An excerpt from my script review for Shutter Island (2010) which will be available 03/12/24:
1.) Marketability of the Idea
We’re constantly telling you to consider writing a contained horror.
Why? Because it’s one of the most popular and forgiving genres and if you’re going to write a contained spec script, horror is the easiest way to go about it.
(Let’s set aside for a second that this was based on a novel, which few of us will have the luxury of adapting.)
This script though…this is what not to do when crafting a contained script of any sort.
Why, you ask again?
Two answers…again.
First it’s a period piece set in the 1950s.
Second, we have to expand the idea of “contained” by broadening the definition so it includes an entire island.
That location by itself may not be expensive, but as the story goes on, this isn’t your typical state or federal institution for the criminally insane. It’s lush, it’s comfortable, and in the case of those in charge, it’s expensive.
When we discuss the idea of a contained horror, there’s another phrase that should go along with it.
Low budget.
A house. A warehouse. The woods.
These are the ideas we’re pitching when we encourage you to try for a “contained” setting, because they’re mundane and available almost anywhere.
A New England island like Ashecliffe? That won’t come cheap, even if you were only using a handful of buildings.
Remember the idea of this section, when viewed as an amateur writer, should be crafting a story that’s both compelling and financially feasible for as many producers as possible.
All of us want to write the next summer blockbuster, but having a credit or two to your name needs to come first.
Shutter Island Box Office Stats
Want EARLY access to our videos, uploads, and movie/script reviews? Members get them FIRST! Follow this link to our Discussion Forum.
