Anyone gotta match?
I just read a pitch. It started with the logline; great. However, the logline said one thing, and then the pitch talked about another.
The logline was about a setting. The pitch was about a character.
When I spoke with the creator and told them the logline and the body of the pitch wasn’t congruent he said “But what’s written IS what the logline is about.” I said, “But that’s not what is being communicated in the body.”
When you ask people to proofread your material it’s a really good idea to listen to their notes. I’m not talking about notes on the idea of your show, that’s a whole other thing; I’m talking about notes on whether or not your show idea is being communicated on the page or in your Sizzle Reel.
If the person reads to the end of your promo material and you either: need to explain what your show is about, need to correct them regarding the focus of your show, or, they interpret a different vision of your show than you intended, you haven’t nailed your pitch material and no amount of explaining will help.
Why won’t it help? Because when you are asked to send in a One Sheet to a Production Company or Broadcaster you don’t get to have a conversation after they read your material. Someone will likely email to say either they are interested, or they are not. Period.
If after reading your material people are seeking clarity you need to keep working on it before you send it out: remember it’s not their fault if they don’t get it.
You only have one thing to do when writing promo material for your show; communicate what your show is about.
And a good place to start is to ensure that the logline and the body of your promotional material match.