#5: The Killer Pitch Part I - The High Concept
READER ALERT - CONTEST AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE!
It's Creating Comics! time. If you've been with us the past few weeks, you know I've been discussion my writing process, and offering some suggestions to help you move your stories forward. So far, I've examined what to do when you have a great idea, talked about the importance of research, and illustrated how I go about crafting a research plan. If you've done those steps, now is a good time to take an honest assessment of where you are at with your idea, and see if you can take that idea and the research supporting it and fashion it into a format that could get some one's attention. It's time to write a pitch for your story!
First, let's clarify the term pitch. A pitch is a short document that can be used to sell your story. I'm going to cover two types of pitches. This week, I'll tackle "the high concept" and next week, I'll cover "the synopsis." Now, you may be thinking something like, "Wait? Why should I be worried about selling my story, now? I haven't even written it!" Or you might think, "Won't it be easier to write my pitch after the work is finished?" Maybe. But I strongly believe the effort you put into crafting a pitch at this point will pay off in the long run. Because if you find yourself struggling to pitch the story now, it probably means you haven't put enough work in to be ready to tell your story.
Think of a pitch as a promise to your reader, and to yourself. It says, "Hey, you! Want to hear a story? Well, this is the story I'm going to tell you. And it's a doozy." That's what a pitch needs to do. If you don't have a pitch that does that, you're probably going to have problems. Think about it. If you can't write a few sentences that can excite a reader, what makes you think you can write a 22 page comic that can?
The High Concept
You're already familiar with high concepts. Another good term for the high concept is "the quick pitch." For screenwriters, the quick pitch is called a "log-line," those one or two sentence movie descriptions found in your TV Guide. Zuda contestants are familiar with the "high concept," as their submission form gives you just 200 characters to pitch your story. For the quick pitch, brevity, and the efficient use of words to encapsulate your story and hook the reader, is paramount. Because high concepts are so short, sometimes it makes them difficult to write. But I can't stress this enough. You NEED to be able to pitch your story in one or two sentences. Why? Well, the dream scenario of you finding yourself stuck in an elevator with an editor from Dark Horse and with 30 seconds to capture his or her interest is one reason. (A reason these are called also called "elevator pitches.") But more importantly, I want you to imagine yourself in the near future, after your book has been written, drawn and printed, and there you are behind a table at a busy convention. When a potential customer walks by, you have all of 5 seconds to get his or her attention. What are you going to say about your book that'll make prospective customers take a peek? The earlier you can answer the question, the more confident you'll be that you A.) Have a story worth telling and B.) Will have a comic other people will think is worth buying.
What makes a good quick pitch? Isn't that subjective? I mean, there are all different types of readers out there, a comic that sounds good to one comic fan might turn off another. While this is true, that does not mean that there aren't good and bad pitches. I'm going to go out on a limb and share one of my pitches that I feel is particularly strong. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, this is a book I've been working on for about a year and a half, and it hasn't really gone anywhere. However, I'm positive it has nothing to do with the strength of the pitch. Let's break it down.
CounterTERROR
Counterterrorism specialist Dorian McCullough must stop extremists from releasing a deadly virus in Times Square on New Year's Eve. It's "24" meets "28 Days Later"...it's CounterTERROR!
Why is this a good pitch? (And remember, a good story and a good pitch are not the same thing. Whether it's a story you'd be interested in reading is another thing entirely.) It's a good pitch because it has the following characteristics:
- It's concise. I don't care how short the elevator ride, I could give any publisher or studio exec on the planet that pitch before they had a chance to dodge me, and it would give them a very clear picture of what CounterTERROR is all about.
- It includes the key components of my story. Think about it. In just one sentence, you know:
- The protagonist (counterterrorism specialist Dorian McCullough)
- The antagonists (extremists)
- The problem (the release of a deadly virus)
- The when (New Year's Eve)
- The where (Times Square in New York City
That's a lot of information to convey in under twenty words. (Can we agree now, it's a good pitch? Thought so.)
Now, in my pitch, I did throw in a second sentence, to hammer home the concept and make it even more accessible to readers. (It's "24" meets "28 Days Later...) Some would say that second sentence could be omitted and all the important information for a quick pitch would still be there, and I agree, it could be (and perhaps should be.) I left it in, one, because I think it's an accurate description of the story I have to tell, and two, to have a discussion about this method of pitching.
