Appeal & Potential
The Audience
The target audience for The Prankster is 10-18 year-old boys and girls. There will also be a heavy crossover. The Prankster will be a movie suitable for both kids and their parents. No raunch or violence - just good old-fashioned fun for the whole family.Appeal
Kids will want to see The Prankster because it touches a universal impulse. Young people love to outsmart adults and cause reasonable mischief. This is exactly what happens in The Prankster. Kids will think the movie is totally cool. At the same time, the tone, energy, and spirit of the story are playful, wholesome, and upbeat. It will tap into the same audience that loved Napoleon Dynamite.Conceptual Uniqueness
The character of the Trickster is an archetype common to almost all cultures throughout history. Almost everyone remembers with fondness the pranks and tricks they played or saw played out in their own experience. There has never been a film so specifically focused on this human propensity - until now.
Coming of Age
While the prank "angle" is the surface attraction of The Prankster, it is really much more than a youth comedy. It is a coming of age story in the tone and tradition of Breaking Away. The exploration of one's true self and finding the courage to be that person, even if it means a difficult parting from old ways and friends, is at the heart of The Prankster. It is a story filled with heart and humanity.Ethnicity
The Prankster also has a strong ethnic aspect that audiences will resonate with. Chris, the protagonist, is part of a Greek family. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was hugely successful, and sets the table for more. The female love interest in The Prankster, Mariah, is Mexican-American - Hispanics are now the largest U.S. minority. In addition, Owl, one of the Pranksters, is African-American. The warmth and identification factor of these elements makes the project all the more commercially appealing. One final note - Chris has a mentor, Uncle Nick, who is Zorba the Greek reincarnated, played wonderfully by Georges Corraface.Models
The models for this project are She’s the Man, Breaking Away, Strictly Ballroom, American Graffiti, Fast Times, Sixteen Candles, Clueless, and Dead Poets Society. In tone and spirit The Prankster is very much akin to Disney product, although slightly edgier and more sophisticated. Films such as these have a decades-long shelf-life, which means The Prankster will be earning revenues for many years to come.Professional Feedback
- Marcia Nasatir, former VP of Production for United Artists and Orion Pictures before going on to produce (Veritical Limit) called the script "adorable".
- Matty Simmons, producer of Animal House and other landmark comedies said The Prankster very much reminded him of Animal House.
- Mike Menschel, former partner at CAA, said The Prankster is a "good project with a great message for kids".
The bottom line? The Prankster is a super-commercial low budget project that is a blast to make and a bulls eye for its audience.