Reduce uncertainty. Increase “yes.”

How to Build a Pitch Deck (Film / Series)

A pitch deck is not a school presentation. It’s a sales tool. Its job is to make a producer, investor, or buyer feel the project is clear, real, and worth a meeting.

Deck Structure Slide-by-Slide Design Rules Mistakes Templates

Sweet spot: 10–14 slides. You can always send more later.

1) What a Pitch Deck must accomplish

Clarity: what is the story, in one minute?
Confidence: can this team execute?
Market: who watches, and why now?
Economics: budget band + path to distribution.
Next step: what do you want (meeting, packaging, financing)?
A deck is a “risk reducer.” Each slide removes a specific doubt in the reader’s head.

2) Slide-by-Slide (the standard pro deck)

Slide 1 — Title

Title + format + genre + one strong image (tone).

Clean, not cluttered.
Instant vibe.

Slide 2 — Logline

One sentence. If this fails, stop and rewrite.

Protagonist + goal + obstacle + stakes.

Slide 3 — The Hook

2–5 bullets explaining why this is fresh.

Original angle.
Why audiences care.

Slide 4 — Tone & Comps

Tone statement + 2–3 comps (honest comps).

Comps show market awareness.

Slide 5 — World

Where are we? What is unique? What does the world pressure?

Specific. Visual. Understandable.

Slide 6 — Main Characters

2–5 characters. Each gets 2–3 bullets: contradiction + desire + flaw.

Make casting easy to imagine.

Slide 7 — Story (Feature)

Act 1 / Act 2 / Act 3 in short bullets (not a novel).

Escalation is visible.

Slide 7 — Story Engine (Series)

What generates episodes? What repeats? What evolves?

Clear engine = confidence.

Slide 8 — Season 1 (Series)

6–10 episode bullets. Each one has a hook.

Slide 9 — Why Now

Cultural relevance, audience appetite, market gap.

Slide 10 — Audience

Who watches? Why will they share it?

Slide 11 — Budget Band

Micro / low / mid / studio and the reasons (locations, VFX, cast).

Slide 12 — Attachments

Director / producer / cast targets / advisors (only real attachments).

Slide 13 — Distribution Path

Festivals → sales → platforms, or buyers → packaging → production, etc.

Slide 14 — The Ask

What do you want from the reader? (meeting / financing / packaging).

One clear action.
If your deck is longer than 14 slides, you probably wrote a document, not a deck.

3) Design rules (to look professional)

One idea per slide.
Big text. People read decks on phones.
Consistent layout. Don’t redesign every slide.
High-contrast. If it’s hard to read, it’s dead.
Minimal fonts. One or two fonts.
Visual tone. Choose images that match genre mood.
Never use random internet images if you don’t have rights. Use tone references responsibly, or create original visuals.

4) Pitch deck mistakes (that kill meetings)

Logline is weak. (Most common.)
No story engine. Reader can’t imagine the experience.
Comps are dishonest. “It’s Star Wars meets Titanic” is not a comp.
No clear budget band. Budget ambiguity scares buyers.
No ask. You didn’t say what you want.
Overwriting. Deck becomes a screenplay summary.
The goal is not to prove you are smart. The goal is to make the reader confident.

5) Copy/Paste Templates

Use these as your writing skeleton.

Slide 1 — Title
TITLE / FORMAT / GENRE
(One tone image)

Slide 2 — Logline
(One sentence)

Slide 3 — Hook
- 
- 
- 

Slide 4 — Tone + Comps
Tone:
Comparable Titles:

Slide 5 — World
(2–4 bullets)

Slide 6 — Characters
- Character 1: desire / flaw / contradiction
- Character 2:
- Character 3:

Slide 7 — Story (Feature) OR Engine (Series)
Feature:
- Act 1:
- Act 2:
- Act 3:

Series Engine:
- The repeatable engine:
- The season question:
- Why episodes work:

Slide 8 — Episode / Act Highlights
(6–10 bullets max)

Slide 9 — Why Now
(2–4 bullets)

Slide 10 — Audience
(2–4 bullets)

Slide 11 — Budget Band
(Band + reasons)

Slide 12 — Attachments
(Only real attachments)

Slide 13 — Distribution Path
(Realistic path)

Slide 14 — The Ask
(One sentence)