by Signe Olynyk

After months of little progress, I tried this wondrous thing called the internet. I googled. Meat freezer. Slaughterhouse. Trapped in cooler. Words that I hoped would trigger some sort of creative anything. As I searched, I came across an abandoned, slaughterhouse near Edson, Alberta that was for sale. After contacting the woman who owned it, I asked if I could come for a visit.

When I got there, I then asked if she would lock me in her freezer, and NOT LET ME OUT – until the script was done.

Admittedly, this does sound somewhat… extreme. Looking back, the expression on her face (part fear, part confusion, mixed with a whole lot of ‘are you friggin kidding’) was understandable. But anyone who knows me also understands how obsession, and the quest for authenticity in one’s craft often removes the ability to reason.

After spending five days locked in the freezer, I emerged with a completed script. A year later, we were in production on the feature film, ‘Below Zero’, filming in the same location I wrote it, with stars Edward Furlong (Green Hornet, American History X, Terminator II), horror icon, Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes, Weird Science), and Kristin Booth (Young People Fucking, The Kennedys).

I then asked if she would lock me in her freezer… until the script was done.

I’ll write another time about how we did THAT. But for now, let’s get back to that solution I promised you. How do you get past your own creative ice block? Where do you find inspiration in your own life?

I’m not saying you have to lock yourself in the freezer of an abandoned slaughterhouse to write a great script. But you do have to be willing to do what it takes. Inspiration is a luxury, and we should all cling to it when the muse strikes, like the welcome friend she is.

Most of the time, we have to create our own inspiration. To my workaholic mind, that generally means making a ‘to do list’ and racing around to accomplish a whole bunch of things to ‘inspire’ inspiration. But the opposite is generally true. What we really need to do… is often, nothing.

Inspiration is a luxury.

‘Nothing’ means just experiencing the laughter of our children, and the company of good friends and family. Finding it in the movies, books, and tv shows we love. Taking walks and ‘nature moments’ where we simply breathe and appreciate the world we live in. Getting rest and taking vacations, so we are capable of even being inspired.

I haven’t decided what I am going to write next, but having myself locked up in a freezer seemed to be the only way I could overcome my own writer’s block. Perhaps my next script will be about some guy, trapped in Club Med. That sounds so… inspiring.

-Signe Olynyk 

Signe Olynyk is a Writer / Producer, who also is founder of the Great American PitchFest Screenwriting Conference, held annually in Los Angeles, CA.

Signe is also behind the Great British PitchFest, held in partnership with the London Screenwriters’ Festival in the UK. You can check out her movie, Below Zero.

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

by Signe Olynyk

There are more and more options all the time, but at the time, these were the primary distribution options we were considering:

1. Producer’s Rep

This is essentially an agent who represents you and your movie. For ‘Below Zero’, we decided to sign with a Producer’s Rep because ‘we didn’t know what we didn’t know’. We felt that as first time producers, we wanted to work with a company who had more experience and connections than we did to help us secure the best distribution options possible for our film. It was an education we felt was necessary for our first film in particular.

When deciding who to go with, be sure to talk to other producers who have had films represented by the company, and make sure that their experience is recent so that you get the most accurate references possible. Ask for producer references from potential Producer’s Reps, but also reach out on your own to the producers whose films are listed on the Producer Rep’s website. Those films have been out for a while and the producers will have a history of what it was like to work with that company on their film.

Also, study the list of films that Producer Rep represents. You want your title to be in similar company, with a company that has had a direct role in successful releases. Signing with a Producer’s Rep means you tap into a company that understands the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of distribution, and they will send your project to their various contacts to hopefully get the best deal possible for your film.

For us, giving 7-10% away of our sales, felt like a reasonable trade because that percentage was essentially paying for lessons on how to navigate the intimidating world of distribution. Although you are able to safely ask questions and confide in your Producer’s Rep, the downside is that you never really know if they are doing exactly what they say they are doing. Did they really send your project out to the people they claim to have contact with? Did they really get you the best deal? Everyone in this business has their own agenda and interests at stake, including you. Make sure your interests are protected by questioning everything, and weigh all advice against your own experience, and the experience of your fellow filmmakers.

