SlagA
Sunday 20th January 2008 7:45pm [Edited]
Blackwood
5,335 posts
This is personal preference but The Slagg Brothers always do:
[Title] by [Writers]
Followed by basic intro:
Hi, we're the [Name of writer(s), winners of ... [put a simple attention grabber here to convince the reader you're serious in aspiration but don't over-complicate - see below.] We have a [put format here e.g. 30-minute sitcom] that we think will interest you.
One-sentence pitch:
Brief and summing up premise in essence. It needn't be funny but gripping. Make the reader want to know more.
A brief paragraph expanding the one-sentence pitch:
Again, concise is the key. You want them to get to the script as fast as possible. That'll be the thing that does your hard sell.
Some people include characters after the pitch but I think extra detail and conveying character is the job of the script not a cover letter / proposal. If they haven't been hooked by the pitch above, the characters are probably not going to interest them either.
A brief outline of future episodes, one sentence each and funny.
At the very end put a biog of the writers, if needs must. But the sad truth is NO-ONE out there (producer / script-reader / audience) cares a single thing about the writer until the script has done its job. Only then will they say: "Who are these guys? Can I work wih them?" If your C.V. is impressive or long, just put down the key points because whether you're a BAFTA winner, or a first-time writer, the script will be in the bin by the fifth page if it fails to grab.
Be careful to thank the reader at the end. They're doing us the favour.
