Screenwriting, Networking and Pitching Workshop

Philip Shelley & Phil Gladwin are once again running their intensive two day screenwriting course in London on Feb 4th & 5th, and in Belfast on March 24th & 25th. They are also running a one day 'Pitching' masterclass in London on Saturday March 10th.

You can find all the information about the courses and how to book here:

http://www.screenwritinggoldmine.com/screenwriting-workshops

http://www.screenwritinggoldmine.com/how-to-pitch

Special guests lined up for London include Ben Stoll, Head of Development at C4, and Matt Bouch, Producer of Being Human and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Special guests lined up for Belfast include Vanessa Haynes, Development Producer at Kudos NI, and Terry Cafolla, lead writer on Law & Order UK.

LSF 4: Hollywood Pitching

Festival Sunday. I was tired. Already. Even with not being there on the Saturday and with getting an extra hour in bed because of the clocks moving. So I missed the first session of the day. It was a shame, but I actually felt the physical benefits as the day wore on compared to last year. So the first session I attended, and wasn't going to miss, was this one. Moderated by Jonathan Newman and attended by David Reynolds and Stuart Hazeldine, it was a great session and insight into the life of a jobbing writer who has to pitch a lot, especially relevant to working in LA, but still applicable here too. (As ever, these are my paraphrased notes and apologies to those involved if there are any mistakes.)

How did you first get into the industry?

DR – Got a staff job on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Wrote some sketches and got hired. Went back to LA, tried to get on a sitcom, and his agent said do you wanna go over to Disney for a couple of weeks and do some punching up on scripts. And he fell into a career and six years and fifteen movies later with Disney and Pixar, here he is.

SH – Sold his first spec script, basically Die Hard on the London Underground, around the mid nineties. Got an agent, did some BBC work but realised he’d always be writing TV if he didn’t get a Hollywood agent and that’s not what he wanted to do. So went over there and got an agent in late nineties and has been pitching and doing assignment jobs since.

What makes a good pitch?

DR – Have a good idea. These days the pitch is 20 mins or less. And people will leave the room or pick up the phone after 20 mins. You need enthusiasm, get your point across. A lot of execs want to know the end first. They'll say just tell me how it ends. It’s counter intuitive to writers because we like to tell stories, and build up to the end which will hopefully be surprising and satisfying etc – and they just want to cut to it. It’s then hard to do an enthusiastic pitch to go back to the beginning of the story and pitch it knowing they know the end. But be flexible.

SH – Try to hold as much back though as you can. So maybe don’t say the guy dies, just say it’s a tragedy, or it ends badly, something a bit more vague. And just to show you nobody knows anything the pitches he’s sold have all run longer than 20 mins and he tends to pitch in more detail than most. Stores up a lot of energy and gives it his all so he’s exhausted by the end of it. And it works for him. If that’s your personality then go with it. But still have a strong antennae for when their attention is waning. Be prepared for anything and any level of rudeness. The exec might leave and you’re just left pitching to their assistant.

What should and shouldn’t be included in the pitch?

DR – A lot of the time they know what you’re going to come in and pitch because it’s an assignment or you know they are looking for something specific. Sense the pitch moment to moment to get a feel for how they are responding. But pace it out. Don’t be 20 mins in and you’re still on Act One. Practice it. With friends etc. Good tip, if you’re doing action, set up one sequence in some detail, and then when you get to the next key one just say it will be like that but better and bigger! You don’t have to get it all out there.

JN – Rehearsing the pitch is brilliant and crucial. Went to LA with a project he’s working on with a producer and beforehand they were in London and the producer said okay pitch it to me. And they did this like ten times. So all the mistakes were made in a little café in London and not in the room in LA.

SH – Don’t mention the location of the script unless it’s vital to the story. And don’t pitch with dialogue, unless it’s something like ‘I see dead people.’ Make sure whatever you’re pitching is really germane to the understanding of the story. He always practices, writing it out, then doing it without having that in front of him, and so on. You go in, have a few moments of pleasantries, and then you’re off. Need to frame it in some way, be it with genre or hook them in with something, be it an intriguing character or action set piece, whatever. Try to pace it out around 5 mins for each act. And state it “and then in Act Two…” and, “and then around the middle” so they know where you are in the movie. At the end they’ll have questions – and of course answer every single one no matter how long it takes. Then frame things at the end more directed towards marketing. Now they know what the story is you can say this is why the movie should be made now and there’s a really strong audience for this, etc. You’re telling them how to sell it to their boss.

How do you know if the person in the room doesn’t like your pitch and what do you do if that’s the case?

DR – Sunglasses on, taking calls, scrolling a blackberry. You know if they’re not into this. It’s like trying to pick up someone in a bar and you know if they are into it or not. If it’s going badly you start to bail. You don’t go just forget it and walk out. Finish it, but get it done as quickly as possible. Wrap it up.

