If you’re one of those people that finds it easy to come up with new ideas, especially new ideas for movies, but you don’t know what to do with these ideas… then this article is for you.
If you’ve written a script that’s great, but you don’t have to write a script to start earning money for your movie idea in Hollywood.
Pitching a movie idea to Hollywood can be so lucrative in fact that it is easily one of the highest paid gigs in the entertainment industry (considering you can be paid well in excess of six-figures for pitching a great idea).
I remember when I used to work as a producer, there was retired guy in his 60s who pitched an idea to my colleague. The idea was about a man who was able to go back into the past and give advice to his younger self with hilarious consequences.
This idea was picked up and sold by my colleague for over $100,000. And guess what? To this day, the movie has never been made. But the guy who pitched the idea ended up $100,000 richer.
So what did this retired gentleman do that was so effective in getting his pitch picked up and sold?
Here’s the trick and the important thing to note.
A Great Idea Is Only As Good As Its Pitch
You need to be able to pitch your movie in a way that is appealing and engaging. I’ve seen countless times where a great idea failed to get picked up because of a poor pitch, and I’ve seen it when a great pitch sold a pretty average idea.
The key in these situations was one thing above all others, the person pitching the script was able to appeal to the commercial interests of the producer. And, at the end of the day, Hollywood doesn’t care where it gets its ideas from: video games, comic books, movie re-makes, real life, conversations, the news, books, magazines etc.
It’s All Fair Game!
All that Hollywood really cares about is that your idea can make them money (this is the reality of Hollywood, and the nature of the beast that is the entertainment business).
There’s also an understanding within Hollywood that the most talented filmmakers and screenwriters don’t always come up with the best ideas for movies… that’s why Hollywood producers and studios are so open to pitches from people who have great ideas.
The only thing that a producer or studio wants is to “own” a great idea and have the opportunity (at some point) to be able to turn that idea into a profitable movie.
Don’t worry too much if you don’t feel comfortable turning your movie idea into a screenplay. If you have a great idea and a producer or studio wants to turn your movie idea into a film, they will hire a team of screenwriters to turn your idea into a script.
*Liz Fairbanks has worked as a reader, development assistant, and talent agent in Los Angeles over the last seven years. Liz loves traveling, reading and yoga. Liz also works as a freelance consultant for Script Mailer (a company that connects screenwriters with agents and producers in Hollywood).