Pitch Dictionary by pitch.dog
Concept, premise & hook · Core

Premise

Also called: story premise

ELI5

The basic dramatic situation that makes the story possible.

Used in conversation

“The premise is strong enough to explain in one clean sentence.”

Definition

The foundational dramatic situation or proposition from which the story follows.

Here “Premise” means: The foundational dramatic situation or proposition from which the story follows.

Pitch context

Use this when explaining how the story works on the page or across the finished screen experience.

Why it matters: Helps describe how a story works on the page and how its dramatic parts fit together.

Connected terms

  • ConceptPremise is the foundational dramatic situation; concept is the broader central idea.
  • Story enginePremise explains what the show starts as; story engine explains how it keeps generating episodes.
Sources & evidence · 6

Direct term-level sources and supporting source families.