SH – Just to play devil’s advocate, sometimes the guy who seems the most bored ends up buying it. Conversely sometimes the guy who seems the most enthusiastic is just going through the motions. So read the signs but don’t be too effected by it. And when they buy something don’t delude yourself that you know what they are buying. You pitched it so you assume they are buying what they heard and they love what you love about the story, and it might not be true. When they offer to buy something call them up again and ask what they like about the story. Not to be combative. But let’s say you were pitching a whole story because of one character and they buy it and you get to the 2nd draft and they say we like it but do we need this character. And you think if they take that character out you won’t be able to continue writing it. That character was the main thing that interested you but they see it as superfluous. So try and establish that early rather than going through 12-24 months of hell.

Speed/elevator pitching – have you done it, what do you do?

DR – It’s tricky because every now and then you’re be working on a spec, let’s say with Will Ferrell in mind, and you might meet him and he’s like hey what’s going on and you’re like working on a story, you know, about a guy and you’re resisting the temptation to say you, you, you. It’s really tough. Some people can do it and say I’m working on this thing right in your ballpark and we should get together some time to talk about it. Or you do it like this. I’m working on something and it would be great for Steve Carell, and all of sudden Ferrell will be like, really, what it is, send it up this way. You have to know who you are talking to but you can do it. But you’ve got to be careful.

Who are you most likely to be pitching to?

DR – It’s case by case. If you are pitching to a studio and you are new, you’re going to be pitching to the person on the lowest rung of the ladder. Who’s usually 12. And that’s just the way it is. And hopefully when you get more successful you’ll move up the ranks. If you’re pitching to a producer, you might pitch to his number one guy. And you’ve got to sell it to him. And these people will sit in the room and just write. You might only see the top of their heads. Because what they have to do is go back to their boss and tell them the pitch. It’s really unnerving and tough.

What do you think about using other material alongside the pitch, like visual aids?

DR – Has been on pitches that have visual aids. If you’re pitching a specific location you can have pictures, especially on ipads or whatever. Or maybe some small story board type things. But be sensible with it of course. Leave the easel and fog machines at home. If you can have something you can readily unfold and bring out of a briefcase it might help. If it’s something that helps sell the story it can be very strong.

Pitch Your Script To The Industry With Advance Films

You may have already heard about this as I'm sure a few of us got the same press release. But just in case... and don't forget to do your own checking:

Get ready to pitch your script to the most influential people in film with David Pope, the director of advance films, whose directing credits include the award winning feature film, MILES FROM NOWHERE. Advance films have teamed up with online writing platform, Circalit, to host a screenwriting competition to find great ideas for film scripts. As the former head of the New Producers Alliance, David knows the who’s who of the industry, and he will get your pitch up to speed so that you’re ready to be introduced to a network of contacts tailored to your project. David will help you position your screenplay for the industry and recommend to you the producers and executives who are just right for you.

Advance films is a London based production company that also provides training, support and consultancy services. Advance consults on projects at all stages from development to finance to distribution and David’s clients and collaborators have included everyone from the BBC, BFI and the UK Film Council to the Cannes Cinefondation, The Rotterdam Lab and Edinburgh International Film Festival; so make the most of his experience to get your script pitch perfect.

All entries will receive a professional feedback report on their script. The deadline for submissions is Dec 1st 2011. Please visit www.circalit.com/projects/competitions/davidpope for more information.

£15 Entry Fee

Pitching & Bitching

Last Wednesday a group of Red Planet Prize finalists met up at Kudos HQ, together with Tony Jordan, Alison Jackson, Simon Winstone, Vicki Delow and Camilla Davies from those two companies. We were taking part in a pitching workshop, a chance to hone our pitching skills, something screenwriters absolutely need to do, but don't often get the chance. I've often said that practicing pitching, for example with friends or even at college, is a lot like taking penalties in training. No pressure - no problem. But in front of a packed stadium - well, did you see Rooney hilariously fall on his butt last week? However this was somewhat different - as the practice session was taking place in front quite a panel of industry experts.

We weren't there to pitch our own projects, it wasn't about that on this occasion. So the brief we got was to pitch Hustle, as if it was our own idea and a completely brand new show, and yes... to the man who actually created it. And then that same man would give us feedback. No wonder pretty much everyone asked for a drink before we got started. But we all did a really good job and it was both great fun and really educational. After we were done, Tony gave us a few tips based on his years of experience. And I'm sure he won't mind me sharing some of them with you guys. (NB: These are my interpretations of his words and the notes we were given - and should not be directly attributed to Tony Jordan or anyone at Red Planet or Kudos.)

