Both cheering and booing masses are all-a-Twitter about the new iPad. Is it worth it? Who will use it? Will it really change our world?
I’d like to let you know how the iPad will make our Hollywood careers easier.
Pitching Big Ideas
Yesterday, Joke and I pitched a TV show to CBS.
It’s a big reality show. Easy to grasp hook.
It’s also chock full of twists and turns, bells and whistles–the kinds of things that can confuse executives who haven’t developed the show along side you for 3 months–especially in a 10 minute pitch.
So you need an easy-to-understand, clean presentation to help the room stay focused on the important parts of the show.
Enter Keynote
I’m a Mac guy, and our company runs on Apple products. Recently, we switched from Powerpoint to Keynote for pitch presentations. Keynote runs faster on my Mac than Powerpoint, presentations look more “Apple” like out of the box, and Keynote’s deadly simple to use.
In the room, I present the Keynote presentation to the executives, and both Joke and I narrate the pitch.
The Problem
You never know what room you’ll be in when pitching to an executive. Don’t know what the AV situation will be, or if you’ll be able to connect to a TV or projector. Most of the time, you can’t. So you must be prepared to pitch off of whatever device you’ve brought with you.
Yesterday, the room was tight.
At one point, I ended up kneeling on the floor pointing at my laptop. This was both uncomfortable and looked weird.
Still, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t have done anything different. The execs understood the show, asked the right questions, and were polite enough to giggle at my lame verbal sound fx.
Hello, iPad
Given the iPad’s size and the fact that it will run Keynote, this could be the solution I’ve been longing for. It seems big enough to pitch to 2 to 3 executives, while being small enough to handle.
Sure, it may take a bit of practice, but pitching a Keynote Presentation off a laptop you’re forced to place on your lap in a tiny room, as opposed to an iPad you can hold up easily…well, I’m all for the iPad.
Now, if I can just convince Joke to let my buy one…
As an unbiased reader…
All comparisons to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy aside, the iPad looks like an extremely useful tool, particularly for folks of our chosen profession. With the various iPhone apps already out there and the app development software available for anyone with the gumption to download it, not only can filmmakers find plenty of ready-made resources to assist on the preproduction front, but it also allows for creating custom home-brewed apps to address special needs on set. It seems like it could be quite the (comparatively) affordable multi-tool for the indie filmmaker.
Now I need to buy one and make an app that changes the screen to display the words “Don’t Panic!”
@Travis It does seem like it’s going to be easier to pitch with, that’s for sure. Thanks for the support!
Joke&Biagio narration + verbal sound fx + Biagio kneeling on the floor = “we have no doubt you won them over” / “we wish we’d been there”
As a filmmaker, people say it will be so much better when we have the direct link from the computer to tv to get movies direct to our audience, with right marketing of course. But with devices like the ipad, I really see content in video being fully mobile now.
I still think the iphone and other devices are just too small for movies, but the ipad is a decent size now. It has many other possibilities, but these two alone are enough for me to smash the piggy bank.
Lastly, go on Joke, let Biagio have this new toy! Its really practical for your lives and all that. :0)
@David: Yes! Another vote in the convince Joke campaign
You, more than anyone, understand how the movie business is changing and evolving. Excitement about the iPad from people like you can fuel this device’s popularity.
http://johnaugust.com/archives/2010/how-screenwriters-will-use-the-ipad