A verbal movie or tv pitch — or any creative pitch — should be short, sweet, and easy.
If you’re reading this then you’ve probably finished multiple books, scrolled way too many articles, and watched an eye-bleeding amount of Youtube “experts”. You’re tired of pitching your ideas and receiving the deadly “hmm… neat.”
No more! I’m happy to present a process that is easy, works well, and doesn’t require you to have a masters degree is presentations.
This process is specifically for verbal pitches, but the ideas within it can apply to any style of pitch.
The Simple Pitch
I’ll elaborate more below. But for the impatient readers, here is the outline.
What is the logline/concept? Who is the character? What is their Want and Need? (One minute of pitch)
How do they go about it? What’s the basic story? (One minute of pitch)
Why should you be the person to make this? (30 seconds)
Can you do actually pull this off? (30 seconds)
The 3-Minute Rule
Good news: The science is in and the best pitches are 3 minutes long.
It truly is a Tiktok world we live in.
After many many pitches and a lot of research, I’ve found that Brant Pinvidic’s book The 3-Minute Rule is one of the best. Like most of “the best”, the rule is so simple that it can be shared in an article.
The book is worth reading for its many examples and wide application. Brant is one of the best pitchers in Hollywood — focusing on Reality TV — and he’s now made a name for himself helping everyone else who needs to pitch themselves. Apparently everyone from entrepreneurs to artists are pretty bad at it!
However, even though Brant works in TV, he doesn’t go into the specifics of how to pitch a story. As in, a movie or TV show.
So, after playing around with his format and pitching myself, I’ve decided to share what works for me.
The Pitch Expanded
I most recently used this to pitch a feature film to a producer. It’s in early stages, so I intentionally kept a lot of details vague. However, this also works for fully fleshed out ideas. The important thing is that the pitch is kept short and sweet at the beginning, giving the recipient enough information to understand everything without getting bogged down in details.
Then, once they’re excited, you spend the next hour telling them all the fun details. But first, 3 minutes.
I’m not able to share the most recent pitch, so instead I’ll use a Hallmark-style film I’m shopping around as an example.
What is the Logline/Concept? Who is the Character? What is their Want/Need?
This is the first minute. It gives the pitchee a big picture of your idea. It should be simple enough that they could turn around and pitch the details to their boss/friend/partner.
Logline: When an eco-friendly architect wins a spot on her favourite home renovation show’s Christmas special, she must choose between the flashy TV host and a kind-hearted heritage carpenter. It’s HGTV meets Hallmark!
Character: Sofia works for a big, flashy architect firm. Passionate about green, sustainable designs, she doesn’t fit in with her cut-throat coworkers. Even worse, her love life is falling apart. Three guys, all of whom she was was positive were platonic friends, propose to her on the same day. When her friend secretly signs her up for a home renovation show, Sofia has a chance to show off her designs, fix her house, and maybe even find love.
How do they go about it? What’s the Basic Story?
Next minute. Even if you have the whole idea, keep it to the beginning, middle, and end. A sentence each is ideal. Don’t overload your poor audience. Make sure to highlight (or hint at) how your character will change by the end.
The Story: Sofia, our unappreciated architect, believes that relationships are supposed to be complicated. But when her three male friends propose to her on the same day, she begins to wonder what she’s doing wrong.
Her fortunes change when she wins a spot on the Christmas special of a home renovation show, hosted by her dream man, Ace Fixem. Ace and Sofia hit it off, but there is opposition from Ace’s co-host (who also happens to be his ex-wife). Things get complicated when the show hires a kind-hearted heritage carpenter, who strongly disagrees with the show’s plans for the historical house.
Sofia has to decide between spending Christmas with the flashy, complicated TV host, or the simple, down-to-earth carpenter.
Will Sofia be spending Christmas with the flashy, complicated TV host, or the simple, down-to-earth carpenter?
Why should You be the person to make this?
30 seconds. Is this based on a true story from your life? What is the inspiration and why are you excited about it? Why will this be a success?
Why me: My co-writer and I have a real soft spot for Hallmark films. However, these romantic comedies have been getting a lot less comedic lately. We set out to write a Christmas Romantic Comedy that would be full of actual comedy — something that would appeal to both lovers of the genre and those who are forced to watch them all Christmas.
Can You Do It?
30 seconds. Are you qualified? This is the logistics. In my latest pitch this is where I quickly mentioned the possible budget, number of locations and actors, and idea of where to film it. Keep this simple. The idea is to reassure the pitchee that you know what you’re talking about.
Can I: This is written for a low-budget production, can be filmed in Vancouver (where many such films are set), and we can use studios and set dressing for most scenes.
How Do I End My Pitch?
You just stop talking. I like to say the name of the movie sometimes. For this last pitch I literally said, “And that’s the movie.”
In the above book, Brant is passionate about NOT ending with anything clever. Don’t remind them that you’re pitching. Don’t “invite them on this journey” or try to be cute. Quit talking and let them get excited about the idea.
What Comes Next?
Usually you spend the next 30 minutes or so discussing the idea. The pitch turns into a conversation (which is ideal) and you can answer questions and get excited together and say “yes” a lot. Hopefully the producer will contribute their own ideas and say stuff like “I can already picture the scene!”.
This is when you can really get into the details about all the ideas and character. The foundation has been established and now you can build something together.
Good luck pitching! Let me know how it goes.