If I had to pitch E.T. I would place most of my emphasis and time on the story itself. I would almost certainly start out describing the first couple pages as they are while introducing each important character and why we should (will) care about them. I would make it a point to get down to what this story is about: a lonely boy dealing with a divorce who desperately tries to connect with something in or in this case outside of the world. Meanwhile, a stranded alien tries to do the same, connect and be apart of life even when it seems so distant.

After stressing what the story is about at its deepest core, I would move onto the fact that this film would exist somewhere in the world between familiar friendship plot films and exciting alien stories. Key to the success of the film would be its very accessible rating. It is a complete family movie that each member will get something different out of. Being a family movie, it will have a timeless ring to t and therefore will have success on television, dvd as well as on the foreign markets. The ancillaries for this film are endless: rides, clothes, comic books, E.T. phone plans from cell phone carriers.

Discussion Questions:

1. Should a pitch focus more on what the story is about at its core or why it will make money?

2. Is it condescending to talk to a producer about ancillaries, ratings and distribution.