Film Pitching

1. Task and Assessment
Titles and opening of an original fiction film up
to 2 minutes
50 marks Research, Planning, & Evaluation (in
other words BLOGS)
50 marks Construction

2. Avoid these Cliché Openings: The most
common student film openings
• Saw: victim tied up in shed
• Scream: hooded stalker follows female victim
• Waking up: clean teeth, brush hair, leave house
• Lock, Stock: gangsters play cards
• Flashback or Flash forward

3. Most common problems--review your
Opening Sequence to make sure you don’t
have any of these problems
• Looks more like a trailer
• Looks more like a short film
• Insufficient titles
• Poor sound, poor lighting
• Confusing
• Uses one of the common openings

4. Film Opening Task
• Know the film but make the opening
• Storyboard
• Realistic expectations
• Storyboard
• K-I-S-S it: Keep it simple stupid
• Storyboard

5. Pitching A Film
The start of the
Final Task!

6. What is a Pitch?
A Hollywood term to describe an idea where a film is
encapsulated in 25 words or less. Usually with one
sentence.

7. Gladiator
"When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by a
corrupt prince, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge".
24 Words

8. Storage
"Terror stalks a storage facility. Survival for those trapped inside
depends on the secrets in those endless units. But some doors are
better left locked.
25 Words

9. Pitch Meeting
What is a pitch meeting?
• 60 seconds pitch
• Sometimes called the telephone pitch, elevator pitch or the pitch-fest
pitch – usually 1 -2 minutes.
• Do not tell your whole story (but know it – in case questions are
asked)
• Elicit emotions – my emotions, someone else’s emotions, Cambridge
grader’s emotions, etc… You want me to ask myself… is this a movie I
(the general public) would want to see or is this a movie I (the general
public) can see Hollywood making.

10. The Player - 1992

11. Pitch Meetings
January 31st, 2017 (Blue)
February 1st, 2017 (White)
What is expected:
•Present two different movie pitches (25 words or less)
•These pitches will be for the final task movie openings you might want
to make. You will choose from these two pitches
•Must be typed & printed out (no exceptions)
•Only need two pitches per pair, trio or group
•This must be a professional meeting – you will be graded on it

12. Blogs 1 & 2: Due by Monday,
January 30th, 2017 (Everyone)
• 1st blog: Introduction blog (introduce yourself – yes, again but this
time it is for the Cambridge Graders)
Label this: “Introduction Blog”
• 2nd blog: Group Formation Blog
Label this: “Final Task Group”
•Should say something like this:
•I have chosen to do the final task for my AICE Media Studies exam by
myself. Next, I will start thinking of ideas and working on my pitch.
•I have chosen to do the final task with the group I have worked with all
year. We work well together and I think we will make a great movie. The
others in my group are: John Smith, Joey Scott, & Brittney Jones.

13. Blogs 3, 4 & 5: Due by Wednesday, February 1, 2017 (Everyone)
3nd blog: Label it “Pitch Blog”
What should be included in your 3rd blog
1. The pitch lesson (What is the definition of a pitch)
2. The pitch assignment (What were you asked to do and why?)
4rd blog: - Label it “My pitches” or “Our Pitches”
3. The two pitches you presented to me in the meeting (verbatim)
4. Information from the meeting with me (why or why not the pitch
would be accepted, details that were discussed, etc.)
5. Write down the pitch that was chosen for the final task.
5th Blog: Label it “Pictures from Pitch planning”
6. Pictures from your planning & meetings