Elevate Your Pitch: Mark's Resource Roundup

Elevate your pitch. As writers we are constantly hearing those words, but what does that mean exactly? Some take it to mean “high concept”, like it’s Die Hard on a bus (Speed). While high concept can elevate a pitch not all stories are high concept. One way to elevate your pitch is to be more specific. Be specific as to who the protagonist is, what he wants and/or needs, who or what is preventing him from achieving his goal and what happens if he fails. Also, be specific as to location as it helps set the world and often will help set the tone.

Pretty basic stuff, but I’m surprised when writers (including myself) often forget to be specific. Here’s a thought, to really elevate your pitch, throw the pitch out and tell a story instead. Let’s be honest, few people like to be pitched to, but almost everyone loves to be told a story. Next time you’re stuck in an elevator with Steven Spielberg, don’t pitch, tell a story.

Keep writing,

Mark

Resource Links:

How to Pitch a Movie

Scriptmag: Elevate Your Story

8 Steps to a Powerful Pitch

Parting Thought:

“There are limits to the human attention span, which is why a pitch must be brief, concise, and interesting.” ― Oren Klaff