Professional Pitching for Documentaries
A course by Marco SpagnoliJournalist, Screenwriter, and Documentary Director
A course by Marco Spagnoli, Journalist, Screenwriter, and Documentary Director
Learn to draft a clear and effective pitch to present your documentary and tell a story from an original point of view
How many times have you had a brilliant idea for a story, but haven't known where to start? The answer may lie in the format...have you ever thought about approaching it as a film or a documentary? The key to telling your story through images is finding the right angle—an original point of view colored by your personal experiences.
In this online course, learn how to develop and professionally present an idea alongside Marco Spagnoli, award-winning screenwriter, documentary director, and film journalist. Discover his step-by-step process for writing a compelling pitch, from doing research and drafting a synopsis to defining the reason why and making a list of interviewees. Tell your story from a unique perspective and craft a convincing, professional pitch that will captivate anyone you submit it to.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 19 downloads
Start Analyzing the Story
10 minutes, 6 seconds
Study the Media Coverage
9 minutes, 26 seconds
Research the Materials and Tell the Story
14 minutes, 44 seconds
The Unique Link between You and Your Story
8 minutes, 57 seconds
Differentiate: Solve Problems
5 minutes, 19 seconds
The Concept
9 minutes, 23 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet your teacher for the course Marco Spagnoli, journalist, screenwriter, and documentary director. He tells you about his career in the film and television industry and the people that have influenced his work.
Begin by analyzing a story through your personal lens to find an original point of view from which to tell it. Then, discover what archival material is, how you can use it for your project, and what questions you need to ask yourself while reviewing it.
Now it's time to work on your pitch. Organize and assemble the material you compiled during your research, including personal reflections, and learn to distill your ideas into a succinct story while emphasizing essential information. Put your concept into words and write a synopsis along with the reason why a potential partner should believe in your documentary. Finally, create a list of people to interview: the protagonists of your project.
With your pitch complete, Marco teaches you how to register your idea and shows you different types of companies or people you can submit it to. He rounds out the course with a detailed explanation of teasers to help you decide if you need one or not.
What is this course's project?
Write a story pitch to present your idea and promote your documentary.
Who is this online course for?
Anyone with a story to tell who wants to present their idea professionally with a compelling pitch.
Requirements and materials
No previous knowledge is needed to take this course, just a good dose of curiosity and a passion for cinema and reading. The only materials you need are something to write with, whether pen and paper or a computer.
Reviews
- 6 months ago
Recomendable para elaborar tu proyecto cinematográfico
- 9 months ago
É um excelente curso, muito esclarecedor.
- 11 months ago
Amo!
- 1 year ago
La información es clara y puntual, me ayudo mucho a estructurar un proyecto!
- 1 year ago
Muy bueno!!
He later began to frequent film festivals and in 2000 started writing for the magazine Giornale dello Spettacolo, eventually rising to the position of director. In 2009, he filmed the documentary Hollywood sul Tevere, which launched his career as a documentary director. Since then, he's produced over 40 projects, some of which have been featured on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Identify and Build a Unique story
- Start Analyzing the Story
- Study the Media Coverage
- Research the Materials and Tell the Story
- The Unique Link between You and Your Story
- Differentiate: Solve Problems
- U3
Creating the Pitch
- The Concept
- The Synopsis
- The Reason Why
- The List of Interviewees
- U4
The Diffusion
- Record a Pitch
- Who to Propose the Pitch to: Producers or Networks?
- Teaser: Yes or No?
- FP
Final project
- Professional Pitching for Documentaries
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for those who already have a basic understanding of the audiovisual field and want to deepen their skills in storytelling, project development, and presentation for documentaries.
You will learn how to craft compelling story pitches, structure concepts and synopses, analyze archival materials, select sources, develop original narrative strategies, highlight your story’s strengths, and present projects to producers and distributors.
No advanced skills are required, but a basic knowledge of audiovisual language and an interest in documentary writing or directing is recommended.
The course covers storytelling techniques, pitch construction, use of archival materials, structuring synopses and concepts, and strategies for presenting documentary projects both nationally and internationally.
During the course, you will learn how to distill ideas, define an original point of view, select key story elements, and present your project in an engaging and professional way to attract producers or distributors.
Yes, the course provides strategies and tools to develop and pitch documentary projects for distribution on international platforms like Netflix.
Yes, the course includes analysis of works and narrative techniques from great directors to enrich your creative approach and understand successful storytelling models.