Most aspiring screenwriters would give the proverbial arm and a leg for just five face-to-face minutes with film industry decision makers. But thanks to the pitch-fest phenomenon that's sweeping Hollywood, the cost is far less prohibitive.

Spend some money and sign up early for one of the many pitch festivals offered by organizations such as Fade In magazine and you will find yourself sitting with representatives of top production companies. These events could best be described as speed dating with movers and shakers: Writers are given a brief uninterrupted period to wow the person across the table with their golden cinematic ideas.

"We're really selling access—that's what this is about," says Signe Olynyk, the founder, president, and CEO of the Great American PitchFest. "So many people have an idea or a screenplay but they don't know how to get it into the hands of the people who could actually do something with it. That's what we're empowered to do."

Anyone with the financial wherewithal can participate in a pitch fest; the prices range from $150 to $650. Sometimes capacity is limited. Most fests—such as Fade In's Hollywood Pitch Festival, which launched the phenomenon in 1996; the Great American PitchFest; and the Golden Pitch Festival—take place once per year. Others, like Pitchmart, are held semiannually. They often include master classes and other special features.

Industry attendees vary depending on the event, but they're not necessarily lightweights. For example, last year the Hollywood Pitch Festival hosted 200 representatives, from major studios such as Paramount and Warner Bros. as well as major subsidiaries like Screen Gems and big-time agencies such as Gersh. Other festivals amass a similarly impressive roster, albeit sometimes on a smaller scale. Attendees are able to meet with as many companies as they can.

Sure, it might seem as if company reps would only go through the motions at these events, humoring you and your idea. After all, the film industry is famously unkind to unconnected newbies. But that's far from the truth, says past attendee Peter Schuyler, who has worked as a script reader for MGM.

"They're always looking for new material," Schuyler says. "The old saw is 'I want something just like "Jaws," only different.' "

In Development

"Some companies do send a low-level development person, but we make sure that we have someone who's in development and not somebody who can't help move the script forward at all," adds Bob Schultz, the Great American PitchFest's executive director. "But more importantly, in the industry the way that you advance from being a low-level guy to being a mid- or high-level guy is by finding that script and championing it through."

Once you've signed up, there are some basic pitch fest tenets. First, "keep it short," says Schuyler. "Know your material backward and forward and be prepared for questions."

"I think a pitch should be 60 to 90 seconds at the absolute longest. You want to have time to shake hands and say hello," says Schultz. "Know your story inside and out, as far as your characters, plot developments, the complications your protagonist goes through, the structure. You're going to get those questions. These folks are not buying a story. They're buying a blueprint for a movie, so they need to know where the foundation is and where the walls are going to go."

Next, do your research and work with the organization producing the event to guarantee that you've chosen the right audience for your pitch. Don't pitch a comedy to a horror-oriented company, for example. Further, says Schuyler, "if you're pitching a comedy, make the pitch funny. If you're pitching horror or a thriller, make it scary. Practice in front of a mirror."

"Create business cards and a fabulous one-sheet," advises past attendee Suzanne Kelman. "This is basically a sheet with the information about your movie and contact details on it. Remember, these are people in the movie business, so make it like a mini–movie poster, with your logline, synopsis, and contact details on the back." Also, "make sure you have breath mints."

Of course, adhering to these steps doesn't guarantee that your project will get made or even read. Don't fret if that's the case.  

"Hollywood is about who you know, so you can't put a price on the invaluable contacts the Hollywood Pitch Festival provides every attendee," says Michele Parker, its director of events.

"There are a lot of people who aren't going to sell their scripts and who aren't going to sell their projects that they're pitching in the pitch fest, but what they get instead is relationships with executives, managers, and agents," says Schultz. "They can maintain and develop that relationship more and make it even stronger.… We're giving people the opportunity to build that all-important network of people who can advance their career."

Still, there are success stories. The 2004 film "If Only," which starred Jennifer Love Hewitt, got made as a result of a meeting at the Hollywood Pitch Festival, while Drew Barrymore's Flower Films and 20th Century Fox bought a script pitched at the same event. On average, 65 to 70 percent of the pitches heard at the Great American PitchFest result in read requests, Schultz says.

Kelman sold her idea for a movie called "Maggie the Brave" to MovieHatch CEO Lauren Williams. At the 2009 Great American PitchFest, Nicholas Iandolo, author of the book "Cut the Crap and Write That Damn Screenplay!," got Michael Kuciak of the management and production company Samurai MK interested in a screenplay called "Opportunity Knockout."

While Kuciak didn't end up buying the script, Iandolo wasn't discouraged. The festival was "a watershed moment for me," he says. He's chosen to remain an optimist, as must all pitch festival attendees, and believes that big break is right around the corner.

Iandolo was planning to attend the 2011 Great American PitchFest, held earlier this month, bringing "an edgy romantic comedy, a family holiday adventure, and a gritty crime drama," he says. "If one of these doesn't hit, then I don't know what the hell they're looking for."