Striking fear into my writer’s heart
PRODUCER Tell me Claire, what's on your slate? CLAIRE grips the table. She takes a deep breath...she crumples.
I’ve been really lucky. Since the BAFTA win I’ve had lunch with a Hollywood producer, skyped a New York based director, had coffee with a film agent and taken part in speed- pitching with Pinewood and BBC Films. So far so good. But oh my word the art of pitching doesn’t come easy. In fact, I’d go so far as to say, it’s been shit*.
Because it’s SO DIFFICULT. To say enough but not too much. To get everything in the right order, and not have to go back and explain something. To entertain, inform, sell … all in one go.
Maybe it’s because the stakes are so high: this is your one shot. Success … or utter, all consuming failure.
The good news is, it’s definitely getting better with practice. And with each passing pitch I feel a lot less pressure. The world isn’t quite so new and bewildering.
There’s a lot of help out there, try this out, and maybe you can avoid the awful “what’s on your slate” wobble.
http://www.scriptmag.com/resources/pitch-festivals/7-keys-to-a-great-pitch
*FACT: The Hollywood producer actually used this word to describe my effort.
claire peate 