2. Sales Agents

It is easy to get excited when you start being contacted by people who want to represent your film, and they express their excitement and enthusiasm for your film. Be wary of this – especially if your film hasn’t even gone out into the world yet. Like many producers, our film was pursued aggressively by a number of sales agents and some of them were adamant that we were “ruining our chances of selling the film if we didn’t sign with them right away so they could pursue sales immediately at the next upcoming market.”

When you are new to the distribution part of the process, that can leave you really questioning yourself and second-guessing all of your decisions. You can feel very pressured to sign because you might miss out on sales that you so desperately need. The truth is, there is always another market coming up (although some are bigger than others – AFM, for example).

It is also easy to become confused about what these people really do, and giving into this excitement and pressure from Sales Agents to sign is a huge mistake unless you really understand who they are, what they do, and what they want from you. This is where hiring a consultant and talking to other producers who have gone through the process is critical. From our experience, we sometimes found it confusing as to whether a sales agent was really ‘just’ a sales agent who would then take the film to distributors and sell it, or if they were a distributor and would release it themselves. Many of their company websites describe their services as sales agents and as distributors, which is confusing for the new producer.

Essentially, you have to understand that a Sales Agent is generally NOT the same thing as a distributor. Through this process, we’ve met many producers who sign with Sales Agents thinking that means they now have distribution for their film. Not true. They only have distribution if a Sales Agent then sells the film for them. You also want to make sure your representative is attending all of the major markets with your film in hand.

Also, many sales agents will claim to LOVE your film, even if they have never even seen it or it’s not quite finished, and they want you to sign with them immediately. You ego says ‘wow, my film must be really hot if people are chasing me for it already’. That might be true, but let’s consider again that everyone in this business has an agenda. What is their primary reason for wanting to sign you and your film? Hint. It’s a dirty, five letter word that starts with ‘m’ and rhymes with honey.

Of course they want you to sign with them. If they sell your film, they get a percentage of that sale. But there is no obligation for them to sell your film or that it will have any success at all. Many sales agents want to sign as many properties as possible so that they can increase their chances of selling some of those films. It’s like throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what will stick. Hopefully yours will be one of the ones still clinging to the wall.

But making a cautious and well thought out decision is crucial when you consider how hard you have worked to make your film. You want to give it the best chance possible for success. Don’t blow it by making a bad decision so close to the finish line.

A sales agent is a middle man, and they take your film to the various distributors around the world and negotiate deals on your behalf. It is very possible to arrange sales without a sales agent, sure. But in most cases, you will want a sales agent for your foreign sales because it is a massive, time intensive undertaking that is extremely expensive to cultivate and maintain international relationships with foreign buyers. It means travelling to foreign markets and meeting buyers from all over the world.

It helps to speak multiple languages, and have buckets of money for travel expenses, conference and market fees, long distance, courier and shipping costs, etc, etc. Since most indie producers don’t have access to that kind of capital, it is my opinion that you must have a foreign sales agent if you want to achieve foreign sales.

3. Distributors

Distributors are companies with the means to get your film into the world. They often work with Sales Agents or Aggregators, and sell the rights they have to your film to VOD, DVD, cable, etc for a percentage.

It was an education we felt was necessary for our first film.

Hopefully those definitions help to give you a basic understanding of what traditional distribution involves. So how do you get distribution? Or a sales agent? How do you find your audiences, and the money?

For ‘Below Zero’, we were pursuing traditional distribution. For us that meant attending the American Film Market in Santa Monica, finished film in hand. We contacted companies prior to the market and requested meetings at the event. In our email queries, we provided a link to a professionally developed trailer and poster, and made our meeting request as succinct as possible.

