A BRIEF GUIDE
Writing a blurb (guest-starring Batman)
Why do writers and editors make the choices and decision they do while they’re creating, structuring, or constructing product copy? Here’s a peek behind the curtain.
I’ve spent the past few years overseeing copy and brand editorial content for Alamo Drafthouse, and along the way I’ve had the opportunity to learn from and assist dozens of brilliant creatives.
What follows is a training document I prepared a few years ago that was meant to help shape “showpages” — blurbs that advertise movies on our website. Every film gets a drafthouse.com showpage write-up that describes and promotes it in an engaging and informative way. They need not be much more than 150 words, although for certain titles we may look to provide additional details or context.
Chances are, you don’t need to write about upcoming movies. However I think the same principles that we use when selling film can apply to selling next to anything. Just substitute “product copy” for “showpage” in this document and you’re good.
So, here’s my guide to writing a showpage, with a step-by-step walkthrough of creating a blurb for Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT.
A showpage is not a movie review.
Even if it’s for a beloved older film.
Nor is it a synopsis of the plot.
That information is out there. And who cares about the actual plot of the UGLYDOLLS movie?
Nor is it a condensation of bits of movie trivia.
A wise man once told me that “Trivia is trivial” — avoid dropping irrelevant facts in place of an actual insight. Anyone can go to IMDb.
What a showpage is.
A showpage blurb is an engaging chunk of writing where Alamo Drafthouse, as a company, says what’s great or interesting about a film that makes it worth purchasing a ticket to.
Eight questions to ask.
Run an algorithm in your head. Showpage copy should answer a few basic questions for the reader. The importance of the answers should inform the way the blurb is structured.
- What’s unique about this movie?
- Will I enjoy it?
- What’s it about?
- Who’s in it?
- Who created it?
- Is it funny? Scary? Informative? Dramatic?
- Is there a special experience associated with it?
- What does seeing this film say about me?
Pardon the marketing speak, but these are, effectively, the Unique Selling Propositions of a film, or the hooks. So let’s look at a well-known example and pretend it’s an upcoming first-run film.
Example Exercise: THE DARK KNIGHT
Worth noting — this was a real-time exercise, capturing one writer’s weirdo thought process. Yours might be structured a little differently, but hopefully there’s something helpful in this.
So, have you heard of THE DARK KNIGHT? It’s a popular film, you should check it out. Now, let’s apply questions from above, pretending it’s a first-run film.
1. What’s unique about this movie?
- It’s superheroes taken seriously, directed by a legit filmmaker.
- It features a strange and terrifying performance by the late Heath Ledger as the Joker.
- Some scenes were shot in IMAX.
2. Will I enjoy it?
- If you’re a Batman fan, definitely.
- If you liked BATMAN BEGINS, definitely.
- If you generally like action films, superhero films, crime films, and the film MEMENTO, probably. It’s a fairly broad audience.
3. What’s it about?
Batman works with Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon to root out crime and corruption, while the Joker brings a unique brand of chaos to Gotham City. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne struggles with the personal toll that being Batman has brought him, and considers giving it up to have a normal life with Rachel Dawes.
4. Who’s in it?
An incredible cast. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart.
5. Who created it?
Christopher Nolan, a brilliant director who directed BATMAN BEGINS, INSOMNIA, and MEMENTO.
6. Is it funny? Scary? Informative? Dramatic?
It’s incredibly dramatic and far more grounded in reality than any other superhero film. Like Michael Mann’s HEAT, but with superheroes.
7. Is there a special experience associated with it?
Some theaters will play the film on 35mm, Christopher Nolan’s preferred format.
8. What does seeing this film say about me?
In any year, a Batman/Joker film with buzz is going to be a huge movie, and with Heath Ledger’s performance and the notion of a “serious” superhero film, this movie’s going to be something everyone’s going to be talking about.
So if you want to stay in touch with pop culture, it’s essential you see THE DARK KNIGHT.
Building the blurb.
So, do we need to load all of this into a 150-word blurb? No! But let’s structure it in a way that gets to the heart of the film and our audience by identifying what’s strongest.
Looking at it objectively (and, granted, with the benefit of twelve years), the strongest elements seem to be Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker, the all-star cast, Christopher Nolan’s pedigree as a director, and the fact that it’s an event film that’s likely to appeal to an audience beyond most superhero films.
I started by trying to lump as many of these elements into a sentence … one long and unwieldy sentence.
Boasting a visionary director operating at the top of his game, an incredible cast, and an unnerving and captivating performance from the late Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT redefines what a superhero blockbuster can be.
