The Unknown Screenwriter is a screenwriter, producer, and script doctor for hire.

He works with director Roland Joff and a

New York Times best-selling author that must remain anonymous as well. He enjoys riding his motorcycle extremely fast and
the occasional triple of Wild Turkey. Twitter: @UnkScreenwriter

Is your spec script wrapped around a high concept?

I'm always intrigued why people write screenplays. When I meet screenwriters, I always ask what they write.
Guess what I rarely ever hear come out of their mouths?
When I fail to hear a high concept spill from their lips, I wonder why they're screenwriters in today's world.
So I ask, "What's your eventual goal?" Invariably, I will hear, "To sell the damn thing."
Really? How?
I only ask because last time I checked, this is a business. Are you treating your screenwriting like a business?
Maybe you need to think about it from a different perspective... Why do you buy gas for your car? Because you need gas to
make your car's engine run. If the gas station you go to tried to sell you water for your car instead of gas, what would you do?
Buy it? Nope. Then WHY do you keep handing water over to prospective producers?
Most screenwriters simply aren't creating a product that Hollywood wants. Sure, they're writing a spec screenplay for
whatever that's worth but there's a very good reason why, once they try to market that spec, production companies, agents,
and managers ultimately pass.
Why? Because they're not creating a product that the market wants.
Let's assume for the momentall things being equalthat your spec is professionally up to par when it comes to everything
but concept. It looks good. Has the right number of pages. Format is nice. Overall? Not a bad piece of work except for its
concept.
I've literally read hundreds of specs over the years that I liked. In other words, they were written well. There was a story there.
Many of them even had compelling stories but in the end? I had to put my producer hat on and ask myself the all important
question, "Who cares?"
The answer? 99.9999999 percent of the time... Nobody. Why? Because it was a story we've seen before. There was nothing
different about it. No hook. Nothing that made your eyes pop or eyebrows raise.

High Concept is original. The same only different...

You can't just write a spec script that is like a dozen of your favorite movies and expect anyone in this industry to care. They
won't. You have to give them something they've never seen before. Some unique story element that is the same only different.

What's that? You're trying to break in by submitting to screenwriting competitions? How's that workin' out for ya?
No, I don't have any resources or stats but you know what? I don't need any to tell you most semi-finalists, finalists, and
screenwriting competition winners are still trying to bang out a SELLING spec screenplay. Sure, it's entirely possible you could
end up with some kind of representation after doing well enough in some kind of competition but if the screenplay that got you
there isn't something a prospective producer wants?

I guess you could go ahead and enter it into another competition but at some point, representation notwithtanding -- you're
gonna get the age old question, "What else ya got?"
If I asked you that today? Right now? What would your answer be? Would it include several high concepts that make my eyes
POP? Eyebrows raise? If not? It might be time for you to figure out how to make gas. We can get water anywhere. Maybe not
great water but water nonetheless.
I never try to convince anyone of anything. The truth is usually obvious once you hear it and the truth is that in today's film
industry, there are less and less opportunities for spec screenwriters. Even if you're
like me and prefer Independent film over the usual studio fare and prefer to write that
kind of screenplay, you still might want to figure out how to implement high concept
into your story.
Why? Even independent film producers need gas.
Oh and by the way... So do agents and managers. So right about now, some of you
might be thinking, "Fuck it... I'll write a book instead." Well guess what? High concept pretty much rules the publishing industry
too.
Don't believe me? Look it up.
Still here? Sure, some of you are pissed right about now but you're still here.

So what the hell is high concept and how do I implement it into my story?

Let's start off by saying what high concept is not...

High concept is not high budget. Whew. Dodged that bullet.
High concept is not a studio tentpole film. Good. Nobody's going to hire an unknown screenwriter to write a studio tentpole film
anyway.
High concept is not character driven. Melding action and character together kicks your spec up a notch or two but high concept
is just as much (if not more) about your Protagonist's outer journey as it is about his or her inner journey.
High concept is not dif ficult to explain or describe. If you can't pitch your concept in a short, succinct sentence that make eyes
pop and eyebrows raise, then you're not writing high concept.

