They don't call me Sandy Koufax for nothin.

This week it was all about pitching ourselves and stories to class with our writer's and crew pitches. Sure, no big deal, it's just like wearing out hearts on our sleeves while simultaneously being thrown in a den of ravenous coyotes but bah it'll be fine.

It was fine though at the end of the day. I was a tad nervous delivering my Writer's Pitch which surprised me. It might have been because I Was reading a presented-speech of palm cards. It might have been because I didn't know anyone in the room and the knowledge of how important getting this room full of people to like and respect me didn't escape me. It might be because I want to be a writer and I truly believed in my script. Regardless, I didn't get picked.

Which is ok! I was a bit bummed to tell the truth but it was a learning experience. I hadn't done many script pitches before so it showed me exactly the kind of conditions I would be under in the future. I'll work on learning my pitch more so I have the opportunity to truly connect with the audience. That's a win in my book. Plus it led to me having to do my Crew Pitch...

... Which went splendidly. I pitched for Director of Wild Wests and DOP of Cleanliness of Dirt, with me actually receiving the latter. I now know in hindsight I could have pitched and probably received quite a few roles if I wanted. But I was very content being DoP. As someone who needs to practice his hard skills with the camera and work on composition and learning more about lighting this was the perfect opportunity. Jordan believed in me so I wasn't about to set out to prove him wrong. At the end of the day the only thing I could have done to improve my pitch, was again, to learn it more thoroughly and do more work on developing my individual vision for the roles I was pitching for. I felt that my pitch got across my vision and personality and therefore I got a position I pitched for.

The next few days following pitches were filled with production meetings. We started instantly the next day. I had a storyboard and shotlist made by Monday, where Sam, Jordan and I sat to compare individual storyboards to find the best place middle ground. From there the ball was rolling!