DWB - The Pitch (Lesson)
The Pitch
Introduction
“A pitch is nothing more than a verbal presentation of a notion, concept, situation, idea, or story. It can be augmented with photographs, casting suggestions, newspaper articles, clippings, or anything else that will help you in the “selling” of your idea.”
- From Syd Field’s Essay, “The Art of the Pitch”
Making oneself marketable is equally important as making the script marketable.
In this module, you will learn how to market original content with a two industry-standard methods for selling your concept.
Pitching a Concept
As with any product or service, it will be necessary to market your idea attractively to convince someone to purchase or invest in it. The sales pitch is the selling technique that strategically attempts to introduce your idea so that potential buyers or investors will want to participate. After developing an idea for a movie/play or even creating a full script one of the first questions new writers ask is, “Who should I talk to in order to get this produced?”
There is not a fixed single answer. Approaches are different for theatre and film. In film, the pitch is more common than for theatre. In theatre, the script is often submitted to competitions, companies that accept scripts, and online forums where scripts can be read and rated.
Occasionally playwrights are invited to pitch ideas for new projects or grants that would fund the creation of a new play. For this reason, it is a good idea for the playwright to understand the basic operations of the movie pitch as well.
When pitching a screenplay idea, there are multiple avenues one might use to get someone to make the movie happen. We will talk about five possible approaches for a film.Below the video, you will find a notes document including a script of the presentation.
Who are the People Who Hear a Pitch?
In the video below, let's look at the key players in a pitch.
Download a presentation script for "The Pitch: Key Players" here. Links to an external site.
The Pitch: Story Must Be Central
As you are pitching your story to the key players, one thing must remain central: your story. Review the presentation below for more information on this concept.
Click here to download the presentation notes for "Story is Central." Links to an external site.
The Length of the Pitch
With regard to exactly how long you have, it depends on the type of pitch. There are two common forms that we will examine, the elevator pitch and the formal pitch. Typically one must master the elevator pitch in an attempt to obtain a formal pitch meeting.
The Elevator Pitch
In the business world, a traditional elevator speech is a clear, brief message or “commercial” about you or what you offer.
The following is a description of an elevator pitch from the University of California Davis:
“It communicates who you are, what you’re looking for and how you can benefit a company or organization. It’s typically about 30 seconds, the time it takes people to ride from the top to the bottom of a building in an elevator. (The idea behind having an elevator speech is that you are prepared to share this information with anyone, at any time, even in an elevator.) At a career fair, you can use your speech to introduce yourself to employers. It is important to have your speech memorized and practiced.”
This basic format can be converted for the script or screenplay pitch and used to introduce you and your concept to potential investors. When used effectively you can obtain and schedule a formal pitch meeting. Be careful not to do this while the person is eating or on a break!
Formal Pitch Meeting
In a formal pitch meeting, you have often already sparked the initial interest.
Here you need to close the deal by laying out some more details from your initial elevator pitch. In Fields pitch essay he expounds on several tips for a successful pitch meeting:
- Be sure to have appropriate etiquette. Be on time and be prepared to wait.
- Impress your audience. You’re hoping to start a business relationship. Dress appropriately, prepare your presentation, and look for any pitching aids, like photographs or flyers.
- Think about the passion and manner of your presentation. Your writing ability always comes in second in the pitch. This moment is about them deciding if they want to work with you.
- The executive on the other side of the desk taking phone calls during your pitch, or having several other execs in the room.
- First impressions…what’s the best way to handle the introduction (including the all-important pitch on who you are, and what your background is).
- Improvisation – what do you do when you fumble the pitch – how do you recover?
- When the exec’s eyes glaze over, are you ready to move to “Plan B.” / “What else do you have?”
- Have something to leave behind– a one or two-page summary – setting up the follow-up time to call.
Also, follow this good advice from Syd Field in The Art of the Pitch:
"In any pitch meeting, you’ve got about 15 or 20 minutes to do your stuff. That means knowing the key structural points of your story…It means rehearsing your presentation so the person you’re pitching to is hanging on every word. It’s your job to keep the listener, the buyer, in this case, perched on the edge of his or her seat."
The Pitch Review Activity
IMAGES & VIDEOS CREATED BY GAVS