The Value of Pitching

So... you’ve done all the work and you’ve created a really solid script with market potential. Now what? Well, now you need to draw some attention to it. You need to start submitting it to contests, sending it to producers, executives, production companies, and... most importantly…

YOU NEED TO START PITCHING.

What does “pitching” actually mean?  Let’s start with a definition:

Pitch (filmmaking)

A pitch is a concise verbal (and sometimes visual) presentation of an idea for a film or TV series generally made by a screenwriter or film director to a film producer or studio executive in the hopes of selling it or attracting development or production financing.

Pitching your screenplay face-to-face with industry professionals who could purchase it or help shepherd it towards production represents a critical opportunity for any screenwriter.

Pitching is a rare chance to articulate the core and differentiating details of your project in a way that succinctly, emotionally and powerfully conveys both of these attributes in equal parts:  

ITS ARTISTIC POTENTIAL

and... 

ITS COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL.  

Obviously, if you attend any organized Pitch event, you will be pitching with numerous other emerging screenwriters, so it’s important to stay focused on standing out from the crowd – in a positive way. 

Here’s the most common format for public “Pitch Fests”: 

1. You sit or stand in line, waiting for your turn to approach a table where producers or studio executives sit and wait. 

2. You are given a signal to walk to the table, introduce yourself, and then you get ONE to FIVE MINUTES to pitch your movie idea - that’s it. 

3. Following the pitch, those seated at the table can ask you questions or ask you to go into further details for another few minutes. Often, because they may be looking for something specific, they will just politely pass. If there’s time, you may even be able to make a second pitch. 

4. At the end of the allotted time, you’ll be given a second signal. At that point, you thank those at the table, stand and quickly leave. Then, you get into another line and do it again. And again. And again. 

There are head-to-head competitions and a number of other variations, but you get the idea: in a very short period of time, you get an opportunity to pitch your idea to professional influencers who may be in the market and are looking for a screenplay to purchase, or, it may simply be an opportunity to get some extremely high-quality feedback that you can use i your next draft.

EITHER WAY, PITCHING IS WORTH THE EFFORT.

Screenwriting guru Michael Hague has boiled down all of the current principles, pitching templates and his insights on them in his book, Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds”. In it, he shares his advice on which key questions buyers want you to answer for them during a pitch. 

Here is his advice (abbreviated) from an article posted on scriptmag.com: 

1. NEVER TRY TO TELL THE WHOLE STORY

This is by far the biggest mistake any writer or filmmaker can make. 

You’ve got 60 seconds to pitch your story (you want the rest of your time slot to discuss the story with the buyer, or in some cases to pitch a second idea if they pass on the first one). If you try to include every important detail of your screenplay, or if you get mired in vivid descriptions of the opening, the characters or the set pieces, you’ll run out of time before your prospective buyer has a clear picture of the potential of your project. So instead of trying to squeeze a two-hour movie into 60 seconds, you want to…

2. FOCUS ON REVEALING THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF YOUR STORY

1. Who is your HERO or protagonist?

2. What is that character’s EVERYDAY LIFE at the beginning of the film?
   

3. Why will we feel EMPATHY towards your hero?
   

4. What OPPORTUNITY is presented to that hero at the 10% point that will get the story going?
   

5. Into what NEW SITUATION does that opportunity take your hero?
   

6. What specific visible goal or OUTER MOTIVATION are we rooting for your hero to accomplish by the end of the movie?
   

7. What CONFLICT will the hero face that makes achieving that goal seem impossible?
   

8. What are two ANTECEDENTS to your screenplay – recent, successful films with the same genre, tone, and potential market as yours? 
   

3. REVEAL HOW YOU CAME UP WITH THE IDEA

Don’t lead with your title or logline. Titles are close to meaningless here, and usually confusing when a buyer knows very little about the story. 

Similarly, log lines might convey some of the story, but they will have much greater impact later in the pitch (see below). Instead, open your pitch by saying where you first got the idea for your story. It might grow out of a personal experience, or it might be based on a true story, or a novel for which you have the rights, or some article you read that stimulated your creativity. It might even come from other movies – taken a favourite genre and then coming up with a unique twist or element that we haven’t seen before.

So, you might begin by saying something like, “I have always been a huge fan of romantic thrillers, and I started wondering, ‘What if…?’” Or, “I was recently able to acquire the rights to a novel that scared the crap out of me.” Or, “You may not be aware of this, but I recently read that….” And then you segue from that initial idea to the key elements of your story listed above. Opening in this way draws the buyer into your story with the same element that got you excited about it.

4. LEAVE THE BUYER IN SUSPENSE

Don’t reveal TOO MUCH about the outcome of your screenplay in the pitch, but be aware that many in the business may demand to know exactly how it ends, so BE PREPARED TO TELL THEM. If you’re in a competition, it’s a great idea to ask about this particular pet peeve before you pitch so you can tweak your pitch to suit. Find out if they expect to hear you reveal the ending or not. Either way, complete your presentation by either summarizing the conflict, or by revealing whatever major setback occurs at the end of Act 2. This can often be done when you… 

5. FINISH YOUR DESCRIPTION WITH THE TITLE AND LOGLINE

Here is where these elements of your pitch can be most powerful – after your buyer knows the essence of your story. 

So, when you complete the description that includes those key elements in item #2, follow with the title, and then a single sentence that summarizes it all: 

“So basically, my screenplay WHERE’S MY KID? is about a single parent who must rescue her daughter, not realizing that the kidnapper is actually the FBI agent who’s leading the investigation.”

Notice that we don’t know from the logline whether she will succeed – the pitch leaves the buyer wanting more. But if the buyer then asks how the movie ends, don’t be coy – tell them. 

6. FOLLOW THE LOGLINE WITH A QUESTION

As any good salesperson will tell you, you have to ask for the sale to close the deal. 

After summarizing with your logline, say to your potential buyer, “So do you have any questions about my script, or (if you are participating in an event where judges are actually shopping for scripts) would you like me to send you a copy?” 

This gives them two options, both good for you: either they request the script, or they are engaged enough with your story that they want to discuss it further.

7. ANSWER QUESTIONS IN TEN SECONDS

For many writers, this is the hardest part of the pitch. They have carefully prepared, well-rehearsed, 60-second presentations, and then they respond to simple questions with long, meandering responses that kill the overall pitch – usually in an unconscious attempt to tell the entire story (see #1 above). 

So, listen to exactly what your buyer wants to know about your script, and then answer just that question in no more than 10 seconds. If you haven’t told the buyer everything she wants to know, she’ll ask another question.

And if the buyer passes on your pitch, then use the remaining time you’ve paid for to either pitch a second project, or to ask for suggestions on how you might improve the pitch she just heard. 

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t sell. One of the many reasons that some pitches don’t sell is not because the pitch or the concept is bad; but because the buyer just isn’t looking for that type of movie project. 

The beauty of events like the Pitch Slam, The Great American Pitchfest, and The Screenwriter’s World Conference is that when someone passes on your story, you just move to the next table and present your pitch again.

Have fun with it and remember: no matter what happens you are going to learn A LOT very quickly about what works and what doesn’t. 

The experience of pitching is incredibly valuable
for those who want to learn as much as they can,
as quickly as possible.