Guest Column ‘HTWFA’ | #36 How to pitch your project

People have been selling things to people since the serpent sold Eve the apple. As much as most of us dislike it, writers have to sell their wares as well, and the pitch is the way we do it.

I don’t script my pitches. If I’m selling a series concept I base the pitch on my presentation or bible. If I’m selling a film idea I use my outline.

Anything you can do to get the buyer to visualise and like your idea is fair game. Having artwork or a short video can help. If you don’t have them don’t worry about it.

The most important thing about pitching is to be prepared. Sitting in front of someone and reading your idea off the page is no way to get them excited. To really sell someone on your idea you want them to not only get the story, but to be as enthusiastic about it as you are. The way to do this is to be spontaneous, and the way to be spontaneous with your pitch is to go over it until it becomes second nature. Don’t memorise it, just know it. This will not only allow you to relax and feel confident but will give you the freedom to really get into your pitch and act it out. You must communicate the excitement of your story and characters. If it’s dramatic, say it dramatically. If it’s comedy, be funny. Put emotions into your pitch. Be enthusiastic. Bring it to life. You want the buyer to feel your passion.

Another important thing to remember is to pay attention to the person to whom you’re pitching. This will help ensure your ideas get across. Watch their reactions and facial expressions. You want to spot it quickly if they don’t understand something you’ve said.

After the pitch is over it’s important to be prepared for questions. You’ll always get them. It’s quite embarrassing when an exec asks a question you can’t answer. Know your project inside out. If it’s a series, know its intended audience and be prepared to pitch some story ideas.

When you’re through with your pitch, be prepared to leave something in writing. It’s best if the material you leave is a little more detailed than your pitch so that when they read it they are getting something new.

The last thing you need to know about pitching is the pass. A pass means “No, thank you!” Odds are, most of your pitches will be passed on. Don’t let this discourage you. It’s part of the game. Just because someone doesn’t like your idea doesn’t mean it’s not a great one. The classic Hollywood pass story is owned by none other than George Lucas. As I heard it, six of the seven major studios passed on Star Wars until Fox finally said yes. Good thing Lucas didn’t give up or we would never have enjoyed it, and he would never have become a billionaire.

Pitching is like shoving nickels into a slot machine. You’re going to go through a lot of rolls until you hit a jackpot. The answer is to just keep pitching. The more you create and the more you pitch the better chance you’ll have of selling something.

(Jeffrey Scott has written over 700 animated and live-action TV and film scripts for Sony, Warner Bros., Disney, Marvel, Universal, Paramount, Columbia, Big Animation, Hanna-Barbera and others. His writing has been honoured with three Emmys and the Humanitas Prize. He is author of the acclaimed book, How to Write for Animation. To work with Jeffrey visit his website at www.JeffreyScott.tv.)

Read other articles from this series:

#1 The difference between live-action and animation writing

#2 Tools of the Trade

#3 It all begins with a premise

#4 The secret to developing your story

#5 Finding the scenes that Must be there

#6 How to write an outline

#7 How to easily transform your outline into script

#8 A brief introduction to script writing

#9 How long should your scenes be?

#10 How to (and NOT to) edit your writing

#11 How to write description