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TITLES
2II
was meanwhile submitted with an attractive box-office title. This story was purchased solely for the title, and the title was immediately transferred to the picture which was ready for release. The rest of the story was thrown away.
Wonderful pictures have frequently been spoiled, so far as box-office value is concerned, by titles which did not appeal to the public. If a title carries some unpleasant suggestion, it may frequently ruin the sales value of the picture.
It is very difficult to give any concise or practical formula for the selection of a suitable box-office title. It is comparatively easy, on the other hand, to tell what elements should be avoided. Titles containing any vulgar, profane, or disagreeable words or meanings will never do. The maximum length is four or five words, and preferably two or three words. Let there be some striking idea concisely expressed. Any suggestion of mystery, thrills, or danger usually has a potent appeal. Any title suggesting captivity or subjection of one person by another has a disguised erotic appeal, which is one of the strongest possible box-office attractions. The words themselves must have a snappy, attractive sound, since the title will be spoken by the public at large in telling about the picture fully as often as it will be seen on the printed page.
The following are examples of good box-office titles:
The Singing Fool Flaming Youth Flesh and the Devil The Pagan
Our Modem Maidens Broadway The Iron Mask Desert Nights