Screenwriting : How does one develop a pitch deck? by Roberta M Roy

A film pitch deck is a presentation that encapsulates the essence of a movie project, serving as a strategic tool to captivate potential investors and collaborators.

It can include crucial elements such as the film's title and logline, genre, target audience, a brief synopsis, and details on the visual style.

The deck also features a director's statement, introducing the creative vision behind the project, and highlights key team members.

Essential components encompass budget and financing details, providing a roadmap for potential investors, along with a market analysis to demonstrate the film's commercial viability.

Comparable films may be referenced to provide context and showcase the project's unique value in the cinematic landscape.

Through this succinct yet comprehensive presentation, a film pitch deck aims to convey the creativity, market potential, and strategic planning behind a compelling cinematic endeavor.

How can I get the kind of expertise I need to build one? Especially as it is to include images?

A pitch deck has text and images, Roberta M Roy, but you don't want the pitch deck to be wordy. A pitch deck shouldn't take long to read.

There are different pitch decks. There's a pitch deck for producers and filmmakers who want to get funding for their projects. There's a pitch deck for producers and filmmakers who want to get actors and crew members to join their projects. There's a pitch deck for screenwriters who want to pitch their projects.

Here are some pitch deck samples:

https://screencraft.org/blog/screenplay-pitch-deck/

https://aarondavis.com/the-tracks-tv-series-pitch-deck/

https://www.deezinersstudios.com/

You can use Canva.com to make pitch decks. Canva is easy to use, and it has pitch deck templates. Canva is free, but I recommend upgrading to Canva Pro. Canva Pro has a free 30-day trial, then it's $14.99 per month (www.canva.com/pro).

Oh, my goodness. Thank you so much, Maurice! Looks like I have some work to do!

Roberta M Roy, Maurice makes a good point about it not being wordy! And don't overthink it. I made a 4 page pitch deck for a documentary project (which was greenlit). Just had a title page, few sentences about project on another page, about me, and what I'm hoping to do with it. Keep it simple! :)

You're welcome, Roberta M Roy. Yeah, Stephen Folker is right. Keep it simple. When I make a pitch deck for myself, I save most of the information about my script for the treatment or series bible. That way my pitch deck isn't too long, and I still have the extra information in a document to send producers and directors if they want to know more about the script.

Roberta, I took an excellent class lead by film producer, Sara Elizabeth Timmins, through Stage 32, on how to create a pitch deck and how to determine which kind is best for you. It is an in-depth, 8-week class, definitely worth the money. She gave resources for images and great instruction on everything else. You get one-on-one sessions with her to insure the quality of your deck as well!

Some pitch decks available online...I reckon "Stranger Things" among others...check it out...

Roberta M Roy One more thought, keep in mind who your intended reader of the pitch deck is. If you are trying to pitch a short film or something that doesn't cost a fortune to make, you could basically just do slide show to get your point across. If you are trying to raise a large sum of money, you'll need more than a snazzy pitch deck. But even then, it would be wise to hire / pay a professional graphics designer, then plug in the written materials yourself.

Now to find a professional graphics designer, Stephen. LOL

You can find good cheap pitch deck designers on fiver.com I got someone to do a deck for $249. Thpugh honestly, I ended up redoing all of his work in photoshop myself so I could manipulate and change it at will as well as selecting the imagery, updating actors etc. I guess in the end I paid for the layout. I since went on to do 10 decks myself. Not that hard if you know photoshop well.

The difficulty is condensing the project into bulletpoints in 18 slides or less. You should be able to slide through it in 5 min or less. Also, be aware. 99% of the time someone is viewing it on mobile so again, DO NOT assume anyone is able to full screen it on their desktop in order to read it. They won't. Can you read it on your phone without pinching and zooming? You should be able to. If you can't, you have too much text. Make it large enough and short enough to comfortably read on a phone and you'll be safe.

;The perspective you have provided is most informative, M LaVoie. Much appreciated!

You could post an ad in the Job Section, @Roberta M Roy. Also, Maya Zivkovich owns Dee Ziners Studios (www.deezinersstudios.com). She's on Stage 32 (www.stage32.com/profile/855224/about).

Thank you, Maurice. But first I have to do the written input.

You're welcome, @Roberta M Roy.

I make my own..

Just wanted to thank you all for you guidance and the suggestion I use Canva. I now have not only a pitch deck for the Jolt Survival Tele Series, but thanks to Canva an illustrated one! If anyone would like to peruse it and give me your impression of it, just message me.

The thing to remember is that your story and character journeys are key. If you submit the prettiest pitch deck to an executive, it won't beat one that tells a better story but has fewer bells and whistles.

Thank you for the encouraging words, Ewan. I' afraid the story is much better than the illustrations show. LOL

If you want it to look a bit more sleak there are some simple things you can do in basic microsoft or apple applications, there is also canva. Adding images/formatting is there to enhance the points you're trying to make and not overshadow them. If you're a photoshop wizz good for you, but don't worry if you're not. If you consider who this is going to, they want the deck to demonstrate what will make people want to watch your show and your storytelling ability above everything else.

Yes, I used Canva. Also have heard that asking for a pitch deck is just side stepping the question of asking for the script(s). Hmm.

For TV projects the pitch deck is where you tell the story of the show as a whole. The pilot script shows how audiences will get hooked in the first place, so the pitch deck is just as important. Its where you demonstrate what about your show will keep audiences coming back for more.

Thank you for the insight, Ewan. It's reassuring.

I love this topic and it’s really helpful for me also :) Thank you Roberta M Roy for bringing this subject.

I'm shocked it hasn't been linked yet but ScriptHop published pretty much one of the most important pieces of free literature for screenwriters this year and it's a guide on creating pitch decks by people who actually work with them professionally.

Series Bible & Pitch Deck Standards and Practices

Well, CJ Walley, printed out the recommended work. Now to read it! LOL

Hi Roberta M Roy - Ewan, who commented above, teaches a Stage 32 course on pitch deck fundamentals and execution that I highly recommend (and today is Cyber Monday so it's on sale :)

Here's a link so you can check it out: https://www.stage32.com/classes/Stage-32-4-Part-Class-Pitch-Deck-Foundat...

As the guy(s) below once said, "That is the sound of inevitability." Will attempt to create a pitch deck for one of my scripts, happy to muddle through the process myself (learning curve, self-development etc.). It's handy being able to search for topics on here, and sourcing the helpful links from Maurice and CJ.

What a great thread. Thank you for those links, Maurice Vaughan . Looks like I need to get started on a pitch deck!!

You're welcome, Ben Henning. Glad the links help.

I'll also be running my 8 part Pitch Deck writing lab again starting in July.