Screenwriting : First Pitch - Need Advice! by Alex Hanno

Hi, Alex. Perhaps this may help. Here's the pitch template/tips pdf made available by Happy Writers to help you both craft and prepare a written or verbal pitch: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxJplRNODSvWYWh4WkNqM3JQaFE/view.

And here are some simple, practical tips for an online verbal pitch: (1) When pitching through Skype just be yourself. Not only are you pitching your premise and script, but you are pitching yourself as a possible person to work with or hire. So don't be a robot! Be engaging. Be professional. Show some personality. Plus don't rush. But don't take up all the time allowed. Leave room for questions. (2) Be aware of what's around and behind you. The person to whom you are pitching can see everything. If your computer is in a home office, or kitchen, or at a desk in your bedroom, whatever, you certainly do not want a pile of stuff, or dirty laundry, or dirty dishes in the background. You want to be the main focus, not your stuff, or pets, or family members walking around in the background. Set the scene. Clean the space. If possible, try to set yourself up in front of a clean, simple wall. Then test it with a friend. Can you see and hear me well? Be aware of possible echoing or distracting background noises too. (3) If you're worried you might forget an important point or suddenly go blank, place Post-it Notes on the edges of your screen with quick, short, written reminders. But be very very careful not to read! Remember: Don't be a robot!

I hope that helps! Good luck! :)

Hey Alex, Beth gave some tips so I'll just throw one more out there. I found doing some practice Skype sessions helped me a lot. Mostly in the area of relaxing. I was glad I did them because the first time I made my pitch with someone on the screen (my daughter) staring at me was a whole other ball game. And as much as I try to practice, I try to not practice to the point it sounds rehearsed. Good luck!

Yes, don't forget about being YOU and to do your best not to stress. The idea of pitching and the pressure we put on it is often worse than the pitch. your personality and ease and confidence about the script are important. You believe your script is just what they are looking for. You see it being a hit. Let them see it too. Let them see that you are looking forward to working with them. Also try to be ready if they ask an odd ball question about the story or script.

Of course listen to all the other tips above!

Break a leg!

I've never done one. How about recording your pitch, then reviewing it yourself?

* How do you come off?

* Are there areas where you derailed?

* Did you get their attention right off the bat and keep it?

* Did you fully explain your story in a clear, concise way?

* Did you leave enough time for Q&A or provide loglines of other stories, in case they ask?

As a former performing musician, it was always nice to review taped live performances to make sure I was engaging the audience as well as having fun.

How about offering the guy a flat-out bribe?

ok, kidding, but can you give a few details as to who you are pitching to, how you got there, etc. too many get trapped in a fake ":pitch" thing, just to find out it was all a scam or an opportunity to make money off of you. If it is legitimate, I am very happy with you and wish you the best. Just curious if you can provide how and what organization or whatever that got you to this point. There are many places where you can seemingly "pitch" to a real bigshot, only to find out later that it was a fake deal, your dreams destroyed, just more rejections or at worse a scam. Not to rain on your parade, God, somebody here has to make it and it might as well be you as far as I am concerned! I just hope and pray your pitch is for real to a real person who can forward your script to the screen.

I didn't pay anyone. I just got a list of WGA Agents and found producers to pitch to I thought might be candidates for the type of screenplays I was writing.

I've done about 8 pitches now. A few lead to reads and Skype meetings. All were so beneficial. I walked away with something useful each time. I did one of my early ones with Sarah Cornelius and was so nervous. She was amazing. She asked me if I knew my story. I said yes. She said then relax and tell it to me. That welcoming note alone made the whole process easier.

Hello All! My pitch went really well, thank you for the advice. Of course one never knows if it'll lead to anything, but now I feel super comfortable pitching my story so the experience alone was worth it. Thanks again =)

Hi Alex. Great to hear!