Begin at the beginning. Here’s a great first question to ask yourself about your script: “Is that the perfect title?”
Blake Snyder has a whole list of criteria for good titles.* Check it. Titles can either compel or repel. For example, “Splerk” is a terrible name for a movie. I don’t care what it’s about I am not seeing a movie called “Splerk.” And neither are you.**
I like to think of the title as your first crack at the reader’s imagination or sense of humor. You want your title to do something, have an effect. I mean, any movie could be called The Edge of Tomorrow but only one movie could be called Kill. Die. Repeat. You want your title to work so well that once people read the script they think “This script can’t be called anything else.”
And now here are some categories of titles!
THE UNSTOPPABLE KILLING MACHINE
The Terminator, Jaws, Alien, Your Dangerous Mom
Even though they are the antagonistic force of the story, they get the title because they are the story. Take them out and you have very different movies: Sarah Can’t Get a Date, All Cops Hate Water, Ripley Drives The Space Barge, and Your Reasonable Mom (which was straight up softcore porn. No joke. It was on Cinemax late night, son!)
THE MAIN CHARACTER
Lawrence of Arabia, Hamlet, John Wick, Barbie, Reacher, Lucy, Constantine, The Godfather, The Dark Night, Leon: The Professional, Seinfeld, Frasier, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Note sometimes the title is a name and sometimes it’s a description. John Wick is a great example of a movie where the character’s name works as part of the story. We learn about character through their actions, what they say, and what other people say about them. There are a few scenes in this movie where merely saying his name changes the temperature of the room. Especially for that little Russian punk. I’m glad he’s dead, you hear me? Glad!
THE SITUATION
Star Wars, The Hangover, We’re the Millers, Pitch Black, Home Alone, Halloween, Prom Night, The Breakfast Club
THE LOCATION
Cape Fear, The Matrix, Casablanca, The Apartment, Up, Myrtle Beach Jerk Party (Starring your dad)
A lot of workplace sitcoms are named after the job or the location of the job: Parks and Rec, The Office, 30 Rock, Night Court
CLEVER / WORD PLAY
Severance, Hot Fuzz, Blazing Saddles, Some Like It Hot, The Naked Gun, Airplane!
FAMILY IS EVERYTHING
The Fast And the Furious (don’t question me on this.)
*Save The Cat. Love it or hate it, everybody’s read it so don’t be that guy. Willful Ignorance is a punk. I used to sit next to him at lunch.
**Cause the second act is killing me. Don’t get me wrong. I still believe in the project. I’m just saying if we’re on page and Splerk hasn’t discovered his deepest need OR had his newly-won want blow up in his face forcing him to question his entire life, I don’t know what we’re doing.