What Is High Concept? Opposing Thoughts On Big Movie Ideas

What is a high concept movie idea? It's something that has been brought up a handful of times in our interviews. We know it can be an elusive topic. Here is the best of what we have, hope you find it helpful.
1) 0:41 - The Beginning
2) 6:07 - High Concept
3) 12:46 - Low or High
4) 17:13 - Execution
5) 26:36 - Story World
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[@djm754]

I'd argue that Slum Dog Millionaire is high concept. "A poor boy gets on a millionaire gameshow and is getting every answer correct, not because of his own knowledge, but because the answers randomly all coincide with moments in his life.

[@1995yuda]

Yeah, there's def' more high concept films in that video than the ones they called out.

[@alannothnagle]

The last section on "log lines" and "story worlds" was fascinating. I've realized that my favorite movies tend to be ones where I've fallen in love with the world they generate, and not just the movie's plot, e.g. "2001," "Gladiator," "Star Wars," "Master and Commander." I watch the films repeatedly because I want to return to that world, not because I want to see the same story play out over and over again. This type of "world-building" is essential to a successful film or novel.

[@filmcourage]

Great point!

[@WoodyGoodPecker]

Yep there's definitely something in that. 👍🏽 Creating a world that is captivating enough that pulls the viewer back over and over. So many films I've watched over and over just because of the view from the protagonists perspective.

[@Mcfirefly2]

Is it that they have generated a fantasy world to love, or that you have been given lens to look at real, human life that seem very helpful?

[@samwallaceart288]

Master and Commander’s main appeal is its production design and emphasis on mundane detail of the world, and in that case I’m 100% ok with it.

[@corpsefoot758]

“Essential” is far too strong a word. There is nothing compelling whatsoever about the story worlds of Superbad, Clerks, Hangover, 40-Year-Old Virgin, Pretty Woman etc. etc. They reflect our own mundane world, but with an exceptional storyline in particular to separate them from the “chaff” revolving around them on a daily basis There is no one correct way to craft a successful project. Some start with concepts, some with characters, some with a mixture of whatever else, but as long as the creation is good enough to justify selling audiences tickets for, that’s the only real bar you ever need to clear

[@1995yuda]

The analogy Houston made between the Establishing Shot and the "Seeding" of a StoryWorld within the Log-Line is SO HELPFUL!

[@escaperoomleander1948]

"Poor kid from the slums of India becomes millionaire on most popular game show in the world" is about the highest concept you can get, especially from the standpoint of presales to world markets.

[@leofeo2098]

They should enterview the Nolan brothers and the Cohen brothers.

[@lightovernight1244]

High Concept is the Log Line that lights up your curiosity and steals your common sense.

[@Darfaultner]

Great origin story and advice at 17:17 Always be aware that you are looking for ideas. Love it. That's when you're truly being a writer.

[@samwallaceart288]

Slumdog Millionaire is one of the most high-concept films I’ve ever watched; it’s just “Indian Oliver Twist tells his life story to win a game show.” The movie writes itself; just plug in Indian social issues, life-story tropes, and tag on a “wins a million dollars” happy ending and boom you got an guaranteed serviceable movie. To me, high concept means “simple combination of familiar premises that writes itself”. Inception “espionage heist movie but inside a dude’s dreams” writes itself. The Matrix “Guy realizes the entire world is a computer simulation and joins the resistance” writes itself. Jurassic Park “dinosaur zoo goes wrong” writes itself. The concept in this case being the backbone of the whole production, and any amount of detail may be added by the specific crew: Cobb’s parental guilt issues interfering with the dream world; Neo’s saviour complex; Hammond’s false hubris. But the concept is the overarching spine of the story and takes top priority (hence the film being high in concept); so that even if the writer goes completely off the rails, the producers have a concrete skeleton by which to reign things in and by which to gauge the writer’s contribution. Films that are low-concept, like, say David O Russel’s “The Fighter” are way more specific yet harder to control; “true-ish story of guy trying to have an independent boxing career while dealing with his dysfunctional family” is not guaranteed to work because it’s bound to a real dude on the character front, but open-ended and without clear gameplan on the plotting front; meaning if a producer wanted to look over David O Russel’s shoulder at how the film’s progressing, they’d have nothing concrete and measurable by which to know if the film’s going off the rails; meaning the low concept film (e.g. a film whose overall concept is a lower priority) is entirely dependent on the writer/director/actors decisions; whereas movies like Jurassic Park could change actors writers or even director and still be functional.

