IMP Pitches

IMP Pitches

As part of my media course, we have the amazing opportunity to create two short films as part of a IMP (Initial Major Project). However, before we could start on the nitty gritty of pre-production, we first had to do two pitches. The first, are film idea and the second for the role we wanted to fill during the production. In this review I will pick apart both of my pitches in order to find out what I did well at and what could be improved.

First things first, why is pitching important? Say you have an incredible idea for a film. You have put time, effort, blood sweat and tears into fine tuning your creation until it is sear perfection! However, you don't posses the £15 million price tag which your master piece needs to see the light of day. So you decide upon going to the big studios and pitching your idea as well as yourself, because of course you want to director your magnum opus. However, you walk into the board room in tatey clothes, hair all over the place and a slightly concerning Oder coming from your direction. You stand there and babble on for 30 minutes, filling 40% of that time with umms and ahhs. When you finally stop talking, you are left looking at 3 bored and bewildered faces. They thank you for your time and send you on your way. You wait for a call back which never comes. Put simply, a good pitch can be, and will be, the difference to you landing that deal, getting that dream job or selling your movie. A good pitcher can get him/herself anywhere in life.

Film Pitch

So back to me. The first pitch we undertook was that for are film idea. I was fortunate enough to fall in love with my idea after spending many hours hand crafting the story and characters. Personal for experience I find it much easier to pitch a product or project you really care about. When your not, it can be hard to get truly enthusiastic and get everyone in the room as excited as you are. This leads me onto a key point of pitching. No one is as excited about your project as you! You need to work to get them there. Keeping this in mind was really helped me.

The pitches were all filmed so that we could review them later. Here is the video Film Pitch- Off The Wall Video.

Overall I feel the pitch is of a high quality. It keeps to the point of the film, explaining it's bible based background as well as going into depth about the story and characters. There is good eye contact and I am not locked into one place like a statue. However, I do not come across as too energetic which would take away from what I was saying. I feel the style of communication is also good for a pitch environment as it's not to formal, keeping it friendly and relate-able, but still informational. 

The big thing I feel that could be improved is that I doubt myself and that sometimes comes out in the pitch. When you second guess something you have just said, having to ask whether or not it's accurate, it raises doubts in the minds of the people listening. Second Key point of pitching: Doubt kills ideas! If your wannabe investors doubt the project, they are likely not back you. It goes back to my earlier point: How you act towards, not just your project but yourself, can sway the outcome. 

In review, I feel it was a good pitch. It kept to the point while giving a good amount of detail about the film. Furthermore, the film was indeed picked to be produced. If that isn't the sign of a successful pitch I do not know what is.

Role Pitch

 Are second pitch was for the role we wanted to fill during the production. As my idea was the one of the two which are being produced I had my heart set on directing it. After all, I had a vision for the film ever since pen first hit paper. Also, I have experience in directing a narrative so I felt well suited to the job.

The big different between the previous pitch and this one was your not trying to 'sell' an idea of project. You are having to sell yourself! That is a much more daunting task. This pitch is a glorified job interview where you have to state your strengths and experience. This is hard for many as finding positives about yourself, looking inward and saying "yes I am an amazing camera-op" can be a challenge. Much like a CV, it's all about putting forwards your best bits, not the negative. Here in lays a key skill which is difficult for some, to easy for others. If you don't believe in your ability why should the people you are talking too. This doesn't mean be cocky, just confident.

Again, the pitches were filmed for later review- Role pitch video.

Similar to the film pitch, I felt it was a good pitch. However, I do not think it was as effective. I missed out some very key points. The biggest being examples of past work and examples of who I dealt with problems which have raised on set. Not including these points could have, and maybe did, raise the dreaded D word, doubt. Saying something and having tangible evidence are two very different things. In hindsight I would have liked to include more interactive examples: hand-outs, a mock up of the poster for the film and a short show reel like video highlighting my best work.