A guide to creating one of the most effective tools for communicating, or even selling, your film idea.
Feature film and series
In her Pitch Deck 101, screenwriter and pitch deck creator Kristen Tepper offers tools and best practices, and some dos and don’ts:
Kristen’s tools and tips:
- Disclaimer: “This isn’t coming into a meeting with me, that’s why there’s so much text”
- Tools: ShotDeck with Canva or Adobe InDesign
- Tips: under 30 pages, with full page images, and plenty of “vibes” material (images, text, and references) to communicate the story world
- Sections: references, world, series synopsis, characters (with “comps” or comparison actors / characters), genre & theme, thank you & contact page
- Bonus: episode breakdown, soundscape (eg music playlist), quotes
Documentary
Documentarian and cinematographer Mark Bone offers tips from his experience of pitching ideas using decks, using simple tools like slideshow creators, including a case study of scoring a beer commercial for which he “wasn’t necessarily the most qualified”:
Mark’s tips:
- Identify the question your film will answer
- Explain the adventure using visual references
- Describe how it will be achieved technically and logistically
- Keep your pitch short – assume you need to reduce by at least 30%. Leave the audience hanging, so they’ll hopefully ask questions – a lecture isn’t as engaging as a conversation
As part of his successful pitch, Mark even pre-shot the beer ad, and he includes a side-by-side with the finished product:
More generally, Mark explains how he optimises his pitch deck to help best communicate his ideas – specifically, by being as economical with text, as impactful with imagery, and as clear about timelines and deliverables as possible:
Further Viewing
Producer Mike Stahl offers advice from the funding side the pitch deck:
Beyond the pitch deck are all sorts of ways to pre-viz (pre-visualise, or make your movie before you make, your movie). YouTuber-turned-Hollywood-director-and-still-YouTuber David F. Sandberg shares his personal tips for Communicating Your Vision as a Director:
“To raise money for their debut film, the Coen Brothers put together a fake ‘investor’ trailer for Blood Simple. Inspired by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell and shot by Barry Sonnenfeld, they eventually raised $1.5 million over a 12-month period” (via All The Right Movies):
Nur Niaz, Matt Aitia and others offer advice on how to create a director’s treatment:
Part of a pitch deck is outlining the visual approach, which can often comprise references gathered from other films, shows, photographers, and artists. Here are some techniques for getting your crew and yourself on the same page ahead of production: