Reader question: What about title mash-ups to help pitch a project?
A question from Graham:
I’m wondering about pitching. Specifically, people often say that you should find a couple other projects (in this case I’m working on a TV series) to give a ____ meets _____ analogy. I’m wondering how one should go about picking what shows to use for this? That is, do you use shows that have the same feel as the one you’re working on? Do you use shows that look (direction/camera-wise) as the one you’re working on? Do you use shows that are flat out about the same subject as the one you’re working on? Or does it really matter?
For instance, if I was working on a show about cops, I could compare it to any number of shows that are out there right now, whether it be Flashpoint, Rookie Blue, NYPD Blue, Law and Order, etc. However, maybe the show I’m working on is not just about cops, but a small group of corrupt cops who have their own ‘outside the law’ kind of feel and then it’s actually more like the Sopranos, or even Breaking Bad. Or what if I want this show about cops to be filmed in an overall blue colour scheme with lots of special effects and graphics. Should I then instead compare it to CSI? Or do I compare it to shows that have the same critical acclaim and quality that I’m going for? What aspects should I be looking for when picking the right current programs to compare my idea to?
It’s amazing to me that this type of title mash-ups still goes on, but I’ll still see announcements in the trades about a project getting set up where a producer will say something like, “It’s Bambi meets Caligula.” There’s also a variation on this idea: “It’s ___ in / with a ___.” Such as “It’s Die Hard in a sorority,” or “It’s ‘Breaking Bad’ with a blind Protagonist.”
What’s going on here? Basically it’s a way to shorthand the essence of your idea, using commonly known preexisting movies or story franchises as touch points for the listener, an attempt to help them ‘get’ it and get it quickly. And if they have to turn around and pitch your idea to other creative execs, the two titles gives them something simple they can repeat to help communicate your idea.
Two keys as far as I can see. First, make sure the titles you’re using are strong ones. If you pitch a TV series by saying, “It’s ‘Cop Rock’ meets ‘Supertrain,’” you will have an extremely short meeting. Think not only hit shows, but also hip shows. “JAG” may be a long-time hit, but it plays to an older demographic, and an unlikely title to make an exec’s socks go up and down.
Second, when considering shows to reference in your titles, focus on what is distinctive about each show and how that can highlight what is unique about your project. “Law & Order” is a pretty typical procedural series, so using it won’t really communicate much. But “In Plain Sight” has a more unique hook: a Deputy U.S. Marshal working in the Federal Witness Protection Program. So let’s say your premise is about someone who worked in the FWPP, but did something that forced the agency to send them into hiding, essentially eviscerating their identity, you might say, “It’s ‘In Plain Sight’ meets ‘Burn Notice.’” In other words, it’s no use doing a title mash unless you make sure it actually says something informative about your project.
One final point: It’s highly doubtful your pitch / project will sell based on whatever title mash-up you come up with. And it’s certainly not necessary. In fact, depending upon who you’re pitching to, it can work against you because I’ve known some execs and producers who just don’t like it. But on the whole in an industry where everybody works insanely long hours and generally have the attention span of gnats, if you nail the essence of your project with a great title mash-up, it can be handy to have something like that in your back pocket when you walk into a meeting.
Now back to that Bambi meets Caligula project…
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