Fiction and nonfiction movies, television and streaming series or documentaries usually start with one person and one idea. Transforming this idea into a well-planned audiovisual project requires not only effort but convincing many people. A filmmaker needs to show the feasibility and potential success of a project long before the first scene is shot. The convincing is normally done through meetings, formal and informal, presentations and pitching. These presentations and pitching don’t happen necessarily at one precise moment but over many different stages. Therefore, the advice mentioned on pitching takes into account that the filmmaker might be pitching a project that is still in its conceptual stage or that is in preproduction.
To help filmmakers and producers transition from an interesting idea to a well-structured project, this guide lays down a roadmap to help small independent filmmakers in two areas:
Structuring the project in line with the best practices from the international audiovisual market including key elements related to intellectual property (IP)
Reflecting a well-structured project in a successful pitch
How to use this guide
One of the most important questions an audiovisual producer will need to answer is: will I have the legal right to tell that particular story? Hopefully the answer will be yes, but this is more likely to happen if a filmmaker takes intellectual property into consideration in the development of the project. That is why this guide is jointly published with a detailed guide on IP clearance. Both guides are complementary and should be used together.
For those that would like to learn more about the audiovisual sector and its relation with intellectual property, WIPO has made detailed information available about some of the elements of the audiovisual sector included in this practical guide. Due to the nature of this document, please refer back to those publications for an explanation of the concepts and the industry as a whole: