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A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually used in
filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, cast ...
, television production, video game development, or the creation of a novel or music
album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
.


Purpose

Working titles are used primarily for two reasons – the first being that an official title has not yet been decided upon, with the working title being used purely for identification purposes, and the second being a ruse to intentionally disguise the real nature of a project.


Production title

Projects usually have a fixed working title throughout production to prevent confusion, because ideas for release titles can keep on changing. Examples include the film '' Die Hard with a Vengeance'', which was filmed under the title ''Die Hard: New York'', and the
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...
films, which are commonly produced under numerical titles such as ''Bond 22'', until an official title is announced. Titles may also change because of significant changes to the plot during production, as was the case with
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's ''
The Emperor's New Groove ''The Emperor's New Groove'' is a 2000 American animated slapstick comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 40th animated film produced by the studio, it was directed by Mark Dindal and p ...
,'' whose working title was ''Kingdom of the Sun,''.


Ruse title

A title ruse is a practice by which a high-profile film or television series is given a fake working title to prevent undesired attention, price gouging by suppliers and casual or targeted theft. Notable examples of ruse titles include ''Blue Harvest'' ('' Return of the Jedi''), ''How the Solar System Was Won'' ('' 2001: A Space Odyssey''), ''Planet Ice'' (''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...
''), ''Greenbrier'' ('' El Camino''), ''Red Gun'' (''
House of the Dragon ''House of the Dragon'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second TV show in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' franchi ...
''), the Batman films '' Batman Returns'', '' Batman Forever'', '' Batman Begins'', '' The Dark Knight'' and '' The Dark Knight Rises'', which were produced under the titles ''Blinko'', ''Dictel'', ''The Intimidation Game'', ''Rory's First Kiss'', and ''Magnus Rex'',Nolan Fans articl
"The Dark Knight Rises As Magnus Rex"
/ref> respectively and ''Tenet'', under the title ''Merry-Go-Round''. In some cases a working title may ultimately be used as the release title, as in the case of leading man Samuel L. Jackson insisting on title '' Snakes on a Plane'', after he learned the title was going to be changed to ''Pacific Air Flight 121'' upon release.


See also

*
Pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Working Title Film production Editing Naming