Think about who you are sitting in front of. Some like the more conversational, relaxed approach, whereas others will still want a back and forth conversation, but might be a little more focused and business like (for want of a better word.) A lot of this comes from experience, but try and do as much research on the person you are about to meet beforehand and obviously pay attention to their body language during the meeting.

Be a Writer. Be the creative guy. Just because you’re going into a corporate office to meet a business person it doesn’t mean you have to turn up in a suit with a briefcase. They want to meet you because you are a writer. Keep it informal, relaxed and be yourself. My own rather more limited experience suggests that this is truer of TV than it is for film, (especially in LA, as you may have seen in my write up of the Alan Denman lecture.) In film they still expect you to dress like Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network, but possibly expect a more business like approach.

One of the questions I hate the most is Why Now? How is the idea relevant to the times we are living in now? This can be really tricky, but it's important and sometimes easier than others. Ironically enough, just as it's coming to an end, Hustle is more timely than ever. But whatever the idea is, work very hard to have an answer to this question prepared before you go into the meeting.

Don’t overkill the idea. A pitch should be able to convey the heart and soul of a series within the first 30 seconds. You want to make the listener ask questions to find out more. Keep it clear and brief. There’s no need to go into details about episodes, the twists and turns of the series - or even the characters - unless you have a concise, clever, universal way of doing it. (For example a couple of people at the workshop likened the characters of Hustle to modern day Robin Hoods - Mickey is Robin, Danny is Will Scarlet, Stacey is Marion etc, which is archetypal and everyone will 'get it' immediately.)

Own the idea - it’s yours. Don’t read anything out. Keep it fresh and spontaneous. Exude confidence and passion for your idea. Frames of reference provide instant clarity. It’s often better to give singles references to convey the tone (for example Tony mentioned a few times that Hustle was basically Ocean's Eleven on TV,) instead of merging two or three together, eg. ‘Sex in the City’ meets ‘Spooks.’ That can look like quite calculated and unimaginative. (Again this is quite a British thing - I'm led to believe that they love all that this is this meets this thing in the States.)

Bear in mind Broadcasters are looking for ideas that will meet the specific channel requirements at that specific time. You love the idea, and you’ll try to get them excited about it too, but if it’s not for them it's neither the end of the world, nor is it necessarily any reflection of the project itself. It's more important to just enjoy the experience and keep the door open for the future. So whatever you do, do not try to persuade them this project IS for them when they have said it isn't. That's like saying they haven't been smart enough to get it, or they are being an idiot. That's not very clever - and in any event, no way are they going to change their mind (even if it's just on principle!) Just accept they are not interested. Be gracious because it's a small industry where everyone knows everyone and talks. So it’s worth building and maintaining a good reputation.

If it looks like the broadcaster is bored and is thinking oh my goodness this is rubbish, don’t be afraid to stop halfway through and acknowledge this. In fact, maybe the idea has only been in your head until now and saying it loud has made you realise oh my goodness this is rubbish. Fess up. Be open and light hearted. They will thank you for it and want to see you again. As opposed to if you keep going on and on. Next time your name comes up in their diary don't be surprised if you end up seeing an assistant. (The caveat to this is to be absolutely sure about what they are thinking. That can be tough but what you don't want is to end the pitch or say oh that's rubbish isn't it - and actually they were quite into it.) But if they have lost interest and don’t want to know any more, use the few spare minutes to have a chat and build a relationship. This particular idea may not be for them but you want to leave the door open, so use the small talk wisely.

And during that small talk try to glean useful information. What are they are looking for? At what stage do they like to get involved in an idea? Do they like loglines? Fully formed treatments? How do they like to receive pitches, post or email? (So down the line you can send an email or a letter and reference ‘you know you said you liked X, well here’s my new idea... etc.)

Pitch For FREE Online With Talent Circle

I've been a bit slow on the uptake on this but it's a great initiative spearheaded by Lucy together with Talent Circle. Pitching, writing loglines and a synopsis is a skill in itself that almost bears no relation to writing a script. But like most things they share this in common - the more you practice the better you get. Here are the details:

Want to pitch for FREE, online?

First you need to register with Talent Circle (this is free).

To place a pitch on the bulletin, there are a few things you need to know first. First off, we've introduced some guidelines for pitches. We ask that all pitches follow this format:

1) Title

2) Genre

3) Format (ie. short, feature, web series, treatment, etc)

4) Logline (25-30 words max)

5) Short Synopsis (60-100 words maximum)

6) Writer Bio (2 short sentences max – ie. Credits? Projects? Screenwriting MA? Blog URL? Etc)

In order to pitch, you need to post to the NOTICEBOARD. Here's how you do it:

1) Log in and create a "submit a posting"

2) Select "Notice (or just about everything else)"

3) Choose your email response.

