Screenwriting : Is a Pitch Deck necessary? by Kim Louise

All depends. What route you're taking to sell the script? Is it through your manager? Agent? I would assume a pitch about the screenplay would still be necessary so the buyer can be privy what the story is about. Even an elevator pitch..

Kim Louise NO, it is not necessary and if you are selling yourself purely as a writer (ie. selling the script and not being a producer or director), it's also irrelevant as the writer's vision is to be translated to screen by the team a producer puts together. What is necessary is your log line, to be accompanied on request by a synopsis and the script. Best scenario is to have a literary agent submit for you.

Hi Kim, I've done lots of pitch decks for clients and most of them didn't include production info. Usually, they contain a logline, pitch, synopsis, theme, main character descriptions, season 1 breakdown if it's a series, and a moodboard. You can add vague info about shooting locations (e.g. hospital, NYC Café, etc.) if you want.

I tell ya, it's getting a little crazy out there. I talk to a lot of people on "the other side" so to speak and the whole concept of spec script > agent > studio seems to be dying fast and probably explains why so many people with reps aren't getting any traction despite years of being with them.

Anything at a studio level now seems to require writers to be thinking and acting like producers. People are turning to pitch decks, packets, proof of concepts, and a lot more because the last thing people want to do is read an actual script. They want a lot of the leg work doing for them so reading a script is irresistible. They want things like budget breakdowns, casting, locations, commercial arguments, powerful bios, short and long synopses, posters, videos, music suggestions.

It's certainly not the 90's anymore and too many people want it to be.

I'm against spending money on services that trade on hope but I do think writers who can find the time/money need to be looking at how they can gain a competitive advantage in this area, even if it's just making sure every script they write has a good synopsis to help sell it.

Kim - the simple answer to your question is 'no'. This is a person oriented industry - get out there, mix & mingle and develop some personal connections. (Or hide behind your computer screen.)

@CJ Yes, I have found this too.

As @CJ Walley says, things are getting crazy out there. Especially in the last 18 months, there is a marked increase, in my observation, in the practice of encouraging writers to spend money and develop scripts into full projects. It's in large part due to the expansion of unethical parasites who seek to profit on the dreams of writers. Unfortunately, the environment for writers is so very very competitive that many are willing to spend unreasonable amounts of money and time in hopes of getting that winning lottery ticket. That makes the whole industry less professional and more desperate, and creates with a sharper and wider line between professionals and amateurs (IMO). WHY WHY WHY would someone selling their SCRIPT try to package it and create the project itself as if you were the director and producer as well? In doing so, you by definition limit the potential of the project - because no one can UNSEE your choices for casting, production design, budget, etc. It's absolutely absurd. Those so-called "producers" who want writers to do this are either, or both, screwing with you, because they can or they are extremely and pathologically lazy.

Generally, not for film. For film, the pitch deck is the director's job. But sometimes, yes, for TV. Film is the director's realm. TV is the writer's realm. TV requires a showrunner. All showrunners are writers, producers, and directors so you need to be able to wear all the hats (unless you just want to work in a writers' room on someone else's show, of course). But if you're pitching a series, depending on a lot of factors (status, experience, credits, who you know, etc.) you might sell a show based of a single verbal pitch that casually shares your idea, get the deal, then be paid to write the pilot. Or you might sell a show in which you've written the pilot, the entire series bible, a pitch deck, and shot a short film proof of concept. But for film, less so. You want to attach a producer and director who will do all that stuff.

To clarify, I'm not saying all these platforms offering services to pitch/package/develop a script are all scams. ScriptHop for example is listening closely to the demands of studios and adjusting accordingly. Another example, Get It Made X, produce really high quality proofs of concept that have been developed with the assistance of working executives.

It all really comes down to where a writer wants to be and how much they are willing to invest in options to make it happen. Those aiming at low budget indie film need not worry too much but should look at creating synopses to go with any marketing of scripts. Those aiming at the studios and networks might need to start getting real. I think a lot of people are living in blissful ignorance here, dreaming that their script is going to fall into the hands of some fairy god mother executive. There are just so many projects further down the road that departments are looking at.

I also feel strongly that all screenwriters should be doing more to think like producers by educating themselves on how films are developed, pitched, financed, made, and distributed. There is really nothing to lose in doing this and I think it benefits a screenwriter at any level. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's an essential skillset to be able to develop and deliver scripts that are market orientated and logistically sympathetic. This is, in fact, my big push for 2022.

There are certainly some areas and working relationships that need to be brought into question. Pitch decks and show bibles seem to be universally tolerated if not despised entirely. They are irregularly laid out, overly glossy, and often full of complete garbage. Screenwriters being pushed by producers into effectively building pitches for their own projects without any sort of ownership partnership existing is really shady too. Then there's the whole pitching industry itself which can get really sketchy in places.

