A scriptwriter not likely to sell script with just creativity and excellent writing skills in his kitty, but must be able to pitch a script in front of the parties concerned. Pitching a script can be stressful for the writer, especially a shy person, but it is absolutely essential to be perfect in the art, so as to convince potential investors to consider it seriously.

Pitching is basically an animated summarization of the script, with special emphasis on the main characters and the events that matter with a special mention of the genre the script is based on. Pitching can be done personally or by other avenues like websites that facilitate online submission of a pitch, and also through community meetings like pitch festivals and pitch boot camp. However, when we do have a personal pitching to be done, it becomes advantageous, as we can directly communicate with our listener, who in this case, could be the director, producer, the studio executive or even an agent.

There are two forms in which pitching comes in – the short “teaser” pitch, and the long “story” pitch. The teaser pitch, being short, must be completed in about three sentences and must cover points like genre, premise and the target market of the film. Since it is extremely short, a good performance would create a great impact on the listener. However, one needs to prepare teaser pitches according to the listener. While the producer would be more interested in the casting procedure, marketing strategy, the cost of the film; the director of the story executive would like to know about the genre and the content. The general pattern goes like this: the first line would describe the main characters of the script, while the next sentence should shed light on the content and the genre, while the last line should have your listener wanting to know more about the script.

The story pitch is quite longer than the teaser, and generally goes around for about ten minutes. While the longer pitch gives you time to describe your product nicely, it also increases the chances of errors. One must concentrate on staying on the topic and narrate the story in an interesting manner. The pitch should start with the logline – a sentence that would describe the main essence of the script. This would be followed by the introduction of the main characters and how the things turn out to be as the story progresses, with emphasis on suspense, twists and turns. The climax needs to be narrated properly and should not have anyone falling short of their expectations.

However, besides the script and the pitch, what’s paramount is the personality of the writer. The pitching has to be done with a lot of enthusiasm, and a bit of wit would help build a rapport with the listener.

So, if you have a golden script, and you can pitch it well, you can be rest assured that, potential investors would certainly buy your script for further consideration.

Writing a decent script is not enough. It should be interesting to the audience, and in order to reach the audience, first, it has to catch the attention of a producer or a director, or even an agent in that case. The best way to attract investors to a script is by pitching it nicely. Pitching is basically a verbal summarization of the script with special emphasis on the main characters, the conflict in the story along with certain important features like the genre and target audience.

With changing times, effective ways of pitching has also changed. Producers and agencies have now taken the aid of technology to help them listen to the pitching of scripts. This not only is a fair medium, but also saves time of giving an appointment and enables to consider them at own convenient time. The report delves into the possible online avenues of pitching a film script.

1.Via email: Most producers or directors welcome this medium of considering scripts. It is advantageous for scriptwriters as well, as it saves them the time to go and meet each and every producer personally and make an effort of pitching the script. However, the process must be structured so that it can be efficient for both parties concerned. A fixed format must be followed with the genre and a brief logline being the subject of the mail. The pitch should not be long but should be able to communicate the main theme of the story. In some cases, the writer would want to attach a video of their pitching for better chances of their script getting selected. This is helpful, but attachment size must be considered, as a huge attachment would be deterrent for the writer, as the producer might not want to download it.

2.Online: There are certain websites that facilitate submissions of pitching. A few would let the writer create a web page of their own, showcasing their profile and pitching their scripts. This is an upcoming medium for pitching. This is useful for scriptwriters and as well as budding directors and potential producers. It is basically a community where the writer pitches his/her script openly for anyone to respond. However, there are certain disadvantages in pitching a script online. Pitching a script public might result in the idea getting stolen. It is a good practice to provide a teaser of the script and the interested parties can be requested to contact the writer for further information. This is basically partially pitching the script.