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High concept

January 30, 2023

High concept is a type of artistic work that can be easily pitched with a succinctly stated premise.[1] It can be contrasted with low concept, which is more concerned with character development and other subtleties that are not as easily summarized. The origin of the term is disputed.[2]

Terminology

High-concept narratives are typically characterised by an overarching "what if?" scenario that acts as a catalyst for the following events. Often, the most popular summer blockbuster movies are built on a high-concept idea, such as "what if we could clone dinosaurs?", as in Jurassic Park or Air Force One explained as "Die Hard on a plane".[3]

High-concept narratives differ from analogous narratives. In the case of the latter, a high-concept story may be employed to allow commentary on an implicit subtext. A prime example of this might be George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, which asks, "What if we lived in a future of totalitarian government?" while simultaneously generating social comment and critique aimed at Orwell's own (real world) contemporary society. Similarly, the Gene Roddenberry sci-fi series Star Trek went beyond the high concept storytelling of a futurist starship crew, by addressing 20th century social issues in a hypothetical and defamiliarising context. Planet of the Apes (1968) likewise engages in social commentary regarding race relations and other topics from modern human society via the lens of the ape civilization, in part as a response by screenplay co-writer Rod Serling to his experiences of anti-semitism.[4]

Characteristics

The term is often applied to films that are pitched and developed almost entirely upon an engaging premise with broad appeal, rather than standing upon complex character study, cinematography, or other strengths that relate more to the artistic execution of a production. Extreme examples of high-concept films are Snakes on a Plane and Sharknado, which describe their entire premises in their titles.

A movie described as being "high-concept" is considered easy to sell to a wide audience because it delivers upon an easy-to-grasp idea.[5] This simple narrative can often be summed up with a single iconic image, such as the theme park logo from Jurassic Park. Along with having well-defined genre and aesthetics, high-concept films have marketing guidelines known as "the look, the hook and the book".[6]

  • The look of the film is simply how visually appealing it is to the public, usually before its release. Jurassic Park would show the world dinosaurs as they had never been seen before.
  • The hook is the story the film is trying to sell to its audience. Everyone wanted to know how dinosaurs could walk the Earth again after being extinct for 65 million years and how they would coexist with people.
  • The book can be labeled as all the merchandise made to help promote the film. The merchandise in Jurassic Park was destined to sell well, with people wanting the T-shirts and lunch boxes that were shown for sale within the movie itself, with similar merchandise later to be sold at Universal Studios in the gift shop connected to the Jurassic Park ride.

Commercial benefits

High-concept television series and movies often rely on pre-sold properties such as movie stars to build audience anticipation, and they might use cross-promotional advertising campaigns with links to a soundtrack, music videos, and licensed merchandise such as DVD box sets. They commonly apply market and test screening feedback to alter the narrative (or even, as in the case of Snakes on a Plane, the dialogue) to ensure maximum popularity. Some commercial blockbuster movies are built as star vehicles for successful music and sports personalities to enter the movie business. In such commercial vehicles, where the onscreen activity is less important than the saleability of the product brand, a high-concept narrative is often used as a "safe" option to avoid the risk of alienating audiences with convoluted or overly taxing plot exposition.

Examples

Cinema

Television

See also

References

  1. ^ Pressfield, Steven (April 25, 2012). "Writing Wednesdays: High Concept". Steven Pressfield Online. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  2. ^ Justin Wyatt, High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994) p. 8. ISBN 978-0-292-79091-9
  3. ^ Troy Baker, Alanah Pearce, Mike Bithell, Austin Wintory (2 May 2020). "Is new Final Fantasy 7 REALLY a "remake"? | Play, Watch, Listen ep. 11". youtube.com (Podcast). Alanah Pearce. Event occurs at 01:03:45. Retrieved 25 November 2022.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Thought you'd sussed out Planet of the Apes? Think again". theconversation.com. 2014-07-18. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  5. ^ High Concept Defined Once and For All from WritersStore.com
  6. ^ Justin Wyatt. . University of Texas Press. Archived from the original on 2004-09-04.
  7. ^ Ballas, Anthony James (2017). "The Orientation of Future Cinema: Technology, Aesthetics, Spectacle". CINEJ Cinema Journal. University of Pittsburgh. 6 (2): 224. ISSN 2158-8724. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  8. ^ Phelan, Laurence (May 22, 1999). "Books: Crash course for buffs". The Independent. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  9. ^ Atkinson, Michael; Shifrin, Laurel (2008). Flickipedia: Perfect Films for Every Occasion, Holiday, Mood, Ordeal, and Whim. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. p. 210. ISBN 9781556527142. Cube (1997) A high-concept, polished Canadian sci-fi indie, Vincenzo Natali's movie is an ingenious but stagy attempt at beginning where Sartre's play No Exit left off: [...]
  10. ^ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (June 4, 1998). "The Audience is Us". Chicago Reader. Retrieved April 14, 2021. Undeniably provocative and reasonably entertaining, The Truman Show is one of those high-concept movies whose concept is both clever and dumb.
  11. ^ Copier, Laura (2009). "American Martyr: High Concept Visions in Armageddon" (PDF). Preposterous revelations: Visions of Apocalypse and martyrdom in Hollywood cinema 1980-2000 (PhD). University of Amsterdam. p. 91. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  12. ^ Nayar, Parvathi (July 1, 2012). "The title says it all". The Hindu. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  13. ^ Daswani, Kavita (July 16, 2017). "Dunkirk director Christopher Nolan on casting Harry Styles, selling a British story in the US, and the challenges of filming it". South China Morning Post. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  14. ^ Brady, Tara (July 15, 2011). "Hobo with a Shotgun". The Irish Times. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  15. ^ Bisset, Jennifer (March 28, 2021). "The 39 best movies to see on Netflix". CNET. Retrieved March 29, 2021. Its high-concept story centers on a tower that delivers food to people on each of its many levels via a platform.

