To come up with a film concept: check out some old movies from twenty years ago to find a successful one, twist it or combine it in some way, and focus on heightening the irony as much as possible.
— twitch.tv/MajinBuu
This works because twenty years is long enough for a film to fade from cultural conversation but not so long that its bones are forgotten — audiences get the comfort of familiar structure with the thrill of rediscovery, and irony gives you a hook that markets itself in one sentence. Take a film like a straightforward disaster movie about a town banding together against nature, then twist it so the real threat is the rescue effort itself, bureaucracy outracing the storm. The irony writes the trailer for you. The caution: irony is a seasoning, not a meal. Lean on it too hard and every character becomes a smirking mouthpiece for the concept, and audiences feel managed rather than moved. The twist should reveal something true about people, not just prove you were clever enough to spot it.
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