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Hello listeners! This week I want to help you find the perfect title for your movie.
That's right – you’ve made it to an exciting part of the ‘How to make a documentary film’ series which is all about having fun and maximising your creativity.
Yes, you read that correctly– fun. I promise, this week there’s nothing about ‘finance’ or ‘budget’ or even ‘planning’. I won’t be chatting to you about your production schedule, your shot list or your release date.
And while I may reference the term ‘legal’ and ‘copyright’ once or twice, it’s purely for a bit of background insight. There’s nothing you need to think too seriously about. Because today, I want to help you get into the creative zone and ensure your film gets the attention it deserves – instantly.
Yes, fellow filmmakers it’s finally time to lock in your film’s title.
So switch the right side of your brain on, grab your script or screenplay, fire up the thesaurus and let’s name your movie!
📩 Want to stay up to date with the latest? Head to www.thedocumentaryfilmmaker.com to join our weekly newsletter and get all resources to make you the best impact filmmaker in the business.
Hello creative folks. How are you going to pick a title for your film? Picking a title sounds easy, doesn't it? Have you ever tried? Or perhaps you've never even thought about it. When a film title works, it just works. You hear it and you just want to see the film. Or perhaps it leaves you scratching your head because it gives you nothing and you have no idea what the film will be about. And for these reasons and many more, picking a strong title for your film is important in many more ways than one. So today I am going to share with you why your choice of film title matters and how you can go about picking one so that you don't end up with a title that ends in disaster. Okay, okay, too dramatic. A title should not cause a disaster. But you do need to be sure you're not infringing on copyright or picking a title that will make your project hard to find. Now if you're a new listener, welcome. This is the Moonshine Moonshot Podcast, and I'm your host, Sue Collins. I'm part of the team behind Moonshine Agency, an impact film production house, producing films that have positive social impact. Impact films are films that are designed to take an audience from passive viewing, thinking entertainment sitting on your couch, through to being an active participant, meaning it gets them doing something, getting involved, and being part of a solution. And I have recognised that learning how to craft films is a challenging process. When I was just starting out, it was really hard to find information and learn about filmmaking without formal study or without being under the wing of a mentor. And avoiding the pitfalls, being pigeonholed, running out of funding, or simply not understanding the business side of the industry has meant that over the years I have seen many people, people with a lot of talent, give up or simply move on to more stable work. So my hope is to see the industry thrive here in Australia and beyond, and I recognize that to do that, I have to be more open with skill sharing. So I have decided to share more of what I've learned through the many years of filmmaking through this podcast, the Moonshine Moonshot Podcast, and also with online courses over at the Moonshine Communications Academy. And if you head over to Moonshine Communications Academy.com after listening today, you can click on the resources tab and download a check sheet to help you with selecting your film title. So go and grab your downloadable over there and that will help you after you've listened here. I should also mention that you are listening to part five of how to make a documentary film. And this episode is also about having fun and maximizing your creativity. And yes, you heard that correctly. Fun, I promise in this week's episode there is nothing about finance or budgets or even planning. And I won't be chatting to you about your production schedule, your short list, or your release date. And while I may reference a few terms like legal and copyright once or twice, it is purely for a bit of background insight. So there is nothing you need to take too seriously. Because today I want to help you get into the creative zone and ensure that your film gets the attention it deserves at first glance. Yes, fellow filmmakers, it is time to lock in your film's titles. Why does a title even matter? Oh yes, yes, yes. A memorable title can take a good movie to great because it will intrigue or catch the attention of your ideal audience. And once it grabs their attention, they'll be much more likely to want to see your film. A great title will also mean the audience doesn't have to think too much about it. It will lodge in their memory, which makes it easy to recall and ready to share with friends, family, and co-workers whenever an opportune moment arises. Honestly, your audience can be more valuable than your entire marketing team. Now, do you think dirty dancing would have been such a cult hit if it was called something like learning the mumbo or summer romance? Let's get real, it probably wouldn't have been. But let's steer our focus back to documentary film titles for the time being. So take a moment to think about some of your favourite docos. What piqued your interest? Sure, the subject matter no doubt played a big role, but I'm fairly confident that the title would have fueled your curiosity as well. And sometimes a documentary title can be so catchy, it becomes part of everyday lexicon, like 2010's catfish, which has been credited with coining the term catfishing, which is the act of creating a false identity on social media to lure somebody into a relationship. That just sounds completely fraught, so I sincerely hope none of you get caught up in catfishing. But that being said, the title doesn't need to be particularly complicated or clever. It just needs to be right for your film. So how do you land on the right title? When it comes down to it, a strong documentary title will reflect your story, indicate its genre, and set the tone. And picking