Lesson 8

[Tasha Espinoza]

Tasha’s Pitch Fest Pitch

What I learned is: if brevity is the key to requests, I’d like to pack that quick little punch!

Hi,

I’m Tasha and I specialize in horror.

Today, I have a Horror Movie called DATING WITH DEMONS.

It’s the story of a formerly possessed girl who defeats her ex-demon and her occultist priest to find love.”

The budget range is $2-4 million.

Actors I like for the lead roles are:

Bethany – Kathryn Newton or Lili Reinhart

Deacon Anders – James Ransone

Koju – Manny Jacinto

Demon 23 – Joseph Quinn

In Act 1, lonely-heart Bethany lands a promising date despite a warning from her priest, Deacon Anders, to skip it due to her past possession by Demon 23. His warning proves true when Bethany has to fight off a paranormal attack in front of her suitor at the restaurant, which causes her suitor to flee.

In Act 2, Bethany joins hunky Koju’s spiritual center to learn how to fight Demon 23, but discovers that Deacon Anders is the bigger threat. He’s a closet occultist with plans to possess his way to the Vatican using Bethany in a fatal way.

In Act 3, Bethany must use what Koju taught her and join forces with the Demon 23 to defeat Deacon Anders.

Ending

With the Vatican safe and Bethany’s spiritual power awakened, she makes peace with Demon 23 and banishes him out of her life for good. Deacon Anders is defrocked and goes to prison for attempted murder, and Bethany is finally able to fall in love with Koju.

Credibility – What have I done:

I’ve built my expertise in the horror genre by listening to over 100 hours of interviews about the supernatural and taking ScreenwritingU’s class, “Creating Terrifying Horror Scripts.”

[David Wickenden]

Assignment #8

David Wickenden Pitch Fest Pitch

1. Credibility—I’m a published thriller novelist and have adapted stories into a TV Pilot. I hold all the rights.

2. Genre & Title—My project is a one-hour thriller titled Defending Innocence.

3. Hook— A PTSD phycologist starts a crusade against those who exploit children.

4.

· Budget Range—Low Budget 5 million to 10 million.

· Lead Actors: Laura Amour—Elizabeth Mitchell & Janice Williams—Ksenia Solo.

· Prologue—A young girl loses a court case against the man who abused her and commits suicide. She is found by her younger sister.

ACT 1—24 yrs later—A hooded figure kills a man riding his lawnmower. Laura Amour, a PTSD physiatrist, takes part in a military training exercise. Two men try to kidnap a young girl. The girl turns out to be Janice Williams, a RCMP officer. The two men are captured.

ACT 2—Janice arrives at home and instead of relaxing, begins investigating a child abduction case. The next day, her team develop a strategy to find the child. That night, Laura and Janice have dinner together. They are best friends. Janice is close to a breakdown from dealing with this child abduction. Laura gets a call that a police officer has taken his own life because having dealt with similar cases.

ACT 3—At the funeral, the widow blames Laura for failing her husband. A priest has the missing child imprisoned beneath the church. The hooded figure enters a storage container and loads a rifle.

ACT 4 An infamous pedophile is assassinated as they released him from prison. Janice’s team identifies a suspect in the child abduction case. Janice’s superior tells her she is being reassigned to track down the pedophile killer. She has one week to clear her cases. The hooded vigilante murders a crooked judge that night.

ACT 5—At the storage container, Laura is revealed the hooded figure. Janice calls her to inform her she was to head up the task force to hunt for the vigilante.

· How does it end?—Janice will hunt her best friend Laura.

· Credibility questions—I’m the author of the series. Working on third book currently.

5. What I have learned? Less is more in pitching.

[Deb Johnson]

Subject line: Deb’s Pitch Fest Pitch

What I learned: An in-person pitch is much different than a query letter. You are basically just putting out your best hook and hoping for a bite. It’s helpful to run through the most frequently asked questions so you can prepare in advance.

Hi, I’m Deb Johnson and I specialize in Dramedies.

Today, I have a Dramedy called THE PLASTIC BAG. A plastic bag passes from one owner to another and affects each life in a significant way… ultimately pointing to the goodness of God the Father in Heaven.

• What is the budget range? Middle budget $15 – 30 million.

• What actors do you like for the lead roles? Grandma Abby is Rosanne Barr. Torrie Hartman is Cate Blanchette. Delia is Isla Johnston.

