10. "A Haunted House Movie... In Space!"
Here's an exercise that you can apply to practically any screenplay, and one which might've helped to better structure and define the script that Lindelof was trying for with
Prometheus. Imagine that you're "pitching" your screenplay to a room full of movies executives. Imagine the words that you might use to instantly provide them with a snapshot of what your movie is about, preferably in a short, neat sentence. For
Prometheus, then, when asked what it is, one might decide to say: "Well, it's a haunted house movie... in space!" There are no movie executives lingering around your place of writing, of course, but this is where conjuring up your pitch-line will help you to focus your storyline. The pitch-line reels you in, and gives you a chance to hone your ideas into a single place and set about your goal. In
Prometheus' case, the movie eventually culminates in a kind of sci-fi haunted house scenario, so that's likely a good way to "sum" up the idea of the movie - "intellectual" subtext aside, that's all
Prometheus really is when you strip it to its core. Executives and industry folk like to hear movie ideas compressed like this, so fitting your script around one of these pitch-lines (and making sure it sticks to it) is a good way to keep focused. You've probably heard a character in a movie pitching something dumb like "It's
Jaws meets
When Harry Met Sally," but thinking of your screenplay in these terms isn't a bad idea. It gives you successful, established properties to work from, and a better indication of your goals. It will also help you to weigh whether or not you think it sounds marketable.