{"id":5,"date":"2008-11-26T04:21:15","date_gmt":"2008-11-26T04:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/frankrogala.com\/blog\/?p=5"},"modified":"2014-02-22T18:08:13","modified_gmt":"2014-02-22T23:08:13","slug":"pitchq-pitching-your-screenplay-via-video-on-the-internet-my-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frankrogala.com\/blog\/pitchq-pitching-your-screenplay-via-video-on-the-internet-my-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"PitchQ pitching your screenplay via video on the internet – my experience!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I attended the 2008 Screenwriters expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

If you aren't acquainted with this event, it brings together world-class speakers, seminars, software and an opportunity to pitch your screenplay directly to agents, managers and producers as well as studios.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I happened across a booth for Pitchq.\u00a0 They put screenwriter's pitchs online via video.Now, as you may or may not know, this is something I know a little about.I had done my own YouTube<\/a> pitch about a year ago, handling my own sound lighting and direction and all I can say about it was\u2026 the task was daunting.Aside from that project, I have had plenty of time in front of and behind a camera.Aside from twenty something years in the music business, producing a movie that was theatrically distributed, broadcast, etc.,\u00a0 I recently started a reality series on YouTube<\/a> -\u00a0 last July (my channel <\/a>is called The Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping Show<\/a>).\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n

When I heard that there was a \u201cconvention special\u201d that involved <\/span>Pitchq <\/span>offering their services for free for the first month - I decided to give it a shot.They had a nifty padded booth which kept out most of the convention chatter, and I have to admit, a lot of the reason I wanted to try it was to get a closer look at their LED production lights.I'm a giz guy, I admit it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

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\"PitchQweb\"<\/a><\/div>\r\n
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PitchQweb<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n

The way you want to arrive at one of these events is rested and with your pitch completely rehearsed.I arrived at the convention frazzled having spent the previous 10 days completely rewriting my 120 page screenplay.Add to that complication the fact that I was finishing 12 months on a medication that had a side effect of completely rendering my short-term memory useless as well as having intermittent hallucinogenic effects (no not that medication!), - and you have an idea of the challenge I was facing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

When you \"pitch\" you are expected to have a well worn three to five minute \"little\" act to perform.When you give your pitch on video, you don't want to be reading off of 3 x 5 or cue cards.Knowing this, I waited until my second day of pitches at the convention.\u00a0 I figured I'd have burned a few pathways in my neurons by then.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Back to my story - so after ducking into the booth and dropping the padded curtain, the <\/span>Pitchq <\/span>team took over.They adjusted my collar, made sure I didn't stick to the background by backlighting me, adjusted the camera, microphone and sound.Then came the most surprising and wonderful part - I got the benefit of \"spot on\" and very professional direction (which I am eternally grateful for).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Having been an entertainment professional, I wasn't used to stepping into this type of the situation feeling so discombobulated.After the day\u2019s rehearsal I should have been \"ready to roll,\" but in this case...Imagine if someone slipped acid into the punch two hours before you had to give the State of the Union address.Since I have been learning to fight the effects of this pharmaceutical for about a year, I can almost pull off faking looking normal without most people noticing.\u00a0 If someone is watching closely they might think I am learning disabled.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I didn't warn my victims at Pitchq<\/span>, after all, The Show Must Go On<\/em>!\u00a0\u00a0 Even though the booth was small, the gentleman holding my backlight (and I apologize for not having his name as he truly is a wonderful director and pitch coach, not to mention a superb backlight clamp), the other gentleman\/camera\/computer\/sound tech and I had all breathed same air about 30 times over when I finally made it all away through my pitch without screwing it up -- they never lost their calm vibe, or their ability to make me feel like they were there to be on my side.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

It was apparent to me within minutes that the <\/span>Pitchq <\/span>people were experienced at all aspects of business they were in \u2013 and this case that meant (certainly is not limited to):<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n