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What is a High Concept?

by Sue McKlveen

These days, it's not rare to hear about a 'high concept' book or movie. When I first heard the term, I thought of it as just another fad--something to make the agent or editor say 'oh, tell me more!'. But the more I read about it, I found out it means something completely different.

A high concept book or movie isn't just a log or tag line that combines two movies or stories together. It's also not just a summary of a story in one line. It's a story that is unique and original, something never done before. Granted, all basic story lines have been done before, but if you add a twist to the original plot, it now becomes a candidate for being high concept.

The story can't be so odd that no one wants to know what it's about, so it has to appeal to the masses, with the potential to make millions of dollars at the box office or the bookstore.

The pitch has to be story specific, focusing on the details. One way to do that is to make the plot have some sort of odd quirk to it. So, when you pitch the story, it has to be detail specific to get the point across, otherwise, the story is lost. The pitch also has to pertain the the genre, making it obvious what's going to happen. If the story is humorous, then the audience should hear that from your pitch. The pitch should be short, and when done, the audience should be excited about the project after three to five sentences.

The high concept should generate excitement and be talked about enough to get the right people involved. It needs a great subject, compelling title, amazing action and a unique hook, all expressed in a few words.

References:
www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=609
webdelsol.com/Algonkian/interview-pwheeler.htm
www.scriptforsale.com/james.shtml

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