JAWS IN SPACE
Or the Importance of References when pitching a Script
We can say that everything has been invented in cinema, or almost. Although year after year films surprise us with original scripts and innovative narrative techniques, the almost 140 (official) years of history of cinema have gone a long way. It has gone so far that, almost any new project pitched today needs the “help” of references to establish a context and compare itself to another film. We tend to look for those references.
Far from being a stigma, type-casting your script or eclipsing its originality, references to other movies can become a very valuable ally. Knowing how to use them, playing well your cards and comparing your work to the right references can add a lot to the road towards getting your script made. Let’s see how.
¿What’s the point of comparing?
When presenting your script to whoever might be interested in it (producers, mainly), it will be inevitable that, before dipping into reading it, they will want to learn a little bit about the project. Further from having a good synopsis, an adequate logline or a precise description of the project, having your work compared to references already known by a majority of people, can be very useful so that the script readers can have a preliminary idea about some key aspects about the project, such as tone, the setting or the narrative style.
References are a sort of cover letter. They’re orientating examples and they are understood as such. To use as a reference the film Seven (David Fincher, 1995), it won’t mean that you’re asking producers to get you Brad Pitt to be a part of the cast of your film, nor that the budget of your film will be around the 30 million figure. We will talk about that later on.
XX meets YY
Let’s get down to it. Using references is, in the end, to compare. How do we do it?
A standard industry way of using them, which we have adopted at Filmarket Hub, it’s the one where you describe your script with the formula XX meets YY. In other words, fusing two films that will give a more complete sense of what kind of film you’re trying to make. Plus, you don’t have to use in both references feature films. Having the TV series market in full blow, you can end up comparing your project to a film and a TV show, if that’s what’s going to reflect perfectly the sense of your story. You can even use documentaries.
Let’s use an example so you can understand it clearly. Imagine your story is a family drama about two brothers who fight for the love of the same woman, whilst they get involved in drug dealing to make ends meet. That first part of the story, with a certain romantic, tragic, almost epic air, reminds us a lot of the romance in Pearl Harbor (Michael Bay, 2001). It confronts friendship and romance, a recurring formula, which works very well in this genre. A fratricide fight to win over a love yearned for.
On the other end of the story, we have got an honest man who gets involved in an underworld of crime due to a need to survive, to protect and provide for his family, which can be a direct inspiration from Breaking Bad (Vince Gilligan, 2008–2013), a television milestone of the last decade.
So, “Pearl Harbor meets Breaking Bad”. Out of context, seems like a crazy idea; a military film that talks about cancer? A period piece starred by a run-down schoolteacher? No.
We’re talking about two lauded pieces of filmmaking, by reviews and by the audience, which become very good references for your script. Together with the synopsis to your story, which will bring context, producers will understand that what they’re reading is a profound and, probably, introspective film, with the capacity to attract an audience which loves romantic stories…but also films with a touch of thriller, darkness and drama. Works, doesn’t it?
Mix concepts…with good judgement
If you like this formula, think about the fact you have two bullets in your gun, so you need to get your shot right. You can mix genre and styles, but avoid being repetitive, too broad or general.
Although your script might be very clearly marked within a concrete genre, you can always use references that will help you bring a more open context. If, for example, your film is 100% sci-fi, and the main character breaks the fourth wall, use Woody Allen. If you envision your horror film as an explosion of colour in the visual department, why not use as a reference Wes Anderson?
Aim high. Very high.
As you can see, we use well-known and reputed examples. And now you ask yourself: won’t it be detrimental to my project to compare it to such high level references? Absolutely not. Firstly, take into account that producers want to think that what they’re reading is the next big thing on an international scale. They WANT to believe it. That your script resembles the last Oscar winning film, or the independent film that broke the box office competing against bigger players, like summer blockbusters, will be a first step and a a promising way of presenting your project.
Secondly, and on an opposed note, no one wants to hear talk about the big box office flops. Even if your project resembles one of those, NEVER use references that haven’t worked well for your film or tv series project. Those films are stigmatized and will remain like that for the rest of film history, so avoid them at all cost.
To be clear: it is better to use a convoluted and indirect reference, but that was successful, then having a more precise and similar reference, but which was a total flop.
Concise References
¡Comparing is good!
Summarizing: compare, compare and compare. I’m sure you have a great script in your hands, so don’t be afraid to put it on the same level as famous films. To do so, will help put your work in context and that producers understand what they are considering.
And after, when they’d taken the bait and they want to know how much does your script resemble those successful references, they’ll already be deep into reading your script.
As we said at the beginning, the formula XX meets YY is used a lot in the film industry and you will find it on the One Page of your project when you submit it to our online market at Filmarket Hub, but you can use references in other ways too.
For instance, you can use three different films to compare your script and talk about genre and story, tone or technique. In a pitch of your project, a relaxed talk with producers or in your EPK (electronic press kit), you can elaborate a bit more, be more concrete and explain in depth your story using those references.
Taking as reference our first example, you could do a small pitch like this one:
“My film is a drama that tells the story of a love triangle between two brothers and a woman, having a love triangle such as the one in “Pearl Harbor”. While the three main characters live and suffer through love, the brothers are made to enter the world of drug dealing so that they can provide for their damaged family, as does the main character in “Breaking Bad”. Furthermore, the story is told through the point of view of the older brother, who is constantly breaking the fourth wall to question the audience, like some of Woody Allen’s films.”
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