Filmmakers in general are driven by passionately creative personalities. To succeed in moviemaking, that artistic mindset requires a balance of financial savvy and a strong element of salesmanship. Establishing a solid grasp of financial issues and money-handling skills can go a long way toward putting together a credible business package that will lay the groundwork for getting your film production under way. Like any trained and eager salesperson, you need to practice selling yourself and your film. Developing a good pitch takes almost as much work as developing a good script, and may require just as many rewrites.

The Pitch in Perspective

The term pitch is an abbreviation of sales pitch. This may be an obvious statement, but be warned — it's easy to become disconnected from the sales aspect. We've all been subjected to sales pitches, at car lots and electronics superstores and furniture showrooms. At some point or another, we've all had someone try to sell us something that we may not really need, or even want.

Salespeople who are pushy, needy, misinformed, badly dressed, overeager, or just plain annoying have probably had a pretty hard time selling you anything. Prospective buyers enduring a bad pitch simply turn off, make polite excuses, and move on. Bear this in mind when you work on pitching your film, and you'll avoid making the same mistakes.

Polishing Your Pitch

Selling a film production concept is really no different than selling any premium product, whether it's a fine European motorcar or a vacation home on the coast. Pitching a high-end product requires a high-end sales attitude. Coming across with a pitch that sounds even remotely misinformed or careless will completely kill your chances of attracting serious business partners or investors.

The best thing you can do is find a trusted advisor to help you fine-tune your pitch. You'll want someone who is interested in you and your film, objective enough to ask probing questions, and able to offer intelligent criticism to help sand down the rough edges and polish your pitching skills. With careful practice and thoughtful revisions, you won't waste those golden opportunities when you're actually pitching your film to potential investors or partners.