Screenwriting : Pitching - where to start by Jennifer R. Povey

Hey Jennifer. I would recommend you create a pitch bible, a one-pager and a full pilot episode. These are what you'll need if you want to submit your idea to anyone. By anyone, I mean anyone you can get to read it that's in the industry. Most production companies DO NOT accept unsolicited material, so networking here is a good start, but you'll need to find someone to either represent you or introduce you to someone that knows someone, if you know what I mean. Good luck with your project:)

Okay. What length would you recommend on the pilot? Is 'two hours' (i.e., two hours minus commercials) the standard or is one better?

one hour. They probably want to see what you can do for that 40-60 minute window as far as hooking them in and giving a vivid look at what the show's going to be like.

Hi Jennifer, Not sure if you just want to pitch the idea to someone or if you want them to take it from there and get it written, funded and produced, which will probably never happen unless you strike gold. Try this method of building a pitch. 1. Write a logline. in one sentence. 2. Pad the logline to fit a small paragraph. 3. Pad the paragraph to fit 2 paragraphs. 4. Pad these two paragraphs to build a full page. 5. Write 1 full page on your main character without any physical description. If you can do this then you have a good place to start. If you have any problems developing things then send me an email to tom.rooney @ btinternet.com and I will try and help. No charges and this is a favour not a commitment. Tom

don't know why, but my second comment there was taken from another discussion. Please disregard (unless you want to follow me on twitter:))

http://scriptcat.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/the-art-and-craft-of-pitching/

Nice article Mark!

Hi Jennifer, There's a blog post on Stage 32 titled THE BONES OF PITCHING which was written by Signe Olynyk, the founder of PITCH-FEST which is held in Burbank every year. I haven't read Mark Sanderson's article above, however I found Signe's blog post to be very informative and an easy read. I saved it on my hard drive and will be more than happy to forward you a copy. Here's my email address: timjohnsonactor@yahoo.com. Meanwhile, here's the introduction, which was written by Stage 32's very own Richard "RB" Botto. To quote RB, "Enjoy!" This year's Great American PitchFest (pitchfest.com) takes place in Burbank from June 1st through the 3rd. Founded by Stage 32 member Signe Olynyk, the PitchFest has launched the careers of many screenwriters. It's the perfect opportunity to get your ideas and work in front of hundreds of producers and managers/agents. But the PitchFest is much more than just pitching. It's a weekend of education as well. On the 2nd, attendance to the conference is FREE, which means access to 24 FREE classes (http://pitchfest.com/free-classes-rsvp/) available to all attendees. I will be speaking with fellow Stage 32 member, Jeanne Veillette Bowerman on networking outside of Los Angeles. In fact, the entire Stage 32 crew will be in attendance. Stop by and say hi. So what makes a good pitch? What are the golden rules and the cardinal sins? I asked Signe to share her knowledge with the Stage 32 community, and, as you'll see below, she rose to the challenge. Signe has been on the road with BELOW ZERO, for which she wrote the screenplay. BELOW ZERO has played at film festivals around the world, winning a boatload of awards. Most recently, Signe took home Best Screenplay at the Fear and Fantasy Film Festival this past weekend. Her schedule has been jammed packed, so I'm doubly appreciated she took the time to write such a comprehensive post. Signe will be available for questions and accolades in the comments section below. Enjoy! RB

Yes, Nice article Mark. Thank you. Tom