A pitch what is it ?
Switch from writer to VRP
Hello to all, A pitch, what is it and why is it used ? The article last week on “Finding an agent” drew a few comments quite fair on the blog and by email. One thing is certain, I think you have all realized that finding an agent was not an easy thing to do and that above all you go by yourself do the job ! But to turn into VRP scenario it is necessary that you learn to master one essential thing : The pitch !
A pitch why ?
Let’s say that your scenario is complete. You are back to the block. You have understood that no officer lord will see fit to look at you if you don’t have got a producer or an appointment. So you take your courage in both hands. You run the courses, festivals, production companies, before the first in the hope of meeting the right people. But now, once you are in front of a director, a performer or a producer (trice), what do you do ?
Well, it is at this time that the famous pitch.
A pitch what is it ?
I’m not going to start you make a paragraph of 33 lines. A pitch is simply your story summary in 1 or 2 lines maximum. Thanks to these two lines you will have to succeed to convince your friend that your story, and, a fortiori, in your scenario, has the potential, and that it must be produced and carried out.
If you prefer, a pitch that is the conceptt of your story, its originality and the subject. Yes, all that in two sentences ! The pitch should give the desire to want to learn more while being hard-hitting, haunting. This must be your ultimate weapon to speak of your film.
’ What’s in a pitch ?
I just tell you about it. But if I had to brush a portrait robot of the pitch perfect, it would be :
- The originality
You can have a banal topic (a love affair) but the manner in which you will address the history, the way in which you will bring will be that it will become incredible. Think of “Forest Gump” !
- The Universality
A pitch must apply to the greatest number. It must be unifying.
Let’s be clear. It is one of the reasons, for example, where the genre film is hard to be produced in France. There’s an audience, but not large enough to make the full of spectators. But here I speak more of the kind of theme, this is a mistake ! So let’s say that a film about the migration of geese is less unifying than the urge to kill his boss. The fact thata theme is a unifying induces that it will necessarily be more cost-effective.
- Potentiality
Your pitch should be ” dreaming “ the person listening to it. It must be able to feel the full potential of the story. It must be projected and catch a glimpse of all the possibilities of the story.
Then you will understand, these 2 sentences should be thoughts, thoughtful… I would say that with the notice of intent, the pitch is the document most difficult to write. Because in the 2 sentences you must make them feel things, a story, a universe, of the characters you’ve written about 100 or 120 pages !!! Suffice to say that each word, each sentence should be chiseled out and punctuated correctly in order to give a rhythm… All words must have a meaning. Everything must be fluid.
Yes, but a pitch is that used for what ?
Are you kidding or what ?! I just told you in ” A pitch what is it ? “;o)
Well, I put you in backgroundn. You have secured an appointment, or you have met someone (prod, dir, actor), and you feel that this is the time* then you go and tell your story :
“So this is the story of a man, Mike. He saw a great love story with Juliet. But one day, Juliet does not fit in them. After having waited all night and tried to call him on his cell phone, in vain, Mike his searche. 2 days later, still without news of his wife, Mike went to the office of his district. The output of the Mike falls nose to nose with Juliet in the arms of a man, José. Mike asks Juliette what’s going on, but Juliet does not recognize it. Mike is angry, Jose is hitting him and asks him to leave them alone. Then he goes home, he puts his key in the lock but it no longer works. Of the interior, a woman opens the door and asks Mike what he is doing. She lives there for 3 years and Mike has had the wrong address. Mike finds himself alone, without wife, without housing. What will it become ? Is he the victim of a conspiracy ? “
Well…you have understood that this ” pitch “ which is not, is not of me ! lol Why I put this example ? Just because 99% of you don’t know about their history. 99% of you do not prepare to tell their story.
You don’t know about your history because you don’t really know what you’re talking about. You don’t know how to extract the essence of your scenario.
And you know what ?! The pitch is exactly that, to succeed, to speak of the universe, the characters and the plot in a few words, without getting lost in details that do not bring anything on the moment and who are at risk to lose your friend. In short, he’s going to ask questions… and this is not good.
Other advice to follow : your pitch should be written to be ” recited “, that is to say that the words must appear natural in your mouth. The pitch this is a speaking exercise before being written!!! But you need the write to succeed ;o)
So naturally you can imagine that if the producer in front of you wants to learn more he is going to prepare something other than two “poor” phrases, eh ! The pitch is just to ” hang “. Then you will need to structure your speech. Because during all the time of the interview you will be there to convince, to sell your project. You only have one objective at this time :
- As the producer reads your screenplay to an option (if your script is written)
- The producer hires you to write the script (if it is not written)
But this will be the subject of a future article. Before you leave I will give you an idea of the pitch of the idea I exposed above :
“And if the whole life of Mike disappeared : his wife, his family, his job, as if it had never existed, …except for Mike who will do everything to regain his life.”
Then I make the pitch quickly. There is a lack of things to make it a great and true pitch. He should spend more time, but you’ll understand the difference between the first ” jet ” is long, full of details unnecessary for the understanding and my pitch of 2 lines.
That’s it for this article on : “Know how to Pitch”. Let me have your comments at the bottom of the article.
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Thank you to those who will make it ;o) and that are already doing that ;o). You are every day more numerous.
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Soon,
Tom Weil
*How do I know that this is the time ? Do not attack a prod or anything like that, ball in head. You have to be cunning. If you are (gentlemen) in front of your urinoir and Besson comes in and settles next to you, you aren’t going to start at pitcher… or to tell your story or I don’t know what ! This is simply not the time !
Then when to do it ? In the discussion it is necessary that this be your spokesperson, who says : ” and you (you) what are you doing ? “…There you can begin to let go and to pitcher because you have the green light.