Ch. 4 Finding your Footing: Pitching and Loglines

PITCHING

3 minutes. I had just 3 minutes to pitch my film idea for an animated musical short to the roomful of veteran indie filmmakers.  I had thought I was prepared. I had written a script, crafted what I thought was a decent logline, prepared a short power point presentation, and rehearsed the song.  But it took 3 minutes just to sing the song. How on earth was I supposed to do this?

Pitching is the art of selling your story idea. Usually it’s to a room full of producers and directors. In my case, I was pitching to fellow indie filmmakers hoping to inspire them to join my crew and work on the project. With a little luck, in a few short months I would be watching “The Fishy’s Tale” in a Scary Cow Film short screening at the Castro theater. That was the plan. Of course, it didn’t happen that way. But I digress….

As a newbie filmmaker, I soon discovered, that I had a very short window to capture someone else’s interest in my film project. We are living in the age of perpetual motion. Thanks to 21^st century technology, the gears of civilization churn 24/7 and the vast geographic distances that once thwarted our aspirations are swallowed up by the intangible magic of the internet and wi-fi. As a result, most of us are overworked, overscheduled, and overcommitted. Time is the one commodity you can never buy back, so asking someone to hit the pause button long enough to tune into your project idea, is a big ask in the modern world. Therefore it’s essential to be able to distill your film concept to a single, crisp sentence known as a logline.

LOGLINES:

Here’s my original logline:

Revised logline:

The real goal of the logline is to earn a second conversation and continue to pitch.  There are many free resources online that teach you how to craft a good logline—so go do some research! Any good screenwriting book will teach you how to write a logline. Or if you want to drop a bit of cash, sign up for an online master class with Aaron Sorkin at masterclass.com. Masterclass.com offers video lessons and for $15 per monthly subscription, you get access to a huge number of video classes with famous screenwriters, actors, and directors. It’s pretty cool. There’s also a free section entitled “Articles” where you can read up on various topics like loglines. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/screenwriting-tips-how-to-write-a-logline#4-primary-parts-of-a-logline The bottom line: take time to craft your logline, don’t gloss over it. Your logline is an opportunity to spotlight your skills as a storyteller!

Since working on the production of “Fishy”, I’ve learned that pitching never really ends.  I am constantly using my logline to pitch the story to new illustrators, animators, colorists, composers as they join the project. I pitch my logline to my friends, family, and work colleagues, whenever I am asked what the film is about. Eventually, I will use my logline to pitch the finished film to film festivals and contests.  If you’re going to make a film, get used to having to describe your project over and over again.

SCARY COW- Find a Filmmaking Community

It literally takes a village to make a film. Filmmakers need a filmmaking community. I wouldn’t be working on an animated short now if it hadn’t been for Scary Cow. For 13 years, the San Francisco Bay area based “film cooperative” Scary Cow brought together over 15,000 cast and crew to produce well over 500  micro budget  films. During that time, they held countless pitch sessions, networking events, and hosted  37  film screenings in landmark bay area theaters. Described by the founder, Jager McConnell, as a film incubator— even more importantly— Scary Cow was a crucible for first-time filmmakers like myself.  I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Scary Cow for opening the door of filmmaking to me and so many others. Sadly, Scary Cow has fallen casualty to COVID-19 and officially shut down last December.  However, many of the filmmakers continue to make films and to network with each other through the Facebook group Bay Area Indies.  Check them out! If you are passionate about filmmaking, but aren’t able to afford film school, or if you’re a recent graduate, but don’t have the experience or portfolio to get into the industry yet, consider joining an independent film making group.  If your area doesn’t have one, then start one! Apprenticeship is the oldest method of learning a new skill. By pooling knowledge, skills, equipment, and labor—you can accomplish things beyond your wildest imaginings!  Dreams are great, but trust me, living your dream is so much better!