Further reading

  • Truby, John. The Anatomy of Story. 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. New York 2007. p. 17.
  • Justin Wyatt. High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood. 1994.

External links

  • Rewind: Sometimes 'High Concept' Is Just Plain Old Awful at MTV News

January 30, 2023
high, concept, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, need, rewritten, comply, with, wikipedia, quality, standards, help, talk, page, contain, s. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia s quality standards You can help The talk page may contain suggestions March 2011 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources High concept news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed November 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message High concept is a type of artistic work that can be easily pitched with a succinctly stated premise 1 It can be contrasted with low concept which is more concerned with character development and other subtleties that are not as easily summarized The origin of the term is disputed 2 Contents 1 Terminology 2 Characteristics 3 Commercial benefits 4 Examples 4 1 Cinema 4 2 Television 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksTerminology EditHigh concept narratives are typically characterised by an overarching what if scenario that acts as a catalyst for the following events Often the most popular summer blockbuster movies are built on a high concept idea such as what if we could clone dinosaurs as in Jurassic Park or Air Force One explained as Die Hard on a plane 3 High concept narratives differ from analogous narratives In the case of the latter a high concept story may be employed to allow commentary on an implicit subtext A prime example of this might be George Orwell s Nineteen Eighty Four which asks What if we lived in a future of totalitarian government while simultaneously generating social comment and critique aimed at Orwell s own real world contemporary society Similarly the Gene Roddenberry sci fi series Star Trek went beyond the high concept storytelling of a futurist starship crew by addressing 20th century social issues in a hypothetical and defamiliarising context Planet of the Apes 1968 likewise engages in social commentary regarding race relations and other topics from modern human society via the lens of the ape civilization in part as a response by screenplay co writer Rod Serling to his experiences of anti semitism 4 Characteristics EditThe term is often applied to films that are pitched and developed almost entirely upon an engaging premise with broad appeal rather than standing upon complex character study cinematography or other strengths that relate more to the artistic execution of a production Extreme examples of high concept films are Snakes on a Plane and Sharknado which describe their entire premises in their titles A movie described as being high concept is considered easy to sell to a wide audience because it delivers upon an easy to grasp idea 5 This simple narrative can often be summed up with a single iconic image such as the theme park logo from Jurassic Park Along with having well defined genre and aesthetics high concept films have marketing guidelines known as the look the hook and the book 6 The look of the film is simply how visually appealing it is to the public usually before its release Jurassic Park would show the world dinosaurs as they had never been seen before The hook is the story the film is trying to sell to its audience Everyone wanted to know how dinosaurs could walk the Earth again after being extinct for 65 million years and how they would coexist with people The book can be labeled as all the merchandise made to help promote the film The merchandise in Jurassic Park was destined to sell well with people wanting the T shirts and lunch boxes that were shown for sale within the movie itself with similar merchandise later to be sold at Universal Studios in the gift shop connected to the Jurassic Park ride Commercial benefits EditHigh concept television series and movies often rely on pre sold properties such as movie stars to build audience anticipation and they might use cross promotional advertising campaigns with links to a soundtrack music videos and licensed merchandise such as DVD box sets They commonly apply market and test screening feedback to alter the narrative or even as in the case of Snakes on a Plane the dialogue to ensure maximum popularity Some commercial blockbuster movies are built as star vehicles for successful music and sports personalities to enter the movie business In such commercial vehicles where the onscreen activity is less important than the saleability of the product brand a high concept narrative is often used as a safe option to