Screenwriting : Pitch sessions at stage 32 by Alfonsina Sterling

Hi....I have used the pitching session before. I will admit that they were extremely helpful; the feedback helped me craft my pitch to the point where a producer (not via stage32) made a request. The responses I got were passed, but they were to the point and honest...all except one for a live pitch...the person called late, cut my time, and criticized the delivery format(stage32's) rather than content....an absolute waste of $30.00.

Then there is one that I have a message from stage32 apologizing for the executive not getting to my pitch yet....

So A mixed experience with the execs...my advice, choose wisely...good luck

Thank you Abdur! This is great information and I will keep it in mind!!

Good luck to you too!

I have used it once. It was a very good experience. They passed but the feedback was helpful and for me, as a writer, was great to know that someone "on the other side" read about my work. Go for it!

Good Point Roberto! I´m glad to know they share feedback and is not a single no! That´s helpful and encouraging!

Used them. Learned so much. Have 2 open invites to send more material to executives I otherwise likely wouldn't have been able to reach.

Thanks James! That´s what intrigues me, seems ´´so easy acess´´ I just wanted to check if it was real and good haha

Well, I live in Argentina and this is a great way to reach alternatives overseas. Sorry to hear about that and I totally feel you, but that something doesn´t work for someone or a group of people, doesn´t mean it is bad.

how is the argentina film & Tv community? Can you pitch projects locally, form your own team

You can, as long as you are ´´in the network´´ or have someone who knows someone. There are few major production companies and they own production and distribution of most of the tv and film content. Out of that, there´s a national institute of film that has calls every year for different genres and formats, going from tv and film - fiction/ non-fiction. Usually 5 to 10 winners per contest, per year. And, if you win one of those the process takes long since they approve the budget by stages - it could pass a year before the provide the first part of approved budget.

But, if you do win, that´s a great door to smoothly pitch to others.

>Out of the 600,000 stage 32 members... I dont [sic] believe a single member has gone from paid pitch to a studio funded movie...

Not all 600,000 are scriptwriters.

Hi Alfonsina, I've just started to pitch, got only one answer right now. They passed on my TV pilot. It was just not what they were looking for. I wonder what the others will think about it. I think it's cool that we can reach out to professionals like this, even if you have to pay a small amount. But I hope they're really looking for new projects. I'm pitching a novel that was acclaimed by a lot of lit bloggers and sold 1000 copies in some months, so if many people liked it, I hope it can interest at least one producer. It's hard in France too, even when you know some people in the network.

That´s great! I think that if they provide real feedback about the project instead of general comments, that might be a good sign of people reading the pitch for real.

I know you can do it on Skype too (too much pressure for me right now haha)

I think I´ll give it a try! Still, don´t know when but I´m getting into it!

Thank you all!

By the way, has anybody heard about Real Big Hits?

Couldn´t find anything about them!

I've done a few pitches, all written, and the experiences have been pretty good. Just a quick run down, I sent out three identical ( aside from the greeting to the specific company ) pitches for a Tv pilot. From that I received 2 read requests and one pass. From the read requests ( again identical scripts ) one liked it enough to request more material and the other absolutely hated it. It was a really interesting lesson in just how subjective this business is and how important it is to pitch to the right execs. Anyways the actual notes are only a few lines and vague , so don't do it if the feedback is important, cause for the most part it's too brief to get a real idea of the strengths and weaknesses. Regardless of the fact that I haven't gotten a deal out of any of these pitches, the way I look at it, I was able to get my work in front of people I would have no ability to connect with otherwise and practice pitching, which doesn't hurt. So I would still recommend it and plan on doing it again in the future. Good luck.

Theresa that's interesting, because S32 makes a pretty big deal about how valuable the feedback is. We'll see when I get feedback on my pitches - maybe it's dependent on the exec.

I completely disagree Theresa Drew Feedback on every pitch for me has been helpful. Helped improve my pitch each time and led to my meeting. It's a subjective endeavor.

"Subjective" isn't quite the best word. If you're making a living as a producer, agent, manager, financier, etc., you're basing your decisions on an objective read of the landscape. Can you - with your own brand, your own relationships, your own strengths and weaknesses, etc. - sell this project if you take it on and put your own sweat into it? Unless the writer is paying you as a consultant, you're working for free until a financier buys the project and starts paying you and the writer, right? Sometimes, "it's not for me, and I'm passing" is an expression of subjectivity. However, oftentimes, there are years of experience packed into that "it's not for me" pass. A manager might LIKE (subjective, yes) the concept, but maybe she's tried selling ideas in your project's ballpark 5 times already in the last 3 years without any success. Maybe he has 2 other clients already writing something in a similar space that he's on the hook to try to sell. Maybe she knows that NBC just passed on 2 pilots in the same area. For that pro, it can be a TIME-SAVER to reply "it's not for me," and of course, you'd interpret that as subjectivity. But as a pro, I can tell you that pros can't rely on subjectivity. We have to rely on a familiarity with the marketplace and with our own place within it, as well as being well-read enough to know how a new script stacks up within its genre.

