Selling, Not Selling Out
‘Write me a low-budget screenplay that launches a $1 billion dollar franchise.’
A producer said this in a room full of writers I was in, back at the very beginning of my career. To say it landed with me BIG TIME is an understatement. It made me realise that story is not the only thing writers must contend with. As a collaborative medium, it’s also our job to come up with ideas that SELL.
Of course, this is where writers might say: ‘But I don’t want to sell out!’
I totally get this. It can seem mercenary and even anti-creative to think beyond story. But the harsh reality is, this is filmmaking, TV and novel writing in a nutshell.
Creativity and commerce are inextricably linked. If we want to advance in our careers, we need to think about both. This is why I often say on this site and the B2W social media that it’s ‘SELLING, not ‘selling out’. This is what professional writers DO.’
All About ‘Proof of Concepts’
Typically, a ‘proof of concept’ is a short film that showcases a filmmaker’s vision, tone and technical ability. Proof of concepts are used to attract investors, producers, or agents. The short’s purpose is to prove the commercial and creative viability of a larger project (usually a movie, though TV show ‘proof of concepts’ exist as well).
Proof of concepts usually run for between 5-10 minutes, highlighting a key element of the larger story. They are not usually ‘mini versions’ of the project’s entire storyline. Instead, it’s crucial to grab attention via the conflict (whatever this means for your project).
Many recognisable, produced projects started out as short films first. These projects will create ‘buzz’ for the idea and the filmmakers. Most commonly, this will be via the film festival circuit. It’s a simple fact that more festival selections and more laurels means more buzz! In the past 2-3 years, I have seen a sharp uptick in proof of concepts across B2W’s desk.
Part of this is because I am widely known for working in short film. I have been a script editor or mentor on a LOT of short film commissions and script labs. I was also a judge on Shore Scripts’ Short Film Fund for seven years.
However, another reason I am seeing more and more proof of concepts at B2W is practical. In the post-Covid era, getting anything greenlit is exceptionally difficult. Yet short film still remains one of the best ways for screenwriters and filmmakers to collaborate on something that gets produced.
Filmmakers are beginning to realise their own careers are in their hands. It’s also inescapable that creating something real (rather than ‘just’ a script on the page) can persuade The Money People you have what it takes in an era where IP is so prized.
If standing out is half the battle – and it is! – then creating a proof of concept really can open doors.
Watch Saw 0.5 Now
One of the most famous proof of concepts this millennium has to be Saw 0.5 (2003). Not only did it launch that elusive billion dollar franchise, its writer Leigh Whannell and director James Wan have gone on to become Hollywood royalty.
They’ve had stellar careers, greenlighting other franchises like The Conjuring universe. These in turn have created other mega-properties within that, including The Nun and the Annabelle series.
In Saw 0.5, a hospital orderly (played by its writer Leigh Whannell) tells a police officer that he was kidnapped and forced to commit a horrific act to survive.
Before we begin with this B2W case study, it’s important to watch the source material. There are multiple uploads of Saw 0.5, but THIS ONE is my favourite for the comments alone!
Have a watch and return to this article. It’s only 9 minutes 45 seconds long. Even if you don’t like horror (or don’t want to write in that genre yourself), it’s a game-changer. Seriously, you’ll thank me. GO!
1) Saw 0.5 is NOT Perfect
First up, you may have noticed some elements of Saw 0.5 are not great. As a first-timer, Leigh Whannell’s acting is a little bit wooden here.
However, it’s important to note ALL actors go through a steep learning curve. Put simply, the more experience actors get, the better they usually become. (This is definitely the case for Whannell, whose performance as Adam in the feature-length version of Saw (2004) was a real powerhouse performance in my view).
Also, other parts are dated. The glitchy credits sequence, the shaky-cam and the industrial metal soundtrack in particular seem ‘old’ now. There’s also a helluva lot more smoking than you’d probably see in a film in the 2020s!
However, you have to remember that in 2003, those latter parts were brand new. If you were lucky enough to see Saw 0.5 on the festival circuit – and I was – audiences really responded to this fresh, new look in horror.
B2W TAKEAWAY: Breaking new ground is how billion dollar franchises begin. Studying past proof of concepts can teach us a lot … even if certain elements of them don’t work today, or we don’t want to make a film in that particular genre.
2) Saw 0.5 Uses A Tried-And-Tested Short Film Scenario
If you watch a lot of short films – and you definitely should! – you’ll note it uses a very common scenario: the police interrogation. This is a useful, contained situation because it’s both low budget and easy to understand.
You’ll notice the police officer character has very little function other than acting as what I call an ‘Expositional Jo’. It’s his job to ask the questions for David (Leigh Whannell) to tell his story. That’s it.
