Free Film Pitch Deck Template (PDF and PowerPoint) Plus a One Sheet
A film pitch deck is the short slideshow you send before anyone reads your script. Producers, funds and investors get more projects than they can read, so the deck decides who asks for the next step. This free film pitch deck template gives you 12 slides as a PowerPoint and a fillable PDF, plus a one sheet template, with both filled in for Dead Air, our made-up short film.
TL;DR: Twelve Slides, One Clear Ask
A film pitch deck covers the logline, the story, the characters, the look, the comparable films, the audience, the team, the plan and the budget. End with exactly what you’re asking for. Keep it to 10 to 15 slides and more pictures than words. The one sheet is the same pitch squeezed onto a single page.
Download the Free Film Pitch Deck Template
The PowerPoint has 12 widescreen slides with guide text and image boxes, and opens in Google Slides and Keynote. The fillable PDF has the same 12 slides for planning. The one sheet template is further down the page.
What Is a Film Pitch Deck?
A film pitch deck is a presentation that sells your film to the people who can help make it. It’s also called a pitch deck, a pitch book or, when it’s mostly images, a lookbook.
- Who reads it: producers, production companies, film funds, grant panels and private investors
- When you send it: after the logline gets interest, and before or alongside the script
- What it has to do: show the story, the look and the team in five minutes, and make the reader want the script
A pitch deck doesn’t replace the script. It gets the script read.
What Goes in a Film Pitch Deck
| Slide | What it answers |
|---|---|
| 1. Title | What’s it called, and what does it look like? |
| 2. Logline | What’s the story in one sentence, and why you? |
| 3. Synopsis | What happens, ending included? |
| 4. Characters | Who do we follow, and who’s attached to play them? |
| 5. Tone and look | How will it feel on screen? |
| 6. Comparable films | Which films is it like, and did they find an audience? |
| 7. Audience and market | Who will watch it, and where? |
| 8. Director’s statement | Why this director, and how will they tell it? |
| 9. Team | Who’s making it, and what have they made before? |
| 10. Production plan | When, where and how does it get shot? |
| 11. Budget and the ask | What does it cost, what’s raised and what do you need? |
| 12. Thank you | How does the reader reach you? |
What’s in the Film Pitch Deck Template
- PowerPoint (.pptx): 12 widescreen slides with grey guide text and image boxes. It opens in Google Slides and Keynote too
- Fillable PDF: the same 12 slides, 16:9, with fields you type into. Useful when you want to plan the deck before you design it
- Filled-in example: the Dead Air deck, slide by slide
- One sheet template: a one-page PDF in US Letter and A4, plus a Word file, covered below
Film Pitch Deck Example: Dead Air
Dead Air is a 13-page thriller about a late-night radio host, from our screenplay template. Here’s how the producer pitched it to a short film fund.
- The logline does the heavy lifting. “A late-night radio host who hides from daylight takes a call from a stranger who knows her childhood song, her front door and where she’s going next.” It’s the same line from our logline guide.
- The “why now” is personal. The director’s mother worked nights for 20 years. A reason like that is hard for another filmmaker to copy.
- The comps are specific. Talk Radio, Pontypool and The Vast of Night all tell stories through a radio. The reader knows the film in three titles.
- The numbers add up. A $32,736 budget, $12,736 raised and $20,000 asked for. The totals match our film budget template example.
- The ask is broken down. Crew and equipment, post-production, festivals. A fund wants to see where its money goes.
Put the ask on its own slide, with one number.
If the reader has to hunt for what you want, they’ll close the deck without deciding.
State the amount, then show what it pays for.
The One Sheet: Your Pitch on a Single Page
A one sheet is a single page that sums up your film: title, logline, a key image, a short synopsis, comps, the team, the ask and your contact details. It’s often the first thing you send, before anyone agrees to open a deck.
The name comes from the movie poster. A one sheet is the standard theatrical poster, 27 x 41 inches before 1985 and 27 x 40 inches since, according to Wikipedia. The pitch document borrowed the idea: one sheet, one image, one sell.
Pitch Deck vs One Sheet vs Lookbook
| Pitch deck | One sheet | Lookbook | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 10 to 15 slides | 1 page | 10 to 20 pages |
| Main job | Sell the whole project | Get the reader interested | Show how it will look |
| Most important part | The ask | The logline | The images |
| Send it | After interest | First contact | With the deck, or inside it |
How to Make a Film Pitch Deck
- Start with the logline. If the one-sentence version doesn’t work, no slide will fix it.
- Pick your images first. Pull stills, photos and references for the title, tone and character slides. The deck should be more pictures than text.
- Choose two or three comps. Recent films in your genre and budget range that found an audience.
- Write the synopsis short. A few paragraphs, with the ending. Readers hate a synopsis that hides it.
- Make the numbers match. The budget slide should agree with your film budget and your shooting schedule.
- End with one clear ask. Money, a meeting or a read. Say which.
- Test it on someone who doesn’t know the project. If they can’t tell you the story after five minutes, cut words.
Famous Pitch Story: Alien
Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett took their script to several studios, pitching it as “Jaws in space,” according to Wikipedia). Three words gave every executive the genre, the monster and the fear.
The pitch didn’t stop at the script. Ridley Scott drew detailed storyboards in London, and they impressed Fox enough to double the budget from $4.2 million to about $8.4 million. H.R. Giger’s paintings showed what the creature would look like before a single frame was shot.
That’s what a good pitch deck does. The logline gets you in the room, and the pictures make the film feel real.
Borrow the “X meets Y” line for your one sheet, not your deck.
On a single page it’s a fast shortcut.
In a deck, show the reader the look instead of telling them.
Before you pitch, get script coverage on your draft, and write a film treatment for readers who want more than the synopsis.
Ready for the full poster? Our free movie poster template turns your one sheet into a 27 x 40 inch poster with a billing block.
FAQs About Film Pitch Decks
How Long Should a Film Pitch Deck Be?
Between 10 and 15 slides for most projects. A short film can do it in 10. Past 20, readers start skipping.
Should I Put the Budget in My Pitch Deck?
Yes, if you’re asking for money. Give the total, what’s secured and the exact ask. If you’re pitching a script to a producer, you can leave the budget out.
Do I Need a Pitch Deck for a Short Film?
It helps. Short film funds, crowdfunding platforms and festivals with production grants often ask for one, and it forces you to decide what the film is.
Can I Make a Pitch Deck in Google Slides?
Yes. Copy the Google Slides version of this template, or upload the PowerPoint file to Google Drive and open it with Google Slides.
The Final Cut on the Film Pitch Deck Template
A film pitch deck turns your script into something a busy reader can say yes to in five minutes.
Download the template, fill in the logline slide first, and build the rest around it.
What’s the one image that sells your film?
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.