IDFAcademy: Secrets of Pitching

The auditorium was crowded with eager open-eared people. At the centre of their attention was the meeting they were there for, called The Secrets of Pitching / Who is Who in Documentary Land? Presented by Barbara Truyen, Commissioning Editor for the VPRO’s slot in Holland Doc, it welcomed two more special guests: Rudy Butignol, Creative Head of Documentaries, from Canada, and Steven Seidenburg, a British Producer.

Those who have tried to get financing for a project know how hard it is to convince a broadcaster to believe in it; most of the time they don’t even bother to try envisaging the film. Some very simple advice from our speakers gave pointers on how to improve these results.

Firstly, you might think that you should present yourself to your interviewer as having full knowledge of the topic, and if possible bombard him with facts and statistics. Forget it! Basically, just tell your story in the most passionate way you can. It may seem overly romantic in a business situation, which is focused on money and profit, but underneath, the person in front of you is still human: he or she has a heart and needs a good motivation.

Secondly, know where you’re stepping in. Don’t go offering something that might not interest them. And how could you know this? Research! Research a lot! Read about the Commissioning Editor you’re offering the project to, get to know his or her tastes, the kinds of projects this individual has worked on, the profile of the TV networks they used to work with.

Gather this information, have a good story prepared and the chances of having your project screened in front of a big audience increases greatly. So, let’s start working!

Arturo Mestanza