It was essentially a written pitch to buyers requesting a meeting at AFM, highlighting our cast and their credentials, a synopsis, links to some of our film festival reviews, and our available meeting dates/times for their convenience. In addition to this, we arranged for the talented and very recognizable, Michael Berryman (one of the stars in ‘Below Zero’) to join us at the AFM. Having him present at the event enabled us to not only book meetings in advance because people wanted to meet him, but also opened doors to unscheduled meetings while there.

We then met with those companies at the AFM, and instead of being desperate for them to buy our film, we interviewed them. We studied the posters and artwork for the films they represented. We listened as they pitched buyers to see how well they represented the filmmakers. We met with other producers in the hallways to seek advice and connect with other resources who could help us to advance the film.

In the actual meetings with these distributors, we were prepared with our trailer on a dvd that we could show on their large screens, and we were also ready to show it on our laptops, tablets, etc (Note: the large screens were always best because it often drew in others on their team to come over and view with us to discuss further).

We also approached each meeting with the objective of finding companies who would be good partners for us – where the chemistry felt strong, the films they represented were solid titles, and who were interested in working with us for the long term. Because my producing partner and I also run a screenwriting conference, we work with a lot of writers like ourselves who are just trying to get their films made. We’ve worked with many of these writers to develop a slate of projects, and we wanted to find distributors who would not only be interested in ‘Below Zero’, but in these other projects and writers as well.

As a result, we had an impressive number of meetings and offers. It also allowed us to develop relationships with a number of companies who we will continue working with on various projects.

We also approached each meeting with the objective of finding companies who would be good partners for us.

Now, all that being said, would we do it this way again? Would we sign with Sales Agents and Producer’s Reps, and pursue traditional distribution again? Not sure. Our film has just been released, so it will depend partly on how that goes. Overall, we are pleased with the foreign sales agent that we signed with, although it is still too early to tell whether their sales projections will prove accurate.

For domestic, we will probably self-distribute in the future for a number of reasons. There is no longer the need to partner with distributors in the same way as we have in the past. Audiences and the means for getting your films out there have changed significantly since our decision to pursue traditional distribution. Self-distributing will likely become our choice for the future, where we can build the audiences for our films using social media, manage our own marketing efforts, and own 100% of the domestic rights. We would likely not hire a producer rep again, because we gained the confidence, knowledge, and experience we needed by going through that process once. Hiring a consultant to advise when necessary will probably be our choice for our next film.

The world is getting smaller all the time, and with grass roots funding options such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, combined with social media such as Twitter and Facebook allow you to connect with global audiences in a way that is unprecedented. By building an audience, you build a following and an interest in your film that you can sell to directly without giving away a percentage of your hard earned sales.

Independent filmmakers are no longer at the mercy of high powered distributors or studios. What audiences are watching has changed, and there are so many more options for releasing content into the world. The market and materials out there have expanded considerably, but the industry has not yet caught up. As filmmakers, we need to learn and grow with those changes and embrace them if we are to find our audiences, get our work into the world, and make a living doing it.

Here is to a successful harvest for us all – may all your hard work and filmmaking efforts be fruitful. Please consider buying ‘Below Zero’ from Amazon.com or www.belowzeromovie.com to help support this really great indie film, and please add it to your Netflix Queue. LA Weekly is calling it the ‘Halloween movie of 2012’ so I hope you’ll check it out. Thanks everyone!

-Signe Olynyk 

Signe Olynyk is a Writer / Producer, who also is founder of the Great American PitchFest Screenwriting Conference, held annually in Los Angeles, CA.

Signe is also behind the Great British PitchFest, held in partnership with the London Screenwriters’ Festival in the UK.

You can check out her movie, Below Zero.

Photo Credits: Stock XChange, and Signe Olynik

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

by Signe Olynyk

Traditional distribution means many things to a filmmaker. It means finding an audience for your work. It means sales of your project, and perhaps pre-sales to trigger financing. In a nutshell, it means assigning the rights to exhibit your work for a fee, and getting your work into the world.

But the world has changed, and continues to with spectacular speed. Today, distribution can mean retaining all – or some – of the rights to your project, and interacting directly with your audience. Confused about how social media contributes to distributing your film? Read on. I’ll give you some quick lessons that I hope will help you with making your own decisions on whether traditional or modern distribution is best for you.

