How to SMASH Your Pitch: Why Each Element Matters and How to Get It Right
Draft for review · 16 October 2026 · Michael
Your pitch has one job: to earn the next conversation
A SMASH pitch is not a summary of your project. It is a set of answers to the questions a busy decision-maker asks before deciding whether to read on: What is it? Who is making it? Why will it work? Can it actually be made?
Every element on your pitch page answers one of those questions. When an element is missing or vague, the reader has to guess, and most readers will simply move on. When every element is clear, your project looks considered and ready to talk about.
This guide walks through each element in turn. For each one you’ll find why it matters and how to complete it well. The examples are invented, so you can use them as models without borrowing from any real project.
Note on terminology - throughout this guide your project is referred to as ‘The Film” - don’t worry - the SMASH pitch builder is set up for all creative endeavours. Anyone who might be interested in your project is referred to as ‘The Reader”.
1. Banner picture
Why it matters. The banner is the first thing a reader sees, before a single word. It sets the tone, signals the genre and tells them whether the project has been presented with care. If you decide to publish your pitch it will appear on the marketplace. The banner picture will be the thing that makes people click on your pitch and not the one next to it.
How to do it well.
• Choose one strong image that captures the mood of the film: a still from your trailer, key art or a striking photograph.
• Use a wide, high-resolution image, and check how it looks on a phone as well as a desktop.
• Keep any text minimal. The title is already on the page.
• Avoid generic stock photos and images that echo a well-known poster. Your banner should look like your film, not someone else’s.
2. Key creatives - writer, producer and director
Why it matters. These are the three roles a reader checks first. They show who is driving the project at this point in its development.
How to do it well.
· Only fill in the roles that are attached. Avoid filling in with TBC. When you create your snapshot only the confirmed attachments will be shown.
· Don’t worry if you are submitting just as the writer – some producers will prefer to board a project that is not encumbered with other attachments.
3. Format, genre, setting and runtime
Why it matters. These four fields are how your project gets filtered, found and matched. A missing or wrong entry sends your pitch to the wrong people, or to no one. They also tell a reader instantly whether the project fits what they are looking for.
How to do it well.
• Format: be precise. A feature film, a TV series pilot, a limited series and a short are very different propositions.
• Genre: choose one primary genre and use tags to show the blend. Readers respond to clarity, so don’t list five genres.
• Setting: choose Contemporary, Period or Other from the dropdown Menu. Use ‘Contemporary’ for a story set in the present day, ‘Period’ for one set in the past, and choose ‘Other’ if neither fits, such as a future or imagined world. You might name the place more specifically in your logline and synopsis, for example “1980s Glasgow”. Place is often a selling point, and it hints at where the film could be shot.
• Runtime: give a realistic figure that matches your script. A rough rule of thumb is one script page per minute of screen time, but check the actual length of your draft. For series, state the number of episodes and the length of each.
• Check that all four fields agree with your script and your synopsis.
4. Biographies for the key creative team
Why it matters. People back people. You must include a biography for every attached creative. A biography shows your experience, where you are in your creative journey. It helps the reader assess whether the team can deliver the project in front of them. Even if you have no previous experience in the industry, you should still complete a short biography to give a sense of who you are as a person. This helps a reader understand why you might be well placed to make the film and what it might be like to work with you.
How to do it well.
• Write a short biography for every key member of the attached team: writer, director, producer.
• Lead with the most relevant credits, training and awards. Name the festival and the year instead of writing “award-winning”.
• Be honest about where you are. Emerging creators do well when they show momentum, such as finalist placements, shorts made and training completed.
• Add one human line to your biography about why this story matters to you.
• Keep each biography to about 100 to 150 words, in the third person, and add a photo if you can.
• If you do not yet have a producer or Director, say so and describe what you are looking for in the Bio section rather than leaving the field empty.
5. Additional partners and attachments
Why it matters. Decision-makers want to know who else is behind a project. An executive producer, editor, casting director or other head of department shows momentum and lowers the risk of backing you. If there is nobody yet, the reader still needs to know what you are actively seeking.
How to do it well.
• Make sure you list anyone who is involved.
• Say where each relationship stands, for example “confirmed” or “in discussion”. Never imply a commitment that has not been made.
• Check with people before naming them in public.
• If you are working alone, say so, and say what kind of partner would help most, such as an experienced producer or a casting director. A clear ask shows that you understand what your project needs to move forward.
6. Project highlights
Why it matters. Traction shows that other people already believe in your project, which lowers the risk for the next person to get involved. Evidence is more persuasive than enthusiasm.
