AFM 2008: Pitch Me!

AFM’s 2008 Pitch Me! seminar was a jam-packed three hour live pitch event conducted by a panel of experts including Shelby Stone, Caroline Baron, and Peggy Rajski.  Though the panels did disagree on some issues, there were a few resounding points:

1. Focus on the core concept and forget about extraneous details.
2. The first line of your pitch should paint a picture of the story – “Tell me what I’m watching.”
3. Explain what attracted you to the story and what compels you to tell it.
4. Don’t focus on staying on script, focus on staying present with the individual(s) that you are pitching – don’t talk at people, talk with people.
5. Keep it under 3 minutes.  Get rid of the extraneous and get to the essence – the audiences emotional attachment with the characters.  A pitch good pitch sparks conversation and keeps the individual(s) wanting to know more.

The three panelists also expressed some of their own opinions.

Shelby Stone:

• A pitch is like going on a date, you find out about them before hand and when you are in the room you engage in a conversation with them.
• When comparing your film, compare it to another film not another individual.  “My film has a Pulp Fiction feel” not “My film has a Tarentino feel”.
• Do not express a broad range of numbers for a films budget, say what you can make if for – “I can shoot it for 1.5″.
• Supporting characters: mention them only in relation to their role in the main character’s evolution.
• Focus on no more than 4 characters.

Caroline Baron:

• In many situations you are not pitching to the decision maker.  So, you need to get the support of the person you are pitching.
• Only use a name when you are describing a character in your film – “They have a gritty and warn look, like a Clint Eastwood.”

Peggy Rajski:

• Create a great opening line – bait the hook.  Tell the whole story in one line without telling the whole story.
• Know your own personal style and make it work for the benefit of your pitch.
• Set up the other people in the room who you are pitching with.
• Don’t use industry lingo.
• Talk about story, not structure.  Do not focus on why characters make choices, focus on how those choices effect the overall story.
• Generally, you shouldn’t have to address who the audience is in a pitch.  Good pitches make the audience clear without specifically addressing it.
• You are not going to make anyone buy something they don’t want – there is power to be drawn from that.

If you are having a difficult time coming up with a great pitch, try doing a free assiociation excercise.  Grab a pen and a paper and write down a buch of different words that pertain to your story.  When you are finished, pick three or four words that sum up your story and craft your pitch around them.