I recently wrote and produced the feature film, ‘Below Zero’. We shot the film for $1.2 million, but that doesn’t mean we had that money in hand to shoot the film. Instead, we made ‘soft money’ deals that allowed us to raise that budget. For example, instead of spending money we didn’t have on a RED camera package, we arranged a trade with a DP (Director of Photography) who owned his own gear and who was also looking for his first directing credit.

In exchange for contributing the gear, he had the opportunity to direct his first film, and it allowed us to cover that expense in our budget. We also worked with others who were looking for ‘step up’ positions (ie an Art Director became our Production Designer, a production assistant became an AD, etc). These crew members helped us out by working at reduced rates in exchange for professional credits that were important to each of their careers. In turn, we were able to piece-meal our budget together, using the value of each of these line items in our budget. Combined with approximately $350K hard cash, a ton of favors, and the hard work of everyone on our crew, it allowed us to reach our budget and get the film made.

Instead, we made ‘soft money’ deals that allowed us to raise that budget.

For a number of reasons, we chose not to sign a distribution agreement in advance. We didn’t believe a distributor would support us or the film at this point in our careers, or agree to the terms we felt were necessary to produce the film in the way we wanted. So we decided to believe in ourselves and move forward making the best decisions we could in order to get the film made, and then sell it as an acquisition
once complete. I don’t recommend this for everyone because it is extremely risky, and the odds are stacked high against you.

We went into this fully aware that we could become like the thousands of indie films that are made each year, that are never seen beyond festival audiences. We increased our odds by ensuring we had a recognizable cast, a reasonably low budget that we could recover from if we were not successful, and a well crafted, original script that brought something new to a proven genre. All of these elements were checked against the advice and experience of others who had gone before us – script consultants were hired, and rewrites completed until we felt confident the script was ready. Casting directors and distributors were
consulted with to help maximize the potential of international sales, and production managers were hired to review and prepare a budget to help keep us on track.

We went into this fully aware that we could become like the thousands of indie films that are made each year.

Now, you can make a micro or low budget movie (at $1.2M, ours is still considered a low budget), and you can get distribution. Whether you want that or not is a question I will get into further below. If traditional distribution is your goal, there are a few things you will want to consider:

• Internationally Recognizable Cast: ‘Who is in your film’ is typically the first question any distributor will ask you. You can sell a film without stars, but it generally makes it a tougher sell for a distributor.

• Great Artwork with sex appeal: Your artwork for the poster, dvd cover, onesheet, website, etc, should ‘tell a story’ in the image that is portrayed. If possible, provide an image that conveys the story of your movie. (Examples ‘Jaws’, ‘Grace’, ‘Silence of the Lambs’, etc.)

• High Production Values: If your film looks like a low budget movie, that is likely going to reflect in the deal you get from your distributor (unless there is a good story reason for it, ie many of the found footage films of today. ‘Paranormal Activity’, etc.). We wanted to produce a film that looked like a studio movie, despite the low budget. That has also proven to make us stand out from the vast number of low budget films that are out there, and has been instrumental in obtaining traditional distribution for our film. For example, we arranged to cover the cost of fuel with a local helicopter company in order to get some inexpensive but great looking aerial footage that was seen in the first ten minutes of the movie. That allowed us to make the film look more expensive than it actually was, and command a better deal as a result.

• Thrillers & Horrors: there is a glut of horror movies out there, sure. But that doesn’t mean that the audiences are going away. New material in these genres is always sought out by fans and distributors, especially fresh work that brings something new to the genre and has an original voice. What is scary in Japan is also scary in Germany, Canada, Italy, etc, whereas comedy and drama don’t always translate into other languages or cultures as well. Fear is king when it comes to internationally successful feature films, second only to action films. However, those films are generally more expensive to produce because they require more shots and camera setups due to the very nature of action.

Once ‘Below Zero’ was complete, we then started the daunting task of finding a distributor. This intimidating process becomes easier the more time you spend educating yourself and talking to others who are open to sharing their lessons.

