Saying It Out Loud

A guest post from Tom Benedek:

Before there were pens, paper, words, letters, campfires, there were stories. Using the tools of the trade, writers can refine their stories, tell them better perhaps, replicate them, distribute them eternally. But the well told story was first transmitted speaker to listener. So even though most screenwriters would prefer not to, it may be necessary, important, highly worthwhile to transmit the story we are planning to write or have written with our mouths. In Hollywood, they call it PITCHING.

I have pitched successfully and badly many times, been hired numerous times from verbal presentation in studios or productions offices. But I am no master of the pitch. Far from it. I believe that chemistry, and a certain alignment of the right story concept or approach with the right listeners results in my own success in pitching. Whenever I have succeeded in pitching, I know I have done well with what I had. And what I had in terms of story and character was, in my mind, much more important than how I presented it. If I pitched it well, I probably felt good about what I was talking about and felt a good response from my listeners.

Still, there is an art and science to pitching: how to proceed if you are caught in the “elevator” with someone who you think ought to hear about your project or if you are in a meeting with decision-makers or their representatives.

It is great to have a set of skill sets, guidelines to draw on for these situations. A solid verbal presentation ought to be an automatic for screenwriters. This can be learned, of course. This brings me to next week’s Network Hollywood class online at Screenwritingmasterclass.com — starting on April 7. There will be a wonderful selection of video interviews with managers, agents, producers, plus a set of lectures and discussions about log lines and how to get your material to these people properly. We will also be featuring a wonderful guest for our live Q and A — Stephanie Palmer of Good in the Room. Stephanie is a good friend, former studio executive and teaches-consults on the art and science of pitching, of learning to be “Good in the Room.” Each class member will get some extra materials on pitching from Stephanie’s core teaching materials, and get a chance to ask her questions “face to face” online.

For more information the upcoming session of Network Hollywood which begins Monday, April 7, go here.

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