Afraid of Pitching? Hey, Aren’t We All?

Moviebytes.Com is one of our favorite web sites. Lotsa info on contests and such. But did you know they also have, like, some solid info about the writing-to-sell process? We didn’t either. But this makes us glad we found out:

Quit Bitching,Start Pitching – by Joey Tuccio

You’ve spent YEARS writing your script. You’ve outlined it, you wrote it, you rewrote it, you turned it in for feedback, you rewrote it AGAIN. Now what? As my company dives full force into virtual pitches, I learned that A LOT of writers do not know how to pitch. And some are blatantly too scared to even try! Paralyzed by the thought that they actually have to talk about their script with a live person. I think some writers get a little too comfortable in their solitude of writing. It really is a shame that so many writers spend so much time writing their script but are too afraid to praise it and pitch it to people.

Here is some friendly advice to help you conquer your fears of pitching, or simply to make your pitch even better!

1. Start with the logline AND genre of your story. Why genre? A brilliant producer once told me that if a writer doesn’t start with their genre, it will be unclear how they should interpret it. If a writer is pitching a story that sounds slightly funny, a producer might feel too awkward to laugh because it could very well be a drama. Alleviate the stress and say it up front. Also, think of ONE movie out there that resembles yours. This could really help an executive visualize your story immediately and have a better sense of it. DON’T START a pitch with So, what are you guys looking for? What would you like me to pitch? I have this, this and this. Be confident in your pitch. You have their attention right off the top, so the quicker you can get into the pitch, the better. If time allows, you can quickly say at the end Oh, by the way. I have a comedy too about (logline).
2. Pitches should be 2-3 minutes MAX. Have you ever had a friend that just goes on and on about a story and half way through all you can think about is What are they talking about? I wonder what I’m going to eat later? Wow, he got so fat. Don’t let their minds drift. Usually around the 3 minute point is when a mind might start wandering.

There are 4 more points. Read them all.

Note to MovieBytes staff: This is hugely helpful. Hope you do more, similar pieces. For reals.