Tune in next week for the second instalment of A Journey in Distribution.

-Signe Olynyk 

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Signe Olynyk is a Writer / Producer, who also is founder of the Great American PitchFest Screenwriting Conference, held annually in Los Angeles, CA.

Signe is also behind the Great British PitchFest, held in partnership with the London Screenwriters’ Festival in the UK.

You can check out her movie, Below Zero.

Photo Credits: Stock XChange, and Signe Olynik

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

by Signe Olynyk

Ten years ago, I didn’t know a soul in Hollywood. Today, I run the largest screenwriting conference in Los Angeles with more than 2,000 writers attending each year (Pitchfest).

Why is that crazy? For starters, I started the event in Canada before moving it to LA. The whole thing is run from my little home office in Calgary, Alberta. The entire team consists of myself, my NY-based producing partner, and a small handful of dedicated writers from all over the world, who meet once a year in Los Angeles to put on this event.

Ten years ago, I didn’t know a soul in Hollywood.
Today, I run the largest screenwriting conference in Los Angeles

It is a labor of love for us all that has helped hundreds of writers to get agents or managers, option their scripts, and become actual working screenwriters. It has changed hundreds of lives, including my own.

To be a filmmaker, you have to be a little bit crazy. It’s true. First you have all these ‘voices in your head’ that you have to capture on paper. And then you spend months and years of your life crafting those words into scripts and eventual productions. And on top of it all, we think we can do this without having to live in Hollywood. Now THAT is crazy…isn’t it? Not so much.

To be a filmmaker, you have to be a little bit crazy.

We live in the future, and the opportunities for local filmmakers continue to grow with each advance in movie making technology. The idea that you must be in Hollywood to make your films is as much a fable as most of the popcorn movies that the studios produce. Here are just a few of the real life myth busters who continue to inspire us all, regardless of where they call home:

• David Cronenberg (The Fly, Naked Lunch, Dead Ringers, A History of Violence) started in Toronto, Ontario
• Joel & Ethan Coen (Fargo, No Country For Old Men) are from Minnesota
• Robert Rodriguez (El Mirachi, Machete) makes his films in Austin, Texas
• Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Good Fellas) started by making his films in New York.
• Sarah Polley (Away From Her, Take This Waltz) is based in Toronto, Ontario
• Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Zack & Miri Make A Porno) started in New Jersey.
• Richard Linklater (Slacker, Before Sunrise, Fast Food Nation) makes films in Austin, Texas.

These giants of filmmaking all made their films, using the resources and contacts they had in the places they are from, and developed their careers from there. There is no reason why we can’t all do the same.

The idea that you must be in Hollywood to make your films is a fable

Look at the resources you have in your life. Do you know someone who owns a limo, or a sports car? Or even an old beater that would contribute towards a great story you could tell? What about locations? Do you know someone who has a cabin, or could you set your movie in the backwoods using a tent or motorhome? Like every great chef, cull the ingredients from your life and use them to create your own great story. You probably have more resources than you think.

This month’s theme is ‘Embracing the Absurd’. So take both your hands, reach out in front of you, and then wrap those hands around your own opposite shoulders. You are a filmmaker. Celebrate that. Now go do something crazy. I can’t wait to see what.

-Signe Olynyk 

Signe Olynyk is a Writer / Producer, who also is founder of the Great American PitchFest Screenwriting Conference, held annually in Los Angeles, CA.

Signe is also behind the Great British PitchFest, held in partnership with the London Screenwriters’ Festival in the UK.

You can check out her movie, Below Zero; or email her directly at info@belowzeromovie.com.

Photo Credits: Stock XChange, and Signe Olynik

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

by Signe Olynyk

Like many writers, pitching is something that hasn’t always come easy to me. As someone who has had to overcome tremendous shyness and learn how to pitch in order to get my movies made, there are a few things I have learned that might help others to do the same.

