Jaws In Space

Powerful Pitching for Film and TV Screenwriters

Charles Harris

• Publisher: Creative Essentials
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781843447344
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film Screenwriting

Two screenwriters once walked into a Hollywood producer's office and said three words 'Jaws in space.' Those three words won them the contract for the blockbuster movie Alien.

The ability to pitch well is essential for all writers, directors and producers in cinema and TV, drama, documentary and series. Strong pitching skills will accelerate your career - not only helping you sell your projects, but also developing them in the first place, focusing on what makes a story work, clarifying character and plot, and working more successfully with industry collaborators.

This book takes you from the essentials of what makes a good pitch to advanced skills that will help you in all kinds of pitching situations. Charles Harris gives a clear-sighted view of how pitching works in the industry and a series of very practical techniques for developing a gripping and convincing pitch. Drawing on his experience, he examines the problems that can arise with both mainstream and unconventional projects - from a range of different cultures - and explains how to solve them. He also analyses the process of taking a pitch meeting and shows you how to ensure you perform at your best.

'Everything you need to know about pitching and a whole lot more' - Nicola Quilter

'Charles Harris has created the perfect handbook for anyone who is a bit uncertain or scared about pitching their work' - writesofluid.com

'Charles makes the whole process of pitching seem so enjoyable' - Lock and Load, Brides of Christ

MAKING THE APPROACH

Once you have your polished script, it’s time to approach potential buyers so that you can pitch to them for real. There are essentially four ways of making contact with the producer or agent you want to pitch to – email, social media, phone or in person. Each has its advantages and its difficulties, and you will doubtless use all of them at different times.

To add to the complications, everyone has their own preferences as to how they like to be approached – which they may or may not make public.

USING YOUR CONTACT LIST

In ‘The Pitch Relationship: Them’, we talked about compiling a list of possible buyers – producers, agents, production companies, development executives. Now it’s time to use it to select your first contacts. As you go, you’ll doubtless want to update it with new notes and added names. No matter how artistically disorganised you like to be as a writer, it’s worth being organised when it comes to this list. That applies equally whether you keep your list in a sophisticated database on your computer or write it down in a book, loose-leaf binder or box file.

I believe in creating good habits. So, when I’m sending out a script, I schedule a regular time each day. That way I don’t have to think or psych myself up. At that time, I simply open my producer spreadsheet and select the next name in order of priority.

Don’t underestimate how long you’ll need to devote to preparing each approach. For every name, you need to remind yourself who they are and why you chose them, and decide the best way to make contact. You’ll probably want to visit their website for a final check and search through what they’ve said online, so that you can adjust what you say appropriately. You might print what you find or save it to a convenient place on the computer. (Evernote is a particularly good program for saving all kinds of research, articles, pictures, notes, etc., for easy access – and the basic version is free).

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Many production companies and agents give detailed guidelines for submissions on their websites. They don’t do this as a joke. They’ve found that this is the most efficient way to deal with the mountain of applications they receive and prioritise those which are of interest to them. Take them seriously and follow their instructions precisely. To do otherwise is to declare loudly that you don’t care about what they want and are not likely to be a good collaborator.

I appreciate that the guidelines may sometimes seem capricious. It can be annoying when one agent wants you to send a 500-word treatment and another insists on 150. But if they ask for 150 words, send then 150 words – or slightly under.

Don’t write ‘My story is so complicated that I can’t do it justice in 150 words, so am sending 200.’ However tough it is, find a way to do what they ask.

They will normally ask for a covering letter. Base it on your best query letter (see next chapter).

As I said earlier, you always want to apply to a specific person by name, but many submission guidelines ask you to send to a generic mailbox such as [email protected]. Even so, you should still address it to the producer or agent you feel would be most appropriate. You can usually add their name to your query letter in the text or subject line – such as ‘For the attention of Cathy Eageragent’. The person concerned will normally be informed.

The BBC likes to direct all submissions to its Writers Room. The Writers Room is an excellent resource on one level, providing advice, hints, tips, sample scripts and all kinds of useful information. However, when it comes to submissions, it’s a massive slush pile with a very low chance of your script being noticed. I’m not saying don’t send it – you should send your work to anyone and everyone you feel appropriate. But once you’ve sent it to the Writers Room, don’t hold your breath. Continue researching BBC shows for the names of producers, script editors and any other names you feel might be worth a more direct approach.

TAKING THE PLUNGE

When looking for work, inside the film industry as well as outside, most people prefer to apply to a job advert or send an email, while the least preferred method of approach is by phone or personal contact. Yet, according to statistics, personal contact and phone calls yield by far the greater success. The same applies to pitching scripts. The more personal the contact, the better.

The reason is obvious. When you apply to an advert or to a call for scripts, you are already up against thousands of other applicants. You may win, but I wouldn’t bet on it. If you ring the doorbell or call by phone, it’s just you. Of course, they may not want a script that day, but what have you lost?

And there’s another reason. We’re all human and we know instinctively how scary it is to pick up that phone or walk in that door. The fact that you had the bravery to do that speaks volumes for your commitment and desire.

When I started in the industry, I phoned all the producers whose names I spotted on the credits of programmes I liked. Often I’d get through to them. I didn’t always have a script ready to pitch, so I pitched myself.

I said I was young, keen to write TV drama and wanted to learn. I offered to buy a drink if they’d share their advice – and arranged more than one valuable meeting with experienced mentors in the London Weekend bar.

This is an industry built on networking and the more people you can meet (whether you’re pitching a script or yourself), the faster your career will grow.

MAKING THE CALL

Most often, the person who answers the phone will be a PA, whose job it is to protect his boss from would-be screenwriters and other nutcases. Ask for, and make a note of, their name. Today’s PA may be tomorrow’s senior development executive.

Remain polite. Introduce yourself. This is where you gain from having prepared and polished your personal log line (see ‘What They Want’).

Then explain briefly how much you admire his boss’s work and how you have something you think she would be interested in. Sometimes you’ll be given the brush-off – such as, ‘We’re fully booked up and not looking for new scripts at the moment.’ It happens. They may even not be very nice about it. That happens too. Stay professional. Thank him politely and ring off – making a note in your file to try them again, maybe in six months or a year, to see if anything has changed. Then move on to the next name on your list.

Sometimes, if you make your case well, the PA might ask you to say what your project is right there and then. Don’t be caught out stuttering – have your pitch ready to deliver. And listen to any comments that are made.

It’s more likely that you’ll be asked to send an email. Make sure you’re clear on precisely what he wants you to send (what form, what information, how many words, etc.). You should have a query letter standing by for just such times. However, you will almost certainly want to glance over it, and perhaps have to change ...