• Give me the acts of the story:

Act 1 –

When 16-year-old Delia is suspended from school for cyberbullying, her grandma Abby destroys her cell phone and takes her to visit her friend and famous artist, Torrie Hartman. Torrie has woven the stories of the Plastic Bag into her new art exhibit and each piece of art comes alive as she narrates.

Act 2 –

This cursed bag wreaks havoc in every life it touches. This gets Delia’s attention… for a while… till she sneaks away and almost kills herself trying to buy a new phone.

Act 3

Turns out the stories are based on both Torrie and Abby’s real-life trials. Delia is moved. Finally, Torrie reveals how her artwork is theological and paints a picture of God the Father.

• How does it end? (setup / payoff).

At the beginning of the movie, young Delia shatters a glass door trying to stop her dad from leaving. Immediately following this short scene, a Bible verse appears on the screen: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” It’s a strange juxtaposition.

In the end, Torrie and Abby reveal that these stories are true and based on their own real-life trials – however, the endings are much worse than the art portrays. Torrie then explains that her artwork is trying to change the way we see the Father. We then go back through all the paintings (Sixth Sense style) and see how the father in each painting demonstrates a different attribute of God, the Father in Heaven… merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

• Credibility questions What have you done?

I have a BA in Film from Columbia College, Chicago. I’m also a theological junkie and have logged thousands upon thousands of hours studying the Bible and learning about God the Father.

[Monica Arisman]

Lesson 8: Being a Star at Pitch Fests! ASSIGNMENT

Subject: Monica’s Pitch Fest Pitch

What I learned is to be as brief as possible but deliver as much of the story as possible.

“Hi, I’m Monica Arisman and I specialize in the action genre. Today, I have an Action/Adventure called TRAFFICK/STOP.

It is a story about a cop who goes undercover to rescue her sister from suspected human traffickers only to learn her sister has been a part of the human trafficking ring since her disappearance.

Please give your one or two sentence answer to each of these questions:

What is the budget range?

The budget range is between
$10-$15 Million USD.

What actors do you like for the lead roles?

For the female lead someone
like Cobie Smulders. For the male lead someone like Scott Adkins. For the
role of villain someone like Lee Pace. For the supporting female role
someone like Adrienne C. Moore. For the supporting male role someone like
John Dudley.

Give me the acts of the story.

Act 1: Victoria, a lone wolf
cop with a bad ass attitude must work within an undercover team to bring
down a human trafficking ring where the main trafficker, Jack is the man
last seen with her sister Lizzie.

Act 2: Victoria ingrains
herself into the human trafficking ring discovering some truly deviant
sexual behavior between Jack and his mother. After Victoria sees to the
rescue of several of the trafficked women, Jack starts to suspect
Victoria isn’t all she seems.

Act 3: Victoria and Jack procure other women
from a US sanctuary city. Lizzie who works behind the scenes tells Jack
who Victoria really is. Jack kidnaps Victoria and plans on raping and
torturing her, only to discover Victoria has martial arts skills that
Lizzie forgot to mention. Victoria beats Jack at his own game.

Act 4: The police raid another
event being held by the traffickers. Only Jack escapes and kidnaps Victoria
again. He strings her up and beats her. As he’s about to kill her, she
ends up killing him. She is rescued. Lizzie is arrested.

How does it end? (Set-up / pay-off).

The set-up is Victoria
discovering Lizzie has been part of the ring all along.
The pay-off is Lizzie being
arrested by Victoria even though it breaks Victoria’s heart. Jack and his
mother are dead.

Credibility questions – What have you done?

I’ve placed fairly well in
several competitions.

[Terrell Harris]

Terrell’s Pitch Fest Pitch

What I learned is having a frame work to pitch in takes some the anxiety away, like yeah, ok I can do this. (in writing anyway)

Credibility: I’ve spend time in the Philippine interviewing locals about their supernatural experiences, I even aided a woman in her supernatural battle with witches. I’ve had one quarter final placement in contests.

This is a horror story.

My title is The Darkness.

Hook: What if several foreigners traveling to the Philippines discovered that every monster, every spell, every curse, every backwater belief is 100% real.

