Your Film One-Sheet Has One Job: Make Me Want to Know More
Your one-sheet is not the place to tell everybody everything. It is the place to earn the next conversation.
I've seen filmmakers try to put their entire movie onto one page.
Three paragraphs of synopsis.
Seven cast bios.
Budget information.
Director statement.
Producer biography.
Awards.
Production schedule.
Contact information.
Four photos.
By the time they're finished, nobody knows where to look.
A good one-sheet has one primary job:
Make me want to know more.
Think of it as the front door to the project.
At a glance, I should understand:
TITLE
What is this?
LOGLINE
What is the core story?
IMAGE
What does this world feel like?
GENRE / FORMAT
What am I evaluating?
KEY ATTACHMENTS
Who's involved?
STATUS
Where does the project stand?
THE ASK
What are you looking for?
That last one is frequently missing.
Do you need financing?
Distribution?
Cast?
A director?
Co-production?
Representation?
A sales agent?
Tell people.
Never make somebody guess why you sent them materials.
And remember:
The one-sheet does not replace your pitch deck.
It doesn't replace your screenplay.
It doesn't replace your budget.
It doesn't replace a conversation.
It earns access to those things.
Clarity is one of the greatest advantages a filmmaker can have.
Decision-makers look at countless projects.
Anything that makes yours easier to understand improves the chance that somebody continues reading.
You don't need twenty adjectives.
You need precision.
What is the movie?
Why is it interesting?
Why does it matter?
Who's involved?
What happens next?
If someone can understand those things in sixty seconds, you've done your job.
Then let the project do the rest.
Film Faster Question: Could someone unfamiliar with your project understand what you're making and what you need after looking at your one-sheet for sixty seconds?
