Anthony Silverston is partner and Head of Development at Triggerfish where he oversees the development slate of feature films and TV series at the studio. He is director and co-writer of Khumba, which premiered in competition at Annecy International Animation Festival 2013. He was also one of the writers and producers of Triggerfish’s first feature Zambezia.

There are many pitching opportunities at local and international festivals so here are some pointers to get your pitch ready when those opportunities arise.

(NOTE: Triggerfish does not review projects outside of our official calls!)


Character
Whether it’s a feature film or TV series, everyone is looking for a universal story with a relatable human emotion at its heart. They want to fall in love and spend time with the character that drives the story. Whether that story is set in Africa or not, or if it is about a human or an animal, audiences from around the world will connect to a character who is like themselves in some way. What connects universally is often something personal. Good questions to ask yourself are: Why are you telling this story? Why is it important to you? If you don’t care enough about it, then why would anyone else? Plus, it could take years of development, so it needs to be something you care about.

What to watch out for
One of the most common weaknesses in pitches included spending too much time setting up the world and not getting to the character. People can see when you are preaching an agenda and will switch off. The message or theme is important, but should not detract from the entertainment value.

Each broadcaster has a very specific kind of show they are looking for that will fit the audience they are appealing to and the specific slot they are looking to fill, so do your research and see which partner would be the best for you and your project. Don’t waste your time pitching something that doesn’t fit their ‘brand’ or for which you will have to compromise your vision too much.

The African angle
Working from Africa, we have a different take on the world – and a unique opportunity. There are so many untold stories, different mythologies to draw from and different visual influences that haven’t been seen on screen. The trick is to ensure the projects are still accessible and still appealing. It will seem foreign if there is nothing to relate to, which once again comes back to the point about creating relatable characters. An African angle can help to differentiate in the market, but quality is still key and it does help to have a diverse range of projects. You will need a fully developed pitch bible that covers the characters, the world, at least sample episodes and a sample script.

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