flipping cars
There is this great moment in The Last Boy Scout. This car’s trunk is wired up with explosives and these two guys have to leap over a freeway embankment to escape the exploding car. And they make it, whew!
Except —
The blowing up car is blown over the side of the freeway embankment and they have to run for their lives from the spiraling churning burning blown up car.
That’s taking something to the next level. Shane Black is a master of that. It’s not enough to just out jump the exploding car and collapse, all safe from the explosion. Then you have to outrun the blown up car’s flaming carcass when it chases you down the freeway embankment.
Concept is a lot like that. And not to get all metaphoric but I am in that sort of mood, it’s not enough to just have an explosive concept that is great. You want that concept to not just explode, but chase someone down that fucking freeway embankment.
Terry Rossio wrote a pretty hot Wordplay piece on concept, The Second Concept, and keeping it going to the next level. Take a look at it.
Then if you’re ready to get serious about concept, come sign up for High Concept Writing. We flip cars pretty hard in there.
High Concept Writing is a six week online master class in screenwriting taught by Max Adams. High Concept Writing begins September 18th.