Reader Question: Is it worth it to attend pitch fests?
Ferdinand asks:
When the script is ready to go, is it worth it to go to pitch fests? Or should one pursue the traditional way and send out query letters to producers?
Annika W asks:
I second Ferdinand’s question. Pitch festival season is starting, with the stepped up advertising and offers for discount buy-early passes. These things are expensive and I’ve heard of no success stories coming out of them… but could it be worth the $300–500 just to practice pitching?
There’s no clear yes or no answer to this question. Obviously if you don’t have the money to fund the registration, travel, and lodging fees, then it’s a moot point. However there is an argument to be made to go through the process at least once:
* As Annika notes, there is a bottom line value in the experience: You get to practice pitching in a real-time setting. This is no small matter. If you wish to go up for Open Writing Assignments in Hollywood or prefer to sell your stories without writing them on spec, you have to be able to pitch. Even if you’re not that good at the actual presentation part, if the story you pitch is great and you manage not to throw up on the buyers, that at least gives you a shot at selling something. Then there’s the other aspect: You can practice pitching into a mirror. You can practice pitching at your dog. You can dress up your spouse as a studio exec and pitch to them. But it’s just not the same as pitching to a real live Hollywood buyer.
* There’s pitching, then the process of preparing your pitch, and that is perhaps even more important than the actual pitch itself. Prepping a pitch forces you to drill down into your story and unearth its most essential narrative elements. That can help you immeasurably in understanding your story which in turn can benefit you in writing a first draft or rewriting the script. In fact, I read something recently where a screenwriter said part of his process was to pitch his story over and over again to multiple sets of people in order to hone it to the point where he felt like he really knew it. Only then would he commit to typing FADE IN.
* On a most basic level, the whole point of writing a spec script is to create content that you put in front of potential buyers. Obviously the more eyeballs who see your script, the better your odds of success. If you can add ears to the mix — the more people who hear your pitch — that broadens your base.
* Moreover if your story does catch a buyer’s fancy, you get their card and follow up with email, sending them your script, and voila — they are now a contact. That means you not only have your script in play with them, you can now write in your query letters to managers [assuming you’re seeking representation], “I attended the recent [pitch event] where [Producer X] liked my story and requested a copy of the script.” Even that tiny bit of business can set your query apart from a generic email.
I have had the experience of sitting on the producer’s side at a few pitch events [when I worked at Trailblazer Studios] and I know I was genuinely interested in sourcing great scripts. I would imagine any producer must feel pretty much the same way otherwise why put yourself through the many hours it takes to sit listening to dozens of pitches. So at least in theory, these events do put you into the orbit of people who can actually help you break into the business.
But I’ve never been to one of these events as a writer pitching a story, so once again I rely on the collective wisdom and insight of the GITS community. Those of you who have gone to a pitch fest or screenwriting festival where you could pitch to producers, what was your experience like? Do you recommend it or not? Upside? Downside?
Let’s see if we can get a good cross-section of feedback to respond to Ferdinand and Annika’s initial question because if it’s not money or time well-spent, then I’d rather you focus on the task at hand: Writing a great script.
Tomorrow’s question: Do you have any time management tips on how to learn screenwriting and write scripts while holding down a full-time job?