If you want to sell your script you have to get someone to crack that first page. If you get a chance to do an in person pitch before someone picks up your script then you have a chance to “pre” sell the material.
People are constantly looking for context. That’s why the default it’s “Old School meets Die Hard but in space” works so well (picking the most absurd example here, of course). But, it still delivers context and tone. A sci-fi space comedy. Fine. The person has a frame of reference.
Now, that’s not to say you should defer to that technique per se. But you should think about context when framing your pitch.
Context can be created in any number of ways… you have to figure out what works well for you and your project. Just remember, that until the your audience can figure out what they are listening too, they will be lost.
In a theatre, you have a captive audience. You can take some time to develop the characters and the world of the film. In a pitch, you don’t have that. You don’t music. You don’t have lighting. You don’t have an actor in front of you. All you have is the picture you paint for your audience.
Deliver context and you’ll deliver on the promise of your unique premise.