The Pitch Winner's Bible

CHAPTER 1 - INTRO

Welcome
Our credentials
What this Masterclass covers

CHAPTER 2 - PITCH PERFECT: TREATMENT WRITING

Evolution of the modern treatment
The future of treatments

PRIOR TO PITCH
First moves
Conference call
Your vision
Writing styles

CHAPTER 3 - THE TREATMENT: PROCESS

Getting into the groove
First draft
The importance of structure
Keeping it real
The intro
Traps to avoid
Casting
Audio
Camera, lighting, post-production

CHAPTER 4 - LANGUAGE / GHOST WRITERS

Touching fame
Lure of the new

LANGUAGE
Words – why they matter
Spelling and tone
Language that’s alive

GHOST WRITERS
Using Ghost Writers for treatments
Lifting the lid on ghost writing
Ways to work with Ghost Writers

CHAPTER 5 - GET HOT: HOW TO BECOME AN IN-DEMAND DIRECTOR

ESTABLISHING IDENTITY + APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
About you
Ensuring cut-through
Knowing when to turn it down
Lean thinking your role
Understanding your customer segments, value proposition and channels
Building relationships, revenue streams and key resources
Activities, partnerships and process

CHAPTER 6 - UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS WITH AGENCIES / APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS WITH AGENCIES
Communication
Vocabulary and inflection
Commonality

APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
The impact of energy
The power of confidence
The creative ego
You get what you give

CHAPTER 7 - FLIP SIDE: WHAT ADVERTISING AGENCIES REALLY WANT FROM DIRECTORS

Understanding agency mentality
Advertising and agencies - the good, the bad and the ugly
Inside the minds of agency creatives: awards, status and ego
What agencies are really looking for in Directors
The treatment – common mistakes Directors make
The relationship between Director and agency
Trust

CHAPTER 8 - WINNING TREATMENTS

Treatments that win
Using Ghost Writers
Who reads the treatment?
How creatives choose Directors
How agency creatives see the role of the Director
What else can Directors do to win a pitch?
The pre-production meeting
Winning treatments – the biggest single factor

CHAPTER 9 - SEEING IS BELIEVING: THE IMPACT OF VISUALS

WHERE TO LOOK. HOW TO LOOK. DESIGN. THE WHOLE 9 YARDS
Great visual research - profiling visual researchers
Every treatment is unique
Global and regional styles
Key points of visual research - overview 

CHAPTER 10 - APPROACHING AN IMAGE SEARCH

Planning
The need for speed
Thinking outside the box
Researching: films and TV
Researching: TV commercials
Researching: still photography
Overly specific scenes
Casting specifics
Search search search
Making selects

CHAPTER 11 - DESIGN AND LAYOUT - OVERVIEW

The cover page
Visual honesty
Formats
Know when to use Photoshop
References and pitfalls
Time sucks and mosaics
Typefaces and styles

CHAPTER 12 - ONLINE TREATMENTS AND THE PATH AHEAD

Online treatments
Grading
Preparing the way ahead
Collaborating with pro visualists
Making space for details
Top tips

CHAPTER 13 - GO LONG: TREATMENTS FOR LONG FORM

Writing a feature treatment – overview
Why start with the treatment?
Types of treatments
How long should a treatment be?
What elements should be in a treatment?
What’s in a name?
Hook, tagline and sinker

CHAPTER 14 - SYNOPSIS, LOGLINE, LANGUAGE AND VISUALS

Synopsis and logline
Building up from basics
Language and tone
The impact of visuals
Key points

CHAPTER 15 - SUFFIX

Advertising laid bare
A personal journey
More about The Moon Unit

CHAPTER 16 - 15 SAMPLE INTROS FROM (REDACTED) PITCH-WINNING TREATMENTS

A snack product. UK
A camera brand. ASIA
A car ad. SOUTH AMERICA
An e-commerce company. AUSTRALIA
A car brand.SOUTH AMERICA
A sugar water product. US
An alcohol brand. EUROPE
A breakfast cereal. UK
A soft drink. INDONESIA
A bank. EUROPE
A soft drink. AUSTRALIA
A cut price liquor brand. UK

An automotive product. RUSSIA
A tv network. UK
A fashion brand. UK

CHAPTER 17 - 4 FULL-LENGTH (REDACTED) SAMPLE TREATMENTS FROM PITCH-WINNING US JOBS

A beauty brand. US
A liquor brand. US
A sports shoe brand. US
An alcopop. US

CHAPTER 18 - 6 FULL-LENGTH (REDACTED) SAMPLE TREATMENTS FROM PITCH-WINNING UK/EUROPE JOBS

A car brand. EUROPE
A footwear brand. UK/EU
A high-street fashion brand. UK
A liquor brand. UK
A telco. UK
A tequila brand. EUROPE

CHAPTER 19 - 4 FULL-LENGTH (REDACTED) SAMPLE TREATMENTS FROM PITCH-WINNING JOBS IN OTHER TERRITORIES

A beer brand. NEW ZEALAND
A beer brand. SOUTH AFRICA
A fizzy drink. INDIA
A theme park. ASIA

CHAPTER 20 - 4 FULL-LENGTH (REDACTED) SAMPLE TREATMENTS FROM PITCH-WINNING GLOBAL JOBS

A human rights organization. GLOBAL
A sneaker brand. GLOBAL
A un vr initiative. GLOBAL
A watch. GLOBAL