Screenwriting : November Write Club Week 4’s Post – No Scene-by-Scene Breakdown in My Pitch by Maurice Vaughan

I haven't started pitching my work yet, but I'm intimately aware of the sales pitch. My biggest worry about pitching is that my commercial sales experience will overshadow me as the writer. I was in sales for a long time. And while the ability to make a pitch without the nerves is great, the sales voice is gonna really hurt me. I can't help but sound like I'm selling. Gotta work on that.

Hoping you have a great week 4!

Thanks, Elle Bolan. Maybe focus on that when you practice pitching and ask the person you're practicing with (if you practice with someone) to keep an eye on that part.

Stage 32 has two written pitch examples (one for a show and the other for a movie). Stage 32 also has a verbal TV pitch beat sheet and a verbal feature pitch beat sheet. You can get them by emailing success@stage32.com.

Here's three Lounge posts with pitch advice:

www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Pitch-Advice

www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Pitching-44

www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Why-Pitching-Matters-And-How-to-Mak...

The Pitch Practice in the Writers’ Room is the best pitching resource in my opinion. Pitch Practice is every Thursday night at 5:30 P.M. PST/8:30 P.M. EST. You can sit in and listen to members practice their projects and give them feedback. You can pitch your project too, but you have to sign up. The hosts, Noel Thompson and John Mezes, take names during Pitch Practice for people to pitch the following week. You have to sit in and listen at the practice one or two times before you can pitch.

The Pitch Tank in the Writers’ Room is an incredible pitching resource too. The Pitch Tank is where you pitch your script to an executive and get feedback. The Pitch Tank is once a month.

Stage 32 has a free webinar called "How to Write a 2 Page Pitch for Your Television Series" (www.stage32.com/education/products/free-stage-32-webinar-how-to-write-at...).

Stage 32 has a free webinar called "How to Create a 2 Page Pitch For Your Feature Film" (www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-create-a-2-page-pitch-for-your...).

Stage 32 also has a free pitch webinar: www.stage32.com/education/products/pitching-tips-from-the-pros-your-blue...

Thanks @Maurice! These are perfect resources.

You're welcome, Elle Bolan. Hope they help! They've helped me.

I understand what you're saying cuz I to have been guilty of doing this. But this is how we learn through trial and error. I have so much respect for you Maurice, you have always been there for me whenever I've needed help. Thank you for that

Happy NWC.

I remember you had told me you had the same issue before—it was more of a story synopsis than a pitch.

It’s so important to know exactly what to say, and what to leave for the full script reading.

I still have many questions about this, but I’ll keep writing the script and return to it later.

You're right, Pink Matzke. Learn through trial and error. And I got other helpful notes from the Pitch Sessions. You're welcome. I appreciate it. I'm rooting for you to have a ton of success!

Happy NWC, Meriem Bouziani. You're right. I make three synopses for a script now: the synopsis for the pitch, a short synopsis, and a full synopsis.

Feel free to ask your questions here in the Screenwriting Lounge so the community can answer them.

Thank you Maurice Vaughan

The three-synopsis approach sounds like a good idea. I should try it as well.

You're welcome, Meriem Bouziani. I put the short synopsis on my Stage 32 logline page, in email query letters, my pitch deck, and my treatment/series bible. I put the full synopsis in the treatment/series bible.

Maurice Vaughan So so true Maurice, I did that a lot, scene by scene monologuing, and I felt it not connect, but I was so frantically unsure of myself, that I thought that was the way to go. Now, with knowledge, I can begin applying all the things I know, and be, just share and be, and become the Wise One: the story we have written came from within us, so, why should we, for one second, doubt ourselves in a pitch?

Great point, Juliana Philippi! I'll keep it in mind when I'm preparing for a pitch and pitching. Thanks!

Maurice Vaughan I've had that problem too! Now Evan's post has given me a focused way to pitch that makes it worlds easier. I'm doing a pitch/filming session to practice his advice. Are you planning to film your pitch too?

Hi, Sheri Barbera. Glad to hear Evan's post gave you a focused way to pitch! I haven't thought about filming my pitch, but I might. I've heard it can help writers get better at pitching. Hope your pitch/filming session goes great!

Maurice Vaughan thank. you!

You're welcome, Sheri Barbera.

Hey Maurice, thanks for sharing bro. I know that not all execs are the same, but your post gives me an idea of what to prepare for when preparing for my pitch!

It's great when we realise where we were versus where we are now. I love you took that one aspect and changed things up especially doing a written pitch. I have to admit-- that's my next goal- to do more written pitches come next year.

Hey, Warren Edward Foster. You're welcome. Glad my post gave you the idea! I hope the pitching goes great! Keep us posted on it.

"Realise where we were versus where we are now." That could be the theme for a story, Cynna Ael. I'm rooting for you to reach your next goal and hope the pitches go great!

I've definitely been mindful of giving too detailed a synopsis of my story during the pitch, and I've found there's an art more than a science to it. Say too much, you confuse, say too little, you also confuse ^^; so I've gotten better at giving the gist though questions still naturally arise (I've learned to take it as a good sign, like Evan said; it means investment, ie, you're doing something right).

Maurice Vaughan I'm going to borrow a phrase from @Rosa Madzek: trial and error (my PDF, nothing yet). But I see 2026. Thank you for sharing.

That’s a great point Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

In my only pitch session, I was prepared with a Q&A and I memorized everything.

But the executive let me guide the conversation, and I failed at that because I lost track, didn’t know what to say or what to leave out, and I ran out of time.

So it’s also about knowing how to react if they ask questions, or how to guide the conversation if they leave it up to you.

Each executive has their own specific way of doing that.

You're welcome, John January Noble. Keep us posted on it.

Thanks Meriem Bouziani, I've only done two live pitch sessions and I was super nervous both times and didn't know how to comfortably lead the conversation ^^; but I've definitely noticed with the feedback on my written pitches how similar and yet different many execs are in terms of what they resonate to and would like you to do next time (I've as such taken the advice of the ones who said to include a character page). Sometimes that's all the science I find lol, the consistent inconsistency xD nonetheless I've learned to trust the process and keep at it, and some execs I would 100% pitch to again.

Yeah, because it’s not expected Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Later, when I thought about it calmly, I realized something:

since she let me start the conversation, I should have given only the logline, talked briefly about the main characters, and then stopped to let her ask questions.

I think that’s the right way to act when the executive lets us begin the conversation.

If anyone has better ideas for this situation, feel free to guide me.

Thank you very much.