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Questions Every Producer Has About Your Screenplay

by hcroasmun

You've finally gotten up the nerve to attend a "pitch-fest."  
Now, you're there, standing in line, waiting your turn to pitch
your screenplay and in about 30 seconds, you'll be face-to-face
with a representative from a major production company.

Your turn.  You've got 5 minutes to pitch someone who can make
the miracle happen.

You introduce yourself and find out that you're sitting across
from the Director of Development.   Excellent!  Now, before you
start pitching her, there's one thing you really need to know...

What questions are on her mind as she listens to
your pitch?

What!  But you're there to pitch.  Why are her questions so
important?

Here's why.  Much of a production company's success depends upon
their selection of projects.  From day-one, a new employee is
trained on the criteria for project selection.  Every day, they
pitch projects to their bosses and are constantly coached on
whether or not they made the right choice.

That means your pitch will be viewed through that criteria.  So,
the more you understand about what matters to a production
company exec, the better your chances of getting in the door.

So here's a few of the unspoken questions that will be running
through their mind as you talk.

A.  Is the concept marketable?

Any Hollywood production company is constantly concerned with
how well their movies do at the box office.  A big portion of
whether a movie succeeds comes from the concept.  Great concept =
easier marketing.

Of course, other factors fit in.  Some of those are addressed in
the questions below.   But if the concept isn't marketable, it is
very hard to justify any further action.  So this is usually the
first question on their mind.

B.  Does the story fit our market?

The majority of production companies have very specific markets
they work in:  feature, TV movie or mini-series, animated kids
TV, straight-to-DVD, etc.

In their specific market, they may specialize in one or two sub-
markets.  In children's animated TV, one company may work
exclusively with pre-school and another may work with the 5 - 10
year-old market.  Inside that, one company may focus only on boys
shows and another on girls.

Also, they may have budget restrictions.  Anyway, the point is
this, they're all listening to your story to see if it fits their
market.

C.  Does this story inspire me to spend two years making the
movie?

This is a personal thing.  Do they fall in love with the story? 
This has become more important as it has become so hard to make a
movie.  I've heard many producers say "If I'm going to die for a
movie, it had better be one I love."

D.  Can I justify why I believe this project will make money?

Yes, that's right.  Money plays a big part in the decision to
make a movie.  When $5 million to $100 million go into making a
movie, you can bet that there's going to be a lot of people
justifying the decision.  Here's a small list of who may have to
justify your project...

- An assistant has to justify it to the producer.
- The producer justifies it to the Studio executive.
- The Studio executive justifies it to the Senior VP.
- The Senior VP justifies it to the CEO.          
- The CEO may need to justify it to their Board.

That means anyone listening to your pitch is constantly trying
to figure out how they'll justify this decision to the next level
up.  And if they can't, they pass.

E.  Can I use the project to lure talent and financing?

This is another key question.  Does this story have a part that
will get Tom Cruise or Cameron Diaz or some other A-list actor to
sign on?   Many times, a bankable actor is the primary
requirement to secure financing for a movie.  So those lead parts
need to be amazing.

F.  Am I going to get fired over this project?

I'm not joking.   The fear of being fired for making a bad
decision is a big thing in this business.  Especially at the
Studios.  Turnover is huge in this business.  So a project may be
more than a financial risk for your Director of Development, it
may be a career risk.

Every producer knows that "You're only as good as your last
project," which means that if you make a bad movie, you may not
get back in that studio door for many years.  So even producers
worry about how a "bad project" will affect their future.

Now you know the most common questions they have.  So the next
time you pitch someone, you'll probably see the wheels turning in
their head and suddenly realize exactly what they're thinking. 
And if that happens, you can provide an answer to their
question.

Who knows, knowing their unspoken question may be the key to
making the deal.  At minimum, you'll feel more comfortable as you
pitch and you'll come across as professional.  So next time
you're preparing to pitch someone,  keep these questions in mind
and you'll have a better chance at success.

Hal Croasmun is a writer/producer and the author of "33 Ways to
Break into Hollywood."   He publishes the ScriptForSale
newsletter with articles about screenwriting and interviews with
A-List screenwriters at http://www.ScriptForSale.com

Syndicated by Top Gazebos - www.topgazebos.net

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