Ep. 43 How to pitch your film

12/05/22 • 19 min

This week, I show you how to create a pitch video and sell your film to potential funders.
If you’re an aspiring documentary filmmaker with an important story to share, there’s one thing you need to get straight how to pitch your film to potential funders.
Ah yes, the dreaded ‘p” word. If you’ve been keeping across the How to make a documentary series, I'm sure you knew this one was coming up.
Last week, I looked closely at crafting a compelling proposal. And the week before that I zoned in on pre-interviews, which are often used as part of pitching your film idea. Now the time has come to really dig into it.
The thought of pitching leaves most filmmakers with an icky pang in the pit of their stomachs. Maybe it’s because it implies a certain level of salesmanship and we’re “creatives”. Maybe it’s because the idea of “pitching” and what it means is still a bit blurry or perhaps it’s because pitching can be connected to public speaking and public speaking is rated as a greater fear than death.
Maybe your worried about all of the above. And quite possibly it’s also because your film really matters to you and you want to get the green light to make it. So the answer to your pitch is very important to you. No one wants to get a no. Not from a potential funder.
But, if you want to make a film – a really, really good film – you do need to learn to embrace the concept of pitching and raise some finance.
Pitches put you front and centre with decision makers who can finance and champion your film. In short: if you want to bring your vision to life, you need to master the process.
Listen now and I'll show you how!
Want to learn more from me? Head to www.MoonshineCommunicationsAcademy.com to find more great content and resources including my free ebook that will help you craft a compelling video story
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Previous Episode

Ep. 42 Ingredients for a successful documentary film proposal

Filmmaking is a time consuming endeavour. While it might take someone less than 90 minutes to consume and fall in love with your film, it takes you and your team countless hours, many sleepless nights and endless shots of espresso to pull it all together.
From storyboarding your narrative to perfecting your script, securing talent and selecting locations and lets not to forget the actual filming and editing part! – let’s face it, a lot of blood, sweat and tears goes into making a movie.

However there is one part of the filmmaking process that can feel like it takes an eternity to create and get right. And it actually has very little to do with the overall look of your documentary feature film...but oh boy, can it make or break your production!

I’m talking about your proposal. AKA your ticket to funding your project. Because while documentary filmmaking will give you a great sense of accomplishment it also carries more than a few challenges. And writing a great proposal is one of them. A great proposal is directly related to the single biggest factor in determining if your film will be made. Finance!

And securing enough finance or funding to make what you envisioned in your mind is probably one of the biggest challenges a filmmaker faces.

Which is why in this episode I wanted to take a close look at crafting a proposal that’s so convincing, it’ll have potential funders begging to get behind you and your documentary. Writing proposals is something I do regularly and I’ve learned a lot of tips and tricks that help to get the structure and tone right. What to include and what to leave out. And sometimes it’s what you leave out that makes it more successful!
Listen now.
Want to learn more from me? Head to www.MoonshineCommunicationsAcademy.com to find more great content and resources including my free ebook that will help you craft a compelling video story
Connect on social:
YouTube: @moonshinecommunicationsacademy
Instagram @moonshinecommunicationsacademy
Facebook: @moonshinecommunicationsacademy
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/moonshine-communications-academy/

Next Episode

Ep. 44 How to effectively plan out your films pre-production phase

In this episode of Moonshine Moonshot, I dig into the pre-production phase of documentary filmmaking.
If you're about to start pre-production, you're pretty clear on your documentary idea and finally edging closer and closer to actually making your film.
During pre production, you’ll map out the flow of your film, lock in your on screen talent, scout locations, finalise your budget, think about the type of equipment you’ll need and build a comprehensive shooting schedule.
Essentially, you’ll do all the stuff that needs to be ticked off before you get your gear out.
I know it sounds like a whole lot of planning and not so much doing – but I promise this part of the documentary making journey can be creative and visual. And if you cast your mind way back to part 2 of the How to make a documentary series, you’ll remember that I showed you how fun and rewarding planning can be.
If you’ve got a solid plan in place already then we're confident that you’ll find pre-production a total breeze.
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