High concept isn't Pulp Fiction. Imagine trying to pitch Pulp Fiction in a short succinct sentence. Can't be done.
High concept isn't formulaic. Sure, there are hundreds of formulaic high concept movies but that doesn't mean you should be
writing one.
High concept is not dependent on casting. In a high concept story, concept is king. The concept itself is the star of the movie.

You might have heard a hell of a lot of shit about high concept. Maybe even enough that keeps you from implementing it into
your story but the bottom line is this... It's a hell of a lot easier to sell than a concept needing a ton of explaining. The more
explanation a concept needs? The more passes you're gonna get.
Remember that.

So what is high concept?

High concept is commercial. It equals money. It's high octane GAS. High concept sells tickets.
High concept contains visible goals. It's okay if your Protagonist develops a character arc, just don't make THAT the
centerpiece of your story. Your protagonist's goal is to save the girl, kill the shark, find the lost groom in time for the wedding.
Make sense?
High concept contains visible obstacles. We need to see and keep seeing whatever obstacles you throw in front of your
Protagonist.

High concept is original. When I say original? Let me be clear about Hollywood's de finition of original. Same, only different. In
other words, high concepts are familiar... They echo movies we've seen before but with an original twist that we've not seen
before something or someone unique that we've never seen before.
High concept contains mass audience appeal. The majority of just about any audience demographic will not only get the
concept immediately, but enjoy it as well.

High concept contains universal themes. I'm not talking about the theme of your story... What I mean is that your story
contains elements the majority of just about any audience demographic can identify with. Themes like love, hate, vengeance,
escape, fate, family, power, justice, honesty, etc. A high concept isn't so stupid that everyone gets it... It's so universal that
everyone gets it. Themes that we as prospective audience members have experienced some time in our lives or themes that
we've thought and fantasized about. You want your concept to appeal to a prospective audience member living anywhere in the
world. Human beings are human beings. Universal themes resonate with us. Don't forget that.

High concept contains a time limit or a short time span. You can think of this as a ticking clock or simply insure your concept
takes place over a short time span. This is why the title of the book, Six Days of the Condor was changed to Three Days of the
Condor for the movie.
High concept contains a clear, concise, and succinct logline with as few words as possible to describe or explain it.

High concept has a great title. Short. Evocative. Suggestive. Intriguing. Your title should either qualify or sum up your logline.
Think Jaws, Home Alone, Liar Liar, How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days, The Fugitive, Jurrasic Park, etc.
High concept should suggest a high degree of con flict.
High concept should promise an emotional experience.
High concept is NOT selling out.

High Concept can make you rich...

That's what the title says and it's true. There are people that regularly sell high concepts to Hollywood without a screenplay to
go with it.
What's that tell ya?
It should tell you that Hollywood needs gas just like everyone else and just to let you know? Good gas is hard to find.
If you're writing screenplays to sell and not simply for enjoyment or to submit to competitions, don't leave this element out of
your story. Hollywood is rampant with script competition semi-finalists, finalists, and winners who still haven't sold a spec
screenplay. Sure, their writing is what got them noticed.
Let me say that again... Their writing is what got them noticed. Hell, their writing even got
them representation. What their writing did not do however, was sell.

I dare say you should learn as much as you can about how to come up with, create, and
develop a high concept idea way before you ever start writing your screenplay. High concept
truly is what separates the men from the boys... Women from the girls.
No high concept? No sale.
The good news? This can actually elevate a so-so screenplay into an actual spec
sale IF your concept is high enough and hits all the notes.

The bad news? You better learn how to rewrite the spec as per the inevitable notes you will
surely get after you make the sale. That is of course, assuming you want to stay in the game.Would you rather be known as the
screenwriter who can come up with a high concept or the screenwriter who can come up with a high concept and a screenplay
that lives up to its high concept? The industry is littered with one-shot wonder screenwriters who came up with a high concept
but a so-so screenplay but got their shot to kick their draft up to greenlight level only to crash and burn.
Don't be that screenwriter.

