course | EXPOSURE 10X - The Independent Film School

EXPOSURE 10X

Get your work made, shown, seen.

MOST ARTISTS HATE SELLING and think they're bad at it.

...WHICH IS super WEIRD BECAUSE everyone keeps hiring us to help them sell their stuff.

Billions of dollars are poured yearly into Getting artists to set aside our own work and sell people their stuff for them.

The world’s economy depends on artists.

Logos, taglines, branding, colors, fonts, copywriting, fabrics, design, music, posters, pamphlets, billboards, print ads, social media ads, merchandizing, music, photography, stories, jokes, performances, TV ads (and the hundreds of artists who collaborate to create a TV ad) – almost every industry would be dead without us.

We’re the world’s number one sellers. And you wanna tell me that artists aren’t good at selling? Cue eye roll.

What if we dedicated some of that selling talent, creativity, passion – and time! – towards selling things that we care about? Like our own projects for example?

Let’s go.

Fee $497

Course Outline

introduction

first impressions

written components

pitch materials

the show bible

publicity

closing

My name is Ela Thier, I’m a working writer-director, but like every other artist, I used to think of myself as bad at selling.

Pitch meeting at HBO, Oprah’s network, Sony Lot, this manager, that other manager – I’d show up frozen and shy and feel like I’m groveling. Given how I was pitching, it didn’t matter how good my work was. It wasn’t gonna sell.

I’ll never forget the day I pitched to this fancy-pants producer in LA. After she told me what she thought was wrong with my script I started to cry, clumsily knocked the pencil holder off her desk, and while bending over to pick up the mess, I slipped a loud fart. True story. Wish it ended there, but no. As I backed out of her driveway I accidentally drove over her flowerbed. I parked the rented car at a KFC around the corner, called my husband, and burst into sobs. That’s how slick a pitcher I was.

Now? Pff. I use that story to sell myself. That’s boss.

What did making thousands of mistakes lead me to? I’ve created pitch materials that got investors to pitch in (puns rule!) I’ve pitched and sold my first feature. I self distributed my second feature with a theatrical release and learned how to promote and publicize the crap out of it. I’ve released countless shorts – from doing no promo and slapping it on to YouTube to running all up and down the festival circuit and everything in between. I’ve filled out a billion applications (give or take) to film markets, labs, and grant programs. Made two films with the grants I was awarded. I know pitching.

Your Instructor

If you feel daunted; don’t know where to begin; your eyes glaze over just thinking about what you might need …a sizzle reel? A pitch deck? What’s that? What goes into a show bible? Wait, a show bible…? A press kit? But I’ve got no press!

Breathe. Or scream. Whichever you prefer. I’m here to make it simple for you – and effective.

In Exposure 10X I go over exactly what you need and at which stage, depending on the type of project you’re pitching. Stop bleeding over materials that you don’t actually need, while overlooking those things that should always be in your back pocket.

Whether you’re pitching a series that will outlast the Simpsons or a 3-minute short, a finished film, or a script that you’re just thinking about: this course outlines what you’ll need, when you’ll need it, and how to go about creating it. You got this.

Fee $497

30-DAY refund policy, risk free purchase

If you’re not satisfied with the course, email me within 30 days of purchase and you’ll receive a full refund. No questions asked.

Two conditions to requesting a refund within 30 days:

1) You give the course a try. That means watching at least one module.

2) You’ve not worked through more than half the course. If you work through more than half of the course, I will assume that you’re finding it useful.

These parameters bring integrity to my otherwise extremely loose refund policy. Thanks for understanding!

FAQs

When does the course begin? What's the format?

The moment you enroll, you have lifetime, on-demand access to all lectures. Work through it when you want, where you want, and at your own pace.

Use the lectures a-la-carte. Depending on what you’ll be pitching, different sections may be more relevant to you than others. This year you may need a one-sheet. Next year you may need a show bible. This course will guide you and make it all doable.

Course outline lists a lot of stuff, will I be overwhelmed?

This course takes the overwhelm out of pitching.

I go over what you need depending on the project, and when you’ll need it.

If you’re wasting your time creating a press kit for a short film that’s not premiered yet, I’ll help you walk off that ledge.

At the same time, many artists don’t prepare certain pitch materials that they do need. They try to get a professional sound guy with gear for $100/day without that social media blurb that would give crew members a reason to join a no/low-budget project. Don’t be that guy. I can help.

Does the course go over distribution strategies?

This is not a course on film distribution, although film distribution certainly requires publicity materials and I have a module on that.

I offer a few tips on distribution where relevant. For example, in the section on creating posters, I share strategies for using publicity materials to make the best use of festivals.

Will this course guarantee that I will sell my work?

Definitely not.

I can show you what you need to create and how to create it. But the quality of what you do is in your hands.

More importantly, the quality of the product you’re pitching is entirely in your hands.

But get this: a great product badly pitched doesn’t sell. An average product with a great pitch, might.

There I go calling your movie a “product” again… Get used to it 😉

Fee $497