Insider View - Do You Need To Pitch?

Why Learn To Pitch?
It's the most basic way to road test an idea. This is because people will talk about the idea behind your back.

Pitching is not just about promoting your ideas, It's about promoting you (energetic, ambitious, eager to please) and what you believe in (story driven films, great acting, Scientology). You may not get this job, but your "beliefs" could get you recommended for another...

Get instant feedback. Better to hear at the beginning that six other people have been in that week with the same idea, than wasting a year of your life on a dead end idea. No awards for unmade scripts, film fans.

There is nothing more energising that watching people's eyes light up with enthusiasm as they get your idea. Remember, you won't be selling your idea to the head honcho, the person you pitch to will. So make sure they sell it the way you tell it.

Until you do it, you'll always have that nagging feeling that some smarmy, firm handshake UCLA grad is out there, hoovering up all the development money that you had your eye on.

Pitching gets you out of the house. You may balls up the final meeting but you should at least gained some vital information about the company your visiting, what they are interested in, who they work with, and done something about your sun deprived, Gollum like skin complexion.

Why Pitching Over-Rated

Film-maker: "The Funky Gibbons: A Mad Professor grooms his own monkey Motown band". Studio Head: "Brilliant, here's 20 million dollarss". In the history of film making this has never, ever happened. Not because 'Gibbons' isn't a flyer, it's because no one ever spends money without a million committees, accountants, laywers and marketing staff having a say so. And have a say - they will.

Pitches have to be simple because you only get 25 seconds to sum up your story. So when you deliver your subtle, multi layered script comparing animal exploitation to the Russian Revolution, they'll go, "Hey - what happened to the singin' chimps you told us about?"

Anyone who like listening to pitches are basically lazy producers who can't be bothered to read scripts. They want you to do the work for them and when you leave the room they will go back to reading comics (sorry, 'graphic novels') and watching DVD's.

They love the your pitch. They can totally see it as a movie. The money's available. But they turn you down. Why? Because they just don't like 'you'. Let your script do the talking, until the money is in your account.

Pitching is an American thing. There's something slightly unseemly about it, like advertising and queue jumping. All it's really about is an innate desire to be liked. You're British for God's sake. Write a letter.