Producers expecting to see pitch decks? I dunno. Depends on the producer. Some are in the position to ask for top sheets, budget breakdowns, different length synopses, etc because their time is more valuable and they don't look at anything that isn't costed and/or broken down for them. As ever, it depends.

Those that still believe they are going to write that Goldilocks script, find that magic bullet, corner the right person in an elevator, have the produced film become a festival darling, and so on, are welcome to continue grumbling on the Internet while waiting for the stars to align.

@CJ Walley For the TV series I am trying to sell, producers, directors etc., even those in Greece, definitely expect to see a pitch deck as the first step. Having now added a feature to the line-up, I get the feeling that the TV approach is seeping into features as well. I.e. pitch deck and visuals are expected along with a synopsis, and they want a brief synopsis, not pages and pages (as used to be standard apparently).

On the other hand, a deck, in this context, is just the basic info with pictures added, so not necessarily that big a deal. So far, I have not had anyone expect budgets and other technical info.

Yeah, I generalised pitch decks a little too much in my last comment. There should always be a deck of information when pitching with the intent to produce and that can just be text docs, spreadsheets, picture collages etc. What matters is the content in terms of being a viable business proposition. The issue now is that people are having those ugly decks turned into glossy brochures seemingly thinking the presentation will compensate for poor content.

I don't think the average screenwriter has any idea just how laughable some of these are. I've seen pitch decks using the first Mad Max film (one of the most profitable films in history) as a case study. I've seen profit predications which assume a US theatrical run even as a worst case scenario. I've seen foreign reality TV stars touted as prestigious attachments. I've seen all this for a script that reads like a person's first attempt at writing based around a concept that was done to death thirty years ago.

I agree that it's coming from TV but it's also driven by what's effectively become a pitching industry. All the working low budget producers I know talk about these pseudo producers who spend their lives pitching big projects to studios/networks/streamers that never go anywhere. They are all trying to out compete one another in terms of look and feel in the hope of eventually getting those big bucks.

Hopefully more and more writers will see the step up into producing isn't as tough as it may look and the people they are desperately pitching too aren't that much more educated, experienced, and connected than them. The big issue we have right now is that writers aren't trying to see where they can fill a gap in the market and thus aren't producing material that's market orientated. They are copying what's there (often badly) and then wondering why there's hundreds ahead of them in the queue. Worse still, they are hooking their wagons to reps who don't know any better either.

It depends on what it is going to be used for. It is more relevant for TV shows but if it is a feature with a lot of world building and you have visuals it can be a nice addition when pitching. Some people adapt these to accompany their script and finance plan for features when looking for finance.

I agree with @Ewan most pitch decks are for either TV shows or for angel investors to see what they are putting money into, they are also called lookbooks for films. Less used for funding if from a studio, but a lookbook will still be used from a studio department.

@CJ Walley is absolutely right when he says it's become "a pitching industry." That It really is creative masturbation, IMO. Some people claim to have got something out of it, but that should properly be in sessions which are clearly labeled as educational only and not imply in any degree that the panel is looking for your project. Increasingly, advertising copy implies the latter and very soon it's going to cross the line into outright and open fraud (if it hasn't already). A few short years ago, a bunch of name and no-name casting directors in L.A. were charged, fined, and lost their CSA designations for attending paid sessions where actors would audition and read for them in hopes of impressing them enough to get a role. I believe the same should be done in this so-called "pitching industry".

I'm sure there's plenty of people who have seen success through pitching services. As a producer, I'm sometimes asked to sit in on panels where actors where actors pitch themselves and I've genuinely started keeping an eye on some up and coming talent who'd I've never been aware of as a result of it. People are always looking.

I just think, like anything, people have to tread carefully and listen to those who've proven what can work. The problem is writers listen to other aspiring writers and buy into their crazy, especially when there's money and glory at stake. They look at something like the Stranger Things show bible and attribute the show's greenlight to that rather than the conceptual market appeal, credited talent, and decades of networking by people involved.

I've mentioned it a few times but I was approached by a director-producer who desperately needed a bad script rewriting as they felt they were on the verge of locking in a financier. Thing is, they had spent all their money (five figures) on pitching services of different kinds including a pitch deck that was so glossy it looked like it had come out of a big studio but was full of complete bullshit in terms of content.

On the flip side, there's two prodcos touring Script Revolution right now offering to create writers pitch materials for free because they believe they can hook them up with funding and are incentivised entirely by their success.