How to do it well.
• Give a short statement of traction. Name specific things, such as an option, a development grant, a competition placement or audience numbers, rather than saying “great response”.
• Lead with your strongest item, and only include things that are true and can be checked.
• Keep it to a few lines.
• If you are in very early development or at the idea stage you can still highlight that a treatment is available.
7. Logline
Why it matters. The logline is your whole story in a sentence, and for many readers it is the only part they will read before deciding whether to go on. It is also the line you will use in emails, call-out submissions and conversations, so it needs to work on its own.
What a strong logline contains.
• The world: where and when the story takes place.
• The protagonist: who we follow, described rather than named.
• The goal: what they want.
• The obstacle: the antagonist or the forces working against them.
• The stakes: what is lost if they fail.
Treat these five as a checklist, not a formula. A logline can tick every box and still read flat. Find the most intriguing thing about your story, the hook, and build the sentence around it.
An example (invented). A weak logline: “A chef moves to a small town and learns about family and community.” A stronger one: “A disgraced Michelin-starred chef takes over his estranged mother’s failing chip shop in a Scottish fishing village, and has one summer to win over the locals, and turn a profit, before the landlord sells the building.”
Notice what changed. “Learns about family and community” describes a theme, not an action. The strong version gives the protagonist something to win and a time limit.
If you are having trouble writing your logline in may be that you need to re-visit your script and ask yourself
· Is there a clear inciting incident?
· Is there an active protagonist?
· Is their goal strong and clear?
· Is there something standing in their way?
· Are the stakes too low?
What makes a logline stand out.
• Lead with the hook. Decide what would make a reader most excited about your story: the world, the situation, the character, an unlikely pairing or the dilemma.
• Show the potential, not the plot. Setting up where the story could go is more arresting than a summary of what happens. Loglines that try to outline the plot tend to turn into long, tangled sentences.
• Treat your title and logline as a pair. If the title already shows the world, the logline does not need to repeat it. If the title feels bland next to the concept, consider changing it. For example, “The Chip Shop” is a weak title: it is flat and purely descriptive and gives no sense of the story or tone. “Battered” is stronger. It has a double meaning, the food and how the chef feels after his fall from grace and his strained relationship with his mother. It is one word, funny and easy to remember, and it suits a comedy-drama with an emotional edge.
• Cut the filler. Avoid jargon that does not spark curiosity, long run-on sentences and stock phrases such as “Must race against time”, “Will stop at nothing” and “Their lives will never be the same”.
How to do it well.
• Describe your characters instead of naming them (“a retired lighthouse keeper”, not “Angus”).
• Do not reveal the ending. Your job with the logline is to intrigue the reader.
• Avoid rhetorical questions. Your logline should make the reader ask them.
• Keep it to one or two sentences. If you are over about 40 words, look for what to cut.
• Read it aloud to someone who is not familiar with your project. If they can retell the bones of it after hearing it once, you have got it right.
• If you are stuck, the AI tools for loglines in SMASH Pro can help you draft different options.
8. Synopsis
Why it matters. The synopsis shows that your story works from beginning to end. Readers want proof that you can land the ending, so a synopsis that stops before the climax leaves the most important question unanswered. It is not a trailer: spoilers are expected.
What to cover. Take the reader through the whole arc, with every major plot point:
1. Set-up: the protagonist and their world.
2. Inciting incident: the event that disrupts their world and creates the central problem.
3. Crossing the threshold: the protagonist commits to a course of action in response to the problem.
4. Rising conflict: the obstacles and escalating complications the protagonist faces in pursuit of their goal.
5. Mid-story twist: A reversal that changes the protagonist’s understanding of the story and shifts the narrative’s direction for the second half.
6. Crisis: the protagonist faces their hardest choice, with the risk of losing everything.
7. Climax: the confrontation in which the protagonist takes decisive action and the central conflict is resolved.
8. Resolution: how the protagonist has changed and what it has cost them.
How to do it well.
• Write in the present tense and the third person.
• Link events with cause and effect (“because of this, she does that”) instead of listing what happens next.
• Focus on the protagonist’s emotional journey as well as the plot.
• Remember to dramatise the key moments rather than just describing the plot.
• Aim for roughly one page. Leave out minor subplots and secondary characters.
• Avoid rhetorical questions and marketing language such as “gripping” or “heart-pounding”.
• Check that every name, place and detail matches your script. A mismatch makes readers doubt which is the correct version.
