'high concept thriller'

This link may help you: http://www.themegahitmovies.com/highconcept.htm

ac

veinglory said:

So how would that relate to a novel? A novel that could be described in one hooky sentence?

Click to expand...

I'm no expert on "high concept thrillers" (novel or otherwise), but I would say the novel Day of the Jackal could be called a high concept thriller. Basically the whole plot/premise could be stated in one or two sentences; while a book like Empire Falls or East of Eden couldn't be (I'd have to scratch my head about Moby Dick -- the whole book couldn't, but Ahab's search for the whale could be).

Am I helping, or causing more confusion?

ac

There's a bit more to "High Concept" than what is in that article. To be sure you have a High Concept. It need to be "Uniquely Familiar" and also, it NEEDS to show the promise of Conflict.

Uniquely Familiar:

Unique: = the "hook" of an idea. It needs to offer something, new, fresh and compelling to the reader. It needs to capture interest.

Familiar: = it must be able to resonate with universal human emotions

A High Concept got to be able to be encapsulated in a sentence or 2 (less than 25 words), be easily understood by anyone. (An original twist on an already familiar, marketable idea)

Ruthless People was a good example of this. It took a familiar, marketable idea (a kidnapping of a man's wife) and put a twist on it (he's delighted that she was kidnapped)

It must have Conflict and HIGH STAKES (the hero has alot to lose if he fails)!

Karl Iglesias has a great dvd on Concept in screen-writing (it's where I got the majority of my information regarding concept from, including what I've just written)

This site has some examples that might help:

http://www.scriptforsale.com/james.shtml