Importance of the "Pitch Clip" |
DIWO Case Study: Gemini Rising Episode Six
Summary: Filmmaker Benefits of a Pitch Clip
- Fundraising: ability to pitch the entire world for funds, not just people behind closed doors
- Engaged and embedded audience
- Surprise favors and offers
- Familiarity, trust and loyalty of fans
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Filmmakers pitch investors for money and foundations for grants. They pitch musicians for their tracks and studios for distribution. They pitch government film offices for permits and even caterers for in-kind donations. They pitch lawyers, accountants. Heck, what group don't filmmakers pitch to start making their film?
Perhaps the most important group of all: their fans - their future audience.
During development and production, why not pitch the very people who will give your investors a return on investment, or purchase the film's music on iTunes later? Why not pitch the residents of neighborhoods where your film is shot, or the patrons of the restaurant featured in your film. If you're a filmmaker and you do these things, good job. Keep it up. Make sure you're grabbing email addresses. If not, please read on.
So why don't filmmakers pitch the very people destined to be their fans?
Answer: no good reason. If there's anyone a filmmaker should be pitching during the development and production of their film, its their fans - their future audience. Who knows, perhaps a fan has an aunt who angel invests in films or a neighbor who runs fundraising for the local arts foundation. Perhaps a fan has a sister who's an emerging musician or a friend who runs their own catering business. Most importantly, perhaps a fan has an extra $5, $20, or even $100 and an unmet desire to be part of the filmmaking world. Perhaps they have a frustration by the lack of societal awareness of the very issue a filmmaker's project addresses. Or maybe they think a filmmaker's style of storytelling is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Perhaps, they're simply tired of talking about the weather at the water cooler.
Whatever the reason, multiply those fans with their $5, $10 or $100 by a hundred or even a thousand, and before you know it, a filmmaker not only has money, but an embedded audience for their film. They might even have connections to in-kind food donations, permits, grants and more for which one could have never imagined or planned too.
So how does a filmmaker pitch one's fans?
Simple. Start with the pitch clip. Take the offline pitch online. Give your fans a taste of the people behind the project...the story behind the story. And tell that story using the artform you prefer... FILM!
Pitch Clip Steps:
- Film a 1-2 minute pitch clip (Be creative. Involve your cast & crew... and fans). Check out Gemini Rising's Pitch Clip in their MEDIA Section.
- Include a call-to-action message at the end. For example: "Make Film X Happen at www.indiegogo.com/FilmX." (Make your needs and how people can help clear. Make it easy for your fans to help you)
- Upload to YouTube, Vimeo, MySpace or Revver. (Use the TubeMogul resource to post it to all your video sharing sites.
- Link your post to your MEDIA section of your IndieGoGo project profile
- PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE. See the Guide to DIWO Filmmaking for audience-building tips.
People contribute to people they know; so help your fans get to know you... the filmmaker.
Case Study:
Fugue Films did just that on IndieGoGo! They made a great pitch clip for their next episode of Gemini Rising. Each team member shared why they were involved in the project and why the series needed to continue. Check it out here.
To check out their entire project profile, click on their GoGoWidget below.
Know of other great Pitch Clips? Please COMMENT and share.
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