Latest update October 21st, 2015 12:41 PM
AFM 2014 DAY 4: Pitch Conference
AFM Pitch Conference: Stephanie Palmer, Cassian Elwes, Tobin Armbrust, Actor, Eric Roberts, and Director, Mary McGuckian. Photo credit: Alex Wyman / AP Invision
LOS ANGELES, Nov 8 - AFM 2014 saw a Pitch Conference at the Fairmont Hotel, where Moderator Stephanie Palmer (Founder, Good in a Room) and panellists, Tobin Ambrust (President of Worldwide Production and Acquisitions, Exclusive Media Group) and Independent Producer and Agent, Cassian Elwes, talked through the ‘dos and don’ts’ of pitching. Actor Eric Roberts and Mary McGuckian were among the filmmakers pitching projects, with their film THE NOVELIST.
Key points made at the Conference:
Cassian Elwes
“The pitch of the movie never ends with you, it’s just the very beginning part of it because the pitch really is the studio that releases the movie to the audience.”
“The turning point in my career with all the first time directors that I work with, was when they actually managed to get me into the place where I knew what I had to say about their film.”
Tobin Ambits
“In any line of work in the film industry, you’re always pitching – and so it’s very helpful to have an idea that is concise, that is electrifying and original, and you always want to be able to have some sort of angle so that you can convince people who are very, very busy, quickly, that this is worth paying attention to.”
“You’re going to go up to someone and say, ‘Lend me 1,000 to do it and I might get you 500 of that back’. It’s not something you’d do in your personal life. You have to treat the financiers as if they’re people – who, wherever their money’s coming from, it’s extremely personal to them, and you have to make a cogent argument as to why you think at the very least they’ll break even, or hopefully make some profit.”
Stephanie Palmer: Pitching Dos and Don’ts
Dos
If you learn only one thing from this pitch conference let it be, lead with Genre.
My second tip of things to do is to talk about as few characters as possible.
My third do, is identify caverns of feedback – getting feedback is a very scary thing but it’s one of the most powerful ways you can improve your project.
Don’ts
Don’t give a positive opinion of your own work. Let the listeners form their own opinions.
Don’t talk about who’s involved, unless they’ve got skin in the game.
Finally, don’t argue.
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