’ll also explain that this isn’t just a shallow concept; there is an extremely personal, emotional story here that perfectly fits into the kaleidoscope element. It quite literally couldn’t be written by anyone else.
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Archer’s Marketable Concept
1. Tell us your current logline.
When a self-proclaimed true crime expert becomes entangled in a cunning criminal’s web of deception that her confidence in her own instincts blinds her to, she must look past her disbelief in her naive friend’s ill-advised new romance to unravel the dirty truths staring her in the face all along.
2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick one or two that have the most potential for selling this script.
Timely — true crime craze that’s getting tired
Wide appeal- still getting viewers, true crime podcasts are still hands down the most listened to
Bankable role- what actor wouldn’t like to go crazy for justice!!
Timely:
Capitalizing on the cultural saturation of true crime, this series playfully subverts expectations within the genre. As an amateur sleuth is drawn into a case, it taps into audience fatigue with tropes through sharp social commentary.Wide Appeal:
Blending humor, intrigue and heart, the series delivers something for everyone. Fans of unconventional female friendships and sharp dialogue will be just as hooked as mystery and character-driven story lovers.Great Role:
Spanning plucky bravado to vulnerability, the leading lady role showcases comedic and dramatic skills primed to launch an iconic character. Executed by the right star, it becomes the driving force behind a highly watchable, buzzworthy new series.4. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?- Still lots to think about but it made me remember that this is a fun project (despite been in hopper for years!!)
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Bob Kerr: Components of Marketability
1. Current Logline:
A single mother escaping a toxic relationship finds refuge with her over-bearing father. Through rowing, and the coaching of a world champion, she finds her voice, her power and leads her crew to victory.
2. Two components of marketability
Unique: No one who believe that a Rowing World Champion would accept the challenge of building a crew in Wichita, Kansas. The challenge he faces in meeting the demands of building a first time women’s crew is inspiring and powerful.
True Story: This is the journey of the 1974-74 Wichita State inaugural rowing crew. I have the rights to the lead characters story and I was one of two co-captains on the crew.
3. The mixture of a unique situation and a true story brings together a powerful mixture of overcoming obstacles and the determination to become champions.
What I Learned in this lesson is my instincts with what was marketable about this script is right on target. I will apply the same approach to another script that is also a true story that is also a a first and extreme event.
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