9. Creative vision
Why it matters. Producers and funders back people as well as projects. Use the creative vision to share your unique perspective on the material. It shows the reader why you are the right person to make this film, and why it should be made now.
How to do it well.
• Write a few paragraphs on why you are making this film, who it is for and how it should feel.
• Answer the question every producer is asking: “Why me, why now?”
• Be personal and specific and avoid marketing language.
10. Script
Why it matters. The script is the proof. A logline and synopsis make people curious, but the script shows whether the project is real, and it is usually the first thing a serious reader asks for. It is also where your pitch is most likely to be judged on craft.
How to do it well.
• Attach your latest draft as a PDF and make sure it matches the title and details on your pitch page.
• Use a clean title page with your name and your contact details filled in.
• Include a date or draft number so you can keep track of which version of the script has been shared.
• Use industry standard screenwriting software – no-one in the industry will bother to read an incorrectly formatted script.
• Make sure the page count suits the format and runtime you stated.
• Proofread carefully. Typos, inconsistent character names and formatting slips gives a bad impression – sloppy work is a red flag to potential partners.
• If the script is still in development, say so honestly in the Status field. A strong treatment or pilot pages can help while the full draft is underway.
11. Cast wish list
Why it matters. A wish list helps readers see the film you imagine. It signals the scale and tone of the project and shows that you understand the market. It also gives a producer or financier something concrete to react to and provides an insight into the range of characters in your film.
How to do it well.
• Choose actors who suit the budget of your film. A wish list made up only of A-list names can suggest a project that is not grounded.
• Aim for three to five suggestions and mix well-known names with rising talent.
• Write a short description of each character, and say why the actor fits: their range, their past roles or their presence.
• Be accurate about status. “Wish list” means you would love them. “Interested” or “attached” should only be used if the actor or their representative has agreed.
• If an actor has given a letter of intent, say so clearly, and include that information in the Project Highlights section.
12. Posters or key art
Why it matters. A poster shows how the film could be sold. It tells a reader that you understand the audience and the market.
How to do it well.
• Use one strong image with a memorable tagline that shows how the film could be sold.
• Make sure the genre and tone are clear at a glance, and that it fits with your banner picture.
13. Mood board
Why it matters. Film and TV are visual mediums. A mood board shows how the film looks and feels much more effectively than words. It tells a reader that you have a visual plan, and it helps them picture the colour, locations, costume and atmosphere before there is any footage.
How to do it well.
• Choose roughly six to twelve images. Each one should say something specific about look, mood or world.
• Keep a consistent palette and style so the board feels like one film.
• Group images by what they show: colour and light, locations, characters and costume.
• Use your own location photos or test shots where you can. They are more persuasive than borrowed images.
• Do not overcrowd it. A smaller number of confident images beats a collage.
14. Project video
Why it matters. A video lets a reader see and hear the tone of the film. It is the proof that your concept works. It will be judged as a sample of the finished film, so quality matters.
How to do it well.
• Keep it short and make sure it shows the tone of the film.
• Be honest with yourself. If the video looks amateurish or the acting is not good, don’t include it in a pitch. It will do more harm than good.
15. Comparables
Why it matters. Comparables are a shortcut. In a few titles they tell a reader the tone, the audience and the commercial level you are aiming at, and they show that you know the market you are entering.
How to do it well.
• Choose two to four recent titles. They should be from the last few years, so they reflect what audiences and buyers respond to now.
• Match them to your film on genre, tone and budget level. A huge studio hit says little about a low-budget drama.
• Add one line for each saying why it fits, for example “similar tone”, “same audience” or “comparable scale”.
• Mix your references: one for tone, one for audience and one for how a film at your level performed.
• Check titles and spellings, and check budget and performance claims against a reliable source before you state them.
16. Budget and finance plan
If you are at early stage of development it’s okay to just add an estimate to the overall budget – there’s an option in the budget section that lets you do that. This gives the reader an idea of where your project sits.
Match your budget to your tier. As a guide budgets fall into rough bands, and readers will check whether your budget, cast wish list and locations fit the band you are in.
No-budget – under £10k. Often student films relying on personal savings, credit cards, borrowed gear, and unpaid or volunteer crew
Micro-budget - £10k to £150k. Usually private or public film body funding with volunteer or low-paid crew, very few locations and affordable digital cameras.
Ultra-Low budget – 150k – 500k. Usually funded through a combination of structural soft money, regional public grants, and private equity
Low-to-mid indie: roughly 500k to £5m. Professional cast and crew, dedicated heads of department and proper equipment hire.
