Screenwriting : What Pitch Material Do You Make? by Maurice Vaughan

That's great that you've never been asked for anything other than a verbal pitch, Drongo Bum. Sometimes that's all you need. Script posters, pitch decks, etc. have gotten me script requests and jobs. Plus, I like making these things.

Maurice Vaughan Which of those items do you find is requested the most?

Great question, Michael David. Logline, pitch deck, and short synopsis.

Maurice, I like doing written pitches...for now, I feel more comfortable doing them than verbal ones. (Yep...I'm still working to change that and get as comfy with verbal pitches as I am with written ones.)

My written pitches start with a brief explanation of how what I'm pitching came about. Then I list format, genre, comps, logline, and setting...followed by a short synopsis, a summary of major characters, and I conclude with a "summing up" of what the major characters have to go through in the story.

I love doing script posters...even if they're not attached to the pitches. Still, I include the posters when I'm working with tools such as ScriptHop (works like a pitch deck) and Prewrite (works the way a lookbook does).

Here's wishing you plenty of success here in 2025 (and beyond)!

Hey, Jim Boston. That's a great way to start a pitch! I'm more comfortable doing written pitches too. I'm getting more comfortable with live pitches though.

I've heard of ScriptHop and Prewrite. I plan on trying them out. I'll probably try Prewrite first since I've been thinking about finding a new program to outline in for a while.

Thanks. Hope you have a lotta success this year and beyond!

Very well done and organized.... 5-stars

I love this list Maurice, saving!

Thanks, Todd Fabyanic. What pitch material do you make for a script/series?

Thank you, Sydney S.

Great list!

Thank you, Oleksandr Shcherbyna. What kind of pitch material do you make?

Maurice Vaughan I'm on the producing / production site. Currently I don't make material for myself, if that's what you mean. But, as I mentioned in other places, I'm looking into interesting projects to co-develop. For such a project I could produce a lot of things - from pitch decks to animation, 2d/3d, cinematics, trailes, mixed reality reels, you name.

Great ideas! I don't do a script poster or a two word pitch. I'm going to try both.

That's right, Oleksandr Shcherbyna. You're the production side. Thanks for commenting though. Maybe you'll hear from writers who have projects you'd be interested in co-developing.

Thanks, Jill Gambaro. Glad to hear it! Script posters and 2-word pitches are great for query letters, Stage 32 Logline pages, and social media posts.

thats intense -- i like the fact that you have a list for whatever project-- smart

After watching a Scriptfella video on YT, I've started experimenting with concept/pitch trailers which are essentially extended loglines in video format.

I'm doing the same thing, GJ Harvey. I've been practicing in Canva.

Maurice Vaughan Share a link?

They're not ready to share, but I'll let you know when they're ready, GJ Harvey.

Thanks, Alejandro Lalinde. I've been using loglines, treatments, etc. for a long time. Some of the things on the list are newer, like the 2-word pitch. And I'm always trying to come up with new ways to pitch my scripts.

Hey, Marty Howe. The pitch material I made got me connections, a lot of script requests, shopping agreement, four short script sales, and a ton of screenwriting jobs and ghostwriting jobs.

Everything! I do it all and create a pitch deck and a reel if I can.

Great, Vital Butinar. How long are your reels normally?

Maurice Vaughan usually about a minute and a half or less. I can't remember, I think I showed you one once.

But I'm not sure what good any of this does for my projects, it seems it doesn't do anything.

Ok, thanks, Vital Butinar. About a minute is what I'm aiming for. Keep networking and pitching. You'll find the right people for your projects.