[@goldeneddie]

Interesting comments Sam, thank you for explaining your perspective on these terms. I enjoyed what you wrote but I just can't agree with describing the Matrix as a “simple combination of familiar premises that writes itself”. I mean, you're kidding right? The Matrix?! A simple combination of familiar premises?! That film was mind-blowing precisely because the central premise was NOT familiar. Of course, the whole 'life might be a computer simulation' idea is familiar nowadays, but not back then. Still, I know what you mean about how the High Concept creates a direction for the whole story, but it's not necessarily a 'simple' combination or premises that are familiar - often that way yes, but not always, at least not in my understanding.

[@JerodimusPrime]

@@goldeneddie The Matrix is a simple concept, the entire concept is basically a combination of Buddhism with some Savior Jesus tropes thrown in at the end. It's very simple, that's why its so relatable and why it resonates with so many people. The concepts in the Matrix have been in the around since 500BC.

[@gordo6908]

@@goldeneddie it was 'mind-blowing' because of its special effects. world as a simulation/false world and overthrowing the system arent new premises

[@imgoing2stayonyourmind654]

That said, 5:47 ...I think the blockbuster Black Panther movie concept was borrowed from a Twilight Zone episode called "Valley of the Shadow" ("Peaceful Valley") January 17 1963 season 4 episode 3.

[@wattpadusergeek342]

Loved the video, as usual. Especially the part about being afraid of ideas being stolen. The truth is, people are fundamentally lazy. To bring to fruition an 80k to 90k word novel (for example) from drafts to edited versions to query letters and so on takes a massive amount of effort to begin with. Trying to do that with a stolen idea that you don’t intrinsically connect with? No freaking way. If a similar story comes out at the same time, it’s likely that it was in the zeitgeist and multiple people just reached out for it. But, like the guy in the video said, the same idea will never be fleshed out in exactly the same way by two different people. See No Strings Attached and Friends with Benefits.

[@dadsstuff5562]

I think the introduction of DVD players and an initial limited catalogue of available movies to watch, contributed massively to the later popularity of Shawshank Redemption. That's how I discovered it in 1997, when I was an early convert to DVDs. There was a small selection of about 20 - 25 DVDs available to buy in one shop. I liked Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, had never heard of this film, so thought I'd check it out on my shiny new DVD player.

[@Anthony-kb8hn]

25:45. Words of a true artist!

[@eriksmith2514]

I agree. One cannot steal an artistic "idea," unless you give it to them. Even then, if the "thief" can do a better job of presenting the idea in a story, then who's to complain?

[@greggeverman5578]

@@eriksmith2514 Very, very good point! That final bit was compelling.

[@streampunksheep]

What is HIGH CONCEPT? Different Thoughts On Big Movie Ideas 00:40 1. The Beginning 06:08 2. High Concept 12:49 3. Low or High 17:15 4. Execution 26:39 5. Story World

[@zeushills2635]

Hero

[@streampunksheep]

OMG rd2 on trying to get my high concept off the ground

[@marieb5251]

Gary Goldstein nailed it: simple and unique.

[@charlessmyth]

Which ?

[@gibransalomon6998]

Blue shirt guy at 6:08.

[@aresaurelian]

Thank you for this. Much appreciated.

[@filmcourage]

Cheers!

[@1995yuda]

Thank you SO MUCH for giving this subject an entire video with so many different takes and approaches!! Wow!

[@Nodeagent]

Why does lady at 10:00 continuously sound like she’s going to cry

[@queenetheffiom7543]

Hahahaha

[@Darfaultner]

She just high on the neuroticism scale

[@greggeverman5578]

She does indeed! Way of speaking, I s'pose.

[@zacharywood9416]

When I think of “high concept” I always think of Jurassic Park first. 👌

[@no-vd2rh]

lol

[@billybenham4920]

Speed

[@greggeverman5578]

LOTR

[@Darfaultner]

Awesome video. Thanks

[@templecloud581]

"What is high concept?" *Shows a guy talking about high concept without explaining it*

[@undernetjack]

Yet he uses the phrase 17 times....

