Pitch Deck Outline — The War That Couldn’t Wait
1. Cover Slide
• Title: The War That Couldn’t Wait
• Subtitle or tagline: One war took his father overseas. Another brought him to the shore.
• Written by: Douglas Wayne Yates
• Optional: Background image (dog tags on cedar post, muted war photo, etc.)
2. Logline
• One-sentence summary, centered: Desperate to find his father before it’s too late, sixteen-year-old Melvin Cornedge lies his way into the war and storms Omaha Beach—only to discover that courage alone can’t save a family, and some wounds echo for generations.
3. Tone & Genre
• Genre: Historical Drama
• Tone: Lyrical, intimate, unforgiving
• Keywords: generational trauma, silence, duty, sacrifice, redemption
• Visual style comps: 1917, The Road, The Tree of Life
4. Synopsis: In rural Kentucky, 1943, Melvin Cornedge grows up in the long shadow of absence. His father, Marvin, left for the war and never returned—leaving behind only unopened letters and a silence no one dares to break. Restless and desperate for answers, Melvin forges documents and enlists underage, chasing ghosts into the heart of World War II.
Arriving on the shores of Normandy, Melvin doesn’t find clarity—he finds chaos. His journey through war is not driven by glory, but by fragments: a bloodstained jacket, a nurse’s unspoken promise, a letter lost to rain. Each clue leads him deeper into battlefields both literal and emotional, where every survivor carries a scar—and every silence speaks volumes.
As the war grinds on, Melvin must reconcile the boy who wanted to be a hero with the man who learns the truth: that some fathers disappear long before they’re declared missing, and some sons must forgive without ever hearing the words.

5. Themes
• Intergenerational silence and inherited wounds
• The myth and reality of courage
• Family, memory, and the long tail of war
• A visual graphic or quote can accent this (e.g. “Most men bury their dead. I buried mine one letter at a time.”)
6. Main Characters
• Melvin Cornedge — 16, reckless, loyal, aching for connection
• Marvin Cornedge — war-tough, emotionally veiled, already distant
• Dahlila Cornedge — the quiet force holding the home together
• Brief actor tone comps or visual references optional (e.g. stills evoking performances)
7. Cinematic Style
• Visual moodboard (photographic textures, lighting cues, color palettes)
• Camera approach: long takes, shallow depth, handheld war chaos vs. still Kentucky serenity
• Sound design & music tone: sparse, intimate, emotionally restrained
8. Director’s Vision (Optional Slide)
• Your voice: why this story, why now
• A short paragraph on authenticity, personal resonance, or narrative urgency
9. Audience & Comparable
• Audience: Viewers of Saving Private Ryan, 1917, Band of Brothers, The Thin Red Line
• Festival tone: TIFF, Sundance, Telluride
• Budget tier: Indie mid-range or prestige streamer/limited theatrical
10. Development Status
• Format: Feature Film (script + treatment complete)
• Available: A/V Script, Teaser Concept, Character Sheets
• Next steps: Seeking representation, festival submissions, potential co-producers
11. Closing Slide / Call to Action
• “Looking for”: financing, festival placement, script representation
• Contact info or agent (if applicable)
• Optionally, a final quote or visual moment from the story
The War That Couldn’t Wait is not a war film about battles won—it’s about the conversations we never get to have, and the quiet legacy of unresolved grief. It’s a love letter to the ones who waited, and the sons who left too soon.