Pitching for Results with Jürgen Wolff – 6th May 2006

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People judge you by what you write – but whether or not they read what you write depends on what you say.

“A good idea, badly presented, sounds like a bad idea.” – Stephen Cannell, Producer of over 40 series

If you want to get your material considered by agents, producers, directors, actors, and others, usually the process starts with someone asking you, “What are you working on?” or “What’s your script or idea about?” How well you answer will determine whether they want to read your material or hear about it in more detail. In this workshop, you will learn how to pitch your idea concisely, with enthusiasm, and with ‘hooks’ that make people want to hear (or read) more.

The first stage is ‘the elevator pitch.’ That is, a two-to three-minute pitch that gets people excited about your project. The elements you will learn are:

• a quick way to establish rapport with your listener

• how to find the hook (the key aspect of your idea or script)

• the single biggest mistake in brief pitches

• the one essential element of brief pitches

• the type of language to use to make a short pitch come alive

• how much of the story to tell in a short pitch

• how to end a brief pitch in a way that leaves them wanting more

The next stage is the ten- to fifteen- minute pitch. In this type of pitch, you tell the entire story in a way that convinces the listener that you’ve created an engaging and compelling plot and created exciting characters. The elements of this type of pitch you will learn are:

• what to say before you start telling the story

• how to make characters come alive in a pitch

• how to make the story beats clear

• what to do if you think your listener’s attention is wavering

• what to do if the pitch is interrupted

• what kinds of notes to use in a longer pitch

• the biggest mistake to avoid in a longer pitch

• the best way to end a pitch

You will also learn how to deal with the feedback you get after a pitch. This will include:

• how to respond to suggestions that would change your story

• how to be prepared for questions and objections

• what to say if they reject the idea

• how to make even an unsuccessful pitch the start of a positive relationship

The workshop will be interactive. Those who wish to present a short pitch in front of the group will be asked to put their name in a hat and names will be drawn randomly. If you would rather not expose your idea, but still want to pitch, just pitch us a film you have seen recently. Those who pitch in front of the group will get feedback from the instructor and the group. There will also be opportunities to practice various pitching techniques in smaller groups (but anybody who just wants to observe can also choose to do that).

If you get nervous about pitching or public speaking, you will have gained greater confidence in yourself and your material. One of the positive side-effects of learning to pitch well is that you will also find it easier to expose any story weaknesses before you actually do the pitch.

The workshop uses techniques based on a variety of disciplines. Jürgen Wolff has had a wealth of experience in pitching and has knowledge to share from both his good and bad experiences, as well as his expertise in Neuro Linguistic Programming and hypnotherapy (one of the more interesting techniques you’ll learn is how to make covert suggestions). As well as writing over one hundred episodes of television series, television films, feature films, and serving as a script doctor, he taught scriptwriting at the University of Southern California, and pitching and writing workshops around the world.

If you’re ready to make your pitching as good as your stories and to gain greater confidence in pitching and networking, this day is designed just for you!

If you have any questions about the course, please email me at J4London@aol.com and I’ll be happy to answer them.

Feedback from Right-brain Scriptwriting with Jürgen Wolff – 18th June 2005

• Very useful information – great to have actual techniques to use. Looking forward to new inspiration.
• I am very enthusiastic about the enthusiastic way Jürgen Wolff tells his story. He is modest, realistic and inspiring.
• Very positive.
• Excellent.
• Found it very stimulating and useful.
• Great.
• Very inspiring!
• Very instructive and exciting.
• Well worth spending the time. Great relaxed style with credibility due to background and experience. NLP introduced very subtly all the way through. Good pace.
• Generally fine. Good material, well delivered. Perhaps a bit broad for a short time.
• Very positive! Mr Wolff’s guidance is extremely helpful/useful. As a speaker, Wolff is engaging, clear, articulate and inspirational. His emphasis on taking a non-cookie cutter approach is the main selling point for me.
• I though it was well focused and helpful. I really like having exercises to do and probably got most from that.
• Very enjoyable and informative. A good talker etc.
• Brilliant – so useful to have practical tools.
• Very good. Enjoyed it a great deal.
• Excellent – really useful – it’s difficult to engage so many people – but he’s done it. Lots of useful tips to try on projects I’m working on – thank you. Very worthwhile – so glad I came and it was fun.
• Fantastic. Came away with lots of ideas.
• Excellent presentation. Valuable strategies.
• Very enjoyable and instructive. Jürgen is a gifted generous tutor who speaks from experience.
• Brilliant – really enjoyable and masses of useful information and techniques. Jürgen was an unassuming and very likable speaker who kept me interested all day.