"GREENLIGHT" PITCH BREAKDOWN
Verbal Pitch: You and your team will be presenting your Pitch publically on the third Monday of the Fall semester. You'll have 10 minutes to present and 5 for answering questions. It is your job to make us believe in the larger vision of your project . . . filling in smaller gaps will come with further development.
Written Pitch: The following written elements should work as a guide to your presentation.
A. Project Description: In two or three sentences describe your project. Is it a 2D graphic game, a pilot to an animated web series, a short animated film, etc.? What media will you be utilizing? Is there anything unique about the way you are approaching the work? How long is it? How many levels? Who is your primary audience?
B. Controlling Idea or “Theme”: In a single sentence state What your film is about. Often this can be stated in a "What if . . ." question. Brad Bird's pitch to Warner Brother executives for The Iron Giant was; "What if a gun had a soul"
C. Plot Synopsis: In a single paragraph tell us the Story of your piece. If you're unclear about certain events in the plot try not to let them distract from the over-all arc of your project.
D. Team-members: Who are the players and what are their respective roles?
E. Personal Connection: Finally, why are you passionate about making this piece? What is it that interests you most and why should we care enough to Green-light it?
Pictures, Sound and Media: Your presentation should inspire a singular visual directionfor your project. Depending on the nature of your project use some or all of the following elements:
A. Rough Storyboards or Story Reel: If you are pitching boards be sure to format them so that you can "flip" from frame to frame as if it were an animatic. Even better to cut the boards into a Storyreel with scratch audio and sound queues. It's hard to under estimate how valuable a good storyreel can be in selling a film concept. If you are unsure about timings, stick to the multi panel story pitch where you can advance the panels along-side a verbal pitch.
B. Reference Images: Historical Reference is a great way to lay out the direction of your film in areas that are yet to be developed. These images should convey a Singular Vision for your piece. Avoid showing a laundry list of rejected possibilities.
C. Concept and Development: At this point, many rough images are better than a handful of polished ones. Include anything that can help us see the visual direction your project is taking. Feel free to show images that represent the search, but don't overwhelm us with drawings that distract from your vision. Be sure to make use of the development tools you have learned thus far in the program as they apply to your project; exploration sheets, character turn-arounds, pose sheets, character line-ups, color keys, etc.
D. Inspirational Examples: Bring examples of existing media that is similar to what you are pitching. This may take the shape of short trailers, frame grabs, behind the scenes video and concept art that are closely related to your project. Whatever you present, be sure to edit your items down to keep from bogging down your presentation.
E. Test Footage, Maya Files, Etc.: Set up any files you have in such a way that they are easy to navigate in front of an audience. If the file is too cumbersome consider using rendered images, playblasts or frame grabs. Take time to edit these down to concisely communicate what you want us to take away.