The budget range is $1-3 million

Actors I like in the lead roles

In the role of the Korean businessman I like Kim Seon-ho

In the role of the resort owner I like Kylie Verzosa

In the role of the witch I like Agot Isidro

In the role of the vlogger I like Jamaine Brown

ACT 1 – A land dispute erupts between a resort owner and a witch’s coven squatting on the land, resulting in a curse. The resort owner tries varies strategies to counter the effects of the curse.

ACT 2 – Angering the witch, the witch ups the ante on the curse by covering the resort in a monster filled inky darkness. The foreigners come to believe the folklore.

ACT 3 – The foreigners plot to kills the witch, a plot that backfires and endangers their lives. Fortunately the resort owner has alternate plan.

How does it end? (setup / payoff)

Doing research the resort owner discovers the Spanish and American wars caused the death of hundreds of thousands of indigenous inhabitants. She seeks out a Babaylan (shaman, sorcerer) to create a spiritual contract to appease the witches and her ancestors, breaking the curse and saving the lives of the foreigners.

[Ken Turocy]

What I learned is to build one lesson upon on another, I have to resist the temptation to mash all my food up on a plate. Also, obviously I can’t use Serial-Killer-Sports-Comedy because I don’t want to confuse anyone, but since it’s unique, I’m still 50-50, I’d like to try. Lastly, I definitely think I need to change the Title, I’m considering…”Betting on Enola.”

Hi,

I’m Ken and I’m an optioned screenwriter, can we talk about my script Betting on Enola, a dark comedy.

If you wanted something so desperately, would you be willing to anything to get it? And if I told you my sports story included gambling, drugs, and murder, what sport would you guess…golf? Enola is a golf phenom who can’t seem to earn an LPGA win, she discovers and develops an unusual winning habit.

Serial-Killer-Sports-Comedy, but not in that order. Can I send this your way, and would you be willing to read my script?

Budget: this all depends on my main character Enola, whether a bankable actor or an up and comer, if Jenna Ortega would play this then a Low-budget changes to Medium budget. Also, I think the Director is an important choice too, but then Leo could add the same multiple, possibly Daniel DiMaggio? Just to pile on, great supporting opportunities for her Father and Enola’s three Uncles, more experienced broad comedy actors, and the budget goes up another notch.

First Act we are introduced to the family, Leo her brother, her Father and Enola in a dupe-charity game that’s cover for a longest-drive bet. And, we learn how careless Enola’s Father can be with her career, she’s super-loyal though.

<font face=”inherit”>Second Act Enola </font>accidentally<font face=”inherit”> kills her drug addicted brother’s girlfriend/dealer and discovers her winning habit, loyal again. However, not until her now sober brother takes over as her Caddy that she makes a deal with the devil. She develops her winning habit, but then she is apologetic and tries to confess to her disturbingly tone-deaf supporters.</font>

<font face=”inherit”>Third Act starts </font>with a sports journalist hot on her tail, and her pulling-back during a likely kill, she goes on to win without killing.

<font face=”inherit”>How does it end, Enola does not get caught, and she comes to the rescue of a girl and her drone-Father teaching tough love on the driving range. Enola takes over, and teaching moments can be firm but fair and funny.</font>

[Tricia Tribble]

What I learned: Be prepared to present what I would want to know if as if I were making a big purchase which is to get past any glitz, and get to the bones. I did this on the fly, but will get focused and fine tune this valuable assignment.

Roger worked in a science think-tank and Tricia comes from a career helping people with disabilities. Together we create smart sci-fi horror with heart.

Addictive – Sci-Fi Horror

Middle budget: $15 million to $30 million

Before a brilliant immortal scientist can prevent the further deterioration of earth’s resources, she must first survive the ancient evil Seth and his reality show reintroducing death.

Tacy – Sierra Capri

Violet-Helen Mirren

Forest–Finn Wolfhard

Act 1-The world is immortal, resources are dwindling and everyone looks 25 years old, with a few exceptions. Tacy is fired from her job just as she is implanting worldwide pollution and resource solutions. In distress, she reacts by cutting on herself, which places her into the game. An antique ship is the location within a virtual cruise and is filled with addicts and temptations. The audience, via 3-D hover cameras, includes active gamblers as everyone can smell, feel and experience the drama as death is reintroduced.

Act 2 – An addict support team is built to help each other overcome the temptations, despite the intrusions, losses and constant hover cameras. An overly show addicted gambler is sent to the ship to take his chances. Faced with no chance of winning their only option is to escape. The addicts realize if they don’t fight back, they won’t survive.

