Premise (narrative)

For other uses, see Premise (disambiguation).

The premise of a story such as a book, film, or series is the initial state of affairs that drives the plot.

Examples

Most premises can be expressed very simply, and many films can be identified simply from a short sentence describing the premise, e.g.:

• A small town is terrorized by a shark = Jaws (1975)
• A lonely boy is befriended by an alien = E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
• A young boy sees dead people = The Sixth Sense (1999)

See also

• Elevator pitch
• Log line