Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need

by Blake Snyder

The other great part about road-testing your logline is that you have the experience of all-weather pitching. I pitch to anyone who will stand still. I do it in line at Starbucks. I do it with friends and strangers. I always spill my guts when it comes to discussing what I’m working on, because: a. I have no fear that anyone will steal my idea (and anyone who has that fear is an amateur) and… b. You find out more about your movie by talking to people one-on-one than having them read it. This is what I mean by “test marketing.” When I am about to go pitch a studio, when I am working on a new idea for a movie, or when I can’t decide which of four or five ideas is best, I talk to “civilians.” I talk to them and I look in their eyes as I’m talking. When they start to drift, when they look away, I’ve lost them. And I know my pitch has problems. So I make sure that when I pitch to my next victim, I’ve corrected whatever slow spot or confusing element I overlooked the first time out. And most of all, it’s really fun to do.

Test marketing a log line idea