[@shivkaran2473]

inception is a kind of high concept

[@cjpapasito]

I think you should watch the video again, tiger.

[@jcjensenllc]

Define CONCEPT!!!!

[@Anthony-kb8hn]

29:20 Thanks, I just learned something new!

[@samauthor342]

Shawshank Redemption made prisoners look more human during an era when the public was supporting and justifying increased imprisonment, mandatory minimums, etc. That’s why it didn’t do well until later when the effects of this system were being strongly felt.

[@SVAFnemesis]

29:19 i think the following thing he said in the next minute is not what we called an establishing shot. He just described what a prologue is. Better leave it to the DP to decide what’s an establishing shot.

[@Sifar_Secure]

Isn't Slumdog Millionaire high concept though? A street urchin gets on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and the trials and tribulations of his life enable him to answer a series of questions. It's a tale of triumph over adversity, but the quiz show setting frames the story in a way that seems high concept.

[@oracleofaltoona]

Simon Farrell good point. I noticed that too. Her take on high concept was more "tent pole". High concept to me is really a clear concept as Gary Goldstein was explaining.

[@imgoing2stayonyourmind654]

I didn't get why she said guys getting drunk for two days before a funeral I mean marriage & having a "Hangover" would be considered "High concept". For me, "High Concept" conjures up something that's an aberration.

[@amonifinau4048]

Thanks!

[@yondel-kttkoh3948]

Great stuff!

[@Sifar_Secure]

Isn't "High Concept" a concentrated form of storytelling? Creating an environment which is heightened or distorted in some way, which has rules that make it different from our usual everyday world. You build a playground and then your characters are tested, according to the rules of that playground.

[@PortiaDDoesStyle]

Simon Farrell According to “Save The Cat”, High Concept is that the idea of the story is simple and easy to grasp with formulaic steps and usually a moral undertone. Like Blank Check, Divergent, Cadet Kelly, The Hangover, The Matrix, 21 Jump St. or any story with the idea of a “mashup” or that could start with “In a world...”

[@JN-ox2yd]

Spiderman, but with a tarantula

[@JacobPatrick1]

22:26 Great way to be proactive. (I do get very upset with most of the trailers put out that show the whole movie or give away key moments.)

[@mattk.3645]

That response from Kathie Fong Yoneda is completely wrong.

[@imgoing2stayonyourmind654]

Time stamp ?

[@lyndakorner2383]

@@imgoing2stayonyourmind654 7:17

[@ComicPower]

I like these mixtapes. I am always amazed to hear that their are people who write screenplays for films they would not see themselves. That makes no sense. That's like working a job you hate. So you should quit writing then and just work a job you hate for real.

[@AbsolutelyMenti]

0:24 that's the white Neil Degrasse Tyson

[@greggeverman5578]

Very much enjoyed this and its presentation. Would have liked a bad language block, but still a great collage of ideas.

[@bodyspiritu4787]

5:27 - That's funny because Richard Dutcher made the Nightcrawler movie first.

[@cerebrumexcrement]

#2 is basically any idea that Eric Cartman (AWESOME-O) throws out.

[@aarkmish8087]

Computing... Computing... Adam Sandler falls in love with an astronaut. Only she's on a mission to moon. Idea computed. Title: 'Take me to the moon'. 🙂 😆😀

[@trentbell2718]

7:18 "concept and budget are two different things" lmao DUH

[@BazColne]

Wow. This was mind-blowingly informative. Thanks over and over.

[@EDDIELANE]

I thought high concept meant like> The Matrix. Like complicated world-building.

[@danielcortes9840]

I watch these videos and I only get concern... I think Cinema is in crisis. Videos are great, the show the state of the art and is very sad.

[@hackiest]

These experts don't seem to know what high concept is or at least they use poor examples. Junior is high concept, Predator is high concept, Back to the Future is high concept. The Hangover is not, it just has an effective log line.

[@homer_thompson5090]

Spiderman, but with a tarantula.

[@6663000]

I completely disagree with Richard Walter, or at least I disagree with the examples that he used to illustrate his point. A chemistry teacher with a cancer diagnosis who starts producing and selling meth is definitely an interesting idea. A KING who stutters and who is unable to fulfill his duties, having to learn how to resolve that issue so that he can deliver an important speech is a great idea... especially because it's based on a real king who really had a stuttering problem.

