WIM+AI – WIM Module 10 – Lesson 9: Great Pitch 4: Phone Pitches Without Pain!

[Edward Lusk]

ED's PHONE PITCH

What I learned doing this assignment is how to prepare for a phone pitch, taking some of the fear and apprehension out of the process by being prepared. Having the most asked about and expected exchanges covered I can confidently go about making pitch calls, getting quick feedback if my concept is working, or not, and establishing a business relationship with the producer.

SCRIPT

Strategy Lead with a High Concept.

Hello this Ed Lusk, and I’m wondering if I could run a quick feature film concept by you?

Okay Great. Thank You.

This is a Christmas Rom-Com, the title is, ELFSTRUCK, and the concept is this:

A heartbroken man learns to believe in love and magic again when he’s snowed in with a handsome elf.

(Prepared for Questions)

What’s the budget range?

One to Five Million

Who do you see in the main roles?
Howie – an actor like Ben Platt or Noah Gavin, each brings a mix of humor and depth to Howie's guarded but affectionate nature.

Jasper: Ross Lynch could bring out the magical and mysterious side of Jasper’s character.

Jesús: Someone like a Guillermo Díaz, a strong character actor who can bring his own style the character of Jesús.

How many pages is the script?

95 pages

Who else has seen this?

You are the first.

Why do you think this fits our company?

Because you’ve successfully produced this other Christmas Rom-Com. (Film Name)

How does the movie end?

SetUp:

Heartbroken, Howie faces a Christmas snowed in at his grandparents' manor, where he meets Jasper, a mysterious handyman with a mission to restore the family’s broken chimney.

As Howie’s skepticism battles Jasper’s discovered infectious elfin spirit, Howie is pushed to confront his own fears, family pressures, and a surprising rivalry with BF Jesús, all leading him to a love that melts his guarded heart.

Payoff: Just when Howie lets Jasper go home to the North Pole to save Christmas, Jasper reappears with his own wish granted—to stay with Howie, forever.

[Monica Arisman]

Subject: Monica’s Phone Pitch

Write out your phone pitch along with answers to the questions.

1. Tell us which of the four strategies you are going to use to open your pitch:

• Lead with a High Concept.

2. Give us your script for phone call pitches, like I did above.

Hi, I’m Monica and I have a female character who has a near-death experience and meets God who has a mission for her if she chooses to accept it.

3. Give us a one or two-sentence answer to the questions a producer may ask:

• What’s the budget range? The budget is in the $15-20Million range.

• Who do you see in the main roles? Emily Hampshire, Jonathan Bailey, and someone like Anthony Hopkins as God.

• How many pages is the script? 110

• Why do you think this fits our company? Because you have produced fantasy and drama films before.

• How does the movie end? The film ends with Emily choosing a new guardian and being rewarded with a successful writing career.

• This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by  Monica Arisman.

[Kathryn Gould]

Kathryn’s Phone Pitch

I learned: That a “no” isn’t a rejection, it’s just someone protecting themself and their company.

1. Tell us which of the four strategies you are going to use to open your pitch:

• Lead with credibility.

o Hi I’m Kathryn Gould, I’m a produced and repped screenwriter, and I’ve got a scifi thriller I’d love to pitch you.

2. Give us your script for phone call pitches, like I did above.

“Enhancement Protocol” is about a young biohacker who steals medical nanotech to give himself and his friends superpowers, and they end up fighting against the largest nanotech company in the world when they discover that the company’s latest product- which can cure any disease for a price- contains powerful mind control software.

3. Give us a one or two sentence answer to the questions a producer may ask:

• What’s the budget range? $15-30 million

• Who do you see in the main roles? Timothee Chalomet, Jacob Elordi for the hero; Sigourney Weaver, Viola Davis for the antagonist

• How many pages is the script? 110

• Who else has seen this? You’re the first!

• Why do you think this fits our company? Because you have done x, y, z

• How does the movie end?

o They break into the nanotech company HQ to try and expose the mind control and in the process discover that their mentor released a deadly virus that’s killing everyone with the new nanotech. So they have to team up with the CEO of the company to stop it.

o No matter what they do, they only seem to be able to slow the virus down, until they figure out that the key to stopping the virus was hidden in a vaccine that their mentor gave to thousands of people in the slums. They appeal to the poorest, most downtrodden people in their society to come donate blood to stop the virus, and the crisis is averted.

[Terrie Shaft]

Terrie’s Phone Pitch
What I learned from this is how to leverage chatgpt to create different versions of a pitch using the components I’ve pieced together. It’s convinced me that I need to start entering contests to hopefully gain some credibility.
1. Tell us which of the four strategies you are going to use to open your pitch:
• Lead with a High Concept.
• I’ve got zero credibility, no business hook and my title is good but probably not great.
2. Give us your script for phone call pitches, like I did above. Used the prompt to get these three. I would lead with Version 3. If that got me no where I’d try version 1. Although having great roles for actors is a marketable issue, since I have no track record, this is probably low-budget and aiming for A list isn’t realistic.
Version 1: Leading with the High Concept
Hi, this is Terrie Shaft.
I have a sci-fi comedy called Freaky Fusion about an alien who crashes into an off-the-grid hippie’s outhouse, triggering a body swap. Together, they must fix the spaceship and un-swap bodies before a nosy deputy discovers their secret.
It’s like Freaky Friday meets Paul with a dash of Guardians of the Galaxy.
________________________________________
Version 2: Leading with the Component of Marketability
Hi, this is Terrie Shaft.
I have a sci-fi comedy called Freaky Fusion that’s a dream for actors, featuring ultimate body-swap fun: each lead plays two characters—their original self and the other after they swap bodies. With the buzz around the Freaky Friday sequel, it’s the perfect time for this project.
It’s like Paul meets Guardians of the Galaxy with the humor and heart of Freaky Friday.
________________________________________
Version 3: Leading with the Comps
Hi, this is Terrie Shaft.
I have a sci-fi comedy called Freaky Fusion. Imagine the hilarious body-swap antics of Freaky Friday combined with the irreverent charm of Paul and the cosmic fun of Guardians of the Galaxy.
It’s about an alien who crashes into a hippie’s outhouse, leading to a body swap. They must work together to fix the spaceship and keep a nosy deputy from discovering their secret.

3. Give us a one or two sentence answer to the questions a producer may ask:
• What’s the budget range? Low budget $1-3 million. With the right choices and an all local cast could even come in under a million.
• Who do you see in the main roles? Actors with an Oklahoma connection: Josh Fadem as Bill the Alien. Laura Spencer could be fun as Misa, the angry off-the-grid hippy. Daryl Cox is an obvious choice for Deputy Rhoades.
• How many pages is the script? 99
• Who else has seen this? No one.
• Why do you think this fits our company? Your track record with comedies.
• How does the movie end? Misa (the human) loves the Earth too much to leave, even if being stuck in Bill’s deteriorating body means she’s going to die. Bill (the alien) pleads with her to leave. In their final repairs of Bill’s ship, they re-trigger the weird mechanism that caused the swap and miraculously unswap and Bill returns to his home planet.

• This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by  Terrie Shaft.
• This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by  Terrie Shaft.
• This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by  Terrie Shaft.