Pitching is a necessary evil. You must pitch if you want your project to be produced. The only sure-fire way to make sure your script never gets made is to never tell anyone about it. But there is hope – you are probably much better at pitching than you think. Never pitched before? Think again. When you go to a job interview, you are pitching. When you convince your friends to see the latest Bollywood film when everyone wants to see Avengers, you are pitching. When your kids plead for another hour past bedtime to play X-Box… Well, okay. They are pitching you.

You get my point – most of us pitch every single day without realizing it.

There is hope – you are probably much better at pitching than you think.

A successful pitch must be much more than simply convincing or selling someone on something. The best pitches are conversational – as if you are telling your friends about a great movie you just saw. Conversational means there is an exchange by both parties – sometimes the person you are pitching has questions, or they are engrossed with your pitch and respond with their body language.

The best pitches are conversational

If you are doing it right, they are engaged and listening to every exciting word you are sharing, and the communication between you and the person you are pitching is filled with give and take. You give by telling about your character’s overall goal, they take by leaning in. You tell them how your character overcomes their obstacles. They gasp. They ask a question. You give an answer.

A great pitch is like a dance – but you are the one leading and reacting as your partner responds to you. Give and take, back and forth. Actually, that sounds like something else. But you get my point. You are hosting the meeting, and as such, you control the information that is shared. As the conversation continues, you lead it back to what needs to be conveyed.

A great pitch is like a dance – but you are the one leading and reacting as your partner responds to you.

One of the biggest mistakes writers make when they are pitching for the first time is that they tell too much information. Shot by shot, scene by scene – this is what causes grey hair to grow, and executive eyelids to droop. But how do you know what is too much? Too little?

As my producing partner, the fabulous Mr. Bob Schultz sometimes laments, ‘If I could tell it to you in 90 seconds, why would I have told it to you in 90 pages’? Bob is referring to a logline, which is often described as the one sentence, ‘tv guide’ version of a story.

A pitch does not need to be short, but it does need to be succinct. You need to be extremely selective about the finding the true heart of your story, and it is much more difficult to do than one might think. It means stripping away all the hard work you’ve put into your script, and reduce it down to the bare bones in order to pitch it effectively. We don’t need to know your character’s backstory. We don’t need to know who you imagine casting as the lead.

All we need are the bones.

We don’t need to know your character’s backstory. We don’t need to know who you imagine casting as the lead. All we need are the bones.

And what are the bones? Let’s plot out the skeleton of your pitch.

1. Title

First, tell me the title of your script. Easy enough, right? Well, not so fast. Here’s what I’m thinking about as a producer when you tell me your title and begin the bones of your pitch… I am wondering if your title starts with an A, B, C, or maybe a number. Or is there another title for your concept that would? People often rent their films through VOD, Netflix or Red Box these days, and they generally start at the first letter of the alphabet and make their way through the movie selections, starting with the ‘A’ titles and working their way down (or starting at ‘Z’ and working up. Rebels, I know).

Distributors also prefer titles with one or two words as they tend to lend themselves more easily to foreign sales and generally translate more easily into other languages. Is it a title that captures the theme of your film (ie ‘Alive’, ‘Misery’, ‘United 93’)? Is it a title that is high concept, meaning you immediately understand what the movie is going to be about, just by hearing the name (ie ‘Bad Teacher’, ‘Buried’, ‘Contagion’)?

Although it isn’t always easy to create unique titles that fulfill theme, distribution preferences, and still capture a strong sense of your story, you increase the chance of success for your screenplay if you do.

2. Genre

Identify the genre of your film. Is it a comedy? Horror? Rom-Com or Historical Drama? An Executive wants to know what genre you are pitching because it establishes the mood for the rest of the pitch, and sets up what they can expect of your story. If you launch right into your pitch about a woman giving birth to a zombie baby, we need to know whether that script is a comedy or a horror so we know how to react as you pitch it. If it is a true life story about your zombie baby, I’m so sorry to hear it. Are the rights available?

Here’s my producer brain again, mulling over what I am listening for and thinking about as you pitch. The most successful domestic films are not always the most successful internationally. For the terms of this article, ‘domestic’ refers to North America, and ‘foreign’ refers to everywhere else.