Act 3 – The team, plus a few guards, puts together a plan to escape and kill Seth, but it changes when the virtual world would remain intact with his sidekick in charge. The plan changes for them to take over the ship. Under the verisimilitude environment, they can hide and save civilization in plain sight. Meeting her old team again months later, Tacy is happy and more especially pregnant. A first in over 75 years.

 Addictive – Finalist in the Cordillera International Film Festival

 Addictive – Semi-finalist in the Geneva Sci-Fi International Film Festival

Baking Bad 1968 TV Low budget: $500k to $5 million

Two sisters escape the police in their pink food truck filled with Mary Jane gourmet brownies.

Reba – Dakota Fanning

Margie – Elle Fanning

Act 1 – Reba, a Home EC teacher in an unhappy marriage, is asked to help her sister’s college friends by teaching them how to make gourmet brownies.

Act 2 – Reba, Margie and the college student’s wanting to replace their roof, become very successful. They paint an old food truck pink, bake in Berkeley Hills and sell downtown and at the university.

Act 3 – In the midst of some male student’s being called to service in Vietnam, Reba and Margie are found out and chased. The police offer them a deal; provide brownies for a wife with cancer and they will receive protection.

 Baking Bad 1968 – Honorable Mention of the Las Angeles International Film Festival

The Dark One – Horror Low budget: $500k to $5 million

Luci – Jamie Lee Curtis

Joy – a young Isabelle Fuhrman

The child, of a violent mentally ill mother, transforms with her shadow into a force helping children and critters.

Act 1 – The child is badly hurt and the mother arrested. The child, in a coma, merges with her shadow to help other abused children with Luci’s very smart crow friend Rascal.

Act 2 – The child wakes and doesn’t remember anything. She is not allowed to live with Luci, her elderly neighbor, the only kind person she has ever known. So she is placed into a foster home, but The Dark One wants to be remembered and sends her dreams which turn into nightmares.

Act 3 – Joy spends so much time at Luci’s home, she is finally allowed to stay legally. Joy creates comic books of her childhood adventures thinking they are fiction, but she kind of starts to recognizes people and critters she helped. The animals remember her as she recognizes them and finally she is able to merge with The Dark One. They visit predators and take them to their greatest fears with a choice to stay or return as a light giver. Joy becomes a local celebrity with her comic books.

 The Dark One – Official Selection of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by  Tricia Tribble.

[LIN FUENTES]

What I learned were the key elements for a successful pitch.

Lin’s Pitch Fest Pitch

Hi, I’m Lin and I have the rights to a true story, so it’s a Bio/Drama script. My title is “The 26th Apprentice”.

In a true David-verses-Goliath story, a petite, naive, 21 year old woman shatters gender barriers as she joins an all-male electrical apprenticeship program, sparking a four-year battle of wit and determination against a union determined to see her fail.

Budget: $15 million to $30 million

Female Lead: McKenna Grace or Ella Anderson

Acts of story:

Act 1

In 1974, Linda, an independent woman estranged from her parents, confronts gender bias as she fights to join an electrical apprenticeship program. Despite excelling in written exams, Linda’s low oral interview score reveals that it accounted for 50% of her overall evaluation. She takes legal action against the union, leading to a settlement that adds her as the 26th apprentice.

Act 2

Navigating a male-dominated world, Linda endures challenges and teasing on her first job in residential work. She attends night classes alongside 25 male apprentices. Six months later, she faces increased animosity and struggles with anxiety at an oil refinery job site, testing her resolve.

Act 3

Linda uncovers new fears and academic challenges in her third year, with the union’s strategic efforts to oust her putting her dreams to the ultimate test.

End:

After 4 years the anticipated Journeyman’s Exam is underway. After turning in her exam her most staunch foe tries to change answers on her exam and is caught by the instructor who tells him that “she will pass or fail on her own merits.” She passes and becomes the first woman in the state of California to get accepted into and graduate the electrical apprenticeship program to become a journeyman electrician.

[Sheila Rinear]

ASSIGNMENT 8

Sheila Rinear’s Pitch Fest Pitch

What I learned is that I have real difficulty summarizing succinctly.

1. Tell us your credibility: Hi. I’m Sheila Rinear and I’m a published and produced playwright and I have an agent. As a screenwriter, I’ve been a Finalist in ScreenCraft twice.

