Wednesday, October 07, 2009

First Look With Kurtzman/Orci


Roberto Orci has recently confirmed to participate in the upcoming AFF!

With Alex Kurtzman, Orci penned Star Trek which grossed over $350 million worldwide and garnered fantastic reviews upon its release. The duo are currently working on a sequel. 2009 also saw the release of Transformers 2: Revenge of The Fallen, written by Kurtzman & Orci along with pal Ehren Kruger. It has since become one of the highest grossing films of all time, besting the 2007 original which Kurtzman & Orci also penned. Besides mastering film, Kurtzman & Orci have conquered the small screen as well, most recently with their hit Fox series Fringe (co-created with J.J. Abrams). Kurtzman & Orci have also written the 2006 hit Mission: Impossible III with Abrams, and the 2005 actioners The Island and The Legend of Zorro. They were also writers and executive producers on the ABC cult-fave TV show Alias.

He'll appear on the following panel, which is a guaranteed home run.

Saturday, 10/24
Write What You Know: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
A new series of master classes on writing for specific genres.

And the other part of the Kurtzman/Orci team? Steven Puri, Executive VP of Kurtzman/Orci and AFF veteran. Aadip Desai, President of the Northwest Screenwriters Guild recently caught up with Steven for the following interview. Both will be speakers at the 2009 AFF Conference.


Interview with Steven Puri and Aadip Desai:

Aadip Desai: What projects are you most excited about at Alex Kurtzman/Robert Orci?
Steven Puri: I think we have a fun slate – Cowboys & Aliens, Atlantis Rising, etc. We have big tentpole movies and smaller genre movies, and even some comedies.

AD: As a former visual effects guy, how does that influence what you do as Executive Vice-President at Kurtzman/Orci?
SP: It gives me a reference point to make these big movies. Helps me navigate the budgeting and scheduling.

AD: How did you get involved with Kurtzman/Orci?
SP: I was talking to an agent from CAA who introduced us.

AD: What do you guys look for over at Kurtzman/Orci?
SP: A lot of it is based on source material or existing intellectual property, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t do an original.

AD: How many times have you been to the Austin Film Festival (AFF)?
SP: I’ve been 3 times.

AD: Why should one go to the AFF?
SP: Unlike Sundance, Toronto, and Venice, which are very high pressure, like waiting in line for a club in New York, it’s a more casual environment and focuses more on screenwriters and on the work. You get to interact with people whose work you respect.

AD: What do you think it offers that other festivals and conferences don’t?
SP: Last year, I moderated a panel with Shane Black, Tim Kring, and Terry Rossio, who are all happy to talk to you about what you’re doing…John August was there, too. It’s really different than the 300-400 formal Sundance environments. You might as well be listening to a podcast.

AD: Where does all the action happen?
SP: Be out. A lot of the fun is hanging out in the Driskill lobby. You get to meet a lot of filmmakers in a casual environment. A lot of it is in between the seminars and screenings.

AD: Which events do you consider "must attend"?
SP: Just go with the flow. When you’re there, hang out with people you want to hang out with. Be there and be in the mix. It’s the Austin thing. You’ll end up being where you want to be.

AD: What should one bring to the conference (business cards, leave-behinds, etc.)?
SP: Bring all the usual stuff, but with Austin, bring the mentality of “go with the flow.” See what the day brings you. You’ll end up having interactions that you could not have planned for. You’ll inevitably end up sitting next to someone you want to talk to.

AD: Any "don'ts" for attending the conference?
SP: Don’t go home without having some good BBQ!

AD: What are some notable films, which you saw first at AFF?
SP: Too many to remember—Slumdog Millionaire. I missed it at Toronto but caught it in Austin. I was blown away.

AD: What is the reputation of the AFF screenplay competition within the business?
SP: The most direct route: Win one of the competitions like Austin. It gets you representation and that representation gets you into a production company. You must be represented, because we can’t take unsolicited submissions. Managers and agents scour the screenplay competitions for talent.

AD: What advice do you have for writers in developing and growing their careers?
SP: To write. You have to get the screenplays of the greats, study them thoroughly. It’s not about the schmooze game; it doesn’t pan out. You so rarely in my business read anything good. It’s that sort of experience--having something great. It doesn’t matter if they’re the most interesting person at the dinner party or not.

AD: What are some of the most common mistakes you see in screenplays?
SP: They fail on the conceptual level. They should have taken more time to think about what they’re writing. You can never recover from a poorly conceived idea. No matter how cool the dialogue or set pieces, it’s apparent when someone didn’t spend another bit of time banging on the idea. Conceptually is the right character in the right situation, with the right antagonism?

