When it comes to raising money for your film, the pitch deck is often the first thing a potential investor sees. It’s the physical version of your ideas—something they can flip through, glance over, and decide if they want to know more. That’s why getting it right is so important. But here’s the problem: most filmmakers make the same pitch deck mistakes over and over again, and it ends up costing them opportunities.
I’ve been pitching films for over 20 years, and I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. In this article, I’ll walk you through the three most common pitch deck mistakes I see, and how you can avoid them.
Too Much Text Turns Investors Off
The first mistake is loading your deck with way too much text. I get it—you want to show off your treatment, your detailed budget, or your long synopsis. But here’s the truth: investors don’t want to read through pages and pages of text. They’re busy. They’re often flipping through while you’re sitting right there, pointing things out.
If every page is crammed full of information, you’ll overwhelm them, and sometimes that’s enough to kill the deal. Keep it clean. Keep it bullet-pointed. If your synopsis is a page and a half long, condense it down to one or two paragraphs. Tools like ChatGPT can even help you do that quickly.
Remember, your pitch deck isn’t a novel. It’s a snapshot of your project.
Flashy Design Isn’t the Goal
This one surprises a lot of filmmakers: don’t make your deck too flashy. I’ve seen pitch decks that looked like glossy magazines—beautiful photos, mood boards, lighting references—but no real substance. When I got to the end, I was left asking basic questions like: What’s the budget? Is this a $10,000 film or a $10 million one?
A flashy pitch deck might look impressive, but it won’t get an investor to write a check. What they really want is clarity. They want to know the nuts and bolts of your project: the story, the team, the budget, and what you’re raising. Style should never come at the cost of substance.
Pitch Decks That Are Too Long Waste Time
The third mistake is making your deck way too long. I’ve seen decks that run 30 pages, even 90 pages. That’s just overkill. I once received a business plan where a single page had nothing but the word “Bios” underlined in the middle. It was a total waste of paper—and a waste of my time.
Most investors are pressed for time. They’re used to moving efficiently and they won’t sit down and read 30 or 90 pages. They’ll just say no without even giving your project a chance. The sweet spot is 8–12 pages. Keep it lean, easy to read, and make sure it ends with the most important part: this is what we’re raising.
Keep It Tight and Investor-Friendly
Here’s the bottom line: your pitch deck is your calling card. If you avoid these three big pitch deck mistakes—too much text, too flashy, too long—you’ll give investors exactly what they want: a clear, professional overview of your film.
Don’t overcomplicate it. Don’t bury them in details. And don’t waste their time. Instead, make every page count. Because when your pitch deck works, it becomes the doorway to conversations, relationships, and the funding you need to make your movie happen.
✅ What do you think—have you seen any of these mistakes in decks you’ve come across? Drop a comment below and let’s talk about it.
