The Art of the Pitch
as seen on Creative Screenwriting http://xrl.us/jid6

Script consultant Pilar Alessandra takes the terror out of pitching and shows you how to use your pitch to develop your story before you start writing.

Write your short pitch before you write page one. Sounds weird, I know. It's kind of like going on your honeymoon before your wedding. But taking that honeymoon and getting tanned and rested before you walk down the aisle isn't such a bad idea. (Wish I'd done it.) Neither is taking a hard look at the pitch-able elements of your script even before you put finger to the keys.

I see the reverse all the time, and it ain't pretty: a writer has created a project which is lovingly detailed, artfully written…and completely directionless. His short pitch feels flat and uninspired because there isn't a new or different idea there. Or, his story is all over the place, jumping from one idea to another. Had the writer taken the time before writing to get a sense of the big picture, he might not be in this mess. In short, he married his script idea without really getting to know it, ahem, "intimately." Okay, I'll can the honeymoon analogy. You get the idea. Instead, let's get to the ways that the "pitch-first" strategy can work for you.

Sell Your Logline
The first thing a short pitch forces you to do is find your logline, that simple, one-sentence idea that tells the listener what the big idea is in your screenplay. I usually advocate describing the logline as a "what if" question or "imagine that" statement. These phrases suggest something new that hasn't been thought of or explored before.

Before writing, start with "What if…?" or "Imagine that…" to get a handle on your own logline. Is your idea special enough to follow these phrases? If not, how can you find the hook that can make it so?

Find Unique Second-Act Activity
Once the characters are described, a short pitch focuses on what the characters do to achieve their goals. And here is where listeners' ears perk up. They want a new approach to the story, a way of tackling a problem they haven't heard before. A character doesn't just rob banks or pursue love; she does so in a unique way that hasn't been seen onscreen. Pitching your project before you start will challenge you to find this activity.

Phrasing this activity with the short-pitch requirements of one word or sentence will also help to streamline the second act. So many early drafts are cluttered by needless "business"; details that make the second act longer but not necessarily smarter.

Add a Big Complication
The most important element in a short pitch is to bring in the big complication of the script that usually takes place at the mid-point or end of the second act. This tells the listener that you don't plan on making life easy for your characters. But your script doesn't have a big complication, you say? Ah, hah! Good thing you're thinking of the short pitch before you write. Now you'll be able to structure your script in a way that uses your antagonist to create new and interesting moments of peril.

Suggest a Third-Act Strategy
A great way to leave your short pitch is to tease the possibility of a killer third act; I call this the "third-act strategy." In a short pitch, you might phrase it this way: "Now (main character) must (new activity) or risk (stakes)." What you're telling the listener is that your character now has a new goal and that there's plenty to lose if he doesn't achieve it. Makes you want to read the script, right?

A sharp third-act strategy can make all the difference in your pages as well. Since you're pitching before writing, be truthful with yourself. Do you really have a defined third-act strategy? Or, are you hoping that the story will solve itself? Thankfully, you can address this issue now, instead of realizing your error after you've written 110 pages.

Use Your Short Pitch as an Outlining Tool
Congratulations, you've pitched before you've written! Now you know that your script has an intriguing "what if" hook, a second act with a unique central activity, a complication that brings a new twist to the story, and a third-act strategy that reinvests the reader/audience in the movie. Do all this and you'll quickly be in the honeymoon phase with your script…even before you begin to write.