He biked a package around to all the studios which was labelled, “Not To Be Opened Before Noon” “The tape had him and the writer pitching as if in the room. Permut took the future film’s lead actor Dan Akroyd into the pitch with him. Few could match the daring of Hollywood producer David Permut who sold his idea for the film Dragnet without using a word. For me, that was my big break into the film industry.”Powell, Johns and Reich talked about how passion, brevity and the entertainment factor were vital to the successful pitch. The rail trip is the perfect length of time to read a script, on the way down to London.”Afterwards, I got a call from Nik saying, ‘I really like your script, let’s talk’. “I walked him back to Newcastle railway station with a copy of the script under my arm,” says Johns “A two- or three- minute walk. Richard Johns related how he pitched the film Downtime to Nik Powell on the way to the railway station in Newcastle.

This serious organisation for filmmakers roped in three big guns – executive producer Nik Powell, Allon Reich, head of film at HAL Films, and Richard Johns, producer for Pilgrim Films – to lecture on the art of the pitch to a packed auditorium at the University of Westminster.The big pitch doesn’t need California sunshine. “The pitch is the smallest amount of work for the largest amount of money. If you get it right, you can say two sentences and get $10m,” says a successful British screenwriter who wishes to remain anonymous.To this end, on 18 March, the New Producers’ Alliance staged “Pitcher Perfect – How To Pitch Your Movie Idea” as one of its monthly events. Want to get a movie made? Getting its “pitch” – a selling telling of its story – just right is the first step.For a screenwriter, the pitch is paydirt.

The public is never going to believe this.”The Player does reflect the real-life difficulties of selling a creative product in a bottom-line industry. If Hollywood films have, of late, become derivative, it’s not due to lack of writers’ and producers’ imaginations. “Great stories, real heart, plenty of action and romantic interest Did I mention the humping? Trust me, it’ll be in good taste No, no, don’t go You could be turning down the next Gone with The Wind C’mon, give me a minute.. A sexist, racist homophobe gets laid.. It’s called As Good As It Gets.. No? How about this? Wag the Dog US president is accused of sexual hi-jinks Spin doctors throw a little war to distract voters Oh, forget it. Pummelled with bad film ideas all day long, Mill endures Alan Rudolph pushing a movie “not unlike Ghost meets The Manchurian Candidate”, as well as several others – all of which mention Kevin Costner.Imagine the pitches for this year’s Oscar nominees… By Karen Krizanovich

“Mrs Robinson is in a wheelchair?”
In The Player, Tim Robbins’s satirical film on Hollywood, Buck Henry tries to sell The Graduate, Part II to dispassionate studio executive Griffin Mill (Robbins).

We haven’t got any midweek games so we have plenty of time to recover and to work on every game as it comes along.”Arsenal have got three games in hand but we have got the points. They have a lot of away games left and their fixtures are piling up because they are still in the FA Cup so I would rather be in our position – even though Arsenal can catch us if they win those games in hand.”. He said: “From now on we only play about once a week which is good. Winning the championship has become more important now so we can qualify directly for the Champions’ League next season.”Schmeichel believes United’s fixture list gives them the advantage over Arsenal. It’s so important and I am going to go to the fullest extent to make sure that I am ready for it I will be working very hard and I think I will make it. What is important is that I get fit for Wimbledon and make sure we can get back on to winning tracks.”I am very optimistic. DESPITE fears that he would be out of action for a month, Peter Schmeichel is confident he will be fit to face Wimbledon at Old Trafford on Saturday.

United were without their talismanic goalkeeper for last week’s European Cup exit, following the Dane’s hamstring injury sustained when trying to tackle Dennis Bergkamp in their League defeat by Arsenal the previous weekend.
He ruled himself out of Denmark’s friendly with Scotland tomorrow, but said: “Missing the international against Scotland is not really important. In his long years of retirement, the tall spectre of Curtly Ambrose will haunt him.. Not since 1968 had they returned home triumphant, but, given the West Indies’ recent setbacks it was not an over-optimistic assessment.Instead, Atherton has had a miserable time, caused principally by Ambrose, who completed his sixth removal of the skipper with a clear-cut lbw in his final innings yesterday.Atherton goes back not only with his dream of team success shattered, but with his own position as leader surely now at an end. It is a tactic which goes back to the days when Clive Lloyd, the current manager, led them and always had four menacing fast bowlers at his disposal. Tony Greig, Ian Botham, David Gower and Kim Hughes were among those who withered under the assault.Michael Atherton has undergone the same strain this season and Ambrose has been the principal executioner of the policy.