In 2020, we were chosen to be in the top 6 winning films for the Vancouver based Crazy8s film festival. For the first step in this process, you are required to submit a 3 minute pitch video. Below is an outline, based on what worked for us, that you can use to structure your own, hopefully award-winning, pitch.
What Is Crazy8s?
According to their site, “Crazy8s is a contest is an 8-day talent incubator and challenge that provides funding and support to emerging filmmakers to help them produce a short film.”
You need to be based in British Columbia, Canada, preferably Vancouver to apply. Though they say it’s only 8 days, it actually took us about three months. There are classes and mentorships, a month of pre-production and then the marketing and other clean-up things. It is a time commitment, especially if you are producing, so make sure you have time to make this happen.
At the end you have a Hollywood-quality short film, which is amazing.
Who Am I?
I’m Kyle Siemens, a professional writer and producer. Though our project, called CRUMBS, is currently in it’s festival circuit and I can’t yet share it publicly we have a trailer and some behind-the-scenes that will give a great look into what the process was like.
My job was to co-write Crumbs. I helped take the vision from co-director’s Jessey & Cody Nelson and translate it to the page. Now I do this professionally, reading and providing coverage for over 100 scripts a month.
If you have an idea that you would like help pitching, or a script you want co-written or improved, please reach out here or on my website. Prices and contact info are all there. I love helping people realize their visions!
The Crazy8s Pitching Process
There are multiple stages to pitch to Crazy8s. To be clear, you do not need a script at the beginning. However, I’d highly recommend you have one.
You do not need a script. You only need a story.
The first stage is a 3 minute video pitch. This is filmed self-tape style. You look at the screen and introduce yourself, tell the story you hope to film, and end with why you should be the one to make it.
If you pass this stage you are in the Top 40. These 40 teams then pitch in person to the Crazy8s judges. This pitch is 5 minutes and live.
If you pass this stage you are in the Top 12. You then bring a script to a story editor who helps you make it the best it can be.
The script can be no longer than 10 pages.
After a few rounds of story editing they choose the Top 6 script. These 6 teams are then given $1000 and a bunch of sponsorship and mentorship to help them make their film.
The Biggest Two Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Did Crazy8s
- This is a time consumptive process, especially if you a producer. I had one student short film under my belt, but I ended up being woefully unprepared for the process. I highly recommend bringing on people who are experienced in the process.
- This will cost more than $1000. I don’t know how it’s possible to make anything for 1K , even with sponsorship. Our crew was completely volunteer, we had our hot meals donated, and almost all our equipment was free and the film still cost us ~$10,000. Things like portable toilets, trucks, snacks, set decorations… it all adds up. Also, you are not allowed to fundraise publicly online.
The 3 Minute Outline
I’d advise copying the below into a document and filling out the answers. There will be more than you need, but if you can answer these questions you will have all the raw detail needed in order to make a killer pitch. I have included bullet points where I feel some clarification is helpful.
Here is a LINK TO OUR VIDEO PITCH. I have deconstructed it below and included a lot of the big questions we answered before we began. Our 5 minute pitch was similar, but went into more detail regarding the team.
Who Should Be In The Video?
“At least one Writer, Director or Producer must participate in the video pitch.” Our video was just Jessey speaking to the screen. We edited the video enough to be smooth, but there are not a lot of fancy visual effects.
What Is The Length?
“Video pitches longer than 3 minutes will not be accepted.”
The Actual Outline
Opening:
My name is…
- You must start with a slate that includes your name(s) and role(s), and the title of your project.
- Note: A slate here simply refers to you saying your information at the beginning of a self tape.
- Include any other important people that may be already attached to the project. Eg. Proposed lead actor, cinematographer, editor, etc.
YOUR FILM is the story of… (logline)
- There is a lot of info out there about loglines, but essentially this is a one sentence description of your story. Eg. Crumbs is the story of a young boy who summons an imaginary clown to help him deal with the traumas of life.
The genre is…
- Is this a true story? Horror comedy? Sci-fi romantic spoof on reality television?
It is similar to XXXX meets XXXX.
- Sometimes comparisons can be useful if your story is unusual. Crumbs was ‘Drop Dead Fred’ meets ‘Fight Club’. We also compared it to ‘The Babadook’ quite a bit.