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

It’s a bit misleading. ‘High’ as in complex, unusual, unique, rare…and the way it’s defined here: universal, simple (but not easy), appeals to a common denominator, relatedness. Sounds like it should be called Low Concept.

[@nathanericschwabenland88888]

Are the Oscar’s and academic awards rigged from day one because if they are rigged then I am moving on to television programs

[@chandrashekarnagaraja4513]

How should I promote my first short.. And where all should I release them

[@melo86argh]

Chandrashekar Nagaraja highbrow has uggiosa u

[@Leon-zu1wp]

Most likely send it to a state film festival, that's always great publicity. Might want to also submit it to Sundance. Before hand you should probably create a youtube channel based on that one short with behind the scenes, a trailer, and the actual film.

[@choose2behappy699]

What's a or the concept and how it is written?

[@CC-ed4ir]

So what is low concept?

[@ai-man212]

"It didn't matter what kind of cancer I gave you, as long as a quick spray got rid of any bad smells"

[@frenstcht]

Isn't _Slumdog Millionaire_ easily summed up on a poster, too? Poor petty street criminal gets shot at game show?

[@warriorking6477]

Michael Chricton movies are all very high concept.

[@byakugan2173]

Breaking bad doesn't have a good idea? Personally I was sold on the series on the idea alone.

[@Mcfirefly2]

I cannot wrap my head around what is "high" or "low" about "high concept" ideas. So I ask myself, what is high or low in a casino? What is highly esteemed (or lowly esteemed) in a casino...a Nevada whorehouse...in one elsewhere..on Wall Street...among the CEOs?? And it is just invisible. I feel like the cats who were raised in cages, with nothing to see but vertical bars, who forevrr after couldn't see horizontal lines. Communications people to people are too important for this mess to be anything like a high or low concept. It's like they are talking about the sophistication of makeup packaging, prepared for the latest season: "I have an idea for the debut of the spring collection; well, you do remember the success of my Christmas lipstick bonus, don't you?" What they are describing as a type of concept is nothing but marketing, apparently. Whatever it takes to yank people around, and make money off of them.

[@nandoflorestan]

In your 2nd sentence you ask what is high in a casino. You don't know??? Money is. Saying "this is high concept" means, simply, "I can already see the money".

[@thegreatrainman2336]

High concepts lol this is comical to me. Aliens invading the earth CHEESE!!!!!! 🧀 fck high concept try original Concept it's much needed in the game. Slum. M was high concept in the old day's.

[@jag5798]

I was not a Ladybird fan at all. It was a bit mundane. Not sure why the “Click Farm” of people thought it was 👍 ? Dumbfounding.

[@pimeto]

Looks like nobody knows what High Concept is. So, just make something for your self and go write the script

[@charlessmyth]

May I speak with Gary Goldstein. . . No, the other one :-)

[@filmcourage]

It is confusing - we have two awesome interviews, both with guests named Gary Goldstein. Thank you for watching!

[@FramedArchitecture]

I looked up most of these speakers on imdb, and none of them seem to have written anything extraordinary. Also no solid definition or examples are given.

[@adavis5926]

When I hear "high concept," I reach for my revolver. Hermann Goering

[@scd6969]

Goes to show you there is zero consistency as to what producers are thinking. "Ideas are worthless and useless." "The idea was too small." "most movies that win oscar are not high concept ideas". lol. This is what you have to deal with when trying to greenlight.. talk about a daunting task. At what point in a producers career does does he or she become full of shit?

[@IsilbrandoSciarconazzi]

Alright, and what is a "concept"? There is no univocal answer. So, what are we talking about? Videos like this are useless: they don't explain. It's as if I told you that for not being poor you have to be rich. Was that helpful?

[@MegaBrebis]

1' what a weird voice... It's painful to listen to it.

[@roger8654]

Both Blade Runners sucked. I feel asleep. Too convaluted. And breaking bad is the most incredible achievements in the history of humanity? C'mon.

[@dh1163]

Yeah, that might be overstating it. But Breaking Bad is a fantastic study in character development.

[@joshualarue1624]

I thought I was DONE hearing that Breaking Bad is the greatest tv show of all time! I'm with you there. However, both Blade Runners Are incredible acheivements. Denis is one of the best directors working today. I think Prisoners gets veru sadly overlooked. One of my favourite films of the past ten years.