Upper indie: roughly £5 million to £15 million. Larger casts, more locations and a fuller schedule, usually with several sources of finance.
Studio and inward investment: typically from around £25 million, and sometimes well over £100 million.
Why it matters. The budget and the finance plan answer two different questions, and a serious reader wants both answered. The budget says what the film will cost. The finance plan says where the money will come from. A believable budget with no sign of how it will be funded looks wishful thinking. A budget with a finance plan looks like something that could be made.
How they differ.
• The budget is a list of costs. It is grouped into categories such as development, above-the-line (writer, director, producers and principal cast), production, post-production, other costs and a contingency for the unexpected.
• The finance plan is a list of sources of money. Each source has an amount and a status. Typical sources are private equity, public or regional funding, tax relief or credits, a distributor or pre-sale, your own contribution, and deferments, where people agree to be paid later from the film’s earnings.
• The two must reconcile. The finance plan should add up to the budget. Any difference is your funding gap, and it is better to show it honestly than to hide it.
An example (invented figures, for illustration only). For a film with a budget of £800,000:
Source
Amount (£)
Status
Producer’s own development money
50,000
Confirmed
Regional or public funding
150,000
Applied for
Production tax relief or credit
120,000
Estimated, subject to eligibility
Private investor equity
300,000
In discussion
Distributor pre-sale
80,000
Target
Crew and cast deferments
50,000
Agreed in principle
Funding gap
50,000
Seeking
Total (equals the budget)
800,000
How to do it well.
• Build a budget that fits your locations, cast and schedule. One that is too low looks naive, and one that is too high may put the film out of reach for the people you want to reach. Ask an experienced producer or production manager to check it.
• Keep the budget breakdown and the available funding figure on your SMASH pitch consistent with your finance plan.
• Count only confirmed money as available funding. Hoped-for sources belong in the finance plan with an honest status.
• Say what you are asking for, such as equity, a distributor, a co-producer or in-kind support, so the reader can see where they might fit.
• Check the current rules and eligibility of any funding scheme or tax relief with the relevant body or an accountant before you rely on it. These schemes change.
• Use the same figures in your pitch page, your deck and your conversations.
This is general guidance, not financial or legal advice. A producer, accountant or entertainment lawyer should review your plan before you share it.
17. Other documents
Why it matters. The pitch page is a summary. Attach any documents you have that go into more detail.
How to do it well.
• Attach a pitch deck or treatment that goes into more depth.
• Keep it consistent with the pitch page, including the title, logline, names and figures.
• Proofread it as carefully as your script.
18. Sales estimate
Why it matters. A sales estimate shows what the finished film could earn from sales to distributors, usually broken down by territory. Financiers and distributors use it to judge whether your budget is realistic and whether the film can recoup its cost. It also supports the finance plan, because any pre-sales or distributor income you list should be consistent with what the market would plausibly pay. A pitch with a credible estimate looks commercially aware. One with an invented figure loses the reader’s trust.
How to do it well.
· Get the estimate from an industry source, such as a sales agent or distributor. Don’t make it up, and don’t build it yourself from box office figures for similar films. An estimate is only worth including if someone who sells films for a living has given it.
· Name who provided it and when. Sales markets change, so an estimate should be dated, and an old one may need refreshing.
· Present it as an estimate, not a promise. Don’t treat it as confirmed income and keep any sales income in your finance plan marked as a target rather than as agreed money.
· Make sure it fits the rest of your pitch. The estimate should match your budget, cast wish list, genre and the tier you are aiming for.
· If you don’t have one yet leave it out. A missing estimate is better than a made-up one.
· SMASH can provide a sales estimate from a reputable former sales agent.
Your pitch checklist
Before you share your pitch, check that you can tick every box:
• ☐ A banner picture that shows the mood of the film
• ☐ Format, genre, setting and runtime filled in and consistent with the script
• ☐ A logline with the world, protagonist, goal, obstacle and stakes
• ☐ A synopsis covering the full arc, including the ending
• ☐ Biographies for the whole creative team
• ☐ A cast wish list that suits the budget, with accurate status
• ☐ Partners and attachments listed, or a clear statement of what you are seeking
• ☐ Your latest script, proofread and properly titled
• ☐ Two to four recent comparables with a reason for each
• ☐ A mood board
• ☐ A budget and finance plan that reconcile,
• ☐ Any extras: highlights, video, poster and creative vision
Once your pitch is complete, create a new snapshot and share it. If you would like help, SMASH Pro members get free one-to-ones to talk through their projects, and you can find out more