The premise of a text such as a
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ...
,
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...
, or
screenplay
''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993.
Background
After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...
is the initial state of affairs that drives the
plot.
Most premises can be expressed very simply, and many films can be identified simply from a short sentence describing the premise. For example:
''A lonely boy is befriended by an alien'';
''A small town is terrorized by a shark'';
''A small boy sees dead people''.
See also
*
Elevator pitch
*
Log line
A log line or logline is a brief (usually one-sentence) summary of a television program, film, short film, or book that states the central conflict of the story, often providing both a synopsis of the story's plot, and an emotional " hook" to s ...
{{Filmmaking-stub
Film production
Narratology