How Do I Pitch a Movie Idea to Disney
How To Sell A Script To Disney
How to Pitch a Movie to Disney Animation Studios (Don Hahn)
- How to Sell a Script to Disney
Few brands in film are more powerful and better-known than Disney.
Its always been your dream to send one of your best movie scripts to Disney itself, but you have absolutely no idea where to start.
Is it possible to sell a film script to Disney, and if so, how would you go about doing it?
Disney does not accept scripts that dont come from employees of their studio. Thus, you either want to know the right people to possibly land a job at Disney or win a fellowship so you can meet writers with clout who may be more willing to look over and consider your script.
Ahead, Ill provide more information on how Disneys internal machinations work so you can give your goals of selling a script to Disney your very best shot.
Lets get started.
How To Pitch A Movie Idea: Dos
Start the pitch by establishing the genre and maybe giving a brief introduction as to how you came up with the idea. This will help create context for the exec before you plunge into the main story.
Stick to whats important and lose everything else. Whats important is the struggle between protagonist and antagonist and the trauma you put them through. Not scene description. Not dialogue. Not minor characters. And definitely not the title.
Spell out the most important beats: the inciting incident, call to action, big event, Act 1 turning point, etc. There isnt really a hard and fast rule as to whether you should reveal the ending or not. Some writers like to leave them hanging. Others prefer to tell the whole story and both options are perfectly viable.
Exploit genre. If youre having a hard time making a comedy sound funny, or a horror sound nerve-shredding, there might be a problem with the script rather than the pitch.
Answer The Question Already
Now, here comes the Disney part. I know the lead-up was long, but I feel its important to know I didnt originally set out to be a Disney artist, not even an artist.
If youre still hanging in here with me, lets review some of the points I hope artful hopefuls have taken. 1) Though I have a college degree, it is not in art. Go to school. Definitely go to school. Art school or not, a degree WILL open doors and at least get you the interviews. 2) Find your own unique style in art. Copying the styles of popular artists will get you absolutely nowhere, but being unique will turn heads. 3) Just because youve defined your own style does not mean you should ignore technique or composition which are important to all styles and mediums.
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Disney Creative Director Will Gay: How To Sell Your Ideas
You can't be truly innovative if no one signs off on your biggest ideas. As part of our Creative Team of the Future project, Disney creative director Will Gay shares some tips and insights on how to sell your ideas and win over decision makers.
It might take countless hours of brainstorming and problem solving to arrive at just the right idea for a creative project. But don't forget the other half of your job: pitching those big ideas to your boss or client.
"Selling your idea could be 40 or 50 percent of the whole thing," says Will Gay, creative director at Disney's Yellow Shoes Creative Group. "If you don't sell the idea, you never get the chance to create that beautiful thing or tell that great story."
Gay shared some tips and insights he's gained in his career to sharpen your persuasive skills:
The Power Of Ideas And Scripts Based On A True Story:
Orange Is The New Black Band of Brothers Deadwood Boardwalk Empire The Goldbergs Scrubs Scandal
StudioBinder.com provides a deeper look into the TV Series Bible Template:
We love what the people over atStudioBinder.com are doing for writers and producers. They have a great Free TV Show Pitch Bible Template providing a step-by-step how-to with visual layout. Some of the key items they discuss include:
- Clarifying the tone of your TV show.
- The one-page TV show pitch.
- The Logline
- Character Breakdowns
- Pilot & first season outline,and much more…
Check out the PGA's chat with Tina Fey on Structuring Episodic Television in the Era of Binge Watching:
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Find Ways To Extend Your Successful Idea Into A Franchise
"When you have a successful brand, take your concept and find ways to re-tool it for other media," Sullivan said.
In the case of "Jersey Belle," Sullivan found an opportunity to extend the brand to people who wanted to know more about the experience portrayed on the show, and those who hadn't watched the show at all, with her book, "The Southern Education of a Jersey Girl."
And now, the book is being developed for a scripted series.
How To Pitch A Movie Idea: Conclusion
Learning how to pitch a script can be nerve-wracking for many writers. It depends to a certain extent how gregarious and charming you are to begin with. But these skills can also be learned.
Consider taking acting classes, joining a toastmaster group or getting out of your comfort zone in some way to make your screenplay pitch less scary. Its true that a lot can ride on a pitch, but if you look at it overall as a two-way conversation rather than a speech, it should be okay.
Finally, remember every single professional screenwriter has been rejected at some point in their career. Rather than getting depressed about it, keep working on other projects. If you keep refining your writing and pitching skills, youre likely to succeed in the end.
We hope this post has helped you learn how to pitch a movie idea and given you the tools to move forward with confidence. How many film pitches have you given? How did they go? Have you made a sale after a screenplay pitch? Let us know in the comments section below!