Cracking the High Concept Code The NEXT STEP

Unknown Screenwriter told you WHY it's important to write a high concept screenplay... Now let's try
to get you thinking high concept for your next project with these unique exercises.
*****
Let's keep beating the dead horse subject of High Concept. My last article told
you WHY it's important you try to write a high concept screenplay. This month,
let's try to get you thinking high concept for your next project.

What is high concept?

Go read my article, then come on back but to put it brie fly, high concepts are
compelling and provocative ideas stated in as few words as possible and
easily understood by just about anyone.
Too many screenwriters... Especially newbie screenwriters simply do not understand high concept. Some think it's selling out.
Others think it's formulaic. Still others believe it's contrary to their "art."
I can't believe it but I've been writing screenplays for thirty years now and no, I haven't kept track of how many newbie scripts
I've read over the years but I can tell you it's a lot. Out of all those specs, I can count on one hand how many were in fact, high
concept.
From my own observation, most newbie screenwriters, and even old hands who've yet to get paid, often end up writing
something that's been done before and even if they spend a year on that spec rewriting, tweaking, and polishingthey usually
end up with nothing more than a decent writing sample.
Notice I said, "decent." Not good. Not outstanding. Not amazing.
Decent because it's competently written but the concept is really no different from other movies we've seen before. No HOOK.
Nothing unique. Nothing original.
In fact? Many of these very same screenwriters went on to tell me WHY their spec should sell, which usually consists of the
very reason it will probably never sell i.e., "It's no different than such and such movie and it sold."
The majority of spec sales have some kind of concept or idea that is in fact compelling. It's something that makes a particular
spec DIFFERENT from other specs and movies within its genre.
Yet? The majority of spec screenwriterseven pros, often ignore this element at their peril. Peril means no sale, no
representation... When I dig a little further about the impetus for their screenplay, I almost always find there was in fact a highconcept film that served as the inspiration for what they've written.
In other words?

They wrote something extremely similar to one or more movies we've all seen before. They thought since their inspirational
movie or movies were high concept, so was their screenplay.
Nope. Not unless you come up with something different. On some level, most spec screenwriters know this to be true... i.e.,
that they need that out-of-the-box ideathat high concept but still... For whatever reason, they FEEL like THIS SCREENPLAY
THIS IDEAjust may be the exception to the rule... That anomaly. Hey... We've all been there and will probably continue to
be there on occasion but the simple fact of the matter is that Hollywood runs on the big idea... The high concept.
Some of you... Maybe a lot of you out there read and or listen to a hell of a lot of screenwriting advice. Nothing wrong with that.
In fact? That's a good thing. But here's the deal. Take ALL this shit with a grain of salt. Why? Because bottom line? I don't know
YOU. I can't tell you what YOU need to DO to break into the business. I could probably read your spec and tell you what's
wrong with it but even fixing THAT wouldn't necessarily propel you into the business. This business is as much about being
able to sell yourself as it is your spec screenplay.
And? A little luck never hurt either.
With these articles about high concept, I'm trying to come at you with a foundation of screenwriting that's already at a
professional level. Competent screenwriting. Good story. Good, solid format. Good, solid structure. Something I don't feel was
a complete waste of my time reading even IF after reading it, I don't think could sell.
In other words, that's the LEVEL YOU need to be at.
High concept is no substitute for mastering your craft. Its simply the most effective way to capture an an agent, manager, or
producers interest.
If you're NOT there yet, you need to get there. Once you get there, implementing a high concept for your professional level
screenplay is probably going to be the missing piece of the puzzle that gets you representation, meetings, sales, and gigs.
Having said that... You're going to read and or hear "Just write the best screenplay you can write," as if somehow, that worm
farm debutante screenplay you just finished is somehow going to get you into this business.
Can a well-written screenplay get you noticed? Sure it can, but a well-written, high-concept screenplay not only gets you
noticed but also gets you meetings, gets you representation, gets you sold.
Our specs are all like used cars and the agents and managers out there are all
used car salesmen... Like it or not. If you're a used car salesman, and you
have your choice between selling a 1978 AMC Pacer or a 2007 Honda Accord,
which one you gonna choose? Don't get me wrong... There's absolutely
nothing wrong with a 1978 AMC Pacer. They were in fact, pretty solid cars and
got good gas mileage. They got the job done back in 1978, but do they get the
job done today? Would you not agree IF you chose to sell the Pacer, your
prospects of selling it would be considerably less than IF you chose to sell the Accord?

