The Art of Pitching

Entertainment lawyer Judith Merians gave a pitching workshop at la Pierre du Marais this afternoon. Because it organized by Adrian Leeds of ParlerParis,  there was a great turnout bien sûr! About 21 screenwriters came to learn how to "tell and sell."

According to Merians, these are the top reasons executives turn down a script (other than the project was not right for their company):

    1) The pitch was too unclear.
    2) There were too many distracting details.
    3) There was no through line.
    4) The listener couldn't tell who the protagonist is.
    5) The listener couldn't connect emotionally.

The solution? Prepare and rehearse! Practice until your story is crystal clear. Get feedback from trusted friends and fellow writers. Brainstorm every possible question a producer might ask you, like "who is this audience for?" and "what's the genre?" and prepare an answer.

To help writers hone their pitching skills, Merians is running a series of pitching workshops in Paris. Writers will learn how to write a synopsis and logline, create a pitch, and work the room. Interested? Contact me for details.