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Week two of Raindance Film Festival started with one of the festival’s most popular events. As expected, Live!Ammunition! was good fun for those of us in the audience. This is how it works: every participant has two minutes to present an idea for a film to a panel of film executives. At the end of these two minutes the presenter gets feedback from any member of the panel.
This is a great chance for anyone, be it newcomers or seasoned filmmakers, to pitch their ideas in a professional but laid back and friendly environment in which the audience too has a say. Apart from being awfully entertaining, the event acts as a hands-on workshop as it gives people a chance to improve their presentation skills or gain some perspective of the actual stage of their work. What’s more, some of the panelists last Monday showed real interest in a couple of projects.
So what makes a good pitch? Judging by the response of the experts, it’s not only about the story. It is equally important to present it in an engaging, straight forward and entertaining manner. Or in the organisers’ words: ‘sell the sizzle not the steak’. Those who defined their films in relation to a specific genre; the few who spoke of setting, characterisation, details of production; or those who had taken into account their target audience and other commercial considerations were victorious. Those who did not, left with invaluable tips.
This year’s panel included acquisitions executives, producers, and founders of mainstream and foreign art house distribution and production companies. These are the people you would normally try to sell your film to; for one night they gave out very practical advice for free. With a large though oddly predominantly male pitcher group, very articulate panellists, a hilarious master of ceremonies (Raindance founder, Elliot Grove), and a room packed with people who were clearly having a good time, Live!Ammunition! did as promised. Whether you pitch or not, attending is a must. It’s as fun as a stand-up act and as insightful as any lesson on selling strategies.
There's more coverage from Raindance still to come, so keep reading The Yorker
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