The same applies to a well-written screenplay versus a well-written, high-concept screenplay. Your eventual agent or manager
or both know more outlets are available to them to set up meetings, future
meetings, and pitches for YOU in the long run.
I'm not trying to convince you of anything... I just tell the truth as I see it and as
I've experienced it, and I am here to tell you I wish someone had pointed out
how important high concept was when I first started out screenwriting.
The fact is?
You can have just as much fun writing a high-concept screenplay as you can writing a well-written screenplay. You can have
just as much passion writing a high-concept screenplay as you can writing a well-written screenplay.
And to be honest? If your current screenwriting is in fact competent and at a professional level? Writing a high-concept spec
script is one hell of a lot of fun when there's the real prospect and potential of bagging a sale.
I am not trying to tell you to guess what the market is looking for. A lot of podcasters and gurus might tell you pursuing a highconcept spec is YOU simply trying to guess the market. Writing a high-concept spec is not about second-guessing the market.
It's kicking up your hopefully well-written spec up a few notches when it finally comes to tossing it in the market. It makes your
well-written spec more marketable.
Make sense?
Hollywood is inundated with thousands of well-written spec screenplays. Many of them are stacked up a couple of feet high and
being used as door stops. All of them written well. All of them solid. All of them have decent characters and good structure. All
of them derivative. That's right, derivative of some other movie we've already seen and this one brings nothing new and
different to the party but it does a great fucking job of holding that door open.
It's okay. You don't have to believe me. I don't need the competition any more than you do.
Having said that? If you're still here? Let's get on with it... How do we turn our mild mannered concept into a high concept? How
do you come up with something different? Fuck if I know... But I can tell you how I do it.
The very first thing I want to tell you BEFORE you attempt to perform any of the following exercises is to make note of HOW
YOU FEEL when a particular concept or idea HITS YOU. Let's get back to what you've probably heard and read from a lot of
gurus... Write what you love.
As you perform these exercises to help you brainstorm a high concept, make note of the concepts that make you tingle. If
nothing makes you tingle during your first session? No problem. Coming up with a high concept can be just as dif ficult IF NOT
MORE DIFFICULT than writing the screenplay wrapped around it.
Just don't give up... Brainstorming high concepts takes practice and practice makes perfect.

The concepts that do NOT make you tingle but sound interesting to you are also worthy of a note. You can use these ideas in
future sessions to dig even deeper for the high concept. The ideas that make you tingle however, are the ideas you want to
seriously consider wrapping a spec screenplay around.
Why?
These are ideas and concepts that, for whatever reason, resonate and mean something to you. Maybe they have something to
do with your past. Maybe they promise to answer an as yet unanswered question you have about life. Whatever the reason,
always make note of the concepts that make you tingle.
That brings me to the first exercise...
What fascinates YOU? What fascinates you might not fascinate me. Everyone is different. Make a list of what fascinates you.
Make as long a list as you can. There are no wrong answers. In fact? Making a list of what fascinates YOU should be an
ongoing project. Grab a notebook or open up a document and keep adding to it. Anytime you have writer's block? Add more
things that fascinate you to your list. You watch movies, right? You watch television? Read magazines? Books? Newspapers?
Use all these and more as resources to add to your list of fascinations. Trust me when I tell you, there will be gold in that list.
Once you have a decent list of fascinations, it's now time to play the What if game...
For instance... Let's make a small list of my fascinations...

Motorcycles

Wolves

Coyotes

Ocean

Speed

Rattlesnakes

Hey... These just came off the top of my head but you get the idea. There are no wrong answers.
Now let's take something from the list and play the What if game... This is where we get to be as fucking crazy as we want or
need to be. Again, there are no wrong answers.

Motorcycles

What if I was riding a motorcycle and it began to lift up off the ground and soar into the air?

What if I rode a motorcycle into a wall but didn't crash?

What if I went through that wall into another dimension?

Into another world?