I agree with a lot of what CJ Walley has said on this thread. It seems the Studios wants you to put in a lot of work to compel them to read the scripts. Do you have to spend money for a pitch deck? Not necessarily. You can do your own pitch deck. There are tons of examples out there. Like Ewan says whether or not you need a pitch deck depends on the project. For example I have animation project I'm working on. I have a vision of the style and the look. You can't see that in a script. You need a visual IMHO. I have supernatural detective series I am currently pitching. I created a written pitch doc so I can pitch on this platform. I plan to do a pitch deck too. Once again it is a fantastical world and I believe visual will help sell it. . Now I have gotten script requests on a horror feature I wrote. I was not asked for a pitch deck. I do have one by the way for my own use. There's a lot of competition out there. Anything that can give you a way to stand out should not be ignored. And I agree with Doug Nelson nothing beats networking. It is a relationship business.

@Martin Reese For sure you don't have to pay. Many people just do them in Power Point. I detest PPT, so I use Adobe, but end result is similar.

Power Point is my go to Christiane Lange. But you use whatever works for you.

The mindset to move forward with is that it's the content that matters. Powerpoint slides, black and white print outs, Google Doc spreadsheets, hand drawn illustrations, none of that really matters. Some may even find the people are pitching to are pleased to see time and money hasn't been wasted making things too showy.

Personally, if I was aiming at the bigger prodcos and studios, I'd be putting my energy into building fully fleshed out ScriptHop packets. The whole screenwriting scene is sleeping on how important these are likely to become in the next five to ten years.

For those who don't know how to use Adobe and detest PPT, you can use PAGES… Easy to use and make great posters, newsletters, bulletin and etc…. I use it to create Pitch Decks.

@CJ Walley I think google docs is replacing, ppt. But for the old heads, the PPT still stands, again. Screenwriters, directors, etc. artists don't have to get a ppt to pitch to anyone, a ppt is for Producers to meet with investors to raise capital. It replaces a business plan and gives an investor a snapshot of what they are doing.

IN the last 15 years. I've seen a 150% increase in the amount of indie films made because artists used pitchdeck vs the traditional movie poster and idea method of the past. In the 90s, when I was a young filmmaker, it was very difficult to raise capital from anyone, especially for films. You either had to use your own money or have a rich uncle.

Today is easier, with crowdfunding sites, IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, gofundme, and other platforms. But again, the pitch deck is just a tool, most firms like the one I own, rde group. We did not just give a pitch deck, it's a direct connection to an investor, who is 10x more likely to fund a pitch deck than just an idea.

I've helped filmmakers raise over 100 mils, from major projects to indie film projects, and work on Wallstreet with UHNW and HNW. Most HNW don't risk their money, and if they gonna throw money at something it has to be solid. Even though nothing is guaranteed, again, is like a business plan. Don't take it too seriously, and it's not for artists is usually for filmmaker producers, etc.

Kerson Raymond Yep, a friend of mine swears by Pages. But back in the dark ages :P I worked in Quark, so Adobe is comfortable for me.

@Richard Google docs work too, and are great for sharing. I also use my Google drive for albums to use as lookbooks.

@Christiane, I think a lookbook is more of a tool for the entire cast and crew to get a feel for the theme of the film, much better for all below-the-line folks and above-the-line folks. To get a feel for the type of story they are creating. I used quark lol in the early 2000's its' been replaced by Indesign, yeah pages. I've seen people use also. It just depends on what people are comfortable with. Design-wise. I think InDesign is probably the best one.

I hear you, Richard. We've got some investors who want a lot in the deck and a full presentation and others who'll give the greenlight on the back of a dinner conversation and a few sheets of paper. As I said earlier, it depends.

The problem area is people with a poor offering being pointed toward decision makers who are barely interested and then being told they aren't getting interest due to superficial issues with presentation.

@CJWalley Those napkin investors, I tell you. Lol not many of those. But PPT is not 100% going to work on everyone. It's just a tool. Makes sense, film investors are like gamblers. At the end of the day, it's an art project, even with a Distribution guarantee, and a tax credit of 30%, etc. They investing in an art project. Territory sales is the only real money that comes in and ticket at the end when the films are made that counts.

100% with you. We don't go in without a plan and the script is just as market orientated as everything else. However, like you say, it's a subjective medium and that can really fight against the objective nature of low risk investing.

@CJWalley I agree with you, on the script Hob packets. This sounds like an amazing Idea, I'm actually thinking of writing, a book for screenwriters. That Idea for Screen Hub packets, I think it's something that can def be created to solve a major problem. Lets talk. -MSG.

@Richard E. (tagging not working) I have a lookbook, because the story is set in Athens (Greece). People may not be familiar with the city, or else only know the main attractions like the Acropolis. So far readers have found it helpful for setting the mood and tone.

And yes, I use InDesign, mainly just because I like it.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this discussion. I've learned so much here. It's like a class. My decision: I'm going to create a brief pitch deck myself (probably PPT), and have it ready in case anyone asks for it.