I want to make this film because…
- This should be a very short, memorable reason that will catch the attention of the judges and invest them emotionally in the upcoming pitch.
Story Summary:
Beginning, middle and end of the story.
- Make sure you tell the entire story. There is no value in keeping the ending a mystery. Think of this as ‘storytime’ and it will be the most important part of your pitch video. You want the judges to sit back at the end of your story and think ‘Dang, I gotta see this film’.
The Ending Info:
- There are a too many questions below to fit in 3 minutes of info, but if you answer them I guarantee you will find the perfect words to end your pitch with. It’s all about leaving the judges feeling intrigued about your story and confident in you as a filmmaker.
Who are you? Why should you be the person directing/writing/producing?
What are your qualifications? What about you can you share that will give Crazy8s confidence?
- If you have never directed before, do you have a director on board? Producers? Writers? Finding these people will help a lot.
Do you have a team? A crew? Will you be able to find one? What are their qualifications?
- The most important people to have at the 3 minute pitch stage is the director, writer and at least one producer.
Why do I want to make this film?
What do you hope to achieve with this?
What is the theme/message?
If there is one thing people will remember about this story, what would that be?
What are the inspirations behind this story?
Why are you the only person that can make this story?
Why should Crazy8s pick you? How will they elevate you and your project?
THE END
Final Thoughts
You now have everything you need to start putting together the 3 minute pitch. If you answer all the questions you’ll probably have enough for the 5 minute pitch as well. Feel free to contact me or comment below if you have any questions.
Finally, I have included a few things below that came up during our pitching process that turned out to be important.
Advice on pitching:
- Film yourself standing up, this is usually better for energy.
- Feel free to edit the video, it doesn’t need to be one take.
- You can add special effects, pictures and supplementary stuff, but only do what is necessary to tell the overall story. Again, the story is the most important thing at this stage.
Your Qualifications:
- Crazy 8’s really wants to know you have the ability/crew to pull this off.
- If possible, include a short qualifier about yourself. Paint the picture of someone who can achieve this project.
- Include specific project names (ideally in the genre we’re talking about) that you have worked on or been involved with.
- Frame everything you talk about as a strength. Have experience as a manager at a restaurant? Talk about how that will translate into leadership experience on set.
Some Questions Crazy8s Asked Us That May Be Useful To Think About In Advance:
How will Covid effect your film?
- We filmed Crumbs in March 2021, just as the world was figuring out to operate with Covid. I hope you’re reading this and it’s no longer a problem, but if it’s around then you’ll definitely be asked about your plan.
Will you be able to make this production with limited resources?
- Crazy8s gives you $1000, which is an extremely small amount when it comes to making a movie, especially in Vancouver. You are not allowed to publicly fundraise (so no kickstarter). You can raise the money other ways though.
- Crazy8s is great for sponsorships, however this will not cover everything. Do you have connections in the film gear world? A house you can film in? Friends who know people? All of these are very good to mention.
What Are Your Locations?
- Are the places you want to film actually doable? We originally wanted a school, which everyone assured us was nearly impossible, especially in Covid times. Are you flexible with your locations?
Do Your Film Have Visual Effects?
- Our film was a horror movie and everyone wanted to know what the monster was going to look like. Will you need special effects? This will add on a lot of time. Will there be stunts? You need a stunt coordinator. Visual effects? You’ll need to find a good effects artist.
- Are there any other films that did similar visual effects to what you want to do?
- Stunts — it’s worthwhile to point that anything faster than a walk is a ‘stunt’, which means you’ll need a coordinator on set.
Are Your Film’s Ambitions Realistic?
- You only get three days to film. Does your film have ten locations? It’s probably not doable. Do you need to make a set that looks like the white house? It’ll be tough. Keep the locations to a minimum and the set dec simple and you’ll have a much better chance.
Our Pitch
Finally, here is our pitch again. THE CRUMBS PITCH!
- 30 second intro (who am I, logline, I want to make this script because…)
- 1:40 minute story
- 50 second inspiration/message/what do you hope to achieve
We also have behind-the-scenes if you want to get a better look at the process.
If you would like me to help you put together your pitch, give feedback on your script/pitch, or help co-write anything, I am available to hire. Find me at www.kylesiemens.com to find prices and to contact me!
Good luck. I hope I get to see your film.