Every screenwriter has heard the stories about the dreaded readers who don’t read beyond page 10 of your screenplay, who skim the dialogue of the script and create a summary based on the information spoken, and who never consider anything they read. Though I didn’t do these things personally (mostly out of fear of being caught or asked something I didn’t know when talking with a producer or writer), I feel they’re very much alive and kicking in Hollywood.

I’m not here to talk about how to avoid or go around your readers, but rather how to catch their attention with your title. If there’s one story we’ve all heard that’s true to every reader, it’s this:

Readers judge the script by the cover.

That might sound harsh to new screenwriters out there, but for those of you somewhat offended, think of it from a movie-goer’s point of view — specifically, a movie-goer at a film festival: There are four movies playing the night you’re at the festival and you only have time for one or two … which do you choose, and in what order?

Here’s where the movie-goer’s world reflects the reader’s — You read the titles …

Undead Nature | The Sandman’s Shadow | Forever in a Cage | Dead Rabbits

Of these four, I’d most likely grab The Sandman’s Shadow and Dead Rabbits first. With Sandman I’m compelled to learn who the Sandman is, what his shadow is all about, and what the world of story is like surrounding them. With Dead Rabbits, I’m simply interested in discovering the significance behind the title … experiencing the story in other words.

The reason Undead Nature and Forever in a Cage don’t really work (for me personally) is because they both lack a sense of mystery — Undead Nature is just about as bland as it gets, and Forever in a Cage sounds more like an emo-punk song breaking records for some mysterious reason.

My point here is to focus on honing the title of your screenplay so that when your reader — regardless if they’re a pro reader, development exec, agent, actor, producer, or anyone in-between — picks up your script, they’re compelled to open the first page and discover what its all about.

Why so much focus on the title if the reader is paid to read it anyway?

This might just be me, but when facing a large pile of submissions, I look through the stack and obsorb what I’m facing. What genres will I be reading? What levels of professionalism will I be reading (titles reveal even this most of the time)? Most importantly, is there anything compelling?

This is the same thing people do when searching through the TV guide (so 90’s), decide what to see during their date night at the movies, and look through Barnes and Noble for the book they want to read. Judging by the cover is something our culture is trained to do more than ever due to the over-saturation of advertising — we obsorb, digest momentarily (at warp-speed most often), and make a decision.

The significance behind all of this title-talk and judgment comes down to the reader alone. Most readers have an ever-flowing river of screenplays to read and cover, so you might imagine how they feel after spending hours reading two or three screenplays, writing the necessary coverage (average of 3-4 pages), and editing their work. To be blunt; it’s exhausting.

On top of the fact that you’re now exhausted, consider the fact that you still have to read Undead Nature and Forever in a Cage. At this point, you’re pretty much toast — imagine reading a short novel in a few hours, experiencing the roller coaster ride of emotion, thrill (hopefully), character detail, and the many flawed aspects of the project as well, then repeating that task over and over.

This is why people talk about being on top of the reader’s pile or to-read list. You want to compel the reader with your title so that you’re work is read with the most enthusiastic eyes.

How can screenwriters create titles that compel the reader?

There’s no right and wrong way to create titles — these are just a few things that I tend to gravitate toward with interest from a pro reader’s perspective (I apologize for the horrible title samples, however, I must admit, some are actual titles I’ve come across as a reader):

• Extremely short titles — I’m talking about titles like “lbs,” “Ted,” and “36″
• Extremely long titles — Again, think extreme. “The Untold Misadventures of an Unnamed Girl”
• Creative — Avoid “Love in Vegas,” & “The Quiet Family Room.” Be creative and strike your reader with interest and mystery.
• Ironic — This is something you’ve probably already heard … that’s because it works.
• Thematic — This is a great way to highlight your theme work, bring out the message of your story, amplify what the character’s about to do, and avoid over the top emotional titles such as “Supressing Tears.”
• Size — Consider focusing on the scope and size of your story. “Micro Love” “The Intergalactic Wars of the Electonians”
• Humor — I’m not comedian, so I’ll leave this without examples. If you’re writing a comedy, you should be able to get the first laugh from your reader before they even open the script. Create a funny title.
• Mystery — This is by far the most powerful elements you can create for your work. I’ll be posting a few examples and videos from the master of mystery, J.J. Abrams, in the upcoming weeks, so be sure to check back if you’re interested. Or, subscribe to ScriptXRay and stay updated via email or RSS feed reader.

Spend some time with the creation of your title and land your script on the top of your future-reader’s to-read list. Just as you want to schedule meetings and phone calls with executives just after lunch, so they’re in a good mood, you want to position your script as a high priority for your reader so they’re in a good / enthusiastic / awake mood.

Have you stumbled across or created a horrible title in the past? If so, post it in the comments section below for fun and lets talk about it.

I’ll start it off with an example I used above: My first script I wrote was titled “Surpressing Tears” — it was a meladramatic short I planned on shooting while still in high school! The title seemed so original and exciting at the time, but I quickly learned it was on the nose and cheap.

Your turn …

Further reading: 10 Ways to Impress a Script Reader

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