Alfonsina, I've only taken pitches once on Stage 32, and it's been over a year. As a producer hearing/reading pitches, my experience was that the Skype pitches allowed for a two-way conversation, and it was easier to ask questions of the pitcher and give him/her some amount of feedback. With only 8-9 minutes, you just don't have much time to dig deep, gain a complete understanding, and give a ton of feedback. If the pitcher chooses the written pitch, it's a lot harder for the pitch recipient to give valuable feedback because we can only read what's on the page, and there's no two-way conversation. It's really hard for the pitch recipient to gain a deep understanding of the project unless it's an excellent pitch document. If the written pitch isn't super clear, the pitch recipients are likely to find ourselves trying to devise a way to give feedback on the pitch mechanics and the story, which are two very, very different things. We might be evaluating a not-so-great pitch document (or verbal pitch), a not-so-great project, or it could be both. For $30 or whatever, why not give it a shot and start to build on the experience of selling yourself and your projects?

If broader-ranging project feedback is what you're looking for, a script consultation might be a better option for you.

I just did two pitches for my adult comedy. We've had issues w/ Skype so they were on the phone. The first went well, and I was asked to see my script. The second was a pass, but I'm not surprised. First, I got the time screwed up (I'm on Central) so I ended up pitching in my car while driving. Second, it's just difficult sum it up in the 8 or 9 minutes. I think that's a common problem. Before I do another one, I will try to find areas I can shorted it but get the major plot points across.

The other important issue is making sure you are pitching to a production company that does your kind of film. Mine is a female-driven R-rated comedy. I carefully look at their other films to make sure they've done at least one of these. At the very least, they should indicate that they are looking for such films,

Would I do it again? Absolutely. Now, I'm deciding if I should pay and get coverage.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

I think it is a good opportunity to reach out ´´easily´´ I was also concerned about the time, 10 min is not enough, is some kind of elevator pitch with more time... I understand the time isn´t either enough to get proper feedback. But as Regina says, the point isn't to get consultation either.

Hi Alfonsina,

I've done quite a few.

I would just start with the logline and do bullet points (because they don't listen, they are doing so many in one setting). Be the one who keeps it short, at 5 min. Then, for the next 5 min, hit on what it means (does the character change, are there relationships?).

So, I think it's the concept. If you don't have it, hammering away for 10 min won't make it happen.

You likely won't hear from the people. Besides, if they were to make your project, they first have to gather the $$$ so it's a lengthy process. I know the tendency is to wait by the phone but that won't happen (but for you it will :).

Pitch, and then work on a new project, so you build a portfolio.

Let me know how it goes, good luck!

Thanks Gary! This is a great tip. You are totally right about how to approach the pitch session.

I´m still working on the written pitch trying to make it as concise as possible and the start to practice my verbal pitch. I´m actually from the Dominican Republic, living in Argentina (two totally different version of Spanish), trying to pitch someone in the US - via internet/skype. Small crazy world. Hope my nerves and language doesn´t betray me!

Thank you all for the support!

Totally makes sense Robert, thanks fro the tip!

It's a 5-year average to make a studio movie; just cause a Producer/Company takes Time to choose/develop a project don't mean they are not passionate.

Dan M - sometimes it takes more than a year to even make a short (drives me crazy!).

Hey Regina. I'm just curious...but when you took pitches here at S32 were you actively looking for material or were you taking them as a venue for people to practice pitching? Either is fine...just wanted to know if it's always people actually looking or if sometimes it's the latter.

Alright, I've gotten my feedback from the pitches I paid for. This was for my proposed sci-fi TV show, "Starfall."

I'm of two minds. First, both execs were interested in the story, the premise of the show, although they both passed. One wanted to see more about the world, the other wanted more about the characters. I thought I covered both in the pitch - and the reality is, I have both aspects very well detailed in a longer show bible.

My takeaway is: doing the written pitches really makes the whole process a crap shoot. You don't know what the exec is looking for, and in a written pitch you have to put what you can in there and hope for the best.

A phone/Skype pitch would seem better, because then you can respond to the questions the exec has - assuming he will ask questions. So if I were to do it again, I'd go the Skype way.

For a written pitch, I'd use VirtualPitchFest - it's exactly the same conditions/process, but cheaper ($20 or less).

Of course, the way Starfall is developing, I won't be pitching it at all anymore - fingers crossed!

This is great John! I think that considering the experiences shared here a skype call would be best. It seems text will always be open and limited to interpretation. Having a call will give margin or at least more chances to clear up any question right when it comes.

All the best with Starfall!

Hi Brian Walsh, I was taking pitches in hopes of finding a project I could sell. Finding market-viable projects and selling them moves my career ahead, and that's the ultimate hope.

Cool, was just wondering. And you know I'm always rooting for you Regina. You always have great insight and advice.

Well, I had other answers lately, it's so different from an exec to another.

I have signed up for two pitch sessions and entered the same script into two screenwriting contests. Based on the feedback that I'll be getting from these, I will have to decide whether to pursue this project as a movie script or a book. I'm prepared to do either but I will have to see positive comments on the script in order to persist with it as a film. Yes, I believe in it but do others? That's how important feedback is.