A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and TV,

gaming Gaming may refer to: Games and sports The act of playing games, as in: * Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming" * Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles * Playing ...

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

and

publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative title.

Usage

Working titles are commonly used in

and TV,

, and

. They are used mainly because an official

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

has not yet been decided upon or to intentionally disguise the real nature of a project. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt).

Usage as production titles

The terms "production title" and "tentative title" are sometimes used instead of "working title". Working titles are primarily a practical matter, just to prevent confusion as ideas for release titles can keep on changing for a variety of reasons. For example, while

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

films are commonly produced under numerical titles such as ''Bond 22'' until the official title is announced as part of its marketing, release titles may also change because of significant changes to the plot during production, as happened with

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's ''

The Emperor's New Groove ''The Emperor's New Groove'' is a 2000 American animated fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Mark Dindal and produced by Randy Fullmer, from a screenplay writte ...

,'' whose working title was ''Kingdom of the Sun''. 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 the title '' Snakes on a Plane'', after he learned the title was going to be changed to ''Pacific Air Flight 121'' upon release.

Usage as a ruse title

Fake production titles are frequently used by high-profile films or television series to prevent undesired attention by the press or fandom, price gouging by suppliers and casual or targeted theft. Notable examples of ruse titles include ''Blue Harvest'' (''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...

''), ''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 television series in Martin's ''A Song of Ice and F ...

''), and the

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

films ''

Batman Begins ''Batman Begins'' is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne (Dark Knight trilogy), Bruce Wayne / B ...

'', ''

The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005), and the second inst ...

'' and ''

The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the final instal ...

'', which were produced under the titles ''The Intimidation Game'', ''Rory's First Kiss'' and ''Magnus Rex''.Nolan Fans articl
"The Dark Knight Rises As Magnus Rex"
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Working Title Film production Editing Naming