Hitchcock came in on time because every shot was planned. William F. Vartorella explains how to plan your pitch to film investors just as carefully.
It’s been said the reason legendary director Alfred Hitchcock came in on time and under budget was because he had every shot already planned and executed in his mind. That’s the message here. Hitchcock, as you will recall, made more than 50 films and often spoke about “pure cinema.”
Unfortunately, pure cinema, however it is defined in today’s economy, is purely about money.
Whether your elevator pitch to investors is planned or impromptu, you need a shot card to stay on message and to anticipate questions.
Be prepared, keep it elegant, simple, and real. The invasion of Europe was reportedly summarized in one page. This is film. Try this: Take out a three by five-inch card (call it a “shot card”) and make a simple list that you can carry in your wallet or purse. (Copy it to your SmartPhone, but don’t depend on technology.)
(1.) Elevator pitch: Remember short and evocative – Fellini’s La Dolce Vita meets Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
(2.) “Stars attached?” Forget about it. Everybody knows your cousin Vinnie may have met that A-lister at some film school seminar or reception, but he can’t get him or her on the telephone. Keep it real. If you have someone who has agreed on a napkin, well, that’s a start. Don’t linger on this.
(3.) Gratuitous sex and violence. (Shower scene, see
Hitchcock.) You don’t have the experience or the actors to shoot the first or the second unit specialists for the second. With your luck, you’ll get someone pregnant or killed. Yes, there is a love story and Marsha gets her hair pulled. (Or make that “Bob”. Whatever.) `Nuff said.
(4.) Script: Circulate it to investors at your risk. They’ll hate it and everyone knows there’s a big difference between a reading and a shooting script. Give them an oral synopsis, not the full treatment. They can read the shooting script when they’re on location in Keokuk. Another good reason for a tight elevator pitch at the beginning. And remember this: Not everyone can visualize film from a script. Lots of words here would be superfluous for Hitchcock.
(5.) Budget: Emphasize what you’ve raised or scrounged and explain Monte Carlo Film Economic Theory: 1/3rd lose money, 1/3rd break even, 1/3rd make at least a modest profit. Plus, note that most indie films come in on-time, on-budget. Summarize above-the-line and below-the-line costs in a couple of sentences. Plus, this is what has already been invested and what we need to finish the project. Real numbers: “25% of the budget is already covered,” etc. On this, no longer than the time it takes your buddy to hot wire a car in Manhattan.
(6.) Distribution: If you have even marginal domestic, you’ve got a shot at capturing investor interest. Don’t fall into the black hole of saying you’re going directly to DVD, worldwide. Investors aren’t used to suspending belief.
(7.) Trailer: The only reason you have a SmartPhone is to store your trailer for instant viewing by an investor. Otherwise, when you are talking about your film project, keep it “off.” Trust me, that’s not Alfred Hitchcock calling from the “great beyond” and everyone knows it. (“Half pepperoni, half veggie would be great.”) Visualize the movie trailer from North by Northwest with the biplane scene. Short, evocative.
That’s it. Your “shot card” is full. An observation – if you go to any major film premiere or insider reception, look around. It’s the folks drinking bottled water you want to talk to. They are either serious producers seeking investors or investors keeping a clear head to discuss projects. Hitchcock always has the final word:
“The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.” Same is true for your elevator pitch. Only shorter, like the attention span of an investor. Bill Vartorella recently has been on the other side of the camera, with a “sketchy” appearance in All for Liberty and, most recently a historical television docu-drama (release 2011) in which his 12 lines took 12 takes. Each. The British lead suggested, “Don’t give up your day job.”
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