So you want to make a movie? The shift from acting or making theatre into films can have a real appeal, but it’s not necessarily an easy switch. Breaking into the film industry requires hard work, talent, persistence, and – if we’re being realistic – a splash of good luck and optimal timing.
But there are schemes, funds, training opportunities, and prizes that can boost your chances of becoming the next Andrea Arnold or Adam Curtis. Read on for a practical guide on how to pitch – and get funding for – a film project.
First, you need a cracking idea – which you may already have if you’re reading this – and you need to turn it into a brilliant script. Once you’ve done that, redraft, get feedback, redraft again, get more feedback, and – you’ve guessed it – redraft some more, until you know exactly what you’re making and why. You want your screenplay to be in the best possible shape before you start pitching it.
But what is a pitch? Put simply, it’s a summary of your film’s plot, style, themes, hook, and place within the market, which you send out to the people and bodies who could lift it from page to screen. A pitch helps you sell the concept of the film in a concise, attractive way that can be used to garner industry interest, funding, or investment. It can be a written document or a spoken presentation, possibly with a visual element.
Start by writing a one-page pitch. Begin with the title of the film and your name alongside any other co-writers. Then you need a logline that sums up your story in just one or two sentences. It needs to be clear and punchy, laying out the concept of the film, its central characters, and a sense of why: Why this story now, and why audiences would care.
You can then go into more detail in the rest of the pitch, although it obviously shouldn’t be longer than a page. It’s important to keep things really crisp and clear and easily graspable, but your pitch also needs to be well written and should reflect the tone of your script itself in some way. (If you’re pitching a comedy, it should be funny, to give an obvious example.)
Be clear about the genre of the film (road movie, body horror, romantic comedy), and sum up its core themes (male loneliness, motherhood, first love) and the world and era that you’re in (the American Midwest, a dystopian near future, 1980s Manchester). Provide a brief summary of the story in three to five paragraphs (these may reflect the traditional three- or five-act structure of the film), including descriptions of the main characters, making clear what the stakes are for them or how they change. If there is anything distinctive or unusual about your approach to filmmaking or the style of the film (Is this an animated movie? Are you integrating found footage? Do characters break into song?), make sure to briefly explain that.
You should include something of yourself in the pitch. These days, you’re pitching yourself as much as a project, says development producer Emma Millions. “This has become increasingly more important in the last few years, alongside the ‘Why now?’,” she writes. “The truth is that commissioners aren’t just buying a story. They’re buying you. Your perspective. Your passion. Your ability to deliver it. And your unique link to the material. Don’t be shy to own your voice. Whether it’s lived experience, professional background, research access, or just an obsessive love of the genre – let it shine.”
You’ll also need to include some comps – comparisons to similar movies, within the same genre or for a similar audience. Writing them can feel like one of the most awkward (and presumptuous!) parts of a pitch, but comps provide an essential shorthand for conveying the tone, theme, and feel of your film, and where it will sit within the market. Be evocative but realistic. There’s no point comparing your low-budget short to the latest Christopher Nolan movie, even if they’re both sci-fi.
This pitching document can then be used as your calling card, whether you’re submitting to competitions or funding windows (scroll down for information on opportunities for early career filmmakers). It can also be used for approaching agents, producers, production companies, or investors via email to ask for that all-important first face-to-face meeting. Be sure to read any information on company websites and application forms for how much of your pitch to include in the first instance, because different agents, production companies, funders, or competitions may have different requirements.
“It’s important to be realistic when looking for potential producers,” writes Dr Jem Mackay, who runs the Film and Television MA at Falmouth University. “If you’re just starting out in the industry, chances are you’re not going to get a Hollywood production company on board. You need to make sure that you’re contacting the right kind of producers, so it’s vital you do your homework. Some producers won’t even consider your screenplay unless you’ve got an agent. So one of the most valuable things you can do when starting out is to sign with an agent.”
Of course, the advantage for first securing an agent is that they know who to approach and how, and they can tackle some of that work for or with you.