Now, most feature-length movies require characters to be a little less ‘one note’ than this. However, here in the short version it’s okay. We are most interested in what David has to say. Because it is a short, a shortcut like the Expositional Jo lets viewers hit the ground running … and understand the true horror of the situation via David’s arc.
B2W TAKEAWAY: A good proof of concept does not reinvent the wheel. Don’t be afraid of using tried-and-tested scenarios, or shortcuts to ensure your target audience can follow. billion dollar franchises build on what’s gone before, as well as breaking new ground.
3) It Uses (Now) Iconic Imagery
A great short film uses movement and visuals as well as telling a complete story (whatever that means for your project).
Even though it is based around a police interrogation, Saw 0.5 does not feel ‘static’. James Wan uses fast cuts and colour vs. black-and-white. The film flashes between David telling of his ordeal, versus the basement and what really happened there.
In addition, there is clever use of iconic, memorable imagery to keep the short film in our minds. Jigsaw himself is not present in the short, but the infamous wind-up toy on the little bike is. So is the derelict basement or warehouse. These are important ingredients for the feature-length version.
B2W TAKEAWAY: The key word here is ‘showcase’. Show us not only what you can do in terms of story, but in terms of its visual potential as well. Great visual writing on the page means more chance of making a proof of concept that WORKS.
4) There’s Only One Trap!
In the feature-length version of Saw (2004) and the movies that come after it, there are LOTS of traps. This is because – surprise! – a whole movie will need lots of obstacles for its main characters to overcome. It goes without saying that a 90-120 minute movie requires more details than a short film.
This is not the case in Saw 0.5. It would be a mistake to bombard the target audience with multiple traps … Hell, it would dilute the power of the horrifying ordeal David is put through.
So in the short version, David is presented with just one: ‘The Reverse Bear Trap’. Like #3 on this list, this trap is one of the billion dollar franchise’s most iconic … and all the more horrifying for it.
In Saw 0.5, David must free himself from the reverse bear trap via a key. But there’s a twist: the key is in the stomach of a corpse, also in the basement or warehouse with him.
As if having to cut into a corpse is bad enough, there’s a further twist … the corpse is not a corpse, after all. It’s really a paralysed person, who is powerless to stop David.
Again, this puts front-and-centre one of the key elements of the franchise: what would(n’t) you do to survive?
B2W TAKEAWAY: In your proof of concept, make sure you bring forth what the feature-length version will showcase.
5) There’s No Actual Saw!!!
If you’ve watched Saw (2004) – or maybe even if you haven’t – you will know the basic set-up of the full-length movie. Even if you dislike horror. It’s a genius, gold standard hook that went down in film history.
You wake up, chained to another man. Would YOU saw off your own foot to escape?
The reason this hook is so genius is because it is genuinely divisive. I recall having this debate with multiple friends. I’ve heard just as many people claim they would do it, versus those who say they would not.
Some of us change our minds depending on the day and how we feel! These kinds of hooks are billion dollar franchise catnip, because it invites people to put themselves in the characters’ place.
However, in Saw 0.5 there is no actual saw. In fact, I kinda wonder why it’s titled Saw at all!
Is it because David ‘saws’ through the supposed corpse’s body with a scalpel to get that all-important key? Or because the unseen antagonist who abducted David ‘saw’ him as a victim to re-educate? Or is it because Whannell and Wan had already decided on that hook for the full-length version???
At the end of the day, these questions are not answered by what is on screen in Saw 0.5 … and crucially, it doesn’t matter. The short film version does enough to showcase what the longer version will answer.
B2W TAKEAWAY: Your proof of concept doesn’t have to have all the answers. It just needs to do enough to make the Money People think you’re a contender, a ‘safe pair of hands’ for a longer version. That’s how billion dollar franchises are made.
How To Greenlight A Billion Dollar Franchise
While most of us won’t land that hallowed billion dollar franchise, great proof of concepts CAN still open doors. Taking the power back and creating buzz for our features via a truly strong proof of concept can mark us as ones to watch!
We do this via strong concepts, characters with discernible role functions and plots that deliver on escalation, movement and visuals, as well as thought-provoking, memorable themes.
And who knows … maybe, just maybe, we will end up catapulting our own careers, too. But even though we probably won’t end up Hollywood royalty like Whannell and Wan, we’re still winners when standing out is half the battle.
Good Luck!
Want To Work With B2W On Your Own Proof Of Concept?
Great! I love shorts and I love feature-length movies. I am particularly interested in helping writers and filmmaking teams with their genre pieces. Horror, Comedy and Thriller are my go-tos.
B2W has a number of script editing packages to help you with this goal. But make sure you enquire now (especially if you have a deadline in mind), because my schedule fills up FAST. Details below. Speak soon!
