Paul Pauwels, President Director of Congoo BV Belgium, was present in IDOCLAB 2024 to provide insights on documentary project pitching. With over 40 years of experience in the audiovisual production industry, Paul has taught and managed documentary film development and production workshops in more than 35 countries. “A successful pitch does not always lead directly to production, and an unsuccessful pitch does not necessarily mean the end of the project.” Paul reminded the participants that pitching is not a magical moment that will instantly change the filmmakers’ lives overnight. Pitching is the starting point of a long adventure the documentary project team must go through.
Real-life pitching moments
There are several types of pitching that filmmakers need to know and pay attention to. Paul asserted that it is not only through an on-site or online forum but also through “real-life pitching”, unexpected pitching. It occurs when the filmmaker meets with potential sponsorship partners outside the forum. Therefore, they should be ready to “sell” their documentary project as effectively as possible. However, filmmakers also need to pay attention to the target audience, market characteristics, and the focus of the theme the sponsoring partner is interested in. Filmmakers must be able to convince potential sponsors that the film is important and well-aligned with the character of their audience. For that reason, filmmakers, most importantly the producers, must always be professional yet flexible in networking to make the production of their project go successfully.
Don’t be a “pitch shark”
Paul also urged participants not to become “pitch sharks”–– filmmakers who only focus on looking for funding for their films. Outside of forums, pitching is a networking medium that needs to be begun and maintained continuously. “You’re not just looking to get one film funded, you want to build a good working relationship for the future. Financiers are your partners, not walking wallets.”
The importance of practice and preparation
“Those plans are not important. The important thing is planning.” What Eisenhower said perhaps adequately represents the various tips Paul shared with participants regarding readiness for pitching. Filmmakers need to know the panelists as well as their backgrounds and the interests they look for in the pitching forum. In addition, the performance of filmmakers in pitching forums also needs to be considered. Body language, eye contact, clear and decisive intonation, engaging hook and memorable closing remarks, and well-structured content of presentation are the important points that need to be considered by filmmakers. Paul also gave important tips for the participants: avoid improvisation. Don’t say things that might call things into question, and don’t spin a yarn.
Make sure the focus and content of the presentation are simple yet penetrating and deep, as Albert Einstein once said, “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Hence, choosing visual material such as documentary project trailers has to be carefully and thoroughly prepared. Don’t direct the panelists how they should feel when watching the trailer, but let their emotional ripples evoke themselves through that trailer, showing one or two key scenes in the film.
Given the limited time available, not all artistic elements in the project development process need and should be presented in the pitching forum. Paul explained that the filmmakers simply need to only talk about the interesting and promising substance of the film while still paying attention to the structure of the project’s foundation: what and/or who is being told, why it is important to be filmed, what the themes are, how the production planning is, and what visual tools will be used to support the delivery of the story. Furthermore, why a filmmaker would sacrifice his life to make and finish the film––brief, focused, and clear.
From one pitching to another pitching
Paul said that the questions thrown by the panelist at the end of the pitching session were as important as the pitching process itself. Filmmakers must be prepared to answer various potential questions clearly and convincingly. If needed, the SWOT analysis method can be used to prepare for potential questions from the panelists. No matter how difficult the question is, the filmmaker should stay calm in order to convince the panelist that we are a cooperative and competent partner.
After all, there is no such thing as a perfect pitching. However, like what they said, practice makes perfect. Pitching is not a magical moment but an experience that must be interpreted as part of a long journey toward creating the documentary that has been dreamt of. Every pitch is an opportunity to learn, develop, and reflect on (our) documentary projects to improve progress for the next pitches. “Pitching is a skill that improves with practice. Don’t expect your first pitch to be perfect.”
Covered by Hesty N. Tyas on November 7, 2024. (Ed. Vanis/Trans. Shafira Rahmasari)
