http://filmmakermagazine.com/66393-the-image-comes-first/
Pitching to investors and such. Article from Filmmaker Magazine.
Michael
Pitching to investors and such. Article from Filmmaker Magazine.
Michael
The Mood Pitch Trailer
- Thread starter MichaelP
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Eric Boellner
Well-known member
Great article, thanks for sharing. It's funny, because for writers, I've always heard this has been a huge DON'T. Every executive, it seems, has his/her amusing anecdotes of a writer carting in a laptop, a cork board, and a DVD, asking if they have a projector in the office so he can play his video montage to go along with what was supposed to just be a quick verbal pitch.
I think I like Cahill's approach best, though: I'd look at it less in terms of establishing a Kickstarter fanbase, or selling your idea to some executive, than simply making a "proof of concept" to inform the investors and your crew of where you're going with things. I think approaching the whole thing as only a marketing/sales tool will just lead to a glut of "Hey, if I write this s--tty script real quick, I can make a webcam mood reel and get someone to cough up a million bucks for me to direct it!" And I imagine in a couple years, if even that, execs will look at anyone who comes in touting a "mood reel" like they have leprosy.
Still, if you know how to do this properly, it could work Very Well in your favor. Not keen on the idea of using shots from classic films, though. Reminds me of Terry Rossio's story about the director who landed a gig after impressing the execs with his description of a shot from a Superman movie he had nothing to do with. Back when YouTube first came out, user-edited music videos from famous movies were all the rage. Didn't mean anyone should get a job directing...
Honestly, though, I'm not sure that it really has taken this long for videos to be incorporated into pitches. Peter Jackson sold Bob Shaye on LOTR after screening his storyboard version of the then two-parter. Good article, nonetheless.
I think I like Cahill's approach best, though: I'd look at it less in terms of establishing a Kickstarter fanbase, or selling your idea to some executive, than simply making a "proof of concept" to inform the investors and your crew of where you're going with things. I think approaching the whole thing as only a marketing/sales tool will just lead to a glut of "Hey, if I write this s--tty script real quick, I can make a webcam mood reel and get someone to cough up a million bucks for me to direct it!" And I imagine in a couple years, if even that, execs will look at anyone who comes in touting a "mood reel" like they have leprosy.
Still, if you know how to do this properly, it could work Very Well in your favor. Not keen on the idea of using shots from classic films, though. Reminds me of Terry Rossio's story about the director who landed a gig after impressing the execs with his description of a shot from a Superman movie he had nothing to do with. Back when YouTube first came out, user-edited music videos from famous movies were all the rage. Didn't mean anyone should get a job directing...
Honestly, though, I'm not sure that it really has taken this long for videos to be incorporated into pitches. Peter Jackson sold Bob Shaye on LOTR after screening his storyboard version of the then two-parter. Good article, nonetheless.
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