2. I’m pitching an historical drama feature entitled Sons of Treason.

3. What is your one or two sentence hook?

A King’s outrage is unleashed when a mysterious Dream Interpreter unlocks the King’s memory of the Queen Mother’s murdering her husband, his Father.

4. Please give your one or two sentence answer to each of these questions:

What is the
budget range?

It’s a large-scale epic and would run in the $75 – $100 Million range.

What actors
do you like for the lead roles?

King Edward with his height, good-looks, wit and gentle heart hiding beneath a warrior’s façade, could be well-played by Chris Hemsworth.

Queen Isabella (Edward’s mother) who was labeled in historic accounts as a “she-wolf” and a “warrior” more at home leading Special Forces than hosting in the castle would be wonderfully played by Maggie Gyllenhaal

Robert de Charney (Dream Interpreter) who is the heart of this story was written with Regé-Jean Page in mind.

Queen Philippa (Edward’s wife) who was in many historic accounts presented as beautiful, tall, dark, strong, wise…who could play that better than Gal Gadot?

Give the
acts of the story.

Act I – Edward, the new king of England, fresh from executing his father’s murderer, is told the murderer stole the English treasury and hid it somewhere in France. Edward, believing his mother, Queen Isabella, an innocent pawn, takes her to Calais to locate the hidden treasure and discovers she’s got an 8-year-old, illegitimate son in Calais whom she refers to as her “treasure.” The English burn down the section of Calais where the “treasure” lives, thinking they’re killing the threat to Edward’s throne.

Act II – 12 Years later King Edward is informed his mother is raising troops in France with large sums of money to put her illegitimate son, who’s still alive, on the French throne. Edward invades France to capture his step brother; brilliantly wins strategic battles and loyalties; decides to stay in France and take Paris and the French Crown but has set-backs: lack of money, supplies, man-power and paralyzing nightmares. A Dream Interpreter in the camp is brought in to calm the King’s fears. The real-deal Dream Interpreter discerns from Edward’s dreams that his mother/Queen Isabella intends to pit Edward against his step-brother so they’ll kill each other and leave both the French and English Crowns to her. BTW, the Dream Interpreter is Queen Isabella’s “treasure” (Robert) and has been sent into Edward’s camp with orders to kill Edward. Instead, Robert believes Edward’s dreams and knows his mother must be stopped.

Act III – Queen Isabella lures Edward and his wife and children to Flanders for a family wedding and a promised signing of a truce with France. Robert discovers that the Queen doesn’t have a truce planned but an ambush and total slaughter of Edward, his queen, and children. Robert/Dream Interpreter breaks out of the English camp, rides to warn Edward, they’ve both had the same dream and now realize they are brothers and that they need to stop their mother from invading Calais and taking the treasure that Robert reveals to Edward lies under the city.

How does it
end? (setup / payoff).

After both French and English armies race to Calais from Flanders where loyalties shockingly switch and realign, the English defend Calais against the attack of the French. Robert fights by Edward’s side and is killed protecting Edward; Edward puts his mother in chains as she accurately predicts: “This is not over, Son!” Indeed, it wasn’t over. It was just the kick-off of The Hundred Years War.

Credibility
questions: I’ve had several dozen productions of plays that I’ve written;
I’ve had plays published; I have a Literary Agent for my playwriting; I’ve
placed with several different projects in screenwriting competitions.

[Robert Cain]

Rob’s Pitch Fest Pitch

Hi, I’m Rob Cain and I’m a multiple Nicholl Finalist and Semi-Finalist writer who has done paid screenwriting assignments.

Today a have a fish-out-of-water family comedy called “Pilgrim Phil.”

It’s about a divorced dad who’s desperately hoping to patch up his relationship with his 13-year-old at this weekend’s father-daughter camping jamboree, but he’s made a misguided Thanksgiving wishbone wish that left him stuck in 1621 as a Plymouth Rock Pilgrim.

The budget range is $15 to $30 million.

For the male lead I’d like to approach someone like Paul Rudd or Seth Rogen. For the main supporting female role I’m thinking Meryl Streep, Andie MacDowell, or Elizabeth Banks.