Liked this post? Learn more on how to pitch a movie idea and sell a screenplay
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All Stories Start As Part Of A 3
Schmidt described how the Pixar story development model relies on a core team of directors who create story pitches. Each director spends between four and five months crafting pitches for three separate project ideas. The director then presents each one of these pitches to John Lasseter. Schmidt noted that these idea pitches typically describe the world, the characters and the theme of the story, but not the story beats themselves. If Lasseter likes one of the pitches, the director pursues that story idea as his or her next project. Schmidt pointed out that Lasseter doesn't always choose one of the three story ideas, but may instead decide that he likes a certain element of the pitch, and tell the director to continue developing the idea before pitching again.
"During the research phase for Ratatouille, the team met with a woman who lived with 36 rats."
Disney Food Blog Guest Post Guidelines
How to SELL Your Movie Idea — Episode #1 of The Producer's Perspective
Guest posts are welcome at the Disney Food Blog. Disney restaurants and food items change all the time and Disney food is a very subjective topic, so your voice gives the DFB a refreshing variety of interesting reads and opinions!
Topic ApprovalThe first step is to search the Disney Food Blog to be sure that we havent recently covered your topic. If we have, that doesnt mean that we wont be able to publish your guest post, it only means that we might have to wait several months before publishing.
Please submit your topic idea to webmaster disneyfoodblog.com for review. This will insure that your topic isnt already being covered by another guest author or columnist in the near future. Its a good idea to become familiar with the Disney Food Blogs formatting for restaurant reviews. Also, please review past guest posts and reviews to become familiar with the light-hearted tone that the Disney Food Blog conveys to its readers.
Please note: were always dreaming up new ideas here on the Disney Food Blog. If you submit a post idea and we happen to be already working on a post similar to that idea, we cannot give you credit for it. As such, if you have a great idea that you want to reserve for yourself, please dont share it with us.
We reserve the right to reject ideas that are not appropriate for the Disney Food Blog.
Post PoliciesPlease note the following guest post policies:
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The Value Of A Tv Show Idea:
"…One would be a fool to ignore a good one."
VP of Programming for Fox TV Studios, and TV Writers Vault Industry Member, Karyn Forge How much do you pull from true life and other properties outside of actual scripts? I�m always on the lookout for properties, graphic novels, books, articles and formats. I�m always hungry for ideas � and one thing I�ve learned in this business- ideas can come from anywhere, and one would be a fool to ignore a good idea — regardless of where it came from.
"What you're looking for is intention, and obstacle."
Emmy and Oscar Winning ScreenwriterAaron Sorkin
How To Pitch A Screenplay In A Meeting: Dos
Establish rapport. Youre much more likely to get a favorable response from an exec or producer if you get to know them a little. Rather than launching straight into a movie pitch as soon as you enter the room, establish some common ground. Ask how their weekend was. Look for common interests and ways to connect.
Be interesting. Execs and producers get pitched a lot. If theres something unique or interesting you can say about yourself it will help you stick in their mind. If you breed rare cats, for example, or used to be in the FBI, slip it into the conversation.
Be the kind of writer they want to work with. In this business having a great script is not always enough. Make a point of being as open, interesting and charming as possible. Try to come across as easy-going but willing to work hard.
Be passionate. When delivering your pitch you want to get across your enthusiasm for the project. If they can sense that you dont believe in your story 100 percent, theyre unlikely to either.
Ask if they have any questions. At the end of your pitch, listen to exactly what they want to know and answer as succinctly as possible. Avoid long, rambling answers that dive back into the story and attempt to fill in all the gaps.
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Can You Pitch A Movie Idea Without A Screenplay
Despite what you may have heard, there isnt a market for stand-alone movie ideas. You cant sell a movie idea. You cant copyright a movie idea. Theres no special place you can go to submit movie ideas.
Movie ideas are essentially worthless because anyone can come up with them. Its the execution of an idea that matters.
Execs and producers looking for movie ideas are looking for the whole package: an idea, a script and a writer they can work with.
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How To Submit Production Ideas To Nbc
Submitting an idea to a television network may seem like a daunting task, but if you're willing to be persistent, you can submit your show ideas to major broadcasting stations like NBC. Use social networking sites and online directories to enhance your submission process. NBC, like all television stations, looks for new show ideas that keep audiences engaged and lead to more advertising dollars.
How To Pitch A Movie To Disney
Although it may seem impossible to pitch a movie plot to Disney, it is possible to get your idea heard. The entertainment industry is idea-driven, so production companies such as Disney are thirsty for new movie ideas. With preparation, a great pitch and a few connections, you may be able to get your foot in the door to present your movie idea to a Disney representative.