Comedies generally need to have A-list talent to perform well at the box office, and it is difficult for a company to take a chance with a new writer on a multi-million dollar movie. Comedy (including Romantic Comedies & what I call ‘Jerk Comedies’) is also very subjective, and what is funny in North America may be offensive, or simply not translate well into other cultures or languages internationally.

Action films are still the most successful genres at the box office, domestically and abroad. However, this genre also tends to be more expensive to produce, because there are so many setups required (number of shots) to successfully achieve many of the sequences audiences expect, and also, because recognizable or A-list cast must generally be attached (translate: bigger budget).

As I listen to your pitch, I am thinking about whether this is a genre I can raise enough money for, is it something I can attract cast to, is it unique enough from every other horror movie out there, and will it sell internationally? Having a sense of what is important to an exec is important because it can help the person pitching to identify the reasons why their script may not be an exact fit for a particular company.

You might think an indie producer is kookoo-bananas for not optioning your big budget studio extravaganza that is a brilliant script (it really is!), but factors such as ‘can I raise enough money at this point in my career’ are massive factors that are often beyond your control. My hope is that by sharing some of this information, you will better understand why an exec can’t always come on board your project – even if the script is outstanding. It is often a matter of just finding the right match, and sometimes, well, that just requires luck and perseverance. Happenstance.

But, I digress.

I can write more about some of these issues another time. Let’s get back to the bones of pitching.

3. Protagonist

Now that we know the title and genre, we want to know ‘who is the main character’? Through whose eyes are we experiencing this story? It needs to be someone who we can relate to, and we need to care enough about them and their goal to want to go on this 90-ish minute journey with them. As an audience, we want to experience their growth, and see them evolve. Our favorite movies start with a character who has a certain behavior or world point of view, and through the challenges they face in pursuit of their goal, they evolve to become a different person.

By the end of the story, your protagonist’s behavior and world point of view has changed. For better or worse. Experiencing that character growth allows audiences to escape and live vicariously through the characters. That ability to escape and be enlightened to a new character perspective is largely how movies enrich all our lives, and why we go to movies in the first place.

4. Goal

Once I know the title of your screenplay, the genre, and who the protagonist is, I will want to know what that character wants. What physical, tangible goal are they pursuing? Save the planet from the speeding meteorite? Get the characters off the bus before it explodes? Find the groom before the wedding? Come up with one more cliché goal before I finish this article?

Although an emotional goal can be a consequence of this pursuit, the goal must be an actual, physical one. The goal for your main character is not to ‘fall in love’, but it might be to ‘save the swamp’. Falling in love is often the emotional consequence. Sigh. We should all save more swamps. Plus, lizards are awesome.

5. Obstacles

Okay, now that we know the character’s goal, we need to know what the increasingly difficult obstacles are that stand in the way of him, her, or it reaching that goal. The best screenplays always involve a strong opponent, whether that nemesis is another character or monster, a force of nature, or an establishment. The shark in ‘Jaws’. Jigsaw in the ‘Saw’ movies. Number Six in the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ tv series. The demon in the ‘Paranormal Activity’ movies.

Darth Vader is all of these things – a character, a monster, a force of nature, and he represents an establishment. Villains with their own goals and obstacles that conflict with the goals and obstacles of your protagonist are often more relatable and interesting than characters of extreme degrees. The mustache twirling villains and wicked witches of the past are made more human by putting their needs in direct conflict with your hero character.

One of my favorite writing exercises is to reverse the roles of my main character and their antagonist, and tell the story from the other character’s point of view. If you’ve seen the broadway version of ‘Wicked’, you will know how successful that exercise can be. To me, ‘shades of grey’ are always more interesting than characters who are pure evil, or pure goodness. Although I enjoy hearing Snow White sing.