In Act I, Phil is having a really rotten Thanksgiving. His career as a cranberry sauce executive is failing, his family sucks, and his attempt to patch up his failing relationship with his 13-year-old daughter has backfired. When he gets the turkey wishbone he makes a wish that Thanksgiving had never been invented.

Act II. Phil omes to he finds that his wish has flung him back in time to 1621 Plymouth Rock, before the first Thanksgiving. He meets a 13-year-old Native American girl who helps him adjust to life in colonial times, and to figure out that to get back home he must invent Thanksgiving so he can make the wishbone wish that will take him back home.

Act III. Things don’t go well for Phil: the Native Americans are skeptical of his plans, and the Pilgrims accuse him of being a witch and sentence him to burn at the stake. He relies on his knowledge of the future to avert disaster, throw a successful Thanksgiving feast, and make the wish that ultimately takes him back to the future to regain his daughter’s love.

[Robert Kerr]

Bob Kerr: Pitch Fest Pitch

What I learned from this assignment is I have to be prepared to answer questions that I haven’t considered. Specifically, what actors do I see in the lead roles.

Hello,

I’m Bob Kerr and I specialize in True Stories.

Today I have a True sports story called WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT

It is based on the true story of the first ever women’s crew at Wichita State University and the World Champion coach who led them to victory on and off the water.

The budget range is $5 million.

I see Ethan Peck as the World Champion Coach.

The female lead could be played by any young actress looking for her first real break.

Act 1: Fran, the female lead, escapes a abusive marriage only to land in the home of her authoritarian father. Virtually penniless she starts life over. She is admitted to WSU hoping for a better future for her daughter. She meets the World Champion Vespoli who relentlessly recruits her to go out for rowing.

Act 2: Frans father persuades Fran to try rowing despite Fran’s fear of drowning. Fran meets the other women on the crew and they forge a sisterhood. But they share a secret that could destroy their hopes of competing and derail the entire crew program.

Act 3:Fran becomes the leader of the women’s crew and they endure every hardship and the taunting of one of the men on the rowing crew. Ultimately, they must face a more season crew in their first regatta to achieve their dream of victory.

Ending: Fran faces her worst fear when she is ejected from the boat and flails in the water. Can she get back in the boat and lead them to victory?

I have written three scripts and worked with a producer to get the script greenlit.

[Dan LoBrace]

Dan’s Pitch Fest Pitch

What I learned is… LESS IS MORE when pitching!

1. Tell us your credibility.

I’m an optioned screenwriter.

2. Tell us your genre and title.

Today, I’m pitching a horror script titled Kaleidoscope.

3. What is your one or two sentence hook?

A teenager must save herself and her family from an evil, reality-bending kaleidoscope that turns their home into an inescapable maze of horrors.

4. Please give your one or two sentence answer to each of these questions:

What is the budget range? Low – under 5 million.

What actors do you like for the lead roles? Lily Rabe or Maria Dizzia for the mother. Emilia Jones for Kendall the teenager.

Give me the acts of the story.

Act 1- Kendall finds a mysterious kaleidoscope while house hunting with her grieving family. She’s later attacked in her home, but there’s no evidence for her family to believe her.

Act 2 – Kendall starts to exhibit signs of being possessed in front of her mother, but it isn’t the real Kendall. Eventually, Kendall learns there’s a demon inside the kaleidoscope that is separating each family member into a Kafka-esque maze of their own delusions, and it intends to trap and devour them.

Act 3 – Kendall decides to return to the maze her house has become and rescue her family.

How does it end? (setup / payoff).

The story is about the dangers of denial. There’s an accidental death that the family is grieving over and having trouble coming to terms with. Kendall is initially in denial about that night. The demon plays off of it’s victim’s lies and denials, so through this journey Kendall has to face reality. Kendall’s parents are unable to come to terms with reality and are killed by the demon, but her little sister is saved. The two sisters defeat the demon by setting it on fire and are able to escape the kaleidoscope’s grip, essentially overcoming their denials and are then able to live in their truth.

Credibility questions What have you done? I’m an optioned screenwriter who is working with the producer to get the movie into pre-production.

[Archer Smith]

Pitch Fest Pitch

Hello, I’m [name] and I specialize in sharp female led dramedies crime twist.

Today, I have a 1-hour dramedy called Orange Juiced. A cocky Florida criminologist ridiculing female victims becomes the next gullible mark herself, forcing her to gain empathy and discretion to expose the chilling truth.

