Think you got what it takes to be in the pictures? Here are some tips on the art of the film pitch, from expert Matt Roshkow, who has been a working screenwriter for almost ten years and has written and/or produced for almost every major studio and network in Hollywood. His credits include the ABC/Disney movies Model Behavior, Switching Goals, Mr. Headmistress, H-E Double Hockey Sticks, and (as producer) MTV Telefilm's Spring Break Lawyer. His feature assignments include Paramount's Clockstoppers, as well as projects with New Line, Warner Brothers, and Universal.

The average commercial Hollywood pitch begins with what's generally referred to as the "logline" - a one or two line summation of the story. As they say in LA, "a strong log can keep almost any pitch afloat." An effective logline must convey with haiku-like brevity a variety of different things. Here's a quick cheat sheet of logline musts:

1. Make sure it indicates the genre and if possible, the tone of the piece. To give a recent example: "SHAUN OF THE DEAD" - horror (genre) with a satiric edge (tone).
2. Make sure it utilizes the "Two C's" - Concept and Cast-ability.
3. Make sure it isn't simply a story summary but a "teaser," as well. In other words, it frames the story in such a way that the listener will want to know how it unfolds and ends.
4. Make sure it doesn't directly reference actual recent films.
5. Make sure it gives some sense of the film's budget.
6. Make sure it gives, if possible, a sense of the project's potential marketing strategy: is this a "Happy Meal" tie-in blockbuster or an Academy Award nominee?
7. Make sure it never gives away the ending...
8. But always make sure it's a happy one.

For more information on how to write the perfect film pitch, take Matt's class, "The Art of the Film Pitch: How to Sell Your Idea for a Commercial Hollywood Movie," being offered next week in New York.