Screenwriting Advice From The Past: The Title
“Although a good story is the first requisite, the title of the photoplay is most important from the point of view of the exhibitor.”
“Although a good story is the first requisite, the title of the photoplay is most important from the point of view of the exhibitor.”
If you are a screenwriter, you should know about Anita Loos. Loos was one of the most influential writers in the early stages of American cinema, associated with 136 film projects per IMDb.
Married to writer John Emerson, the pair wrote one of the first books on screenwriting in 1920: “How to Write Photoplays”.
Today: The Title.
Loos and Emerson address this issue [P. 38, 39].
Three cardinal considerations are carefully weighed before the production of a photoplay is attempted. These essentials are first, a good story; second, a good cast; and third the right kind of a title.
Although a good story is the first requisite, the title of the photoplay is most important from the point of view of the exhibitor.
— —
One of the largest companies in the industry recently announced that titles must have the following qualities
1. The title must fit the story.
2. The title must fit the star, that is convey the idea that the film favorite is to be seen in just the sort of a part which suits him or her best.
3. The title must have box office drawing power by exciting the curiosity and interest of all who read it in the exhibitor’s announcements.
4. The title must be terse and clear.
Whereas a studio has final say, if a writer can come up with a killer title, that can help make a screenplay pop in the minds of prospective readers. Consider the titles: A Quiet Place and Get Out. Both sell the story’s central tension.
And here we zero in on the advice given above: A title must excite the curiosity and interest of a reader.
Interest = Hook
Curiosity = Question
A title should convey something of the story’s hook and arouse questions.
Tomorrow: More screenwriting advice from the past.
You can read “How to Write Photoplays” via Google books online here.
For the rest of the series articles:
Introduction
Getting Ideas
Conflict and Crisis
Situation
Theme
Star Sympathy
Action: Part 1
Action: Part 2
Action: Part 3
Action: Part 4
Action: Part 5
Story Synopsis
Continuity: Part 1
Continuity: Part 2
Note: I ran this series originally in 2012. Unfortunately, the individual articles got bungled up on the site in some sort of technical snafu. So, I am recovering them one by one in this reprise of the series.