What if the wall turned out to be a wormhole?

What if the wormhole spit me out into the future?

What if the wormhole spit me out into the past?

See how easy that is? Nope. No high concept YET but the idea here is to simply let loose! This is only step one. We need an
idea to start our high concept rolling. Let one What if question create yet another What if question in your mind and ask that
one next. Rinse and repeat.
If, as you are asking yourself all these what if questions about each thing that fascinates you, something exciting POPS into
your head, stop and write that down. *NOTE: I use a digital recorder to record the entire exercise. Listening to them later can
and often will lead you to dream up even more What if questions along with more things that fascinate you.
The What if game is extremely powerful... Don't just use it for what fascinates you. Maybe you already have an idea for a spec
script floating around in your head. What about any characters you've already come up with for that story?

Once you've come up with a concept IDEA that makes you tingle, it's time to create the perfect protagonist for that particular
concept idea. A concept idea without a compelling protagonist to guide your audience through the story just ain't gonna work.
Notice I said, COMPELLING PROTAGONIST. A compelling protagonist is what ultimately connects your reader, then your
agent, manager, and producer to your story and screenplay. How do you create a compelling protagonist? Well, to be honest,
you should already know that. A compelling protagonist is so important to your high concept, that it's worth being a bit
redundant here, so in order to make sure your protagonist is in fact compelling, here's a short list of elements to keep in mind.
A Compelling Protagonist:

Has experienced some undeserved misfortune

Has secrets

Has fears

A crucial desire

A central vice

A central virtue

Makes decisions

Performs actions based on those decisions

Usually an underdog of some kind

Has an interesting job and or some unusual skill

The quintessential representation of his or her kind

So now you play the What if game all over again... That's right. Start asking What if questions about your Protagonist in order
to make sure he or she turns out to be COMPELLING. Go down the list and again, ask What if questions about each of these
compelling traits and again, make note of the traits that make you tingle.

Undeserved misfortune

What if my protagonist's father was murdered when he was a child? His or her mother?

What if my protagonist was a product of incest?

What if my protagonist was molested as a child?

What if my protagonist grew up in foster homes?

What if my protagonist spent years in a reformatory for a crime he or she didn't commit?

I could be here all day making a list like this... Don't hold back. This list of undeserved misfortune is GOLD for creating high
concepts now and in the future. The above list is short because of space for this article. Your list can be as large as you want or
need it to be.
Just keep going down the list with speci fic What if questions for each element on the list.

Secrets

What if my protagonist killed someone in their past?

What if my protagonist used to be a con man?

What if my protagonist used to be a hit man?

What if my protagonist is on the run?

What if my protagonist is a recovering sex-addict?

Don't worry if one or more of your questions is derivative of some movie, television show, or book you've already read. This is
just the beginning. You have to get your brain used to thinking this way. For some of you, this is going to be dif ficult in the
beginning but it's not unlike any muscle that hasn't been used in awhile. Just keep at it and trust me, the What
if questions will get better.

Fears

What if my protagonist has a fear of commitment?

What if my protagonist has a fear of heights?

What if my protagonist has a fear of small spaces?

What if my protagonist has a fear of animals?

What if my protagonist has a fear of crowds?

A crucial desire
Guess what? We don't have to do this one yet! Why? Because we haven't created our high concept. Once we do? Your
protagonist's crucial desire should be obvious. Now is probably a good time to tell you that your protagonist's crucial desire
needs to be external. Something we can sense with one of our five senses. Don't worry about his or her internal struggle or
growth. That's gonna happen because you're a writer.

A central vice

What if my protagonist is a narcissist?

What if my protagonist is a coward?

What if my protagonist is greedy?

What if my protagonist is controlling?

What if my protagonist is suicidal?