While more or less grammatically passable, that sentence reads more like a short paragraph. But it features the elements I want to get in there, so what if we just made it a short paragraph and loosened some of the elements up?
A visionary director operating at the top of his game. An incredible cast anchored by Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. And an unnerving, captivating, and character-redefining performance from the late Heath Ledger.
THE DARK KNIGHT redefines what a superhero blockbuster can be.
Okay, 46 words. I kinda like it. The lead-off paragraph relays everything we need to know to be excited about the movie. Let’s break it down.
“A visionary director operating at the top of his game.”
Again, imagining this was 2008 — Christopher Nolan isn’t a household name yet because THE DARK KNIGHT hasn’t come out, but he’s well-known and respected in the film community. This is a credible claim.
“An incredible cast anchored by Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.”
The full cast list will be on the showpage so I really don’t need to list them all off (or, in some cases, any of them), but I like getting Michael Caine and Gary Oldman in since they’re all-timers in terms of acting chops, and Maggie Gyllenhaal carries some weight as a serious and well-respected actress.
“And an unnerving, captivating, and character-redefining performance from the late Heath Ledger.”
It’d be easy to get maudlin and dwell on it being Heath Ledger’s last completed role, but that’s not necessary. Even before the film was released it was clear in the marketing and the press that he’d done something really special with the character, so that’s all we need to say.
“THE DARK KNIGHT redefines what a superhero blockbuster can be.”
We’ve defined this as a special film, and allowed permission for someone who might just call it a superhero flick to give it a chance. I’ve also set it off with a line break because dramatics!
Now, let’s finish it up by adding the next two paragraphs to flesh out some details.
A visionary director operating at the top of his game. An incredible cast anchored by Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. And an unnerving, captivating, and character-redefining performance from the late Heath Ledger.
THE DARK KNIGHT redefines what a superhero blockbuster can be.
Years into his war on crime as the vigilante Batman, billionaire Bruce Wayne sees a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s in the face of Harvey Dent. Dent is the new district attorney for Gotham City and the boyfriend of the woman Wayne loves, Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes. Dent is dedicated to the same mission as Batman: ridding the city of crime and corruption. But someone they couldn’t anticipate — the mysterious Joker — is poised to ignite the city with his strange brand of chaos.
It’s the most anticipated film of the year, and for good reason. Director Christopher Nolan (BATMAN BEGINS, MEMENTO) continues his dark exploration of the Caped Crusader’s world in THE DARK KNIGHT, with stunning visuals, captivating performances, and a story that takes Batman seriously.
This entry is … fine.
Wordy. The plot summary probably doesn’t need much — it’s a Batman movie — and I’m inclined to rearrange some items. Here’s what I’m changing.
- I flipped the last sentence of the first paragraph to the top — I think, whether it’s 2018 or 2008, Heath Ledger’s performance is one of the major draws.
- I opted for “superhero film” instead of “superhero blockbuster.”
- Knocked off “Years into his war on crime as the vigilante Batman” — we know who he is and what he does. Also took some of that saved space and added “Gotham City’s new district attorney” to it, meaning I can kill the next sentence (I’m moving the Rachel Dawes bit).
- I juggled a bunch of stuff around in the last paragraph and tried to come up with a better last sentence.
And here’s the result.
An unnerving, captivating, and character-redefining performance from the late Heath Ledger. A visionary director operating at the top of his game. An incredible cast anchored by Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
THE DARK KNIGHT redefines what a superhero film can be.
Billionaire Bruce Wayne sees a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s in the face of Gotham City’s new district attorney, Harvey Dent. Dent and Wayne have two things in common — they want to rid the city of crime and corruption, and they’re both in love with Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes. But a mysterious man neither could anticipate who calls himself the Joker is poised to ignite the city with his strange brand of chaos.
THE DARK KNIGHT is the most anticipated film of the year, and for good reason. In his follow-up to the critically acclaimed BATMAN BEGINS, director Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO) continues his exploration of the Caped Crusader’s world with stunning visuals, captivating performances, and a dark, twisting crime narrative unlike anything we’ve ever seen in a superhero film.
So there we go, 177 words. Could stand to be a little shorter, but for an event film it feels okay to go a bit long. Maybe you’d do it entirely different and much, much better — I hope so!
(You did get my “in the face of Harvey Dent” joke, right? Too subtle? Not subtle enough? Dammit.)
And that’s how I build a showpage. I hope it helps with something you’re working on. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Drop me a note or shoot me a line at @johnwsmith on Twitter.