AD: Is it important that writers move to LA?
SP: Not until they have reached a certain level: two screenplays under belt, getting representation. #1 thing is to hone your craft. It’s not about being in LA to mingle or schmooze. Until then, no, you can write from a cave in Montana.

Monday, September 21, 2009

"How to do the Austin Film Festival" with Jessica Bendinger


The following interview with writer Jessica Bendinger was conducted by Aadip Desai, President of the Northwest Screenwriters Guild. Both will be speakers at the 2009 AFF Conference.

Aadip Desai (AD): What projects are you most excited about right now?
Jessica Bendinger (JB): My novel, The Seven Rays and my next movie. I call my stuff “commas” (not dramedies), it’s a coming of age story in whatever my genre is about the creative process at a music conservatory.

AD: How many times have you been to AFF? When was your first time?
JB: I think I’ve been four times, but maybe three. First time was 2001, the following year after Bring It On came out.

AD: Why should one go to the AFF? What do you think it offers that other festivals and conferences don’t?
JB: Why not go? I’ve never been to a festival where there is such pure undiluted access.

AD: Where does all the action happen?
JB: Everywhere, all at once. Sometimes the panels are really good, right after panel. Driskill Bar, obviously. What’s great about it is that anything can happen anywhere at any time.

AD: Which events do you consider "must attend"?
JB: If you see someone on a panel you like, you have to go to that panel. You need to connect the dots between your enthusiasm and your favorite writer.

AD: What should one bring to the conference (business cards, leave-behinds, etc.)?
JB: Business cards.

AD: Any "don'ts" for attending the conference?
JB: Don’t stalk. It’s cool to hang around, but don’t get stalky.

AD: What do you consider stalky?
JB: If someone is giving you a weird look, and it’s the fourth time…you might be stalking.

AD: What one piece of advice would you have for anyone attending for the first time?
JB: Open with generosity, rather than selfishness. You may be excited about your piece of work, just know that honey will get you more than vinegar. If you’re excited about your project, it can feel like vinegar, if it’s not in context.


Compliments are a nice social lubricant. If you don’t know someone, it helps you set the stage. You have to establish the connection point. Without that connection point you have no conduit. Try to find that genuine connection point.

AD: Have you met any personal heroes at AFF?
JB: Lawrence Kasdan, Ed Solomon, Michael Ian Black.

AD: What’s your favorite AFF story?
JB: I think the whole experience is such a good time, it’s hard to nail it down to one anecdote. It’s really just this great long weekend. But, here’s one. One of the winners of the AFF TV writing competition approached me. Her name is Martina Broner. After Austin, she just kept checking in with me in a polite, genuine way. She would send me links to things she thought would interest me. She gently persisted with me in a way that was great. I ended hiring her to work on my book, The Seven Rays. She ended up getting a job with me while I was editing. There’s a thanks to her. So that was a genuine connection that grew into a meaningful relationship.

AD: How can someone make the best of their AFF experience?
JB: Hydrate. Drink lots of water, take naps when you can. Don’t have an expectation. Expectation courts disappointment, but willingness and curiosity create a much better experience. Just be willing and curious and watch what happens.

AD: What do you think about the screenplay competition?
JB: Because it’s a writer’s festival, it’s a wonderful venue for writers.

AD: What is the reputation of the AFF screenplay competition within the business?
JB: For me, when I’m recommending competitions, AFF is the gold standard for me. I know it, I believe in it.
If you go, you’ll have a personal experience.

AD: How do you think writers should best represent themselves?
JB: I’m a big believer in authenticity. Be yourself. There’s only one of you, so it’s a waste of time trying to be someone else. If you can't be yourself, fake it until you make it…show genuine curiosity in other people. Become a great listener. If you are bad at listening, practice feigning interest. Nothing replaces genuine concern for people.

AD: What are some of the most common mistakes you see in screenplays?
JB: Top Three: 1. Jamming exposition into dialogue in a clunky way. 2. Overwritten action description. 3. Telling instead of showing. Remember, a screenplay is a piece of work and also a recipe for a movie. All the ingredients you want may not on the day of the shoot be there. If you can remember that a script is more like an inspirational cookbook, not a bible. You’re the authority of the movie, but you’re trying to inspire people to make your movie. To the extent that you can use your gifts to inspire your reader, that is the best use of your writing ability. To be super attached and precious and rigid, is gonna be a tough road. Screenplays are a jumping off point for a movie. Some stuff doesn’t work. It works in the theoretical, and you get into the actual and it just doesn’t land, you better be nimble enough to accommodate that reality. Be nimble.