Again, sky's the limit here. The trick is to find a vice that is as close to the exact opposite of your protagonist's virtue. By vice,
I'm referring to a fault, or negative character flaw within the context of your protagonist's character. Choose wisely because it's
this vice that drives your protagonist through most of your story. For a little help in that regard, just head on over to
Thesaurus.com and type in your protagonist's vice:
narcissist
See all those synonyms and related words? Use those in addition to narcissist to drive your protagonist through his or her
scenes. Doing THIS helps us, your eventual audience understand your protagonist even more and helps you organically push
him or her through your story.
By the same token... Your protagonist's virtuethat trait deemed to be morally good and valued as a foundation of principle
and good moral being (thank you, Wikipedia) should be the exact opposite of your protagonist's central vice and thus,
use those words as mini-themes to help your protagonist make decisions and take action.
How to find THOSE words? Go back to narcissist and click on a synonym. Once you do that, take a look at the antonyms that
pop up for that particular synonym. Rinse and repeat for your list of vices and virtues. Use the list of vices as mini-themes to get
through your protagonist's scenes when it comes to subtext in both dialogue and behavior. Use the list of virtues as minithemes to get your protagonist through his or her decision-making and action-taking process.
The good news? You don't have to completely figure out what your protagonist's central virtue is before you start writing.
Discover it organically as you push your protagonist through the seemingly insurmountable obstacles you create for him or her.
Your protagonist's eventual central virtue will be his or her character arc.
Cool. In the above discussion, we've also covered:

Makes decisions

Performs actions based on those decisions

No need to play the What if game with those as they should develop organically. Having said that? If you're not pushing your
protagonist enough, feel free to take the following through the What if game.

A central virtue

Makes decisions

Performs actions based on those decisions

Yes... It's okay to use the What if game to come up with answers to the above as you're writing. In fact? Anytime you feel stuck,
get out your list of What if questions and start answering them again and use them to come up with even more interesting and
twisted What if questions.

Usually an underdog of some kind

Let's de fine underdog just in case you need a refresher...
underdog
1. One that is expected to lose a contest or struggle, as in sports or politics.
2. One that is at a disadvantage.
Remember Rocky? Braveheart? The Karate Kid?
Your protagonist doesn't have to be an underdog but if you want him or her to be truly compelling? Find a way for them to be
an underdog so we, your eventual audience will subconsciously root for them throughout your story and please make note that
our subconscious rooting will organically turn into conscious rooting if you do this correctly.
Better still? Connect your protagonist's underdog to his or her profession and or crucial desire. We're hardwired to GET THAT.
We understand it. We've either all been an underdog at some point in our lives or known one.
Underdogs almost always:

Chase a dream

Lose when they try to win

Exhibit hope

Exhibit determination

Lack self-pity

Play the What if game to come up with a way for your protagonist to be an underdog... Connect it to your protagonist's
profession or crucial desire and we'll get on board your protagonist's train and ride it through the rest of your story.
Which brings us to your protagonist's profession, job, or skill. As an eventual audience, we're intrigued by protagonists with a
profession or special skill we're not in or do not possess. Use this to your advantage and no... The special skill does not have to
be related to your protagonist's profession or job but it won't hurt either. In other words? He or she can certainly have both.

Let's look at some of the protagonist's jobs in the Highest Box Of fice Films of All Time

Jack Dawson in Titanic was a Starving Artist

Owen Grady in Jurassic World was a Velociraptor Trainer

Dom Cobb in Inception was an Extractor

Captain Steven Hiller in Independence Day was a U.S.M.C. F/A-18 Hornet Pilot

Dr. Ryan Stone in Gravity was a Medical Engineer

Starting to see the pattern here? That's not to say your protagonist must have a profession we don't know much about. That's
not to say your protagonist can't just be an every man. That works too. The only thing I would say is to be sure to add that
special skill if you decide to use an every man as your protagonist. That special skill could be one your protagonist already has
or one he or she develops throughout the story:

Chuck Noland in Cast Away was a FedEx Systems Engineer who learns how to survive on that island

Sam Wheat in Ghost is a banker who learns how to move solid objects

Larry Daley in Night at the Museum is an unemployed and divorced father who learns how to organize all the
historic characters to help him stop the criminals and save the museum

Bill Harding in Twister is a TV Weatherman who's special skill is Tornado-Hunter

Nick Dunne in Gone Girl is an unemployed journalist now turned bar owner who's special skill is figuring out
the clues his wife leaves for him on their anniversary every year

Whew... And finally?