“Other tactics for connecting with producers and getting your work seen are attending film festivals and pitch festivals,” Mackay writes. That means you also need to be prepared to present your pitch, verbally, within an allotted time period. It may be five to 10 minutes in a speed pitching event at a film festival, or in a longer slot if you’re invited to a meeting by funders or production companies. You can use your document as the basis, but you want to make sure that any spoken presentation feels live and engaging, more like a conversation or an invitation than an info-dump.
Next steps
If someone likes your pitch, they may request a pitch deck. This is a larger, more visual presentation that can help give a greater feel and flavour of the project. As well as expanding on all the information mentioned above, a pitch deck may include an image-based “mood board” that features images of potential locations where you’ll be filming, photographs that have inspired you, or imagery that hints at the visual language of the film.
A pitch deck is also an opportunity to share more information about who is making the film and their previous professional experience, and add photographs of and short blurbs about key players, such as any actors or creatives already signed up.
Getting a film funded in the UK is no mean feat; it’s an extremely competitive field. Early career filmmakers usually begin by making short films, because it’s a more financially viable option that also helps you develop your craft, build networks, and have a calling card for your talents.
Arts Council funding is available for short films, and it’s administered by the British Film Institute (BFI). They award grants between £5,000 and £25,000 to early career filmmakers for short fiction films of up to 15 minutes, as well as funding short documentary films via their Made of Truth BFI Doc Society Fund. The funding is, however, furiously competitive, and an application process to receive it opens only once a year, typically in spring.
“UK film funding is meagre, but rather than letting that depress you, see it as a creative constraint, as that’s what sets British film apart. We do a lot with next to no funding,” says Joe Warner, an emerging filmmaker who won the Large Format Films short film competition.
Warner says submitting to competitions is a great way to get recognition and funding, and winning can be a game-changer. “It costs money [to enter] each time, but that in itself filters out a lot of the unserious people,” he says. “Getting shortlisted for these comps helps your credibility, and, if you win, then you’re more than halfway there.” The prize for the Large Format Films competition, which is judged blind, was “essentially a full production package and was almost all the funding I needed to make my most ambitious short to date.”
It’s also worth exploring the world of film festivals. If you’ve managed to make a short film, submitting it to festivals can be a great way to boost your chances of meeting the right people to help you expand it to a full-length feature or to fund your next project.
“Getting a film into an A-list festival is probably still very much the ace card for career exposure and opening up opportunities within the industry,” says Peter Middleton, an Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated documentary filmmaker. “But even smaller festivals, with an industry focus alongside the film programme, I’d really recommend for someone starting out. Not only to hang out with other filmmakers, but because they have a load of pitching events and roundtable opportunities for early career filmmakers to meet more experienced producers, alongside talks and panels. Although I’d also recommend having realistic expectations!”
For female and nonbinary filmmakers, Warner recommends the exciting, brand-new Short Film Fund from the Women in Film & TV, which will award full funding packages for two short films; applications open in September. It’s also worth investigating vital funding opportunities for short films from Genera Films, the Kino Short Film Fund, the Slick Films Fund, and the Kodak First Flights Short Film Fund.
Securing funding for the step up from a short to a feature-length film can be even tougher. Kodak First Flights Features supports emerging filmmakers who have shown shorts at international festivals to scale up to a full-length film, and the BFI Network has an Early Development Fund for supporting the early stages of debut long-form formats (as well as lots of resources for early career filmmakers).
If you’re based in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, keep an eye on what development opportunities and funds may be available regionally for funding via Screen Scotland, Ffilm Cymru, and Northern Ireland Screen.
Another option if you have the contacts – or especially if you’re a creator with an existing online following – is to launch a crowdfunder online. Share your vision and your passion, and you may just inspire strangers on the internet or well-off friends, family, and colleagues to help fund your ambition with personal donations. A crowdfunder can also be a good tactic if your project taps into an existing dedicated fandom or niche that gets excited about your idea. Just be sure not to infringe on intellectual copyright.
