It may seem like studio executives are clueless and any success that happens under their watch is dumb luck. There are so many elements in making a good film and so many variables outside of anyone's control that there is a significant amount of fate involved in filmmaking.

To counter this aspect studios take a stance that movies should contain certain elements, and it isn't far from the truth. They speak of these tactics as if they are set-in-stone principles, but in fact they are not. Instead of throwing out the principle from whence the tactic springs consider the intent and come up with your own tactic.

Likeable Protagonist

Likeable means you have positive feelings towards this person and would want to watch a story about him or her. It is helpful that you have people be interested in the protagonist so that they can get emotionally involved enough in the story to want to finish watching it. But a protagonist can be someone you'd want to watch a movie about and be someone you hate. The important guideline is to have a main character that is COMPELLING. A person that others are interested in watching. Likeable is one way to go about it, but also loathsome might work.

High Concept

High concept simply means easy to describe and interesting based on this easy description. A man wrongly imprisoned take his revenge. Simple and describes the movie in such a quick way that you don't lose people's attention as you tell them about it. The concept behind it is making easier the communication of what the movie is about. This is the quickest way, but not the only way. This method drastically limits the kinds of stories you can tell. These high concept movies also tend to need lots of money to make, so these aren't the stories you will likely gravitate towards. The important thing to think about is how you can communicate the essence of your film in an effective manner. You needn't water down the movie but rather have a system to communicate what it's about.

Three Acts

Indie writers seem to have an affinity for the opposite of what Hollywood espouses. Since Hollywood wants stories, they think they are old hat. Unfortunately whatever you do, whatever kind of movie you make, it will have three acts. Act One is the beginning, Act Two is the middle, and Act Three is the end. No matter if they are hours long or only last seconds, every story will have one of each. So instead of fighting this, use it to your advantage. The literature on writing with this structure can help your story, don't overlook it because you don't want to do formulaic work. Three act structure is inevitable, so harness it to the fullest potential.

Love Interest

Studios love to ruin great movies with tacked on romantic subplots. What was a great drama is made weaker with this stilted love interest thing. Although anything that isn't a coherent piece of a story will make the whole weaker, addition of love subplots does fulfill a valid function. Just as you can't know how sweet something is until tasting something sour, you also can't accurately gauge elements in a film without the opposite. Now this doesn't mean you need a love interest in your story but it does show you could do with showing something that contrasts the dominant elements. This might seem like it will take the tone down but rather it will intensify it. This could be as simple as quieter parts in the movie, a different location, or comedic elements. Just remember that to fully express anything it needs context and that includes its opposite.

Beautiful People

Movies are, after all, just pictures. It won't hurt putting people that are nice to look at, right? This principle isn't completely flawed, but the emphasis purely on the physical appearance is. Movies are pictures but they are not a single picture. Have you ever met someone who you were first introduced to in a picture and he or she looked attractive only to meet them and be annoyed by any number of other elements: voice, mannerisms, body posture, personality. What you want in your movie isn't beautiful people, but interesting people. Just as boring people don't lead others, neither can boring people hold a movie audience in rapt attention. Put less emphasis on any one element of an actor and more stock in the person as a whole.

Toning Down Offensive Parts

It could be from test screenings or it could be from gut feelings, but the uncomfortable or offensive parts of films are often on the chopping block in order to make the movie better. The idea of making the movie a more pleasurable experience is not without foundation. The problem comes when we pick the movie apart and consider feelings at certain times in the film instead of at the end of the movie. There are going to be parts where an audience might wish a character would do differently then they are, but if the girl doesn't go see what that noise in the basement is we have no horror movie. Keeping in mind the audience experience is important but there need be a balance between instinct and feedback. Audiences don't know how to make movies so don't let them.

They say the educated follow rules, unschooled break rules, and artists master the form. Don't let admonitions from executives at big studios keep you from using anything they espouse that may help your film. Instead of rebelling without good cause, thoughtfully pick and choose from the meaning behind what they're saying.