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How to Title Your Screenplay

You have just finished your script and really like it; but you have no idea what to call it. Follow this tutorial and you will never run into that problem again. Remember: titling a script can be very difficult; but it is not impossible.

Instructions

  1. How to Title Your Screenplay

    • 1

      Examine the themes of your script. If it deals with death you do not want to have sunshine or rainbows in the title.

    • 2

      Write the plot of the movie on a piece of paper. A good title (I use the word "good" because many movie titles are terrible even if the movie is good) will tell the story of the movie in a few words.

    • 3

      Read your script. There may be some metaphorical dialogue, or a repeated line that makes sense as the title.

    • 4

      Are there any characters that have a cool name? We get so used to titles like "Jerry Maguire" that we forget it is merely a character's name.

    • 5

      Is your movie about a specific person or event? If so, name it after the event of person. Nobody has any confusion over what "Malcolm X", "World Trade Center", or "Pearl Harbor" is about.

    • 6

      Ask around. Let a few people read the script and test some titles on them. If they know the plot, they will also know if the title gets the story across.

    • 7

      Remember that a good title gets the plot across. There are plenty of bad titles, but a good one will attract viewers and get the plot across.

Screen Writing

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