Screenwriters know too well how hard it is to fix an appointment with a Film Producer for a pitch.  And looking at it from the Producer’s viewpoint, every time they agree to sit down to a pitch session, it means an investment of anywhere between half to one hour of their time.  And time is money!  I’m trying to bridge the accessibility gap between Screenwriter and Film Producer – and save time all round.

I experimented with the AV Storyboard (AVS) (see the big screen on my Home Page) with not bad results!  I plan to use this as my first pitching tool – to get a foot into the Producer’s door so to speak (give me about six months and I’ll tell you how many hits I scored!)

It was by chance that I hit on the idea of producing an AVS.  My friend Rajesh who is a computer whiz had suggested that I make an AV presentation for myself (actually he was talking about Mind Movies).  It suddenly hit me like a bolt.  Yes, I could turn my Synopsis-Treatment into an AV Storyboard to bridge the accessibility gap between Screenwriters and Film Producers – and save on time, travel and logistics.  Here’s how I went about doing it.

I rewrote my Synopsis and Treatment documents in storyboard form.  I had to decide which elements of the story to include to make this AVP a compelling watch.  Equally important was deciding which elements to leave out either because they would give the whole story away (and I will have no more key plots to show the Producer later on in a Pitch) or because they do not help move the story along in this short, five-minute presentation.

After that came the filming (see my other story) and finally the editing and selecting a music track.

All through the process of creating the AVS, I had to bear in mind certain things:

ONE, the AV Storyboard as a Pitching Tool is meant only to capture the interest and imagination of Film Producers and other interested parties.

TWO, we should not give the whole story away log, stock and barrel, because Film Producers will not want spend money to tell a story which everyone has already heard!  We should be sure that we have enough plots – intrigues! – stored away to be revealed only to Film producers in a proper pitch session.

THREE, we should be aware that we are opening our story ideas to the world at large.  There is the possibility that bits and pieces of the storyline may be plagiarized.  Again we should still have the secret ingredients safely in our possession.

Some people may be prolific writers, but unfortunately they pale when it comes to marketing their script.  The AV Storyboard put up on the Internet opens your Screenplay Treatment & Synopsis to a wider, worldwide audience – a door opener.  But don’t be tempted to over-rely on it.  This is NOT a means to replace the pitching session.  Look at it as a more elaborate movie trailer.