Deborah L. Jaramillo investigates cable news' presentation of the IraqWar in relation to "high concept" filmmaking. High concept films can bereduced to single-sentence summaries and feature pre-sold elements, they wereconsidered financially safe projects that would sustain consumer interest beyondtheir initial theatrical run. Using high concept as a framework for the analysis ofthe 2003 coverage of the Iraq War -- paying close attention to how Fox News and CNNpackaged and promoted the U.S. invasion of Iraq -- Ugly War, Pretty Package offers anew paradigm for understanding how television news reporting shapes our perceptionsof events.