Making sure the stakes your character faces are serious enough is often where many screenplays (and pitches) fail. A brilliant script consultant I like to work with on all my projects is Mr. Robert Southhill. He often calls these types of scripts a BOSH. Bunch Of ‘Stuff’ Happens. It’s when one thing after another simply happens to your protagonist, instead of the character striving towards a specific goal, struggling, and overcoming the obstacles that are in the way. Your goal has to be a real, physical, tangible goal that has such dire consequences for your character that we must root for them, and care enough to go on this journey with them. By making the stakes high enough for the character, you raise the dramatic impact of each obstacle.

Making sure that the obstacles in your character’s way are increasingly serious is a way to deepen our commitment to the character and root for their success. If your character’s goal is to drive from Canada to Los Angeles, who cares? But if 2,500 angry writers will tie her to a stake and roast her at a bbq if she doesn’t get there and make sure she puts on a great conference for them, then the stakes are significantly higher. What are the obstacles in the way? 2,700 miles? Construction? Hordes of cattle all over the highway in Montana? Not good enough. The stakes need to be serious enough that it becomes a ‘do or die’ effort. Trust me, it is.

One of my favorite writing exercises is to reverse the roles of my main character and their antagonist, and tell the story from the other character’s point of view.

Pitching In general

Like a great movie trailer, the pitch should have a beginning, middle, and an end –without giving everything away. In the beginning, you tell who it is about and what they want. The middle of your pitch is where you tell what gets in the way of your protagonist reaching that goal, and what they did to overcome it. The ending is where you tell the lesson learned, not just the lesson for the character – but the lesson that your audience walks away with, enriched for the experience of having seen your film.

Every pitch is a little bit different. All pitches need to have to have the bones that I already described, but they also need to be tailored to whoever you are pitching. If you are pitching an actor, you want to spend more time focusing on the character. What their character arc is. How they change through the course of your story. You will want to spend extra time focusing on the juicy bits that make the role a character an actor would want to play.

If you are pitching an agent, you may also want to pitch yourself and your ability to take on writing assignments, to write fast, and the connections you already have. If you have optioned a property and are pitching an investor or studio exec, you are going to expand your pitch to address casting and foreign sales, and budget details. You’d want to get into who your key crew are, what’s your schedule, your budget, and financial plan. You have to know who you are pitching so that you can adjust your pitch to reflect what they are looking for, and target those needs in your pitch.

All pitches should have the bones of your story, and be expanded upon to be able to address the other needs of whoever you are pitching.

The core. The bones. The skeleton. It all means the same thing. You need to know who your protagonist is. What they want. What obstacles are in the way of that goal, and what is the lesson learned.

If you are still nervous about pitching and need more advice, the two best pitch coaches I know are Bob Schultz (bob@pitchfest.com – Bob runs the Great American PitchFest with me, and is also my producing partner) and the awesome Pilar Alessandra from On the Page. Pilar is a pitch and script consultant, and an exceptional teacher who leads a ‘Pitch In A Minute’ class each year at pitchfest (it’s free – just RSVP to info@pitchfest.com). She has one of those ‘fill in the blank’ type of templates that essentially does the work for you. Writers simply fill in the blanks and immediately start pitching. It’s that easy. Both Bob and Pilar will be at this year’s Great American PitchFest, and they are very approachable. I’ll be there too and would love to meet you so be sure to say hi.

Pitching can be terrifying, especially if it is your first time. But before I sign off, I want you to take a hard look at yourself. You wrote this brilliant script. You’ve worked hard to master your craft. And now you’re ready to bring it into the world. Be proud of that. And confident. You have accomplished something amazing, so remember that with every pitch meeting you go into. Now, you just need practice. And I need to see the potatoe museum of Idaho. See you in a couple weeks.

-Signe Olynyk 

Signe Olynyk is a Writer / Producer, who also is founder of the Great American PitchFest Screenwriting Conference, held annually in Los Angeles, CA.

Signe is also behind the Great British PitchFest, held in partnership with the London Screenwriters’ Festival in the UK.

You can check out her movie, Below Zero; or email her directly at info@belowzeromovie.com.

Photo Credits: seeveeaar, and Signe Olynik

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au