Top Ten Mistakes When Pitching Animation

Pitching - Hit the Bullseye

What is a pitch? A pitch is defined by Wikipedia as "a short summary used to quickly and simply define a profession, product, service, organization, or event and its value proposition". Our student animators pitch their projects all the time, hoping to get picked for one of our Studio Projects. 

A great pitch is funny, interesting, grabs your attention, and makes the listener think "wow, that could really work".  A great pitch leaves the listener wanting more.  But pitching is harder than it sounds. Below are some of the most common mistakes in pitching.

Yibi Hu Explains The Art of The Pitch

Yibi Hu, founder of Future Power Station

At a recent industry event animator Yibi Hu, founder of the animation studio Future Power Station, explained the importance of crafting a great pitch. 

As Yibi Hu put it: "Pitch is a Bitch" - in essence a huge amount of unpaid work for a client who might - or might not - like your work. 

The conundrum is that you have to pitch to get the job, but all the work might be in vain. Pitching is free work, but you have to do it anyway.

Pitching The "Queen's Counsel" Cartoon Strip

All students at Escape Studios need to learn how to pitch. Our Escapees aren't just working in the creative industries, they are creating original content and fresh ideas.  But how does your fresh original idea gain traction in the marketplace?  The answer is - you have to pitch it.  The short video above is about pitching ideas - in this case pitching the idea of a cartoon strip about lawyers in the UK in the early '90s.  The cartoon strip started in The Times in 1993 as Queen's Counsel - it's still running 30 years on.  

CMC Wants Animation Series Pitches

Children's Media Conference 9-10-11 July 2024 

The Children's Media Conference (CMC) in Sheffield wants your animation pitches.  

In the "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" pitch sessions, animation creatives pitch to the animation industry, much like on the BBC's "Dragon's Den".   The CMC takes place from 9-10-11 July 2024. The deadline for submissions is 13 June 2024. 

BBC Ignite Seeks Animation Pitches

BBC "Ignite" deadline is 8 February 2024 at 2pm

BBC Children’s Animation are seeking submissions for fresh, bold and innovative animation ideas. The scheme is called "Ignite" and the deadline is 8 February 2024 at 2pm. 

For all our students at Escape Studios who have been working on short films - or developing ideas for series (such as in Module PR4001) - this is a perfect opportunity to pitch your materials to the UK's biggest broadcaster.

Frederic Du Chau Visits Escape Studios 23 Jan 2023

Frederic Du Chau

Escape Studios is delighted to welcome Hollywood director Frederic Du Chau will visit our central London campus on Monday January 23rd, to meet our second year animation students, and introduce them to the principles underlying a successful Hollywood pitch. 

What is involved in a great pitch? How do aspiring artists and content creators pitch ideas to studios and production houses?  

Frederic Du Chau has directed many Hollywood films including "Quest For Camelot", "Racing Stripes" and "Underdog".  All of these projects began with a successful pitch. 

Frederic is also the author of the graphic novel "Ameluna", which has recently been released.

VFX Project - Get Ready to Pitch! - 19 May 2022

Alba Rodriguez pitches "Explosive Love"

On Thursday 19th May at 1.30pm we will hear pitches from our 2nd year animation & VFX students for PR6001 Studio Project Module, which starts in September 2022.

This pitch presentation is where our students first present their idea for a VFX Project to go into production in September. 

What sort of story is it? Who are the characters, and why do we care about them? Why does the audience want to see this film? 

Escape Studios "60-90 Second Challenge"

60-90 Second Challenge

Here at Escape Studios we're announcing "The 60-90 Second Challenge" for all our students. The Challenge is aimed at all our students who are interested in pitching ideas and telling stories. 

Why 60-90 Seconds? Because that is the optimum length for the short films made at Escape Studios. It may not sound like a lot of time to tell a story, but many of our most successful film projects, such as Jerich0, Seeker and Quarantine Chorus have been under two minutes long.

60-90 Seconds is the perfect length for our short stories because it allows our animators to focus on quality over quantity. 

Simone Giampaolo to Escape Studios 7 April

Simone Giampaolo

We're delighted to welcome back Oscar-shortlisted animation director Simone Giampaolo to Escape Studios on Thursday 7 April to give our second year animation students feedback on their film projects.

Simone Giampaolo is a veteran animator and animation director whose short film "Only a Child' was short-listed for an Oscar this year.  Simone is currently Creative Director at Jellyfish Animation in London. 

Simone will help guide our student projects, part of Module PR5001 in which our students create short films in teams.

PR5001 Students - Get Ready to Pitch

Time to Pitch!

On Monday 21st February at 9.30am we will be hearing  pitches from our 2nd year animation students for PR5001 Studio Project Module.

This pitch presentation is where our students first present their idea for a short film, documentary or teaser/trailer. What sort of story do you want to tell? Who are the characters, and why do we care about them? Why does the audience want to see this film? 

