Five quick questions with Michael Hauge

Written by Mike Lee

MICHAEL HAUGE is a script consultant, screenwriter, author and lecturer who works with writers, filmmakers and executives on their pitches, screenplays, film projects and development skills. He has recently coached writers or consulted on projects for Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney, Columbia, New Line, CBS, Lifetime, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts. He also shares story credit on Heart Of The Atom, now in preproduction for director Luis Mandoki.

Michael's book Writing Screenplays That Sell, now in its twenty-sixth printing for HarperCollins, is a definitive reference book for the film and television industries. He has presented his screenwriting seminars and lectures to more than 25,000 writers and filmmakers throughout the US, Canada and Europe, and is on the Board of Directors for the American Screenwriting Association and the Advisory Board for Scriptwriter Magazine in London.

Michael can be reached through his Web site.

Q 1: What is a pitch?

It's a sales pitch. It's a step in selling your screenplay or film project. There are two types of pitches. One is the pitch meeting, which is an opportunity to sit down with an executive or producer and pitch your film project in their office. These meetings can last from 15 to 20 minutes but they generally happen later in a writer's career after he or she is established or has sold or optioned a screenplay already.

The pitch that is far more germane to the beginning writer is the 2-minute pitch, where you have less than two minutes to present your film project in such a way that the executive will want to read the material. So during the Great American PitchFest, where you are only given five minutes with each producer, you have to be able to pitch your script in under two minutes so that the producer can then ask questions or discuss your other projects. This also applies to pitches given over the phone to executives. In both cases, a writer must keep the actual pitch to two minutes or less, to save room for questions and discussion at the end.

Q 2: How do you build a good 2-minute pitch?

There are 4 stages of a 2-minute pitch. They are:

1. Relationship - You have to connect personally with the person you're pitching. You can do this through something you have in common, particularly the common acquaintance who referred you. More often this is done by acknowledging something the producer has done in the past. There's a resource called the Spec Screenplay Sales Directory, which lists all the spec sales cross-referenced by company. If you find the company has produced a movie you really enjoyed or that inspired you to write the screenplay you're pitching, tell them that. If you know nothing at all about the company you're pitching to, at the very least you can acknowledge the time they've taken to come down and listen to dozens of pitches.
2. Revelation - You present your story in a way that makes people want to read it.
3. Request - When you come to the end of your pitch, ask them if they have any questions, or if they'd like you to send them a copy. This gives them two choices, both good for you, and let's the executive know that your story description is completed.
4. Reaction - Once you come to the end of your pitch, the executive will either say, "Yes I want to read it," she may have some questions about the script, or she may say "No that's not for us." Depending on how she responds, you should react accordingly. If she has questions, answer them. If she asks to see the script, tell her you'll send it and look forward to her response, thank her very much, and then get out of there. Your job is done. If her response is "No, that's not for us," tell her that you have another project and ask if you can pitch that one. Having taken just 2 minutes, you should have plenty of time to get through the second pitch. You can also leave the session early (giving the executive a much needed break), and ask if you can come to her with another project in the future.

Q 3: How do you present your story is a way that makes executives want to read it?

You present the elements that are the most likely to make the story sound commercial. Those elements could be a high concept, the story's main conflict, the deeper meanings and themes of the story, or a character that's unique enough and complex enough to attract a major star. It all depends on how your screenplay is set up to illicit emotion. One way is to think, what would the trailer or newspaper ad for this movie look like? What elements would it emphasize? How would it be structured? You must also convey your passion for the project, because without your enthusiasm, they won't be enthused.

Q 4: What is the number one mistake beginning screenwriters make while trying to pitch?

They try to tell their story scene by scene, step by step, act by act. This isn't an invite to tell your story. The goal here is to get them to read it. There is no way to tell the story in two minutes. Pick the elements that will make them want to read it and focus only on those.

Q 5: Any other important points that beginning writers should remember.

1. Give them your passion for the story. Don't simply sit down and say you're passionate about your story. Focus on the elements that made you want to write this story in the first place. Maybe the story is meaningful and deep, maybe it scares the shit out of people, maybe it connects with your life in a deeply personal way. Let them know why you think this story has to be made.
2. Don't worry about being nervous. They don't care. They're not looking for calm writers, they're looking for good stories. And once you get into your enthusiasm for the story, the nervousness will disappear.
3. Have in mind at least 2 successful, recent films that are similar to yours in genre, tone, and style. This gives the buyer a better sense of the audience for your film. Saying your film is a horror movie doesn't tell them whether it is a sophisticated, thought provoking thriller like "The Ring" or "Identity" or a more graphic genre picture like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "Freddy Vs. Jason"
4. And don't forget the two most important points: Don't try to tell your whole story and Keep it under 2 minutes!

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