Wednesday 30 June

10.30am - 12.15pm (with a 15-minute break). BOOK NOW.

As film and television directors, how well we pitch our projects can seriously affect what happens next. Being engaging while we share key information about our work has the power to make funders want to finance our projects or to convince actors or producers to want to come on-board and work with us.

If you don’t like pitching or you don’t feel confident about it – you are not alone. It can be intimidating, frustrating and disheartening. So let’s spend some time identifying the key pitfalls we need to navigate. Let’s explore ways around these obstacles and make sure we always play to our own strengths and those of the project. No matter where we are or who we’re talking to – either online or in the room – we’re ready.

Giving a fantastic pitch does not mean someone will hand over money or a big star will sign-on. It does mean we can walk away feeling good, knowing that we represented our work in the best possible light – and to go forward to the next meeting with the energy and passion that we need to talk about our plans and dreams. When we do this, we tend to get results.

Content

In these two consecutive sessions, we'll look at ways to be ready to talk about our work and to prepare effectively for pitch meetings and events. 

What most of us want to find are ways we can talk about our work that convey its essence along with its essentials, and that get people's attention and spark excitement. Even when our projects are great, how come our pitches can be dull? In these online sessions we'll look at ways we can play to our strengths. 

In these sessions we will cover: 

• Preparation and making things easy
• Pitch elements
• Character and theme are sometimes enough
• Getting lost in story and ways to avoid
• Things to cover and to leave out
• Dealing with nerves

BOOK NOW

We will be following this open session with a more bespoke and interactive workshop. Details about how to apply will be announced on the Career Development web page and in our weekly digital newsletter within the next few weeks.

About David Keating

An award winning and critically acclaimed feature film director and screenwriter, David is also a trainer, lecturer and producer. He has a Masters in Film & TV Studies (University of London) and runs workshops and training events for Directors UK; BAFTA; the BFI; Screen Ireland and on development programmes internationally. He currently lectures in film directing at the National Film School, Ireland.

Accessibility

If you have any questions or accessibility requirements, please contact [email protected].