3) Fill in the details (remembering the guidelines above please!)

4) Under "classification" choose "Script Pitch" - Submit and you're done!

FYI - We ask that writers only submit two pitches a day and to check their pitches have gone up BEFORE submitting duplicate postings. If for any reason your pitch is declined in the first instance, we will give a reason why and a second opportunity to submit.

LAST OF ALL:

Writers pitching on the bulletin are expected to be looking to connect with other writers, producers, directors, etc and to welcome communication from colleagues. However, if YOU are offering constructive criticism to writers on their pitches, please be aware of the TONE and CONTENT of your messages! Excessive negativity/confrontational attitudes to pitches placed on the site are NOT WELCOME and will be not be tolerated by Talent Circle.

GOOD LUCK!

Please pass this great FREE opportunity on to all your writing friends.

Fever Pitch (Page)

The DOUGH pitch page has entered the public domain (cue scary music)

Feast your beady eyes here

Some info

A couple of pieces of info that came to my attention today:

1) A Networking event, good value for a fiver I think.

19:30 BAFTA / ROCLIFFE NEW WRITING FORUM
Princess Anne Theatre, 195 Piccadilly - Thursday 13 November
BAFTA and Rocliffe are delighted to announce that David Parfitt, the highly acclaimed, BAFTA and Oscar-winning producer of Shakespeare in Love, I Capture the Castle, Much Ado About Nothing, The Madness of King George, and forthcoming feature A Bunch of Amateurs, will co-chair the BAFTA / Rocliffe New Writing Forum on 13 November. David is the Chairman of BAFTA, and before moving into film production, worked as an actor and theatre producer.

Pricing Information:
Public £5
BAFTA members Free

Click here for more information


2) - SON OF THE PITCH - DEADLINE EXTENDED - DEADLINE EXTENDED -
We are extending the deadline for our pitch competition, so now you've got another two weeks to get those film ideas to us...

Deadline EXTENDED to17.00pm (GMT) Friday 14th November 2008

Click here for more details.

Son of the Pitch

It doesn't seem that long since the Screenwriters' Festival last July, but I got this email today:

"As the year hurtles to it's inevitable end we are starting to gear up and begin prep on the Screenwriters' Festival 2009. Tickets will go on sale in November so we are now starting the more popular than ever pitching competition, which this year we are calling 'The Son of the Pitch', yes it's a little b-movie-ish but we like it.

Once again we want you to send us your movie or tv ideas so that you can win the opportunity to pitch your idea live to a panel of leading industry professionals. Oh and you get to do in front of all the other delegates too. So whether your idea is about vampires, princesses, ratmen or whatever, send them to us. Click Here to find out all the entry information as well as the rules and regulations.

SWF'08's pitch winners Martin Gunn, Simon Sayce and Elena Fuller have all had a little push in their careers thanks to them taking part in the competition and pitching live on stage. Their ideas were chosen out of over 1,600 entries from over 1,200 entrants, and then chosen from the ten live pitches. This could, and will, happen to you if your idea is chosen...
So, get those ideas in starting from Monday 8th September at 17.00pm (GMT).. The closing date is Friday 31st October 17.00pm (GMT) so you've got almost two full months to get your entries into us."

The deadline is quite a bit earlier than last year (I think it was February!) so there is no time to waste. Of course this is one competition whereby winning might not be for everyone - having to pitch in front of so many people is pretty scary! During my MA, three producers were invited in and we would take it in turns to pitch to them.

Beforehand, we had a practice session in groups and with a tutor. And I sucked. Big time. But I consoled myself with the theory that practicing pitching is like taking penalties in training, i.e. it doesn't really matter because there is no pressure so what's the point anyway. I was sure that when the real thing came along I would rise to the occasion, wowing the producers with both my pitch and charisma.... And I sucked again.

Formal pitching is certainly not as big here than in the US, but it's still a useful thing to be able to do. I'm a little better at it now, although still not great, but when I do network and get talking to people, I am able to get out a couple of lines about a project. Well, it's a start. And hopefully you can always follow it up with an email and phone call. For example, I approached one of the producers who came into college some time later and assured her that my script was better than my awful pitch. To her credit, she believed me, and read it! It didn't come to anything at the time but she has read another script of mine since, being quite complimentary about both, and we continue to keep in touch.

So I would urge everyone to get involved with this competition. You never know. And although winning might actually be worse than not, ultimately, you'll get over the fear and really benefit from the exposure. (Well I say that now but of course if I am lucky enough to be one of the ten you'll be able to see me shaking a mile off.) But as I always say, you gotta be in it to win it.

Good luck everyone!

**Appendix**

Check out Mr Arnopp's excellent post on last year comp and some great tips on the black art of pitching!