Pitchin'
Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 11:15 I was offered the opportunity to pitch my script in front of a live audience, and silly me--I took it. There's a long-running play-reading series here in Paris called Moving Parts, and I was allotted 10 minutes before one of the plays. So up I got in front of about 30 people, most of them writers or actors, and pitched.
Well. The good news is I did it.
The bad news is nobody liked the story.
I see this as a three-part problem.
First, I was pitching a genre piece to Parisian expats, who tend to be literary in their tastes. Already the genre was a bad fit, and my pitch emphasized the dark and creepy setting. Lesson learned: Do my homework before pitching a producer. If they're not looking for what I have, I might as well spare us all the agony.
Secondly, I wanted to be respectful of the time limit (this was, after all, the playwright's evening), so I left out the anecdote about how I came to write the story. Unfortunately, that was my chance to explain the more unusual elements in the script and involve the audience more. Lesson learned: never skip the set up.
Third, although I thought I had trimmed to the bare bones, the pitch was still too detailed. Too heavy on plot line, too light on emotional moments. Big mistake. Huge. Lesson learned: A pitch is about selling the story--not telling the story. And selling is all about emotions.
(It could also be that the story sucks. Always a possibility. I'm looking at a rewrite.)
So there you have it. I'm more nervous than ever, despite having been told by a former Hollywood studio executive that I was in control and professional. (Huzzah! I cling to that as my one small consolation.) But while it wasn't fun, it was useful, and I know my next pitch will benefit from having bombed in front of a live audience. A big thank you to Stephanie Campion of Moving Parts for creating such a safe space to fail and grow!
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Reader Comments (5)
You're a braver woman than I. I have a hard enough time sitting in the room while someone previews my demo, having to articulate it at the front of the room would drive me mad! Big kudos to you for not only coming through it successfully, but taking your own notes on what to change the next time around.
Dear Alexis,
Don't upbroid yourself. That's not a matter that you pitch in wrong way, merely, an audience was not interesting or isn't ready for an improvisation.
Look, even a movie just got made never have liked by whole audience.
Your killing irony on discribing that Moving Part reveals that you're OK and I bet, your script, as well.
I'm Halyna (simply Ellen) Domanska "a fresh backed" ProSeries 18 grad. I live in Rome, Italy and would be pleasent to hear from you!!!
Keep writing... and pitching!
Ellen
Hi Rob,
This experience was all about learning--and in a way all experiences are about learning. So note-taking has become a natural reflex. Thanks for reading. I'm looking forward to the relaunch of your own blog.
Hi Halyna,
Thanks for visiting and commenting. Hope you enjoyed the website. See you around the ProSeries boards!
Hi Alexis,
Well done! It's never easy to be the first one to do anything, and you came over as very professional. You have obviously learned all the right lessons from the experience, and I'm pleased to have been able to offer you the opportunity. I actually liked the story, but got bogged down in the who's who of all the characters! Maybe you'd like a reading of the script later on?
Luv,
Stef