one sounds like a walk in the park in theory. Or perhaps you're riddled with anxiety about buckling down to choose one. Take the pressure off yourself. You shouldn't expect to come up with a title on the fly or even quickly. And the log line was the quest to rid Australasia from rheumatic heart disease. The film is about preventable childhood illness called rheumatic heart disease or RHD for short, and it causes long-term health problems and premature death. It's a heavy topic, but the film is quite hopeful in its delivery. And as RHD causes damage to the heart, I wanted the title to reference heart and the severity of the issue, but also to feel optimistic at the same time. So after burying myself in research, and you would not believe the length of the list of possible titles and variations that I pondered over, I finally landed on the title Take Heart, which means to gain courage or to have the confidence that things will get better. And suddenly everything clicked. It seemed so simple in hindsight, but it really did have a huge amount of iteration before I landed on it. And with this project, it ended up having a very long shelf life. Along with the sequel Take Heart Deadly Heart. So for almost 10 years, this project has been active. So needless to say, the title has endured. So I do have a few tips for coming up with your documentary's title. To start developing your documentary title, I always recommend looking at your film from several perspectives. What is the film about? Who are the key participants? Where is it set? What is the main topic area? I often look for quotes that are related to the topic of the film. And songs and song lyrics are also great sources of inspiration. My new impact film is actually titled Live the Life You Please. And it was inspired by the lyrics from the Traveling Wilbury song called End of the Line. And this band resonates really well with the project's ideal audience, and the lyrics are quite true to the topic and focus of the film. And you can check out the short films that have already been produced for that project over at www.livethelifease.com. And that might give you a sense of what that film is about and why the title Live the Life You Please works really well for it. So when you're searching, don't just look at the song titles. There may be quotes or lyrics that relate to your story and can be referenced within the title. So that's how I got to Live the Life You Please. The song was actually called End of the Line, but Live the Life You Please was the following lyric. And it just works beautifully. Highly recommend looking at uh song lyrics. From there, start brainstorming. Make a long list of options. Put anything that comes to mind. You only have to look at it, so don't be too critical at this stage. And it's really only you who's going to see it. So put any and everything that you can think of on that list. And I'm not sure where I learned this, but I was told always to write at least 25 possible titles at a minimum, nevertheless, in order to brainstorm a title. And this works also for blogs or videos or YouTube videos or anything that you're naming really. Probably even works for naming a baby. So then what you've got to do is you've got to cull that list down. You've got to get rid of any titles that don't resonate with you, or you don't think quite capture your message. Try to narrow it down to three or five options at the max that you believe are the best. And sometimes you need to sit with the titles for a few days, roll them around in your mind, use them a few times and just see how they fit. Does one really stand out for you? Or is it just the one? And then if you think this is the one and it's it, and you're like me, claim it. Don't ponder it anymore. Just claim it and start using it. I often think it's like naming a baby. No matter what name you think up, somebody has an opinion on it. Or they'll make that weird face and use, oh, I I used to know a, you know, blah blah blah. And if you could see me rolling my eyes right now, you would laugh because it's just a fact. Everyone's gonna have an opinion and not everyone will agree with your choice of title. So if you love the title and you know it's perfect, back yourself. Stick with it. But you can also share your opinions with your team, particularly if you're on the fence or you're just not quite sure it's gonna resonate. Filmmaking is a team sport after all, and this includes any partners that you are working with to finance the film as well. Get their input and see what's speaking to others, you know, the most. And you might be surprised or delighted that they may bring new ideas to the table that will help you land on an even better title. But I just have to put a word of warning into this as well. Whenever you crowdsource, you're gonna get feedback. So if you're really confident with the title you've chosen, be really selective about who you, you know, gauge an opinion from because if you ask people for their thoughts and then you don't take their advice, you risk getting into some other murky waters there. So just be a little bit cautious about who you share your title idea with before you attach it to your project. And as I said, if you're like me, you just run with it, and usually people will just catch up unless they come up with a really good reason why that title won't work, and then you do need to take that on board. So picking a title could drive you nuts and send you rocking backwards and forwards in a corner, which is generally why I pick the title and claim it until somebody else has a really good reason why it won't work. And if this is a solo endeavor for you, share your title options, as I said, with just a few people you trust and whose opinions you respect. And just be sure to share, you know, your synopsis or some details about what the project's about with them, along with the title, to give them some context and help them have a greater understanding. Now, one more tip on this: in most instances, shorter is better. In fact, I'm actually struggling to think of any documentaries or feature films that have more than five words in their title. Shorter titles are just