Pitch Queens: Marjorie Bendeck and Bonnie William
02 February 2021
Knowing how to pitch is beneficial at any time, but in lockdown – and online – it is essential, stress IFFR Pro experts Marjorie Bendeck and Bonnie Williams who during IFFR will help producers and filmmakers to hone their presentation skills as they prepare for those potentially career-changing one-on-ones.
Some people are naturals on Zoom. The rest of us need a little help, especially during a pandemic when online is the only way to go. The thing is that, over the past 10 months or so, people have become so much better at it, which leaves them unprepared at a considerable disadvantage.
As a self-confessed tech-enthusiast Marjorie Bendeck advises the professionals she takes under her wing to think positively: “The advantages are numerous and long term. Learn the skill. Don’t even think about it. Just do it.”
Bonnie Williams concurs: “I have been doing online pitching workshops since April, and the quality has grown and grown organically. We are at the 3.0 level of online pitching already, in even less than a year.”
Operating in such a competitive market, producers must work out how they too can stand out within this hitherto unexplored virtual environment. “They have to embrace the fact that they are the best ambassadors for their projects, and they must prepare accordingly,” Williams adds.
Bendeck stresses how the perfect pitch must go way beyond what can be presented in a written document. “Otherwise, what’s the point?” she asks. “When you deliver the pitch you have to find something really personal. If you are not comfortable doing that, then there are techniques to help you in these situations. If you don't feel comfortable then you can’t deliver your message.”
Williams adds: “It’s about being concise, being clear, honing in on your message and giving the audience something to think about, not giving away too much info but sticking to the essence of the story and really getting across your motivation for making the project – and its relevance.”
Bendeck points out that a golden rule of pitching is knowing your own capabilities and boundaries, and designing your presentation accordingly. “If you don't take time to know yourself, know the platforms, know the limitations, know the different possibilities that you have, then you are lost,” she points out.
And crucially, advise both the IFFR Pro pitch luminaries: know your audience. A smart and literate commissioning editor with money to invest doesn't want to hear a standard “schtick” (as Williams puts it). Hone it for the individual. Tailor it to the needs and preferences of each professional you meet with online. Be bespoke. “And be authentic about it,” advises Williams. “Otherwise the person you are meeting with will see right through it.”
Of course, these are strange times and much is being asked of us all from both business and personal perspectives. But from a pitching point of view, online is here to stay, stresses a direct (albeit sympathetic) Bendeck.
“Not too many people are embracing this new way of communication,” she says. “A lot of people are moping about, saying ‘I want to go back to how it was’. Well, we’re not! The situation is what it is, and if you don't embrace it and work on communicating on these platforms, then you might be left behind.”
The IFFR workshop sessions are designed therefore to enable participants to gain insight into the art of presenting themselves and their ideas effectively. They will be given ample time, space and encouragement to develop and enhance their pitches in a supportive and constructive environment, and to get valuable feedback to make sure the message they are looking to deliver is on point.
Bendeck and Williams work for some of independent cinema’s core pitch and talent events and workshops. While Williams’s CV includes her professional involvement with the likes of IDFA Forum, CEE Animation Forum and Industry@Tallinn Black Nights (and as a senior TEDx speaker coach), Bendeck can boast of her top quality work for the Mediterranean Film Institute, Locarno Open Doors, Guadalajara Talents, ACE Producers and the Berlinale World Cinema Fund.
So they know their stuff.
What’s more, during IFFR Pro they are determined to capture the fun and ‘liveness’ of mentoring in person, all the time reminding participants that only through prep can they get a feeling for what will ultimately resonate with their audiences.
How do the pair ultimately measure success? “You know your pitch has worked when you hear somebody repeat it and it resonates with you,” says Williams. “When they can, in turn, pitch you as someone worth investing in.”
