Breaking & Entering: Would A Rose By Any Other Name Smell As Sweet? Titles Are Telling!

While a title likely won’t make or break your script’s chances of getting repped or getting off the ground – in fact, it might be changed along the way – it can give you an important edge from the outset. 

Your title makes the very first impression before we even read your logline.

A catchy title is always appealing, but there are many ways to be memorable and impactful.

Some real life examples promoted this article:

A consulting client of mine recently got a producer, a director, and then a production company attached to his script. The title had a significant meaning, was referenced in the script, and reflected the theme, but the highly experienced director thought it was misleading as to the intended audience. A good brainstorming session and we came up with a new and even more evocative title, which the director loved.

Recently, a writer sent me three scripts to get to know their work. I started with the one whose title grabbed me. It felt fresh and had me intrigued. It lived up to that promise. It was indeed unique, managed to be both clever and resonant, and showed a distinctive voice and sensibility. The premise definitely kept my interest. Excellent writing sample!

Another writer/director came to me for advice on advancing his career. He gave me a list of four projects – title, genre, and loglines, plus a bit of information about past options, contest accolades, and ones he was interested in directing. Beyond the ideas themselves, we discussed everything from potential buyers to budgets. 

In the end, there was one I kept coming back to. A contained, two-character horror with a single-word title that was absolutely on target for the genre. I thought he could direct this on a modest budget, while he had envisioned expensive special effects. I suggested the Jaws approach – that what we can’t see is even scarier – necessitated during filming because the mechanical shark didn’t work as planned. It opened up a new perspective for him. I’m excited to see where this spin on his original conceptualization will take him.

Now imagine your script stuck in a stack of scripts, or a mass of emailed queries, or any time an exec or rep is considering diving into the “slush pile,” those scripts that don’t absolutely, positively have to be read. As my interviews with managers who read queries proved, they get slammed with a lot of material. It's actually much more difficult to keep track of in the electronic age as your email is buried in a tsunami of emails. Any advantage you can gain is worth it.

A great title is a way to get our attention. A title that conveys the tone proves that you know something about how the industry works because the tone dictates the audience. And having an identifiable audience is crucial to advancing a project. A title that goes a step further – whether it’s catchy or memorable, or simply stands out from the crowd, might give you the edge that will make us pay closer attention to what follows in a query or pitch. 

From there, if the rest is killer – targeted, focused, and articulate – you’re likely to get a request from reps who are open to new clients and executives who are hungry to meet their company’s mandate. Find pointers for creating excellent queries, discover the number one way to ensure you’re not overlooked, and don’t miss Dr. Paige Turner’s tips on the all too common pitfalls to avoid.

Whether your title is a word or two or a phrase, make that choice count. There’s a lot you can tell us with your title.

Conveying the tone is one of the most important things your title can do. I’ve frequently urged including tone before every logline or pitch, but this is equally important – after all, the title will be the very first thing we read or hear. I write about this all the time as a logline fundamental, a query essential, and a crucial part of your pitch. Make the most of this opportunity to set the tone. It’s easy to think that genre and tone are interchangeable, but they’re not. Delve into the differences here.

Liar Liar will always be a high watermark for me. “Liar, liar pants on fire!” is one of those playground taunts that will never grow old. It’s the perfect match for a big but still family-friendly, PG-13 comedy.

Was there ever a more clever title than Legally Blonde? Doubtful. It’s simply delicious. It not only conveys the tone, but it sounds familiar because it’s a twist on a phrase we know – legally blind – while capturing both the tone of the script –a clever comedy, and the subject, while hinting at who the primary audience will be, the quadrant referred to as women under 25.

To convey extra meaning, look for titles with a pun, a spin on something we already recognize, or a double meaning.

Some of the most compelling titles have a double meaning that isn’t apparent at the outset but are revealed once we’ve read the script or watched the film. Most often there is a literal meaning and a metaphorical one. It might connect to the big reveal in a story, or it might underscore the theme.

Films adapted from books almost always retain the title if the book was well known to help draw the audience. We’ve also seen plenty of titles that were taken from song titles. One of the iconic ones is Pretty Woman, which as a spec script was titled 3,000 – the amount Vivian was prepared to charge. You can see the significant tonal shift there! Song titles have the advantage of familiarity

I tend to delight in titles that have a deeper meaning, especially when we think of them in a literal sense at the outset only discover that there is a deeper meaning. When the title turns out to be a metaphor for the larger message of the theme it adds resonance – and gives me a little chill. While it won’t likely be clear until the reader is done reading the script, or the audience has watched the movie, it’s one of the something extras that elevates a story.

Often a title will be expressly referenced in the dialogue. This “title drop” may support the tone, underscore the theme, or be a deft throwaway.

While you’re probably used to hearing that you should avoid being on the nose – a cardinal sin in dialogue because in real life, people rarely say exactly what they are thinking and feeling – some titles tell us exactly what the movie is about and they still work brilliantly.

The general rule of thumb is that titles shouldn’t be too long. While marketing departments might worry about fitting them on a one-sheet or a marquee, the biggest concern is that audiences won’t know if the movie is for them or not. However, there are some long titles that are utterly intriguing.

If by some chance you haven’t seen these movies, these dozen titles are intriguing enough to make you want to! Just alphabetical; no judgment here.

Brainstorm until you have a title that best conveys the tone of your story. But think of your first title as a working title. It’s in the early stages and nothing is finalized yet. This gives you something to go on, but don’t fall in love. 

It’s a paradox. You should feel strongly about your title. Embrace it – but also be ready to let it go. Be open to change. Be on the lookout for inspiration. Take it for a test drive! Whether you’re at the coffee shop or in an online writers’ group, offer up just the title and genre/tone and see if it piques interest.

Your title will be a beacon that will draw people to your work – because it tells us who the audience is. And that’s what we in the business always need to know if we’re going to advance your project. Who is the audience informs who the buyers might be. That’s the basis for a game plan to set your project up. A large part of working in the industry is gathering information to know what buyers want and making the match between the material and the buyer. So a good title, one that’s catchy, conveys the tone, and informs who the audience is, makes you look industry savvy!

Avoid esoteric titles – if everyone doesn’t get the reference you’re not getting any mileage out of it. Remember the example from the beginning, the one with the perfect horror title that still has me crossing my fingers for this writer/director? One of their other titles had a relatively obscure reference to Greek mythology. While I know it likely had a clever meaning, it would have gone over the heads of many readers. Once we discussed this, he saw my point and was open to brainstorming new ideas.

Don’t get married to your title. Sure, you’re likely to bond after spending time with it, and hopefully it helps you focus your story. The best-case scenario is that it draws attention to your script. Always thinking of your title as a work in progress keeps you open to new possibilities, and hopefully lightning will strike.

I’ve worked hard to limit myself to just seven examples in each category to avoid overwhelming you with too much of a good thing, and so there are plenty left that spring to your mind. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments!

In this live webinar, you will learn how to search public domain databases for pop-culture characters that have fallen into the public domain and are now available to be used.