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How to Pitch a Movie Script or Screenplay - Greenlightmymovie.com

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How to pitch a movie script or screenplay from Allen Ury a WGA screenwriter. Turn your script into the next award-winning film festival film or box office hit.  Learn what it takes to pitch your movie or TV show to Hollywood studios and production companies.  If you're a screenplay writer you will enjoy this free script pitch lesson.  Now you can record your movie pitch and submit to Hollywood studios, agencies, management and production companies at www.greenlightmymovie.com.

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To find actors' previous roles or details about other movies and shows.

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Filmmaking (or, in an academic context, film production) is the process of making a film, generally in the sense of films intended for extensive theatrical exhibition. Filmmaking involves a number of discrete stages including an initial story, idea, or commission, through screenwriting, casting, shooting, sound recording and reproduction, editing and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a film release and exhibition.

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Get your FREE ScriptMag Screenwriting Conference Essentials Webinar to help improve your odds of success at a screenwriting pitchfest!

The Pitch Slam that is part of the Screenwriter's World Conference is a golden opportunity to sit face-to-face with potential agents, producers and executives who are looking for good writers, stories and screenplays. To take full advantage of this situation, you must pitch your project in a way that succinctly, emotionally and powerfully conveys both its artistic and commercial potential. And because there will be lots of other writers and filmmakers hoping to do the same thing, you want both your pitch and your story to stand out among the hundreds of others these potential buyers will hear.

My book Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read goes into a lot of detail about how to prepare and present a powerful pitch. But if I were to boil down all of the principles, examples and pitching templates the book provides for creating, rehearsing and delivering an outstanding pitch, it would result in these seven steps:

Never try to tell your whole story. This is by far the biggest mistake any writer or filmmaker can make. You've got 60-90 seconds to pitch your story (you want the rest of your time slot to discuss the story with the buyer, or 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 weave a tale in two minutes, you want to....

2. Focus on revealing the essential elements of your story. These are the key questions buyers want you to answer for them:

Who is your HERO or protagonist?

What is that character's EVERYDAY LIFE at the beginning of the film?

Why will we feel EMPATHY towards your hero?

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

Into what NEW SITUATION does that opportunity take your hero?

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

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

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

3. Begin by revealing how you came up with the idea. Don't lead with your title or log line. Titles are close to meaningless, and usually confusing, when a buyer knows nothing about the story at all. And log lines might convey a little bit, 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 favorite 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 the outcome of your screenplay in the pitch. 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 the log line. 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 log line 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 her.

6. Follow the log line 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 log line, say to your buyer, "So do you have any questions about my script, or 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.

7. Answer the buyers' questions succinctly. 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 - 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. The main reason that some pitches don't result in requests is not because the pitch was no good; it's because the buyer just isn't looking for that type of movie project. The beauty of the Pitch Slam is that when that happens, you just move to the next table and present your pitch again.

The Pitch Slam - and the entire conference - should be a very special event, and a great opportunity. I look forward to seeing you there, and to the possibility of coaching you individually on your pitch.

*Enroll in Michael Hauge's one-on-one coaching at Screenwriters World Conference now to secure your spot!*
Michael Hauge has presented his seminars and lectures to more than 30,000 writers and filmmakers. He has coached hundreds of screenwriters and producers on their screenplays and pitches, and has consulted on projects for Warner Brothers, Disney, New Line, CBS, Lifetime, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Kirsten Dunst, and Morgan Freeman.

Get your FREE ScriptMag Screenwriting Conference Essentials Webinar to help improve your odds of success at a screenwriting pitchfest!

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Get your FREE ScriptMag Screenwriting Conference Essentials Webinar to help improve your odds of success at a screenwriting pitchfest! The Pitch Slam that is part of the Screenwriter's World Conference is a golden opportunity to sit face-to-face with potential agents, producers and executives who are looking for good writers, stories and screenplays.

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"Nobody wants to be the first in on the project-everyone wants to get on a train that's moving."

The road to getting a film off the ground is never straight and narrow, especially if you're starting at the bottom. What if you could pitch your film in exactly the right way to exactly the right people?

At the SXSW 2017, a group of producers, financiers, and distributors sat down on the Pitch, Package, Produce panel to explain the process of successfully pitching your film with those goals in mind. (For more, here are some pointers on the psychology of pitching.)

"Don't say you have the next Jurassic Park, a mega hit, or the next Insidious, which came out of nowhere, and can't be replicated. You want to be realistic."

From industry veterans Tiffany Boyle (Ramo Law PC), Jessica Freeborn (Pretty____Ideas), Stefan Nowicki ( Sundial Pictures), and Tyler MacIntyre ( Tragedy Girls), here's a breakdown of the most important steps in the pitch process.

Whether you are looking to pitch to a producer, distributor, or financier, the first step is always finding out who is the best fit. That means researching who is in the business of aligning themselves with films that are similar to your own.

"What do I look for from a pitch? Honestly, it's not about what I like personally," said Freeborn. "It's whether or not it fits with our mandate. For example, don't pitch a horror film to Focus Features-they do awards-worthy films. The first part is knowing who you are pitching and what they are looking for."