avoid the risk of alienating audiences with convoluted or overly taxing plot exposition Examples EditCinema Edit The Shaggy Dog 1959 remade in 1994 and 2006 Planet of the Apes 1968 the original exemplifies the analogous category more than the sequels and remakes Jaws 1975 7 Freaky Friday 1976 remade 1995 2003 An American Werewolf in London 1981 E T the Extra Terrestrial 1982 Tootsie 1982 Splash 1984 Ghostbusters 1984 remade 2016 A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984 remade 2010 RoboCop 1987 remade 2014 Big 1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1988 Pretty Woman 1990 Sister Act 1992 Groundhog Day 1993 Jurassic Park 1993 Speed 1994 Stargate 1994 Junior 1994 Se7en 1995 Toy Story 1995 Twister 1996 Independence Day 1996 8 Cube 1997 9 Liar Liar 1997 Grosse Pointe Blank 1997 Face Off 1997 City of Angels 1998 Paulie 1998 The Truman Show 1998 10 Armageddon 1998 11 Small Soldiers 1998 The Sixth Sense 1999 Phone Booth 2002 Cellular 2004 Snakes on a Plane 2006 12 Yes Man 2008 The Invention of Lying 2009 TiMER 2009 Inception 2010 13 Buried 2010 Unstoppable 2010 Hobo with a Shotgun 2011 14 Ted 2012 The Call 2013 Pacific Rim 2013 Inside Out 2015 Zootopia 2016 Passengers 2016 Get Out 2017 Downsizing 2017 Game Night 2018 Tag 2018 Yesterday 2019 The Platform 2019 15 Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers 2022 Barbarian 2022 Television Edit The Time Tunnel 1966 1967 ALF 1986 1990 Mystery Science Theater 3000 1988 2019 Quantum Leap 1989 1993 Sliders 1995 2000 24 2001 2014 Hannah Montana 2006 2011 The Trial of Tony Blair 2007 Fringe 2008 2013 Dollhouse 2009 2010 The Execution of Gary Glitter 2009 FlashForward 2009 2010 Once Upon a Time 2011 2018 Wilfred 2011 2014 Awake 2012 Continuum 2012 2015 See also EditElevator pitch Log lineReferences Edit Pressfield Steven April 25 2012 Writing Wednesdays High Concept Steven Pressfield Online Retrieved October 6 2012 Justin Wyatt High Concept Movies and Marketing in Hollywood Austin University of Texas Press 1994 p 8 ISBN 978 0 292 79091 9 Troy Baker Alanah Pearce Mike Bithell Austin Wintory 2 May 2020 Is new Final Fantasy 7 REALLY a remake Play Watch Listen ep 11 youtube com Podcast Alanah Pearce Event occurs at 01 03 45 Retrieved 25 November 2022 a href Template Cite podcast html title Template Cite podcast cite podcast a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Thought you d sussed out Planet of the Apes Think again theconversation com 2014 07 18 Retrieved 2016 09 10 High Concept Defined Once and For All from WritersStore com Justin Wyatt High Concept Movies and Marketing in Hollywood University of Texas Press Archived from the original on 2004 09 04 Ballas Anthony James 2017 The Orientation of Future Cinema Technology Aesthetics Spectacle CINEJ Cinema Journal University of Pittsburgh 6 2 224 ISSN 2158 8724 Retrieved March 28 2021 Phelan Laurence May 22 1999 Books Crash course for buffs The Independent Retrieved March 28 2021 Atkinson Michael Shifrin Laurel 2008 Flickipedia Perfect Films for Every Occasion Holiday Mood Ordeal and Whim Chicago Illinois Chicago Review Press p 210 ISBN 9781556527142 Cube 1997 A high concept polished Canadian sci fi indie Vincenzo Natali s movie is an ingenious but stagy attempt at beginning where Sartre s play No Exit left off Rosenbaum Jonathan June 4 1998 The Audience is Us Chicago Reader Retrieved April 14 2021 Undeniably provocative and reasonably entertaining The Truman Show is one of those high concept movies whose concept is both clever and dumb Copier Laura 2009 American Martyr High Concept Visions in Armageddon PDF Preposterous revelations Visions of Apocalypse and martyrdom in Hollywood cinema 1980 2000 PhD University of Amsterdam p 91 Retrieved March 28 2021 Nayar Parvathi July 1 2012 The title says it all The Hindu Retrieved March 29 2021 Daswani Kavita July 16 2017 Dunkirk director Christopher Nolan on casting Harry Styles selling a British story in the US and the challenges of filming it South China Morning Post Retrieved March 28 2021 Brady Tara July 15 2011 Hobo with a Shotgun The Irish Times Retrieved April 13 2021 Bisset Jennifer March 28 2021 The 39 best movies to see on Netflix CNET Retrieved March 29 2021 Its high concept story centers on a tower that delivers food to people on each of its many levels via a platform Further reading EditTruby John The Anatomy of Story 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller New York 2007 p 17 Justin Wyatt High Concept Movies and Marketing in Hollywood 1994 External links EditRewind Sometimes High Concept Is Just Plain Old Awful at MTV NewsPortal film Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title High concept amp oldid 1134885365, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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