easier to remember and pronounce, which will make spreading the word about your film far more efficient. It also means shorter URLs and you're more likely to get social handles that will actually fit your full title. So once you've found a title that feels right, check Google. Now this step is really important. Even if you love the title, you have got to check Google and make sure no one else is using it. And this doesn't just go for films. Make sure no big name brands of companies are operating under that name. It will get so confusing for your audience and make your film much harder to search for if you pick a title that's also really a well-known brand. If it's the name of a well-known song or a person or a brand, it's going to be really hard to get to the first page on Google and compete for position online. When someone Googles a common name, they're going to find all of the other well-known things listed first. It just makes it really hard for you to get your marketing to really cut through. So I would absolutely recommend not competing with something that's already really well known and established. You can also check on YouTube. Now you might not be planning to release anything on YouTube, and that's completely okay. But if you put out a film trailer or any behind-the-scenes shorts, or you want to create a channel, YouTube doesn't stop multiple channels having the same name. So one of our projects, Little Stars, ended up being one of about 12 channels with the name Little Stars. And it's a real bummer because people find all the other channels listed, and it's really hard for them to know which one is our project at a glance unless they're familiar with our artwork. So I do recommend trying to find something original if you're going to create a YouTube channel. And if you plan on having a presence online, it is really a good idea to suss out if you can secure social media handles and a website URL in your film's name. And a site that I've used a few times is called Name Checker, N-A-M-E-C-H-E-K-R, no E-R, just C K R. And it's an excellent resource for this because it tells you if those social handles are already being used by somebody else. It is absolutely worth doing the research on your title before you fall in love with it. Now, as I mentioned before with Take Heart as a perfect example, when we chose Take Heart, we couldn't get the URL takeheart.com. So we ended up having to use takeheart.tv, which was, you know, it never really caught on, and we've since had to rename the URL. I think it's now takeheartrhd.com. But you know, we've had eight years to build that brand recognition, so that made it easier. So do think about that when you do choose your title. Another thing, do you need to make sure you can legally use the title? Nah here comes the confusing legal terms I alluded to in the intro. The good news is that while the content of a film can be copyrighted, as a general rule, movie titles cannot. So you don't need to worry yourself too much about infringing on anybody's IP with the title you choose. Of course, I suspect you don't want to use a tired film title that has already been around the block a few times. So how do you figure out if the title you want to use has been taken by another film? A basic search will suffice. You could check IMDB, the world's largest movie database, which I'm sure you're familiar with, but if not, it was IMDB, standing for Internet Movie Database. And if you want to be sure to dot all of your I's and cross all of your T's, you could definitely engage a lawyer to do something called a title search. And the title search will do a thorough sweep and they will be able to flag if there's any impending issues. To be honest, we've only done this quite a few years back and we've never had a problem, but it probably depends a little bit on the topic of your film as to whether you want to be concerned about it. So by all means consult with a lawyer if you want to do a title search. I have just shared a great deal of information with you. So I hope that hasn't made you concerned about how you're going to come up with your own title, but rather was helpful. And don't forget, there is a check sheet that you can download over in the resources section on Moonshine Communications Academy, and that will help you with just how to remember how to do all of these steps basically. So just to recap quickly for you, the title does matter. It matters because A, you've got to like it, B, an audience needs to be able to resonate with it. And C, you want your film to be successful, so you want to choose a title that's going to be easy to find in search and for people to remember. When you're searching for the title, come up with a whole series of options. Try and brainstorm at least 25 at a minimum. Once you have settled on something that you really like, make sure you do the research, make sure the URLs are available, social handles are available, and that it's not completely overused on YouTube or something like that. Try and make sure it's not competing with a really well-known brand or song or band or famous individual so that you're not competing in Google for search opportunities. And also just make sure you really like it and that the key people in your team like it as well. So once you've got your title, Bravo, I would love to hear what you landed on, and I cannot wait to see your documentary once it makes its way out into the world. So please stay in touch with me and let me know how you're going. And if you're searching for a few more documentary development tips and tricks, please check out the few earlier episodes. As I mentioned, this is part five, and I've already covered ideation, planning, conquering imposter syndrome, and staying motivated in the four episodes prior to this, which you can find on whatever platform you are listening on. So hit subscribe and please come back for next week's instalment where I will be doing a deep dive into pre interviews. What's a pre interview and why they are incredibly useful for research and for developing your documentary? Look forward to speaking to you next week.
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