This document provides guidance on how to structure an effective film pitch in 5 minutes or less. It advises pitching the main character's arc from inciting incident to goal to twists/turns/conflict without excessive backstory. Pitches should grab attention, be concise yet compelling, focus on a character's journey, leave the audience wanting more, and convey why the story and filmmaker are unique. Effective pitches demonstrate passion and use media cleverly to set tone and intrigue the audience about an important story in a unique way.

1. SON OF A PITCH
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE FILM PITCH

2. TODAY
You are going to be planning out your pitch for your project.
You will be thinking about the best way you can sell your
idea in a 5 minute pitch.
For those of you who have already started planning your
pitches you will want to add, edit, rehearse your pitches.

3. WHAT MAKES A GOOD PITCH?

4. WHAT MAKES A BAD PITCH?

5. RULE 1: STRUCTURING
• Grab the audiences attention
• Keep the story concise: concept, logline,
• Stories are about people: Who is it about? What’s their arc?
• Stories are about issues: What’s it really about? The deeper meaning?
• Stories should be important: Why is it important to tell your story
today?
• The best stories stand alone: How is your story different/unique?

6. ABOUT THE IDEA
• Don’t tell me your whole story in detail – keep it concise.
• You only have 5 minutes so follow the arc of the main character (goal, plot,
twists, conflict)

7. ABOUT THE IDEA
• Go over the concept and present
your best logline (50 words or less).
At the end of the logline the
audience should know what the
basic premise of the film is.
• Use that as a springboard to launch
into who your film is about (the main
character)

8. ABOUT THE IDEA
• Tell me about your main characters journey.
 Who are they? Use verbs to tell us something about their
character
 What’s the inciting incident that kicks off their journey?
 What’s their goal at that point?
 What twists and turns happen on that journey?
 What conflict do they come up against?
 Do not get bogged down with telling me about the side
characters, you don’t have time.

9.  Who are they? Use verbs to tell us something about their
character a high school loser assisting a mad professor with
his time travel experiments, an amoral police detective
hooked on drugs in post-Katrina New Orleans
 What’s the inciting incident that kicks off their journey?
When Doc Brown gets shot Marty escapes in the Delorean
and ends up in 1955
 What’s their goal at that point? Marty has to figure out a
way to get back home to 1985
 What twists and turns happen on that journey? But when
he wakes up in 1955 he finds himself coming face to face
with teenage versions of his own parents
 What conflict do they come up against? The bully who
ruined his parents lives is now intent on stopping Marty
from returning to his own time

10. ABOUT THE IDEA
• Don’t tell me the ending, leave me
wanting to know more.
• A good pitch:
• Starts with the writer chasing the
producer for a meeting.
• ends with the producer chasing the
writer for a meeting (because they
want to know more).

11. ABOUT THE IDEA
• Tell me what your story is really about
deep down (its connotation).
• There must be some deeper issue or moral
at the heart of your story.
• Sure, Batman Begins is about good vs evil,
right vs wrong, but what is it really about?
• Violence begets violence?
• The need for moral ideals in justice &
society?
• The destructive nature of vengeance?

12. ABOUT THE IDEA
• Tell me how your film is
different from everything else
out there.
• You should be able to sell this
as something unique, different.
• If you can’t then it doesn’t
have enough of a hook yet.

13. ABOUT YOU
• Tell me why you’re making this film – why does it matter to you?
• Make me enthused about your idea – if you don’t seem excited
about your own idea I definitely won’t be.
• Engage your audience, interact with them, draw them in and keep
them on edge. Questions.
• Go above and beyond what I’m expecting to see. If its just you
talking through a powerpoint I’ve seen it before.

14. ABOUT THE PRODUCER
• I want something that stands out from the crowd (unique, different)
• I want a story that’s of the moment, something that feels important to tell
• I want a character that I connect with
• I want to understand the mood and atmosphere of the film. Do I feel what the
audience is meant to feel? Sad? Excited? Thrilled? Scared? Emotional?
• I want to leave the pitch desperate to know more about how this story ends.
• … but I need to know enough that I understand what story you want to tell.
• I want to feel excited and enthusiastic because you are excited and
enthusiastic in your delivery of your story.

15. SO, WHAT MAKES A GOOD PITCH?
• Passion!
• Clever use of media to grab your audiences attention / set
the tone (sound, video, visuals).
• A well developed idea which the presenter understands
and conveys to the audience with clarity and intrigue.

16. TASK 1
• Plan your pitch. Think about your structure, your premise, your
character and their arc. Think about why you need to make this
film now and why its unique. Think about how you’re going to
make me interested and enthusiastic / excited about your idea