For a fair, respectful and more transparent pitch culture.

We believe that mutual trust and respect are fundamental to a successful creative collaboration, but it’s become increasingly apparent that these are lacking in the current environment. With this in mind, we’ve identified some key values to help build a fairer and more transparent pitch environment.

With the DRCT Pitch Reform, we aim to set a new standard for pitching. We are introducing a set of rules to apply to every pitch on the German market.

This way we can guarantee a fairer, more transparent process, creating a level playing field and more respect for everyone involved. This will ultimately pave the way to better quality treatments and jobs, so everyone’s a winner!

Let’s start again together.

Guidelines

We, as members of DRCT, ask you, the agencies and clients for:

Respect

A pitch should be a serious and professionally led process for all parties. This means:

The project should have to be definitively green-lit by the client when directors are invited to join the pitch.

Being invited to participate in a pitch is undoubtedly a great opportunity for all of us. Never the less pitching also means investing a lot of time in unpaid work. In addition to this, we are required to block our schedules for other projects until the job is confirmed. For a lost pitch, the participating directors should therefore receive a respectful financial compensation in form of a fee. This pitch fee is a token of respect for the time and creative work invested.

Pre-calls are free and continue to be an important way to clarify mutual understanding and gage the chemistry between each other. We are more than happy to accommodate. In return, you should use these conversations to help you limit the number of directors asked to submit treatments ideally to a maximum of 3.

Good pitches need realistic time frames. We want to deliver exceptional and inspiring work, but quality takes time! After the call, we’ll need at least 5 working days to deliver a well thought out treatment that is a realistic response to your proposed framework.

Transparency

We’re asking for open and honest communication about the circumstances around the pitch so we can make appropriate decisions. This will mean less misunderstandings, and a much smoother process all round.

For each brief, we’ll need:

The names of the directors and production companies who have been invited to the final pitch
The client’s approved budget
Usage terms (relating to countries, duration of use and media)

Once a decision has been made on who will be awarded the job, please take the time to let us know how the decision was reached, and provide us with honest and constructive feedback on our pitch. Feedback really helps us to improve our performance for future opportunities and could even benefit you when receiving our next pitch!

Trust

Please ensure you respect our intellectual property by avoiding using our ideas with other directors. Ideas are not only the most valuable asset in commercial content; they are also our livelihood!

If you are inspired by our suggestions and would like to work with us, please let us know so we can establish a fair way to be compensated for our ideas.

Fairness

We believe that it’s important to take the time to recognise the talent and potential of all directors.

Authentic and new perspectives enrich every project, so welcome under-represented directors and give due consideration to new talent, because each reel is not just a reflection of ability, but of opportunity and trust.

We stand in solidarity with platforms and initiatives that help promote under-represented talent and ensure equity within the industry. Please see our curated list so you can utilise their work for your next project. You will find it in our F.A.Q. under “Network” or by clicking the button:

With these clear rules, we want to put the focus back on the creative exchange with you and the quality of the work.

Because everyone benefits from open, fair and respectful cooperation. Especially our films.

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