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High
Concept Sells:
Creating Marketable
Screenplay Ideas
What is the most important marketing
decision you can make for your screenplay? It's not an agent, manager or what
producer you pitch the screenplay to. The most important decision you make
about your script is the first decision -- the concept or premise.
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Consider these facts:
- The majority of producers in
Hollywood are looking for high concept screenplays.
- A high concept script usually
sells for 5 - 20 times the going rate for character dramas.
- A high concept script will
often get you in production companies that don't look at unsolicited scripts.
- When you hear of six-figure
sales, the vast majority of them are high concept scripts.
- A new writer with a high
concept script has a much higher chance of getting producers involved with them
than the same writer with a "non-high concept script."
- There is a structure for
creating high concept ideas and you can learn it.
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Hal, you did it again! After just two days I
have a totally changed the perception of not only what High Concept is, but how
to format ideas that work. The first two days alone easily doubled the quality
of my ideas, as you can see from the examples I turned in just yesterday.
 Ed
Fischer
I have successfully learned how to create
concepts that command Hollywood's attention by taking this the program. I have
gained insight and confidence far beyond my expectations.
Sharoll Jackson
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THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
MARKETING DECISION YOU'LL MAKE FOR YOUR SCREENPLAY!
So why don't people write high concept
all the time? Most likely, because they just don't know how to come up with
high concept ideas. It is not an easy thing to do if you haven't learned the
process. And so far, no one has taught the process to a degree that makes it
something you can rely on. No one until now...
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Before you start even a treatment, take this
class to make sure your idea is the very best and most marketable it can be.
You'll save months, even years of your life and raise your chances of success
through the roof.
Ed Fischer
I love the way the formats overlap with each
other and prodded me to combine ideas and the way ideas built off other ideas.
Using the formats sent me down creative paths I might not have come up with on
my own. The whole process is quick and fun. Knowing I can generate so many
variations on a theme is very freeing.
Marilyn Jordan |
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WHAT IS A HIGH
CONCEPT?
When a studio or production
company refers to a High Concept, they mean a story idea that has all three of
these components:
1. It is unique.
2. It
appeals to a wide audience.
3. It can be said in one sentence and...you
instantly see the whole movie.
For a better explanation,
including phone transcripts of High Concept pitches, see the article "Creating Marketable Screenplay
Ideas". |
Imagine what it is like to present
your idea and instantly have producers want to read your script. That's what
happens when you present a marketable screenplay idea as a High Concept.
This class is about creating
marketable screenplay ideas. Think of it as a 6 day brainstorm session that
will result in you having a marketable screenwriting idea and the ability to
create more marketable script ideas from this point on.
Of course, once you have a marketable
script idea, you'll want to write it at a level that will blow a producer away.
That is what the Great Screenwriting Series is
about.
THE DESIGN OF THE PROGRAM
To design this program, I analyzed the
High Concept movies of the last five years and searched for the patterns that
took a bland idea to a highly marketable idea. Those patterns became...
12 FORMATS THAT INCREASE
MARKETABILITY
Once you fully understand
these 12 formats and see examples of them, you can use them to increase the
marketability of any screenplay idea.
IMPORTANT: When producers or
studios are considering your pitch, they are looking to see how marketable it
is. They are listening to see if it has one or more of these 12 formats in it.
If you don't have one or more of these
formats present in your pitch, you will get passed on -- no questions about it!
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HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS IN THE
CLASS |
DAY 1: What makes
an idea marketable? Sources for hundreds of ideas.
DAY 2: Four
formats for marketable ideas.
DAY 3: The thinking process for
creating marketable ideas. Four more formats for marketable ideas.
DAY
4: Solutions to the primary obstacle to High Concept ideas. The Final Four
formats for marketable ideas.
DAY 5: Applying the 12 Formats to your
ideas.
DAY 6: Presenting your screenplay ideas powerfully. Pitching,
loglines, and What if's. |
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HOW DOES THE CLASS WORK?
Each day, you receive a lesson that explains
an important part of the process of creating marketable ideas. Along with that
is an assignment for you to apply the day's skills and formats to your own
ideas. You return that assignment to Hal Croasmun, the instructor for the
classes.
IMPORTANT: In this class, only the
instructor sees your work. So it is not like the Great Screenwriting Series or the
Revealing Subtext programs where everyone in
the group reads the scenes of everyone else. Why? Because a true High Concept
idea is gold. You want to keep those confidential until you have finished your
script. So you will ONLY send your assignments in to the instructor.
ONE CAUTION: This course doesn't
guarantee that you will come up with a High Concept idea during the six days.
That depends upon how much work you put into it. But you will have the tools to
create as many great screenplay ideas as you're willing to do the work to
create.
Each day of this program, you'll gain
more understanding of what is marketable and how to create marketable ideas.
This will solve one of the biggest problems a screenwriter has -- spending 6
months writing screenplays that have virtually no chance of selling.
REMEMBER: Wayne Gretsky said "100% of
the shots you don't take don't go in." It's the same with screenplays. If your
script idea isn't marketable, the script has a 99.9% chance of not selling! You
have got to make it marketable from the concept phase.
Of course, nothing guarantees a sale.
Even some of the top grossing movies of all time were passed on by studios and
producers. But if you consistently create marketable screenplay ideas, it has
these benefits:
- Creates excitement for you as you
write the script.
- Increases your chances of getting
read.
- Increases your chances of selling.
- Increases your chances of selling
for six figures.
- Creates buzz around you as a
writer.
- Builds respect for you in
Hollywood.
It is absolutely worth putting the
time and effort into creating a marketable idea before you spend 6 months
writing, wouldn't you agree?
Dates: This is an online class
conducted through email. July 20 - 29, 2004.
Investment: $125 regular, $110
if you sign up with the early bird discount.
Requirement: Because Hal
Croasmun is a writer/producer, you will need to sign a release form before
participating in this class.
Experience level: No minimum
writing level required.
TOTALLY SAFE
GUARANTEE
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100%
Guarantee |
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We're so confident
that you'll love this program that we make this guarantee.
If at the end of the second
day, you don't feel like this program is worth it, we will refund your money in
full.
To receive a refund, you must
pay for the program in advance. If you feel the course does not meet your
expectations, email us at the end of the second day and your money will be
refunded through PayPal. |
Enroll Now
Still not sure? Ask yourself these
questions:
- What difference would it make for
you if every script you wrote from now on had a better chance of selling?
- If you knew how to create highly
marketable ideas, how much more exciting would it be to write, knowing that
people in Hollywood would be much more interested in reading your scripts?
- How much of a difference would it
make to your screenwriting career overall if every script you wrote started
with a marketable idea? Wouldn't that increase your belief in yourself as a
writer and your chances that one or more of them would sell?
- Do you consistently get people who
are excited about your screenplay from the moment you say the first sentence
about it? If not, you are missing out on one of the best parts of screenwriting
-- having other people (especially agents, managers, and producers) excited
about your scripts.
- Do you want the power that comes
from having script ideas that producers chase after?
- How long do you want to wait before
having the tools to create marketable screenwriting ideas?
Enroll Now |
