Chapter 3. Here’s the Pitch!

In Hollywood, the term pitch immediately conjures visions of high-stakes, closed-door meetings in which creative hopefuls desperately tap-dance through elaborate presentations in hopes of winning the attention of influential studio executives. Make no mistake, those meetings do occur (I’ve pirouetted my way through plenty), but they represent only a tiny fraction of the pitches you’ll be making throughout your filmmaking career.

Every time you enthusiastically describe your project to a friend or relative in hopes of getting some support, that’s a pitch. Every time you persuade a talented actor to accept a meager role in your film, that’s a pitch. Every time you beg the owner of the pizza joint down the street to ...

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