Your pitch video is more than a fundraising tool: it’s the spark that connects your story to its future audience. You don’t need fancy gear or big budgets. All you need is clarity, authenticity, and heart.

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The pitch video is a combination of WHO, WHAT & WHY:

WHO you and the team are; WHAT the project is; WHY you're making it, why we should care, why you need the money, and why right now. It’s recommended to appear in your video to build a connection with your audience, and to include lots of visual variety and b-roll to “show not tell” what your project will look and feel like along the way (especially in the first 15-30 seconds when it’s crucial to set the tone!). This is your little movie that will sell us on your project!

The quality and care that you take with the pitch video is what your audience will assume will be reflective of your finished project.

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Best Practices

The first 15 seconds are the most important

Start with the feeling of your project. If it’s a comedy, make us laugh; if it’s horror, give us chills. Show us your story’s tone and world before you even start talking. The quicker we understand what you’re making, the faster we connect.

Statistically speaking, you have 15 seconds to hook your audience or they stop watching. So we always recommend opening with 15-30 seconds of test footage (or similarly toned past work footage) that sets the tone and shows off your aesthetic as filmmakers and creators.

Keep in mind: Who is the audience for this project? Who will this excite? Why will they get excited? The first 15 seconds of the video should SHOW them the stuff they're excited about FIRST.

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Examples of pitch videos with strong visual openings:

Answer these questions

The most effective pitch videos answer the following key questions in the most creative way possible:

WHO you and the team are
WHAT the project is
WHY you're making it, why you need the money (and why right now), and why we (the audience) should care and want to get involved

Or in other words: WHY me, WHY this, WHY now, and WHY you (the audience)

Once you’ve got our attention, share the essentials: what your project is, who it’s about, and what’s at stake. Then, dig deeper: why does this story matter to you right now?

Passion and purpose are what draw people in.

Continue to show, not tell

While being in your video is definitely a plus (because it build a personal connection between you and your audience), there is a such thing as too much talking head. And those videos historically don’t do a well. For this reason, we actually don’t approve pitch videos that are 100% talking head address at Seed&Spark, and encourage you to incorporate visual variety — even if you’re not funding a film, the pitch video is a visual medium, and the tenants of visual storytelling work best in this space.