PITCH DECK GUIDANCE

1. A pitch deck is not to be taken lightly.

It is a powerful tool that can get your project funded! I know movies that have been
greenlit off the pitch deck alone. It’s worth spending ?me, crea?ve energy and
substan?al money geAng it right. A bad pitch deck will result in a pass. A good pitch
deck will get you closer to a green light!

2. What’s the purpose of a pitch deck?

The purpose of a pitch deck is to convey the LOOK and FEEL of your movie. It should be a
beau?ful, bespoke document that feels “directed” in the same way a movie is directed.
Except, instead of using the tools of cinema, we’re using the tools of graphic design:
professional quality images, well-honed copy, inten?onal font choices, composi?on and
the color tropes of genre. They should EVOKE the same vibes that the movie itself will. It
should also clearly demonstrate how the film can be marketed.

3. Who will actually read your pitch deck?

More people will read your pitch deck than your script. When you submit your project to
an actor’s agent, they usually don’t read the script. The actor usually doesn’t read your
script (at least, not un?l the very last second before they accept or pass). The rep assigns
an assistant or junior agent to read it. The senior rep/decision maker may not read your
script, but they WILL read your pitch deck.

4. What’s the “north star” of creaHng your pitch deck?

As you select images, write copy and pick movie posters as reference, keep in mind that
a pitch deck is not a preliminary document. Think of it as a FINAL document. You are
trying to create a pitch deck that looks like a finished film’s adver?sing materials. That’s
your north star. It should clearly demonstrate the genre that your film is in, use the color
pale[e that you want to use. A\er its crea?on, your pitch deck will be referenced at
every stage of development, produc?on, post-produc?on and marke?ng. It will become
a crea?ve touchstone - shorthand for what your project is – to every new member that
joins your team along the way. I spoke to an A-list veteran colorist the other day who
told me she had just referenced a pitch deck for color cues. Their value begins early and
con?nues through the final stages. The en?re deck is a mood board for your movie.

5. What should guide the text you write for the pitch deck?
Imagine a Venn diagram. Your story’s narra?ve is one circle, and the way the movie
should be marketed is another circle. Everything you write in the pitch deck should be at
the center of that Venn diagram, both accurately reflec?ng the emo?onal journey
embodied in the narra?ve AND posi?on the movie to be marketed to audiences. Most
people know their narra?ve. Don’t be afraid to ask someone with film
marke?ng/pitching experience how you should market your movie. Understanding how
your movie will be seen by distributors and how it can be successfully marketed is
essen?al to geAng a greenlight. The text should also be very well wri[en! It should be

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 carefully cra\ed copy that carries the tone of the genre. If it’s a comedy, it should have a
funny tone. If it’s ac?on, it should have a driving momentum. If it’s horror, it should
evoke terror. Remember, MANY more people will read this than will read your script, so
you need to make it the best possible representa?ve of the movie you want to make. If
you are not well-versed in wri?ng this type of copy, then look for a writer who is.

6. What should guide the images you select for the pitch deck?
The images should have the LOOK and FEEL of the movie you want to make. They should
evoke THE GENRE your movie is in. Genre is really about TONE. A movie can change
genres just by making tonal changes. Take the script for THE SHINING, cast Kevin Hart
and Will Farrell, add some goofy music and you’ve got a comedy. Genre is about tone.
One of the most common mistakes I see in pitch decks is that they are tonally incoherent
– I can’t tell what they are! I can’t tell if the movie is a horror movie, an ac?on movie, a
comedy, drama, thriller, romance, roman?c comedy. It’s ok if your script contains some
of those elements, but your movie should also be in PREDOMINANTLY one genre.
Understanding the genre is key to understanding how it should be marketed.

Each image you select should be of the highest possible quality. Large, press quality
images (300dpi or greater) or hi res screen grabs from other movies are best. The
website shotdeck.com is excellent for grabbing high resolu?on screenshots. The graphic
designer needs to be able to resize the image to make it work for the best design
possible, and that requires hi res images. Pixelated images are an absolute deal-breaker,
no ma[er how much you like them. You may be tempted to shoot some of your own
images. However, unless you are an elite photographer, this is probably a bad idea. The
images you can pull from exis?ng movies – including exis?ng unit photography and key
art photography – cost millions of dollars to produce. And they are available for your use
in this context.

7. Who should design it?

Not you or your cousin. Nor your friend who happens to have a graphic design degree.
You need to get a professional graphic designer experienced in crea?ng pitch decks and
other movie marke?ng material. While this is an expense that will cost between $500-
$2000, it is an absolutely cri?cal step in cra\ing a worthwhile pitch deck. Most pitch
decks I see have major problems. They look pre[y bad. The truth is, most people don’t
have much design experience. They use Canva or some other online solu?on to create
something basic. But basic doesn’t get funded. Most movies don’t get funded. Your pitch
deck should look like the millions of dollars you are asking for. And most decks are
subpar. That means you have an incredible opportunity to stand out! By following the
guidance here, along with the example text file and images provided, you will be
prepared to quickly and efficiently communicate to the designer what you need them to
create.

8. Other than text and images, what else should you give the graphic designer?
Find 1-2 movie posters that are marketed the way YOUR movie needs to be marketed.