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Great You've Sold Your Idea To Hollywood But You May Want To Keep Your Day Job
"There is a gross misconception that anyone who has ever sold anything in Hollywood is rich," Sullivan said. "I would recommend that you have a short-term financial strategy, as well a long-term financial strategy."
While she and Packer began developing Breaking In" four years ago and it has since sold to Universal, Sullivan said outside of the treatment sale, she hasn't seen any income from that movie yet.
"Heres something that many people dont know: No matter how big a producers fee is, they dont see a penny of it until the movie gets made, and most dont see anything until its a success," she said. "Dont spend the money before the check is in the bank, because most producers spend well over three years working on the project before you see a dime."
"It sometimes can be a very long and often discouraging road, and you have to be emotionally and financially prepared for setbacks," she continued. "And I dont mean there may be setbacks, I want you to hear me, from pitch to production there will be so many setbacks that you doubt why you got into this game in the first place, thats how many setbacks there will be. But if it is your door, if it meant for you, it will open. That is a fact: You have to ride the wave and sometimes it takes four years as in my case, sometimes more, sadly."
A Possible Loophole For Selling A Script To Disney
How to Send Movie Scripts to Studios
Youre not the first screenwriter who came up with a well-done, heartwarming script that you thought would make the perfect Disney or Pixar film.
You certainly wont be the last, either. Many writers have found themselves in your shoes, pondering what they can do to get on the fast-track to Disney screenplay acceptance.
The rules are rules, that Disney only wants its own hired writers to produce movies and television content for them. That said, theres one possible loophole I figured Id mention. Its a longshot for sure, but hey, maybe you can make it happen.
If you think about it, many, many Disney films are based on books, typically old fairytales. I wont go through them all, but a few of the best-known titles include Oliver Twist, Tangled, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, and The Little Mermaid.
Keeping that in mind, theres a decent chance that if you wrote a childrens book, it skyrocketed to bestsellers status, and it became extremely pervasive that the film studios would come to you rather than vice-versa. One of those studios could be Disney, who would want to buy the rights to your script and use it as the basis of a film.
As a caveat, many of the source material used for the above Disney films is not at all what the movies turned out to be.
So even if you managed to get your screenplay adapted into a Disney film, it might not be quite as recognizable as you were hoping. Still, its better than nothing!
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What Disney Doesnt Own
Disney has absolutely zero ownership over Spider-Man, The Hulk, Namor, Venom, and Mysterio. Marvel Studios and Sony shared authority over Spider-Man, but as of almost two years ago, the two decided not to continue their partnership with the New York-bred guardian and Sony was granted all the rights to Peter Parker.
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R& d Lasts Up To A Full Year
According to Davidson and Schmidt, the purpose of the R& D phase at Disney and Pixar is to deepen the original story idea from the pitch. Even fantasy worlds undergo intense research. The research not only influences how the world is depicted in the film, but can also inspire changes in the characters.
Directors lead the research process, and the R& D teams adapt to the directors based on their particular instructions. A common tool used in the early research phases of a project is a text and image search. Davidson and Schmidt likened text and image search deliverables to book reports on specific topics, such as a particular type of octopus for Finding Dory.
R& D teams will also do thematic research, creating sizzle reels with clips from a wide variety of live action films set to music to evoke emotions and themes similar to the story they are researching. In addition to sizzle reels, the R& D team schedules reference screenings of several movies in the same genre. The idea behind the reference screenings is to learn as much about the genre's tropes as possible in order to play with those tropes when the story is created.
As the R& D phase progresses, story rooms emerge with images and notes covering all of the walls for the director and creative team to absorb.
Find A Void In The Marketplace
Sure, Hollywood studios and TV networks are all about the franchises right now. Why? If an idea was successful in one medium a book, a play, a comic, a movie, or TV show there's a better chance that it will do well if adapted to another medium. But Sullivan doesn't think that should scare people off from pitching original ideas.
"Making money in Hollywood is very difficult, so people want a proven concept," Sullivan said. It can be very difficult for someone to want to buy something that originated from your mind if theres nothing proven."
The reality show was based on her own "fish out of water" story of being raised in New Jersey and moving her family to her husband's hometown in Alabama. She capitalized on the trend of shows based in the South, but wanted to show a different side to the culture.
"Weve seen the 'Honey Boo Boo' version of the South a million times, but what you havent seen is the most appropriate beautiful parts of the South that are rich in tradition and culture and etiquette, right?" she said. "So what if you take an outspoken Jersey girl and you put her in the most refined part of the South? Thats funny, that is highly commercial, that is a big idea! Im creating based on voids in the marketplace."
How Do I Pitch a Movie Idea to Disney
Source: https://www.disneyproguide.com/how-to-submit-an-idea-to-disney/
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