Your eight minute pitch is your chance to capture your audience's attention, intrigue them, and make them want more.

Evgenia Golubeva Pitches "Saskatoons"

"Saskatoons" by Evgenia Golubeva

Escapee Evgenia Golubeva will be at Cartoon Forum this year to pitch her new comedy series "The Saskatoons", an original TV series aimed at young audiences. 

Cartoon Forum is Europe's biggest TV pitch-fest for animation, and takes place in Toulouse, France, from 20-23 September.

If you have an idea for an animated TV series, Cartoon Forum is the place to pitch it.

BBC Children’s Animation Seeks Pitches

BBC Ignite wants your pitches

BBC Children’s Animation are seeking submissions for fresh, bold and innovative animation ideas. The scheme is called "Ignite" and the deadline is Midnight on 1st September 2021. 

For all our students who have been working on short films for the past couple of years - this is a perfect opportunity to pitch your materials to the UK's biggest broadcaster.

Successful pitches will be given a "fully funded development opportunity" to bring their project to the small screen.

You don't need to have created any finished animation for your project; more important is an idea of the stories you want to tell and who the main characters are.  To see more, follow this link.

Pitches for PR5001 "Project B" on 12 April

Time to Pitch!

On 12 April from 9.30am to 12.30pm we will be hearing more pitches from our students for PR5001 Studio Project Module, this time for their second short film project, "Project B".

This pitch presentation is where our students present their second idea for a short film, documentary or teaser/trailer. What sort of story do you want to tell? Who are the characters, and why do we care about them? What is the hook? Why do we the audience want to see this film? 

Your eight minute pitch is your chance to capture your audience's attention, intrigue them, and make them want more.

Cartoon Springboard: Deadline 2 Sept 2021

Cartoon Springboard - for students & graduates

Submissions are now open for Cartoon Springboard, the annual pitching event that takes place from October 27-29 in Valencia, Spain.  The deadline is 2nd September.

Successful projects will pitch to industry delegates, including producers, broadcasters and sales agents, as our students seek ways to capitalise on the festival success of their films. 

PR5001 Studio Module - Get Ready to Pitch!

Time to Pitch!

On Monday 15th February from 9.30am to 12.30pm we will be hearing  pitches from our students for PR5001 Studio Project Module.

This pitch presentation is where our students first present their idea for a short film, documentary or teaser/trailer. What sort of story do you want to tell? Who are the characters, and why do we care about them? What is the hook? Why do we the audience want to see this film? 

Your eight minute pitch is your chance to capture your audience's attention, intrigue them, and make them want more.

CR5001 Specialism Pitch on Thursday 21st Jan

Time to Pitch!

On Thursday 21st Jan from 1.30pm-4.30pm we will be hearing short pitches from our students' on their chosen specialisms for Module CR5001 "Animation Specialism".

This pitch presentation is where our students first present their idea for their chosen specialism. What part of the animation pipeline do they wish to focus on? Character animation? Creature animation? Storyboarding? Producing Animation? Now is the time to choose.

"Jerich0" Pitch: Cartoon Springboard Oct 27-29

We're proud to announce that the short film "Jerich0", directed by Sarah Andrews, has been selected for this year's Cartoon Springboard, the annual pitching event that takes place from October 27 to October 29 in Valencia, Spain. 

Like other animation events, Cartoon Springboard will be online this year.  Sarah and her team will be pitching to industry delegates, including producers, broadcasters and sales agents, seeking ways to capitalise on Jerich0's festival success. 

Animation Thrives Under Lockdown

"Trolls on Tour" earned $100m on streaming devices

According to a recent piece in The Guardian, the animation industry is thriving despite the Corona Lockdown. 

Unlike live action shoots, which have been shut down due to Covid-19, the animation industry is expanding, as programmers scramble to replace live-action content with animation. 

Cartoon Forum: Deadline 6 May

Cartoon Forum 2020

Cartoon Forum is Europe's biggest TV pitch-fest for animation, and takes place in Toulouse, France, from 14 – 17 September.

If you have an idea for a TV series in your head, Cartoon Forum is the place to pitch it.

The deadline to submit your series project this year is 6 May. So, you have a little more time to sharpen your pencils, fill out some forms - and make your pitch perfect.

Jerich0 at APD on 5 May - Attending Remotely

One animation event that hasn't been cancelled this year is the animation pitch-fest Animation Production Days ("APD"), which takes place in Stuttgart from 5-8 May.

Earlier this year our short film "Jerich0", directed by Sarah Andrews, was accepted for APD, and we were concerned that Covid-19 would cause the event to be cancelled, like so many other animation events.

Fortunately APD will continue this year, with remote interviews set up by the APD team. You can see Jerich0's listing here at the official APD site, under the heading "Talent Projekt 2020".

Congratulations to the makers of Jerich0 - we wish them every success.