(Art by Stefano Cardoselli)
The method employed by the second sentence of my quick pitch is a fairly common tool used in Hollywood. "This story is [insert popular, financially successful movie A] meets [insert popular, financially successful movie B.]" The idea is that the combination of two winning concepts into one is a sure-fire formula for big success. There are some who absolutely hate these kinds of pitches. And they have their reasons.
For example, one way the Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock hit Speed was pitched was as "Die Hard on a bus." Okay, great. You hear that and think, "I liked Die Hard..." But what does a pitch like that really tell you? It tells you nothing of the characters. Bruce Willis as Det. John McClain made Die Hard (and Bruce's career, incidentally.) It tells you nothing of who is on the bus, why they are on the bus, nothing. All you know is that it's an action movie on a bus. I don't know about you, but all the bus rides I've taken in my life have been relatively action free. So, I don't think that strategy is effective.
I had a story that I was working on a while back (this was before I've adopted the writing process I'm currently using, mind you) called Relentless. I was pitching it as "Die Hard" meets "Syriana." What the hell would that movie be like? Yeah, I don't know either. That description is pretty much nonsense, and does nothing to get people hooked on my story.
So, why include It's "24" meets "28 Days Later" in my CounterTERROR pitch? After getting all the important information to my reader in the first sentence, the second sentence gives the reader some very clear clues as to style and genre. CounterTERROR is an action/thriller/horror mash-up. Dropping the name of a popular action/thriller TV show along with a successful horror flick gets that across. CounterTERROR takes place over just a few hours on New Year's Eve. Dropping "24" connotes a real-time sense of urgency to the pacing. And CounterTERROR is a twist on the zombie genre. By mentioning "28 Days Later" I was able to get that across WITHOUT using the "Z" word, which is showing up in far too many comic book pitches these days.
Here are some tips for writing your quick pitches:
- Keep it to one, at most two, sentences.
- It should be easily understood by a 12 year old.
- Suggest a story that is provocative and big.
- Include character, conflict and hook.
- Combine elements familiar to the genre you're writing, with a unique twist.
One final note about high concepts. If you're very clever, sometimes your high concept can be totally encapsulated in your title alone. While I plan on discussing titles in depth in a later column, I'll suggest that if you can give your book a title that does this, DO IT!. The title Snakes on a Plane was enough to get Samuel L. Jackson interested, which was enough to get the movie made. Supposedly Snakes on a Plane was only a working title, and the plan was to change it to something more generic (Flight 223 or something like that.) Samuel L. wouldn't hear it. "I signed on to do a mother#$%!ing movie called Snakes on a Plane. Call the mother#$%!er Snakes on a Plane!"
Other good titles that capture the high concept: Kindergarten Cop, The Runaway Bride, and Four Weddings and a Funeral. One of my favorite titles for a comic book that does this is Zuda's High Moon. Could you possibly title a werewolf western any better?
All right, game time!
Below are either high concepts or log-lines for popular movies released in the last thirty years. Can you identify them all? Post answers in the comments. First to answer all five correctly will win a signed comic and other goodies from yours truly.
A.) Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning?
B.) All the fun of college, none of the education.
C.) A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories, but through the process of loss they discover what they had to begin with.
D.) Her life was in their hands. Now her toe is in the mail.
E.) It's "Jaws" in space!
Looking forward to your responses.
Next Week: The Killer Pitch Part II - The Synopsis
Tyler James is the writer and artist of Over, a romantic comedy online graphic novel updating every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. His comic Super Seed, the story of the world's first super powered fertility clinic, was featured at Zuda Comics. Tyler will also debut two new comics in July, Tears of the Dragon, an epic fantasy tale, and Interrogation Control Element, a political thriller. He also teaches a series of workshops on creating comics for adults and children. He works as a game designer and content producer for a game company, and currently resides in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Contact Tyler directly at tylerjamescomics@gmail.com, keep up with him at his blog, or follow him on Twitter.
Previous Columns
1: Big Goals
2: Resolutions
3: The Great Idea
4: Research Part I
5: Research Part II
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