What is the budget range? 750 to 1 million an episode

What actors do you like for the lead roles? Lizzy Caplan and Chloe Fineman.

Give me the acts of the story:

Act 1 –

Remy’s passion for true crime is mocked by her cop sister Marge, though Remy is convinced she could solve an actual case. After a demotion, she discovers her new co-worker Meatball secretly aids online detectives. But when Remy spots oddities in her mom’s retirement home sale linked to developer Chad, her rogue investigation begins.

Act 2 –

Certain she’s found a real crime to solve, Remy recklessly investigates Chad. But when her gullible friend Miranda falls for Chad’s employee, Remy finds herself the perfect mark for Chad’s schemes.

Act 3 –

Forced to gain empathy, Remy collaborates with Miranda, Meatball and an intrepid band of armchair detectives to carefully unravel Chad’s far-reaching web of deceit and corruption.

How does it end? (setup / payoff)

At the start, Remy derides female victims as foolish. In the end, she understands how easy it is to be deceived and gains compassion for those she once mocked.

Credibility questions:

I worked in production for years and remain an avid student and enthusiast of television and film. My deep knowledge comes from consuming hours of content across genres and obsessing over what makes stories succeed or fail.

[John Woodward]

John Woodward’s Pitch Fest Pitch

I learned to have answers for commonly asked questions posed during a pitch.

Hi,

I’m John Woodward. Today I have The Takedown Artist, a Neo-Noir Thriller.

Hook:

If the potential payoff is a $20-million El Greco masterpiece, would you risk your life to steal it with a mysterious and seductive woman who might not be worthy of trust.

The budget range is $500k to $5 million. With bankable stars, $15 million to $30 million.

What actors do you like for the lead roles?

Chance – Jason Tatum.

Allison – a Sharon Stone type

ACT 1. A washed-up cage fighter meets an alluring woman hours before her estranged husband, a notorious broker of black-market art, tries to kill her. Desperate to start a new life, she persuades the fighter to help her steal a cursed El Greco masterpiece from her husband, who stole it from a barbaric Russian expatriate in L.A. to shop the hot painting — “trophy art” stolen during World War II.

ACT 2. They proceed with the heist, but their plan rebounds on them when the husband dies after a bloody fight, in which the art dealer viciously bites his wife’s partner in crime. Even worse, suspicion grows between the accomplices as each blames the other for the death. Now the duo have to unload the El Greco — and a corpse. And how does one get blood and DNA evidence out of the hotel carpet, or ditch a body from the 14th floor of a Sunset Strip luxury hotel?

ACT 3. As the couple rely on each other to survive, their bond strengthens despite the mysterious murder, and the fighter begins to slowly lower his guard with his beautiful partner. However, the police investigation isn’t their only problem. The ruthless Russian and his men unleash a gauntlet of violence as they relentlessly pursue the couple through a decadent LA underworld. The fighter resourcefully uses firearms and MMA skills to vanquish their heinous enemies. And although the fighter hopes his lover is the good woman he wants her to be, he still wonders if he has invited a cobra to bed.

ACT 4. With the fortune generated by the sale of the stolen masterpiece, the couple now live a beautiful life in a scenic ocean-side villa in Mexico until the fighter realizes too late that she poisoned him. As he collapses on the beach, he watches his lover stride through waves, emerging triumphantly from the moonlit sea as The Takedown Artist having completely taken down her “lover” and six ruthless macho men who threatened her.

A mysterious murder, a cursed masterpiece, a gauntlet of violence, and a decadent LA underworld forge a noir canvas where love, greed, trust and betrayal slug it out toe-to-toe. It’s Pulp Fiction meets Basic Instinct.

How does it end? (setup / payoff).

With the fortune generated by the sale of the stolen masterpiece, the couple now live a beautiful life in a scenic ocean-side villa in Mexico until the fighter realizes too late that she poisoned him. As he collapses on the beach, he watches his lover stride through waves, emerging triumphantly from the moonlit sea as The Takedown Artist having completely taken down her “lover” and six ruthless macho men who threatened her.

Credibility: John Woodward has an MA in Film Production from UT Austin. He has written and directed three feature films. Texas Taliban won several festival awards. His short film Disciples of the Crow, based on a Stephen King story, won an Academy Award. His feature screenplay Out of the Dark won the Houston International Film Festival.