Home Development Elements of the Pitch Package

Elements of the Pitch Package

Page 3 of 4 Details of elements Signed release form Not every company asks for a release form, but those who ask you to sign one won’t review your material unless you do. The company will provide you with their standard template. If you can’t agree to the terms, try to discuss them with the company, but these agreements are rarely negotiable. Cover letter The cover letter is a key sales document. It gives you a chance to call the buyer’s attention to the most saleable aspects of your project, and to convey information that doesn’t appear elsewhere in the package. It should provide the buyer with a snapshot of your project that the other materials expand upon. If there are any particular issues that might concern an investor – first-time filmmaker, complicated special effects – this is a good place to address the issues. The letter will do its job if it is brief and dynamic and makes the buyer want to read more about your project. Budget top sheet For development or production financing, industry standard templates can be found on the Telefilm Canada website. If your project has particular challenges (lots of CGI, or maybe it’s a period piece), buyers will likely look at the relevant line items to make sure the production values are appropriate. In any case, they will be interested in what you’re spending on cast. They’ll also want to make sure you’ve budgeted appropriately for their deliverables (HD version or French version, for example) and for unit publicity. If Telefilm Canada is part of your financing structure, buyers may check to ensure your budget conforms to Telefilm guidelines. Financing structure The financing structure reflects the degree to which you know your business as a producer. It also represents the deal you’re proposing. For distributors, the structure includes how much you’re asking them to pay for which territories, and for equity financiers, it indicates your “ask” and implies likely recoupment scenarios. The structure is not just about showing you can cobble together the money to make the film; it’s about showing you can do it in a way that is beneficial to potential financiers. You need to demonstrate that you have a reasonable plan for assembling the financing to make up the budget. If your financing plan is not credible, the project may not be financeable. Continued... << Previous Page - Next Page >>

 

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