According to the panelists, you should certainly tweak your presentation to fit who you are pitching to-but do so within reason. "Don't think about forcing yourself to do a project just because [a company] might be interested in it," said MacIntyre. "Think about it as having passion projects ready to get made, and who might make it. I do horror movies between $2-5 million, for example. There was a while where I was pitching, and people would ask, 'Do you have any haunted house movies?' It was because The Conjuring just came out. I didn't mind. I find ways to explain projects I'm passionate about in terms of recent successes."

'28 Hotel Rooms,' from Sundial Pictures, Stefan Nowicki's production company.Credit: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Networking, cold emailing, pitch fests, and events...whatever you have to do, start doing it. If you have an agent, manager, or lawyer, financiers and distributors should talk to these reps. If you don't, get creative.

"Networking is the best place to start," said Boyle. "Producer networking events, in particular. There are platforms like Stage 32 that have pitch events where you can be heard by industry, or IFP Film Week, or Women in Film. There are lots of places you can look into."

"Definitely don't include your script in the cold email."

What about cold emails and unsolicited requests? "I respond to emails all the time, because we're a growing company," said Freeborn. "But many others don't. If you're going to do a cold email, be sure to include a short bio, a sense of the project or content you're focused on, as well as if anyone is attached. Definitely don't include your script in the cold email, but do mention that you can send it over if they're interested in reading more."

Comp films are films that are comparable to yours in terms of marketing and success. But don't make the common mistake of comparing your film to another film creatively-unless you are pitching to a producer, you want to pull comps from a business standpoint.

"Someone you pitch to may like your project, but they still need to sell it up the ladder [in the company]," said Freeborn. "Start by making 10 comparable films. Don't say you have the next Jurassic Park, a mega hit, or the next Insidious, which came out of nowhere, and can't be replicated. You want to be realistic, if not conservative, because you don't want to sound cocky or delusional. We use comps to find how much money to give you, so pick relatively recent films that you think your film could emulate in terms of success."

A still from 'Insidious,' a runaway hit you should not be comparing your film to in a pitch. Credit: FilmDistrict

If you had a champion and some buzz, you'd be that much more likely to get a pitch meeting. But what if you have nothing?

According to the panelists, you can try to get an actor or director on board who can bring some credibility to the project. Otherwise, film festival programmers who champion your work are your best bet.

"Nobody want to be the first in the project," said Boyle. "Everyone wants to get on a train that's moving. Most actors will get in with money. If you haven't done anything before, you may have to put in significant money. Or maybe try getting an actor on as a producer, if she or he can get excited about the project. Otherwise, look for [programmers at] Sundance and SXSW."

How useful is it to have a short that shows off your feature idea? It depends if you can pull it off the short film with your current resources.

"A proof of concept can be amazing, like Whiplash," said McIntyre. "But if it didn't come out exactly the right way, it can backfire. Alternately, sometimes you can use a short to post online, and if have a lot of hits, you show that there is interest in the idea."

According to the panelists, these are the materials you should prepare for your pitch, whether you incorporate them into the presentation or not:

Copy of the Script/IP content

Synopsis

Logline

Show Bible or Deck (For TV, this includes character, episode, and season breakdown.)

Lookbook (Creates the tone and feel. If it's a drama for example, the lookbook can help explain if it's a gritty drama or an eerie drama. Here's where you can include creative comps.)

Bios of Producer & Other Key Crew

Financing already in place

Budget

Cast, if attached

Director, if attached

Contact Info

Whether you're giving your pitch in person, on the phone, or even over email, you can ruin your own by not being personable. You may be nervous, but try to be friendly!

"You want to be fun, friendly, charming," said Freeborn. "You want people to want to work with you. Life is short-if we don't want to work with you, we won't."

Nowicki added, "When in doubt, just show your enthusiasm and you passion."

According to panelists, a small company may take three to four weeks to read your script and materials (assuming they've asked to see them). A bigger company may take up to six months. Regardless, always stay polite, as a pass on this project may not mean you won't get a greenlight on something else in the future.

"After that initial period, [following up on] a bi-weekly basis is okay," said Boyle. "If you don't want to pester the person, ask them to let you know when to check in next. By all means, keep me filled in on your career or next project. If you need an answer, just politely say, 'We'd love an answer by such and such a date, as we have a few offers.'"

Finally, remember that very few pitches are picked up by distributors and financiers. Know that rejection is part of the process. Keep at it! When one door closes, another opens.

Have you had luck pitching your film or series?

For more, see our complete coverage of the 2017 SXSW Film Festival.

No Film School's coverage of the 2017 SXSW Film Festival is sponsored by Vimeo.

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How to Pitch Your Film: A Step-By-Step Breakdown

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"Nobody wants to be the first in on the project-everyone wants to get on a train that's moving." The road to getting a film off the ground is never straight and narrow, especially if you're starting at the bottom. What if you could pitch your film in exactly the right way to exactly the right people?

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"Recollections" [1/2] - Finding Forrester (Soundtrack)