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Marguerite Pigott
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Page 1 of 2 A one-page is a sales document you use to promote your film to prospective buyers before it has been produced. Typically, you would hand out your one-page at festivals or you would include it with your pitch package. It’s intended to create an appetite for your project, showcasing the most saleable and compelling images as well as creative and business information. Not every producer looking for production financing will create a one-page, but it’s an extra tool that supplies a great summary for buyers and gives some polish to a pitch package.
What are the elements of a great one-page?A winning one-page:
1. Communicates the tone of the film through the writing style, images and design you choose.
- The writing style should mirror the style in the film. If it is a hard-edged street drama, aim for tough and terse; if it’s a comedy, the writing should be humorous.
- The images should be iconic to the film, and stick in people’s minds. If you’ve already shot your film, use stills or unit photography that show the visual tone, and how it will appeal to your target audience. Any star cast should be featured. If you have not yet shot your film, you don’t need to choose images that represent how a given scene is likely to look. Instead, go for images that convey the overall tone.
- The design of the one-page conveys the film’s tone through elements such as choice of font and layout. If your film is formal and classic, your one sheet should have the same characteristics. If it’s rough and grainy, aim for a similar feel.
2. Features a tagline. The job of the tagline is to sell the film to the target audience. It
is usually one sentence and, ideally, poses a question the audience
wants to see answered. A few good examples:
- “Something almost beyond comprehension is happening to a girl on this street, in this house … and a man has been sent for as a last resort. This man is The Exorcist.” The Exorcist
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“You can erase someone out of your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story.” Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
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“He loved the American Dream. With a vengeance.” Scarface
3. Communicates the saleable elements.
- Saleable elements include cast, marketable key creatives (director, writer, producer), the genre, other tie-ins like video games or soundtracks, or the source material if it’s an adaptation.
4. Communicates key business information.
- Business information includes the names of the production companies and individual producers, confirmed financing partners, distributors, foreign sales agent or producer’s representative, production dates (if not yet completed), screening dates and locations, and festival participation (if production is completed). You may decide to include the budget if your project has not yet been produced.
5. Includes a brief, compelling synopsis.
- The synopsis needs to cover only the main plot (include subplots only when the main plot does not make sense without them). Stick to the bigger story points -- set up, complication, climax and resolution – and write it in the tone of the film. See synopses, treatments and outlines
6. Includes your contact information.
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