| HOW TO PITCH |
1. Look into your story and find the hook. What is the most intriguing thing about this story? Get clear on that and lead with it. 2. Give us an engaging synopsis of the story. Please don't give a chronological book report. That won't cause anyone to request your script. Instead, give us the essence of the story in a precise way. If you can tell it in two sentences, do that. If it takes a few more sentences, fine -- as long as they get to the point and have us see a movie. 3. Speak in "Hook/drama" and "Setup/punchline" patterns. There are lots of ways to tell about a situation. If you feel like you naturally babble, I'd take your most important points and write them in a dramatic fashion. That way, you can instantly refer to them and your words will have an impact. For instance, the first act for a story could be told like this: "A young rich boy is promised the family fortune upon his father's death and gives a series of parties to show off his upcoming wealth...then discovers that his lavish parties have driven the family into bankruptcy." Notice the "setup/punchline" pattern? What that causes is an emotional response in the listener. If you can write your pitch in a way that creates an emotional response about every two sentences, you have a much better chance that the producer will request the script. 4. Practice the pitch like crazy...then don't worry about it. This may sound like strange advice, but it will make it much easier for you to succeed. First, you practice enough so that you know the pitch by heart. Then, when you are in front of the producer, you give yourself the freedom to vary the pitch however you need to for the situation. That way, you aren't stuck there trying to remember one word or a specific way to say it. Instead, you have the freedom to flow with the situation and react to the listener's response. 5. Finally, pretend you are talking with a good friend. This will set you at ease and your pitch will flow better. And if they don't respond in kind, you've lost nothing. |