Pitching Your Idea

If you're going to shoot a movie, more than likely, you'll need a few hands to help you out and support you. But in order to do that you'll need to sell your idea to them and get them interested. Whether you're pitching to a class, to Indiegogo, or just to your friend; It is important you learn how to pitch.

First off, you don't want to bore them with the details. If you're pitching, think about the bigger picture. Introduce your character, what their goal is, what's the conflict, and how do they go about resolving it. You don't have to give too much away, but you want there to be enough that people get the general idea and get interested in it. Don't start going into details and scenes, keep it short. Most people are usually busy and can lose interest pretty quick, so if you start dragging it out, you might start losing them. Imagine if you went to the movie store, picked up a movie, and on the back it had a long paragraph explaining "this awesome shot where the robot flips the truck over and everyone's like 'aaahhhh'"

A good way to practice is watch other pitch videos. Find which ones you like and try to understand why they work and why the other ones didn't. Ask yourself what about the pitch interested you. Read summaries on IMDB and such. See how they summarize the stories. For good practice, think of a movie you like and try to summarize it up in 3 minutes or less. Compare it to the "official" summary.

Next up is confidence. You need to have just the right amount of it. It's really easy to get carried away with "this really amazing idea" you have that you overlook it's flaws, especially if it's a recent thought. Sit on it for a while, ask other people their opinions, and LISTEN to what they have to say.

Once you've calmed down a bit, grab a timer and practice your pitch. No one wants to hear a stuttering pitch. Know what you want to say and how you want to say it. It will help you with confidence as well if you know your pitch by heart. (record and study your pitch if necessary)

Sell your pitch. I know I said not to be overly enthusiastic with your film, and I still stand by it. It's a careful balance you'll need to have. A good product will sell itself, but you also need to show everyone that you are invested in it, and that you will put all your efforts into it. If don't sell your product, no one's going to buy it.

Finally, be ready for rejection. Not all of your pitches will end well, and there are various factors that go into it. It could just be who you were selling it too doesn't have a particular interest, or might feel like the production is too big. Stay confident in your pitch, listen to the critiques people give, and refine it into a gem. If it's good, then someone will recognize it. Also doesn't hurt to have a little bit of luck on your side so, best of luck everyone!