Screenwriting : 5 minutes pitch by Louisa Klein

https://www.studiobinder.com/tv-writing-how-to-pitch-a-tv-show/

Thanks, I know this already. It’s not a 5 min pitch, though, it’s under 2, actually.

Stage 32 Lounges or Blogs.

A pitch is just a conversation. It’s the same bullet points but with the producers and execs jumping in with questions.

Hey Louisa Klein Are you looking more of a guideline as to how many pages of a written pitch translates into 5 minutes of speaking time? That is a little tougher to nail down because - unlike a script which is generally 1 page equals 1 minute - a written page of a pitch could end up being more or less.

I have seen people with 3 or 4 pages of a written pitch go well beyond 5 minutes when pitching out loud.

Well, even a guideline for length and time would help. I’m totally clueless, so I just need all the help I can get, you know?

Make it fit for the time allotted. If you have 3 minutes, 1 minute pitch (mostly the logline) and leave room for questions. If you have 5 minutes, pitch logline and synopsis and leave time for questions. If you have 15 to 20 minutes, you'll go more into season evolution, who should act in it, etc. But the main thing is to always plan for Q&A.

Thanks! That was super helpful!

Laura, there is a webinar here on stage32 by Samm Hailey on pitching. It was really brilliant. Unfortunately I can't find it under Education or in the writer's Room. If you want to watch it, contact Jason Mirch. I've been at this for years and honestly, the Writer's Room here is where you see other's successful pitches and what could be better, and you get to practice. In the Vault In the Writer's Room an early pitch tank had executive Anna Henry give excellent feedback and tips. There's no magic bullet here. Like everything else, practice makes perfect and being responsive to varying situations is key. Look on my profile page for the mind map I made during Samm Hailey's workshop. I use it as a framework every time I work up a pitch. If you can't understand it feel free to message me. Keep writing!

Great question, Louisa, and very helpful advice. I'm just learning how to write loglines and how to pitch. I will definitely check out the webinar Sarah suggested.