Talk:High concept

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I've seen a couple articles make reference to the term "high concept". If this article is up to snuff, I'll go ahead and linkify those to this article. --Morpheuspictures 20:05, 13 Mar 2004 (UTC)


wow a whole article that manages talk about something without actually describing what it is. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 210.55.0.195 (talk • contribs) .

Apparently you didn't read it too closely. The second paragraph is the basic definition.matt kane's brain 15:27, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
Well, while the second paragraph talks about what the plot of a high concept is, it doesn't come out and say what High Concept means. The article describes the properties of a High Concept film without actually defining it. I had to look up the MTV reference to actually get a proper definition. 69.205.160.34 22:32, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Could we get a partial list of high concept movies?Attakmint 23:07, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

I second that request. Benbenbenben

Sounds like a good idea, I'll start one.Tronbarr 16:18, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
I added a few, hopefully others will add moreTronbarr 16:25, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

this article doesn't seem to clear

Is it just me or does the repetition of 'High Concept' make it sound like an infomercial rather than an article? Also, is the release date for Snakes on a Plane really relevant? --ruk 21:19, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

I have a sneaking suspicion that this article is in fact part of "Snakes of a Plane"'s high-powered internet marketing campaign.--pjandy 15:40, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Who cares? The phrase 'high concept' obviously needed explanation (see the discussion on the Snakes on a Plane article), and SoaP is a movie that fits the phrase 'high concept' perfectly. Where this article originated is irrelevant. It's factual and clear.
Maybe. But not well written. Rintrah 04:53, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Is Star Wars high-concept?

Agreed. The article mentions Jaws and Star Wars but then doesn't go on to explain why those are High Concept.

Contents

[edit] as opposed to?

near as i can tell from this article, any movie with a plot and a budget could be shoehorned into high concept. there are many statements of things high concept is or usually is, but they are all vague and general. i would love to see a list of things high concept is NOT (with examples). thanks. --dan 00:17, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

agreed, it just sounds like a term for a movie made to maximize profit, in which case, Jaws and Star Wars are definitely not the earliest examples. so i still don't know what 'high concept' means

  • This sentence is in the second paragraph: "Often in high concept, characters and scenes that at first seem unnecessary are later used to reveal or explain a plot twist." Since this is true for lots of other films, why is it necessary to include it here ? WMMartin 14:41, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree, this article really needs some work. The description given in the current article is so vague that the majority of movies could be considered "high concept". The reader has zero chance of being able to distinguish a high-concept movie from one that isn't. The first paragraph, which should summarize the article, tells the reader virtually zero. I'd reqrite the article, but I personally know very little about what "high-concept" actually means (that's why I came to this article). After reading the article, I think I know even less. ;) SuperMachine 17:25, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

As far as I'm concerned, this is the true definition of High Concept: A story proposal with a Unique Selling Proposition that will bring an audience to a film regardless of who made it, who's in it, or positive reviews. For example, compare Wargames (boy starts WWIII) - without major stars, a world-famous director or Academy-award worthy reviews - with Heat (cop obsessively chases robber) - in which the USP is pairing two great actors, a celebrated director and some of the best reviews of the year.Johann Schlinker 22:35, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

It's listed in a few dictionaries that can be cited, eg http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/High%20concept --Tshannon0 23:18, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

"High concept" has never meant "certain sell"; it means "film completely summarized by a simple description". There was a perfect film review--of Twins by, I believe, Bob Mandello of NPR--that described the "high concept" concept as "the fewer words you need to describe the film to the audience, the more high concept it is--and the worse it's likely to be." He went on say "'Schwarzenegger and DeVito are twins' is only five words." As such, most of the films on the "prime example" list are very poor fits to the "high concept" concept. --womzilla 15:19, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] 'product placement'?

I noticed this sentence in the article: "a common occurrence is themed products sold at fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's." I think most people reading this article know what a fast-food restaurant is, it they are interested they read the article about them. McDonalds doesn't need to get mentioned here, it feels very much like 'product placement' to me. This entire article seems to have been written by marketing people... Squishycube 20:11, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

I changed the article, please comment if you think it should be reverted. Squishycube 10:19, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Disaster movies

Doesn't this link to the disaster film idea which came in the early to mid-1970s ? -- Beardo 19:15, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Tags removed

I removed two tags from the article, one for unreferenced, another claiming "original research". I see three references in the article, so that one seemed unjustified. And I see no argument being made on this talk page that claim that the article's claims go beyond what the references support.

Them things are too easy to throw around, and too slow to go away[citation needed]. - Smerdis of Tlön 19:53, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Snakes on a Plane

I removed the following sentences regarding Snakes on a Plane:

"While the movie suggested an exciting and original concept that attracted attention prior to its release, audiences didn't go see it, showing that the commercial appeal of even a widely advertised high concept movie isn't guaranteed."

I doubt many people thought the movie would be original, they saw it because they thought it would be outrageously cheesy. Also, audiences did see it - compare the budget to the gross on its page. Rodeosmurf (talk) 18:24, 8 June 2008 (UTC)