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 This means they are in the genre space that your movie is in. If you look at 100 posters
for ac?on movies, you will no?ce there’s a similar visual language that’s used across
them. Similar colors, designs, specific fonts. This isn’t because graphic designers have
run out of new ideas. It’s because they are trying to CLEARLY COMMUNICATE what the
movie is to the audience that wants to see it. Good marke?ng is “obvious.” It’s not
burying the lead – it’s being obvious and transparent about what it is. That’s the best
way to connect with people who’ll love it. If fans of Guy Ritchie ac?on movies will like
your movie, then you want to make your poster look like Guy Ritchie ac?on posters. If
your movie is a murder mystery, you want the poster to look similar to the poster for a
very popular, successful whodunnit like KNIVES OUT. The same is true for your pitch
deck. Use the law of associa?on to associate your movie with successful movies that it’s
similar to. By providing 1-2 reference posters to your designer, you’re clearly
communica?ng what you need the pitch deck to look like. Also, please note that MORE
than 1-2 posters probably isn’t a good thing. Too many references will just confuse them
and make it LESS clear what you want.

9. What’s the best way to work with the graphic designer?

You want to give your graphic designer simple, clear guidance. Then, let them use their
extraordinary skillset to make something awesome. I’ve worked with many graphic
designers over the years and when you have a good one, it’s actually be[er to give them
LESS guidance. The more specific you are about text placement, fonts, pictures, the
more you ?e their hands. Follow the example of a text/image turnover provided here
and you’ll be seAng your designer up for success. It’s just enough to communicate what
you need, but not so much that they can’t bring their own crea?vity to the table. Also,
keep in mind that a graphic designers first-pass is usually their best. When I work with a
good graphic designer, I give them a good turnover of text, images, maybe a reference
poster or two, and then I just have a brief convo about what I need. Some?mes I skip the
convo and write 100-200 words so they can come back and reference it. Then, they give
me their first pass design. I may offer one round of brief revision notes… usually only
changing a few things. And then I’m done. Going through mul?ple revisions doesn’t
usually yield be[er results. If you have given your designer what they need, and chosen
the right designer, then the results are usually there within 1-2 rounds of work. More
and you’ll start to see diminishing returns. You usually get the best from crea?ves in the
first round.

10. How important are comps?

Comps are some?mes included in pitch decks – and I’ve allowed space for them here –
but they should be superfluous. The design of your deck itself should be enough to
communicate what your movie is. Just by skimming your deck, the reader should be able
to intuit that your movie is a BRIDESMAIDS-style comedy or an Ari Aster-style horror
movie. Frequently, I get pitch decks that aren’t great, and then I get to the Comps
sec?on and I think, “Wait… THAT is what they think their movie is??” It’s usually a
surprise, and illustrates how poor their pitch deck is. The comps can some?mes further

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 confuse what the reader’s understanding of your movie is. So, if you choose to include
them in your pitch deck, make very sure that you are including the right comps.

11. What makes a good comp?

If you are going to include Comps, pick 3 movies. Too many comps will be confusing. For
each comp, choose a movie that fits the following:
- A comp that’s in THE SAME GENRE as your movie
- A comp that has THE SAME VIBES as your movie. Similar story beats/structures and
similar characters and loca?ons are not what’s important. It’s the vibes! We are looking
to clearly communicate what the movie will look and feel like.
- A comp that was very financially successful. Don’t pick a bomb! Even if it’s very similar
to your movie. Or they will think YOUR movie will bomb!

One ?me I read a pitch deck and then talked with the filmmaker who submi[ed it. I
asked him, "Is this a horror movie or kind of a scary thriller?” He said, “No, not at all. It’s
a hearselt drama.” So, I asked my follow-up ques?on: “Why did you use THE EXORCIST
as a comp?” His answer was something along the lines of “there’s a priest character with
the same seriousness that is also func?oning like a detec?ve in my movie.” Now, that
may be true… but can you see how wildly misleading it was to include THE EXORCIST as a
comp!? Don’t confuse people who are trying to understand what your movie is. Don’t
bury the lead. Clearly communicate what your movie is. That’s what good marketers do:
they clearly communicate what a movie is and what an audience will like about BY
CONNECTING IT TO PREVIOUS MOVIES THEY’VE ALREADY SEEN. That doesn’t diminish
the crea?ve integrity of your project. It just gets people to watch it when you’re finished
making it.

12. The most important takeaway about the power of a pitch deck.
A good pitch deck is a well-produced, well-directed pitch deck. If you fail in crea?ng a
strong pitch deck that really stands out, the assump?on is that you might also fail in
crea?ng your movie. If you struggle to produce or “direct” 5-10 pages that are clear and
crea?vely compelling, then why would anyone assume you can direct or produce a
feature film? It’s a very basic assump?on that’s made every day by gatekeepers, agents,
managers, distributors and financiers. And you want to use it to your advantage. So put
the ?me and effort into making a great pitch deck. The bar for success on this front is
much lower than you think. But you s?ll want stand out. You want to tower above all the
mediocre pitch decks that are floa?ng around out there. Maybe 1 in 100 that I come
across are actually good. Most are quite bad. So put the ?me, effort and money into
making a truly excellent pitch deck. It will make everything from landing a name actor to
securing financing easier.

© All informa,on presented in this document is property of Micah Haley. Find out more at micahhaley.com