Inspiration
So you want to make a film......
Film Pitch Deck
What Should A Film Pitch Deck Include?
In short, a pitch document (Google Slides) should include everything you need to visualize a sense of the atmosphere of your story world, tone, style, project scope, and character arcs in the reader's mind while providing solid information to support your idea and its potential financial success.
Because every film project is different, there is no strict rule for what to include and what not, so the exact content of a film pitch can vary depending on the project. But at the bare bone minimum, I believe a film pitch deck should always include the following seven items:
In short, a pitch document (Google Slides) should include everything you need to visualize a sense of the atmosphere of your story world, tone, style, project scope, and character arcs in the reader's mind while providing solid information to support your idea and its potential financial success.
Because every film project is different, there is no strict rule for what to include and what not, so the exact content of a film pitch can vary depending on the project. But at the bare bone minimum, I believe a film pitch deck should always include the following seven items:
- Cover Slide - The cover slide or title page is your project's first impression. Use a captivating front cover to set the visual tone, including a title (can be a work in progress).
- Logline Or Premise - A one or two-sentence summary of the project's story.
- Synopsis - A plot synopsis outlines the story plot in a three-act structure (beginning-middle-end).
- Character Breakdown - A detailed breakdown of the story's main characters (list them in order of importance).
- Story World Description - A detailed breakdown of when and where the story occurs
Here are some files that you may find useful for your projects ------------>>>>>>>>>.
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Each of the projects below will need a Pitch Page before you start...
PROJECT ONE - Music Video
Create a music video using a song of your choice. The video may consist of still photos, art work, graphics, clip art, original video clips, and titles. Your video can be a "performance video" (perform the song or act it out), a "story video" (use the song as the background for a story), or "montage/theme video" (translate the basic mood/feeling---tanquility, anxiety, reverence, anger, patriotism, sensuality, spirituality, etc.---of the song through your video). The length of the video will be determined by the song.
PROJECT TWO - Commercial
Create a commercial for a product or service. Sell cars, green beans, a computer, or anything else (almost). The company, product, and service may be real or fictitious. 60 seconds long. Additional information is located here.
PROJECT THREE - Simple Story
The title means exactly what it says: simple and story. Develop a well thought out video piece with a clear beginning, middle, and end structure. Tell a story. It can be funny, sad, exciting, scary, anything, as long it tells a simple story. Your video should include appropriate long shots, medium shots, closeups, and establishing shots. Dialog is optional, as long as your story is adequately conveyed. An approved storyboard is required. 3-5 minutes long.
PROJECT FOUR - Interview
Interview someone on a topic of your choice. The subject of the interview must have a reasonable knowledge of the topic being discussed, such that this person could be considered an expert in the field. You may interview the Art teacher about the firing of pottery, a lawyer about trial procedures, a WWII veteran about his or her experiences, a fish hatchery employee about planting muskies, etc. Include appropriate inserts, cutaways and titles. The subject of your interview must be approved by the instructor. 4-6 minutes.
PROJECT FIVE - How-To Video
Prepare a short (3-6 minute) instructional video. Demonstrate how to serve a volleyball, change a tire, bake a souffle, upgrade computer memory, etc. Include appropriate background music and titles. Storyboard required. Topic must be approved by the instructor.
PROJECT SIX - Message - Simply have people holding a written message and add an audio track. EXAMPLE: This creation by NL Filmmakers in 2013 titled "I'm A Filmmaker".
PROJECT SEVEN - Someone tying a shoe. The entire video should consist of 15 shots and a total of: 30 seconds in length. Music should be added to move the video along. All shots must be from a variety of different angles and close-up. An establishing shot can be used in the beginning and at the end of your video. Videos that exceed: 30 seconds or less than: 29 seconds will not be accepted.
PROJECT EIGHT - Suddenly, out of nowhere your subject is frightened by something they see. Your job is to create the quiet setting in: 05 seconds and then use 5 close-up reaction shots of the frightened student. The reaction shots should be no more than: 03 seconds total in length. Audio must be used to create both settings.
PROJECT 9 - 180 Degree Rule Project For this project your group will record a conversation between 2 people cutting the conversation using the 180 degree rule in various formats.
Shot Sequence
- 2 shots of them starting the conversation
- Single shot of person on the left
- Single shot of person on the right
- 2 shots of both - OTS of person on the left over the right persons shoulder
- 2 shots of both - silent
- Single shot of person on the right truck around the left side person for an OTS and around to the other side of conversation
2 shots on the opposite side now of conversation and the 2 separate and leave off screen
PROJECT 9 Subtitles: Take three of the foreign language movie trailers in the folder here and add English subtitles using the Lower Thirds titles in the Final Cut Pro menu: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vjR5kuP1BG4TVpZgbVPBYIrTVrT98a6h?usp=sharing
Title Menu
In the Lower Thirds select Middle then drag to the timeline at the playhead
Double click on the text in the preview window and notice the properties window appear where you can replace NAME with your text
Remove the small text by erasing the word DESCRIPTION
Have fun!
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Video Montage
Choose a color that will appear in every shot of your final project, a "Montage" video.
The definition of a montage is "the process or technique of selecting, editing, and piecing together
separate sections of film to form a continuous whole."
Watch● 5 Montage Techniques to Improve your Videos
In a montage video, short clips can connect related subjects, shot from different
camera distances (Extreme Wide, Wide, Medium, Close up, Extreme Close up) and a variety of camera angles (high, low, Bird's Eye View, Worm's Eye View, Canted or Dutch/Tilted) offer a fast-paced, fun experience for the viewer.
Have FUN with this video!
This is a chance for you to show the cinematic skills you have learned, your storytelling skills, your
editing skills, and your publishing skills. All of these skills were taught throughout the semester.
The definition of a montage is "the process or technique of selecting, editing, and piecing together
separate sections of film to form a continuous whole."
Watch● 5 Montage Techniques to Improve your Videos
In a montage video, short clips can connect related subjects, shot from different
camera distances (Extreme Wide, Wide, Medium, Close up, Extreme Close up) and a variety of camera angles (high, low, Bird's Eye View, Worm's Eye View, Canted or Dutch/Tilted) offer a fast-paced, fun experience for the viewer.
- Pick a color like red, yellow, blue, green, black etc...whatever one color you want to appear in every shot, and create a 30 to 60 second video. The main color you choose MUST appear in EVERY SHOT!
- For example, if you pick red, you could do creative shots with apples, people wearing the color red like lipstick or a hat, clothing, flowers outside, paintings or pictures in your home, drawings, anything with the color red.
- Other colors of course will appear in each shot, but you must select your dominant color, and make sure it appears in EVERY SHOT.
- Each shot must be edited to between 1 to 5 seconds.
Have FUN with this video!
- ● Be as creative as you wish.
- ● Use the camera angles and distances you learned from:
- ○ the Wide, Medium, and Tight photosontage"
- color video.
This is a chance for you to show the cinematic skills you have learned, your storytelling skills, your
editing skills, and your publishing skills. All of these skills were taught throughout the semester.
Additional Project Ideas
- Movie Review
- Top 10 List
- Newscast
- Newscast from the past
- My Home Town (a tour of your town, or a location of your choice)
- TV Courtroom (such as "Judge Judy") parody
- Science experiment
- Lost and Found
- Investigative report/exposé
- Career Profile
- Class Project (for another class!)
- Interview a historical figure
- Facility Tour
- Instructional Video