Screenwriting : How to pitch a screenplay in two minutes or less, the David J. Liberman way. by David Liberman

Now, I know you guys must be thinking, "Who the hell is this dude and why should I believe him?!!" Well, to make it easy, you don't have to read any further, but if you are curious, this is my easy appraoch to pitching a screenplay with a two minute producer window. I have done this at least thirty or so times in all kinds of pitch meetings with agents and producers. I highly recommend you practice with a friend a few times before heading out and trying this on a professional industry person. There are two different types of pitches that are done in less than two minutes. 1. The Elevator Pitch. It is called this, simply because of the possibility that you may walk into an elevator and holy sweet bejesus! There's Steven Spielberg! You have thirty seconds before he gets off on the next floor. what are you gonna do?! (For those who are curious, this actually happened to me with palak Patel, big Hollywood producer and president of Roth Films [Oz the Great and Powerful, Snow White]. I met him in a hallway and pitched my script. To this day we are acquaitances. He knows my name, when it's spoken.) Okay, so you've got 30 seconds. First, introduce yourself. Be cordial, be easy going, Try not to look like a serial killer as you approach. Next say, Hi Mr. Spielberg. I loved your movie _______(fill in blank movie here). If you don't mind I'd like to tell you about this ___(exciting/funny/dramatic/tear jerker)__ new script I just completed and I think it would be in your wheelhouse (Industry term meaning "what you do") IF he says yes, continue. If he says no, don't pout. Just move on. So, assuming he said yes, continue with... YOUR LOGLINE!!!!! Make it clear. Make it concise. Make it punchy and memorable. If he likes it he'll give you an email address where to send it. Now, assuming he read the script and liked the writing and his assistant gives you a call saying he wants to meet you. This is called a GENERAL MEETING. More often than not, he doesn't want your script, but he took notice of your writing and he wants to what else you've got. These are the majority of the meetings I have. The producer(s) read a feature of mine and they want to meet. Why? They want to see if you are personable and if they can even work with you... OH YEAH! and they want to know what other screenplays you have. You have to understand, us writers have a bad reputation for being introverts and aloofs. Producers are anything but. They are players. They are talkers. They love to shmooze. So, this is where you must break out of you shell and become Mr. Congeniality. So, now you are in the office of Mr. Spielberg. The total meeting will be anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes, depending on whether you guys hit it off or not. It goes like this: Minutes 1-5 - Bullshit about everything and nothing. Where you live. His latest movie. What a nice office he has. Did you go on a vacation this year, etc etc. Minutes 5-7 - Pitch your script. Minutes 8-10, wrap it up. Shake hands. Part ways. This leads to those imoprtant two minutes. I keep it simple and concise and quickly hit the bullet points, following a standard/classic three act structure. Don't and I mean DON'T use technical term from screenwriting books. 99% of the producers haven't read them and they are interested in you quoting Blake Snyder. Start with your logline, and then jump into it. "Okay, so we open with________________. Where we meet our hero/heroine________________, who is a ___________. When suddenly______________________ Now he/she is forced to decided to ____________, but then ultimately enlists/signs up/goes on adventure (etc etc) Then in _______ he/she meets up with________, our love interest..." etc etc You see where I'm going with this? Keep it simple and concise. Elaborate only on the parts that are "cinematic", what are known as "set pieces" that means big exciting scenes. The car chase, the fight sequence, the cute meet, etc etc. The reason you only have two minutes is that you may have a few scripts to pitch and you hpe Mr. Spileberg will be taken by one of them enough to read it. But, and I cannot stress this enough, be the guy/girl they want to work with. Leave the office like you have just made a new friend. Of my thirty minutes with Circle of Confusion, we spent 5 talking about my scripts and twenty five talking about Cartagena, Colombia, where he is leaving to film and where I was on vacation last year. I told him what to eat, drink, where to go,what to see, what to do... In respoinse he's now read two of my scripts and we are looking for a project to do together. Why? Because he likes being in a room with me. Anyway, these are just my ramblings. feel free to add to them or debunk them. It's all good.