Categories: Public
Do You Wanna See It?
A title has a marketing value and can make or break a movie, sadly.
The Shawshank Redemption was a flop at the cinema, made a fortune on DVD and secondary markets and is pretty much touted as one of the best movies of all time.
Liquid Sky was a crap film I saw in my teens and still hate. But "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" is one of my favourite films.
I have to disagree that a titles length is indicative of a films quality, but I do think that may be indicative in same genres.
A crap title can make it hard to find your audience. Think of it as marketing, it has to get a clear message to the people you are aim to reach, your identified audience. If you do that, a producer that also knows who that audience will recognise a good marketing focused title.
Let's say that is a working title, once you sell the script to have no control, American Hustle was originally American Bullshit, Edge of Tomorrow was also released as Live, Die, Repeat. I have changed titles because as the story evolves the title is no longer accurate.
I like the wording in your comment. Here is an attempt, it will need rewriting to make fit your story better.
A pregnant healcare worker is asked a question by a possessed patient that she is scared to answer, this triggers a ....
Now start the big beats, what happens and how she is forced to fight against it, or her goal and how this challenges her etc.
Titles don't really matter, and it's been in my experience that most movies with more than three words in the title are garbage.
Unless the title starts with 'Harry Potter And...', but I think the rule is different if it was a book first.
Thank you very much for your help. I know I need to work on correct grammar. I also really appreciate your take on another log line.
My #2 log line I have worked on is
"Do You Wanna See It?", is a suspense/horror based on a true story of a healthcare worker's encounter with a possessed patient, who will ask her a question that she's unsure she is brave enough to answer.
I would love to read your thoughts on this and what you feel about the title.
I read the demon being inside the patient. That indicates a rewrite is needed.
This reads like a scene not a story. Fear is fleeting and can be achieved quickly. If that is a goal how is it sustained through the entire story? Some things can be dropped and may improve the pace like "local". This is needed as it doesn't move the story along. If that word was isolated it would imply be trapped, but local is emotive. A "grim shift" isn't instantly understandable, what makes it grim? Describing that may give a better understanding. Is the shift grim because the place is grim? Working in a disturbing environment gives a no where to run feeling, a single shift isn't as threatening.
Wanting someone's fear isn't much of a goal. Why they want the fear may give some structure.
I can see the bones of a good story. I hope this helps.
Your concept seems quite interesting with a lot of potential for scares, but I'm struggling to follow the logline.
"A three month pregnant healthcare worker"
This feels a little too detailed. Is it essential that we know how many months? Consider "A newly-pregnant" or "An expectant mother". I think you can omit "healthcare worker" since that's implied in the next phrase, but that's up to you.
"grim shift"
'Grim' is a good word, but it might be more powerful placed elsewhere. Is the shift grim to begin with? If so, what makes it grim? Consider "An expectant mother's shift at the psychiatric hospital turns grim when..." -- this way the shift starts off normal.
"a possessed patient wants her in horrific fear"
This phrase isn't grammatically correct. Can you clarify what the possessed patient is doing / desiring?
"at the sight of the demonic being that lives inside her."
I'm also a bit lost with the pronouns here - so far, the only "her" we've had is the psych worker. Who is seeing the demonic being? Who does it live inside - is it the baby?
Another aspect to approach is this: what is it about your story in particular that makes it different from other supernatural horrors? Can you capture some of the Act II conflict in a few words?
My take:
"An expectant mother's shift at the psychiatric hospital turns grim when a possessed patient makes an attempt at her life - and the unholy life of her unborn child."