The quintessential representation of his or her kind:

Think Tom Cruise's character, Lt. Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men. He's the quintessential Navy Jag Of ficer who plea
bargains his cases and never spends a day in trial.
When we say quintessential, NOTICE we are NOT saying the quintessential Navy Jag Of ficer. We're adding in the fact that
he's a plea-bargainer who's never been to trial. That is his ordinary world and Sorkin fleshes all that out for us so we know right
off the bat WHO we're dealing with. If he were just the average OR quintessential Navy Jag Of ficer, his character wouldn't be
nearly as compelling as a plea-bargainer who's never been to trial.
Make sense?
In other words... However you've created your protagonistwith whatever flaws, idiosyncrasies, skills, etc., tweak and polish
him or her until they are the quintessential EXAMPLE of that character.
After you have your compelling protagonist, let's get back to our fascinations... From your list of fascinations, you'll want to try
and find one that has mass appeal. If you're not sure what mass appeal is, go back to the Highest Box Of fice Films of All Time.

Simply browsing through this list is going to reveal to you the kinds of subject matter that have mass appeal... Let's look at a
few:

Aliens

Historical Disasters

Dinosaurs

Fast Cars

Secret Agents

Superheroes

Time Travel

Criminals

Heists

I could go on but again... You get the idea and in fact, it's worth performing this exercise yourself i.e., go down the entire list of
box of fice hits and make a list of those movies' subject matter that obviously had mass appeal.
If you take a look at my list from the beginning of this article:

Motorcycles

Wolves

Coyotes

Ocean

Speed

Rattlesnakes

You can easily see that there's really nothing there with mass appeal. So now what? We continue with our list of fascinations...
Yes, you'll want to build a huge list in order to find those subjects or topics that DO have mass appeal.
Space won't allow me to get massive here (but you should), so I'll just pick some fascinations from the list of box of fice hits that
I like:

Fast Cars

Time Travel

Criminals

Heists

These are simply the topics or subjects from that list that fascinate ME. Your mileage will and should vary.
Now we need an inciting incident... It's gotta be HUGE! Life-changing. It MUST REQUIRE your protagonist to ACT NOW. The
good news is that if you haven't yet figured out what your protagonist's vice is, no problem. Go ahead and figure out your

protagonist's life-changing inciting incident and then figure out the perfect vice for your protagonist. The trick here is to
juxtapose your protagonist's vice against the ACTION your protagonist must perform because of this inciting incident. Once you
know who your protagonist is, play the What if game to come up with the perfect inciting incident to get things rolling. Don't
worry... We'll put all the pieces together once we've laid them all out on the board.
Ready?
Okay then... From the list of fascinations we've culled from the Highest Box Of fice Films of All Time, I actually like them all
hence, why I picked'em. You could pick one or more as long as you can work them into a high concept.
Back to What if...

What if criminals from the future traveled back in time to pull off a bank heist?
Hmmm. Seriously, that was right off the top of my head and now that I've typed it, I can SEE the potential. It certainly has the
elements of high concept so let's use it.
Now what? We need a compelling protagonist. One that works with what we've got so far. Again off the top of my head I'm
thinking:

Armored car driver

Bank executive

FBI agent

Scientist

Engineer

Let's go with engineer... Maybe we can make him an every man. Okay, so now we need our inciting incident.
An engineer is taken hostage during a bank heist

Off the top of my head... Not even digging deep here. Just going with what I think makes sense so far... If the engineer is our
protagonist, we need him to be caught up in all this somehow. I also kind of like the idea of starting the story off with the bank
heist because I know from experience, I can make this inciting incident occur within the first ten to twelve pages of the script.
We can easily hit the ground running.
Let's not forget that our Engineer needs to be compelling. Undeserved misfortune.

What if he designed a bridge that failed?

What if the failed bridge ended up killing several people?

What if the failed bridge killed a lot of people?

What if the bridge collapsed as his wife and children drove over it?

Does this undeserved misfortune even have to have anything to do with the bridge? Nope.

What if the Engineer's wife and children were killed in natural disaster?

What if the Engineer's wife and children were killed during a bank heist?

