Look at it from the readers perspective 

When you are making a pitch deck, all you are thinking about is how you can get the best of you and your project on the pages of that deck. Of course, this is how you should be thinking. You want to showcase the quality and value of the project and of you. But, at some point you have to look at your pitch deck from the point of view of the reader.

A pitch deck is not just for filmmakers though. If you are any kind of artist trying to get someone to back your work, this article is for you. Keep reading, because the goal is the same, make it instantly clear, instantly compelling, and effortless to understand.

A good friend and colleague used to be a commissioner for a streaming service in the Nordics - the person who chose which projects to say yes too or not. Compared to all the streaming services in the world, it’s not that big. Yet he received over 600 pitch decks a year, from no name creators all the way up to well known actors. 600! Think about your reader, the person you are sending your pitch deck too. If someone opens your PDF and sees 40+ slides, the decision is made before page one. It feels like work, not opportunity.

I haven’t seen 600 pitches but I have seen a few hundred over the last decade. Some stand out far more than others. Some of the best pitch decks I have ever seen are the ones that The Paperview make. The best book and template package I have seen on pitch decks comes from their very own The Greenlight Method.

The perfect pitch is not more information. It’s less friction.

Most creators do not lose people’s intereste because the idea is weak. They lose interest because the deck is heavy.

Here is the simplest way I know to think about it. Your pitch deck is a bridge, not a warehouse. It is not where you store every thought you have ever had about the project. It is where you move a busy human being from “I do not know what this is” to “I want to talk about this.”

That is why a lean deck wins. Not because it is missing information, but because it is removing obstacles.

A practical target that shows up again and again is around 15 slides. Not because there is magic in the number, but because it forces clarity. It forces you to prioritize the core promise of the project, and it respects the reader’s time.

Your pitch deck should read like a story, with a beginning, middle, and end

A lot of decks “say things,” but they do not lead the reader.

They start with bios, then a mood board, then a page of financials, then a bunch of images, then maybe a logline. The reader is doing mental assembly work the whole time. That is friction.

A deck with flow is doing the opposite. It is guiding someone through a sequence that feels inevitable.

One simple structure that works across a lot of projects is:

• Title page

• Logline

• Synopsis

• World and tone (mood boards)

• Main characters (2–4)

• Team bios

• Comparables

• Contact / thank you

Notice what is happening. Story comes first. Context comes next. Credibility and positioning come after the reader already “gets it.”

A quick test, if someone stops after slide 3, do they understand the premise, the tone, and why it could matter? If not, you do not need more slides. You need a better opening sequence.

One deck for everyone is one deck for no one

This one is sneaky, because it comes from a good place.

You build “the deck,” then you send it to everyone: producers, investors, actors, grant committees, brand partners, distributors, festival programmers, you name it.

The problem is that each of those people is opening the PDF with a different question in their head.

• Cast is asking, “Who is this character and why would I want to live inside this story?”

• A producer is asking, “Is this a real package, and can this get made?”

• An investor is asking, “What is the plan, what is the risk, and what is the upside?”

• A grant committee is asking, “Why does this matter, and why are you the right person to do it?”

So here is a strategy, build a master deck, duplicate it, then tailor each version by removing slides that do not serve that specific reader. This is not extra work because the main(master) deck is already built.

This is not just for filmmakers

Everything I just said applies to more than film.

A photographer applying for a grant is pitching a vision. A painter approaching a gallery is pitching an identity and a point of view. A sculptor looking for sponsorship is pitching meaning, credibility, and presentation.

A pitch deck is simply a clear, visual argument that helps the business side understand the creative side.

That is why the “perfect pitch” idea matters. It is about respecting the reader’s reality, creating flow, and making it easy to say yes.

Final thought and The Greenlight Method book + templates

If your deck feels like it is being ignored, do not immediately assume the industry is broken, or that nobody cares, or that you need a bigger name attached.

Start with the basics:

• Cut friction (less stuff, cleaner pages)
  

• Create flow (story first, support second)
  

• Tailor the read (one audience per version)
  

If you want the full step-by-step framework (including examples you can model, common mistakes to avoid, and a practical build process), The Paperview offers a book, video tutorials, work book and a practice deck in their The Greenlight Method toolkit.

This is a branded article in partnership with The Paperview.

If you have a company, product, or project that you would like me to write about, please reply back about a branded article.

For more in depth content visit my website: www.tylermreid.com