What if the Engineer's wife and children were in one of the planes in 9/11?

Just keep playing the What if game until a speci fic undeserved misfortune makes you tingle.
What else do we need for this engineer to be compelling... We need his central vice. If we go with the idea his wife and children
died because of some undeserved misfortunehim being suicidal comes to mind. Maybe he can't outright kill himself but what
if he takes chances because he no longer cares if he lives or dies?
Let's go with it... Now we have:
A suicidal engineer is taken hostage during a bank heist

Now remember from our list of fascinations, we came up with:

What if criminals from the future traveled back in time to pull off a bank heist?
Time to dig deeper into this within the context of the suicidal engineer and the time traveling bank robbers pulling off the heist.
Back to more What if questions:

What if the time-traveling criminals are on a schedule?

What if the time-traveling criminals have to hide out awhile before they can go back into the future?

What if the suicidal engineer figures out they are time-traveling criminals?

What if the suicidal engineer begs them to let him go back in time in order to save his family from dying?

What if the suicidal engineer outsmarts the time-traveling criminals and does go back in time and save his
family?

We can just keep going and going... But just based on what I've thought of so far? I can feel a high concept starting to take
shape.

We've got a suicidal engineer.

We've got time-traveling criminals.

We've got a bank heist.

We've got a suicidal engineer who figures out these criminals have traveled back in time.

We've got a suicidal engineer who, after figuring out these criminals have traveled back in time to rob a bank,
decides to figure out how he too can travel back in time in order to save his family from dying.

So far so good... I'd watch that movie. Would YOU?

Okay... We have a compelling protagonist with a vice and life-changing inciting incident. Let's see if we can create a high
concept logline from it.
Just doing this off the top of my head. Remember, writing is rewriting. Once we get the logline more or less down, we'll tweak it.
After time-traveling bank robbers take a suicidal engineer hostage, he figures out a way to travel back in time to save his wife
and kids.
Not bad but now that I've read it, I feel like we need to reveal that his family was killed.
After losing his wife and children, a suicidal engineer is taken hostage during a bank heist, but once he discovers they traveled
back in time to rob the bank, he decides to figure out how they did it so he can travel back in time to save his family.
Not bad actually. Only 49 words. Let's tweak it again and see what we come up with.
After a grieving engineer loses his wife and children, his suicidal tendencies find him in a bank robbery where he's taken
hostage, only to discover the criminals traveled back in time to pull the heist, and now he must figure out how they did it so he
can travel back in time to save his family.
56 words... I'd say either one of these works for our purposes. If we can come up with a great high concept title that ADDS to
our logline, so much the better. I like to use idioms when I can... At least for working titles. Let's see if any of these work:

AGAINST TIME

EVER AND AGAIN

PRESSED FOR TIME

BORROWED TIME

MATTER OF TIME

FINDING TIME

Hmmmm. Borrowed time rings with me personally. Since our engineer needs to figure out how the bank robbers traveled back
in time, this assumes he needs to either steal or borrow the criminals' method of time travel.
So NOW, let's try it with a title...
BORROWED TIME
After a grieving engineer loses his wife and children, his suicidal tendencies find him in a bank robbery where he's taken
hostage, only to discover the criminals traveled back in time to pull the heist, and now he must figure out how they did it so he
can travel back in time to save his family.
Again, I'd watch that movie. I'd also ask friends, family, and associates if they'd watch that movie. Read your logline to them
and see what they think. Make note of their questions and or concerns after hearing your pitch. Always keep tweaking and
honing your logline. Keep cutting it down as short as possible but always remember that it needs to contain all your high
concept elements.

Playing the What if game is probably the most powerful tool you have when it comes to creating a high concept. Don't discount
it. Unfortunately, I've found a lot of screenwriters UNABLE to think very far out of the box. Their What if questions just don't get
it done. I only mention this because it can be a potential problem if you're NOT used to thinking outside the box. You've GOT to
push those questions. Make them seemingly absurd. Make them deplorable. Make them outrageous. Challenge yourself. Jump
the fuck OUT of your safety zone for once in your life... You want to be a writer, RIGHT?

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