AD: Is it important that writers move to LA?
JB: I don’t have any answers. Here’s why. Your journey as a human being is as important as your journey as a writer. If it will help put a fire under your ass, that’s legit. If it’s something that will drain, hurt, stress you out, weaken, then compromise your writing, be aware. Know your limitations as a person. All artists need different care and feeding. Every writer has a different carrot and a different stick that motivates them. It’s your job to know or figure it out in this self-employed, autonomous career. “Know thyself.”

AD: What should you have in the can before you start looking for representation?
JB: Everybody says good script. The real issue is, have you had credible evaluation? Credible experienced, OBJECTIVE, evaluation of your writing. The people who love you will tell you it’s good. What we really need is the truth or some proximity of the truth. I still pay people to read my material. Paying for their objectivity. A free good read is hard to come by…see Josh Olsen’s rant [check out deadline.com]. You’re putting your self-esteem in someone else’s hands. I don’t want the responsibility. You could do a lot worse than Script Shark.

AD: What’s your advice for writers on how to get through the tough times (rejection, poverty, depression, writer’s block, rejection, rejection)?
JB: There’s that saying. You’re never as good as your great press and you’re never as bad as your worst press. I think that’s true. Know thyself. If you’re a hypersensitive bunny, there are probably a lot of gifts in your writing, but you’re going to have to cultivate some resilience. The best advice, live a balanced life. Do not place your entire self-esteem on the stick of how you’re evaluated as a writer. Get self-esteem from legitimate quarters, whether that’s service, volunteering, friends, family, a sport or hobby you’re good at, a place you find meaning in your life. That’s the best way to get through the tough times. At the end of the day, it’s just piece of writing. Puts it in its proper scale. Lack of scale is a killer for everybody. It’s about connecting, not about distancing myself behind a Hollywood throne.


Jessica Bendinger's Panel Schedule at the 2009 AFF Conference:
10/24 Young Filmmakers Program Panel, Texas State Capitol Building (10:45am-12:00pm)

10/24 Roundtable: Writers, Driskill Hotel, Citadel Room (3:45pm-5:00pm)

10/25 Hair of the Dog Brunch - Jessica's co-hosting with Terry Rossio!, Ranch 616 (10:00am-11:15am)

10/25 Adaptation, Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom (11:30am-12:45pm)

Aadip Desai's Moderating Schedule at the 2009 AFF Conference:

10/22 Breaking Into the Business (1:00pm-2:15pm)

10/23 What Gets Producers Excited (10:45am-12:00pm)

10/24 Breaking Into the Business (1:45pm-3:00pm)

Check out the full 2009 AFF Conference schedule here.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

AFF08 doc Happiness Is goes on tour

NEW FILM EXPLORES THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS

July 30th Austin Premiere and DVD Release

The pursuit of happiness. The men who wrote the Declaration of Independence famously put that idea on paper and called it one of our “inalienable” rights.
And do we ever pursue it. In fact, Americans spend great amounts of our time, money and energy chasing it. The biggest problem is, for many people, we’re not even sure what it is we’re chasing.

That’s the enigma that led documentary filmmaker Andrew Shapter to his latest film, HAPPINESS IS, a cinematic road trip that premiered at the Austin Film Festival last fall, explores the myths and the truths of the “pursuit of happiness” in America.
HAPINESS IS begins a nationwide screening tour in Austin on July 30th at the Alamo Draft House Cinema, 1120 South Lamar at 9:30pm. Tickets can be reserved through the HAPPINESS IS website: www.happinessisthemovie.com.

Coinciding with the screening is the release of the film on DVD, including a release party at Waterloo Records, 600 North Lamar from 5:00pm – 7:00pm, also on July 30th.
Shapter, director of the critically acclaimed documentary Before the Music Dies, spent two years crisscrossing the country talking to a diverse and fascinating range of people. Average working men and women, authors and happiness “experts,” celebrities like John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson, even the Dalai Lama talked with Shapter about what they believe it means to be happy.

“Happiness doesn’t discriminate; it finds – and eludes – people regardless of background, position or accomplishment,” said Shapter. “So we had to talk to a true cross section of people to help us get a clearer picture of what happiness really means.”

If you are looking for pat answers, you won’t find them in HAPPINESS IS. Instead, the film offers thoughtful insight and explores common ground that will help guide viewers on their own personal journeys towards the elusive but obtainable goal of leading a truly happy life.

The Alamo Drafthouse screening benefits Mobile Loaves and Fishes, an Austin-based organization that figures prominently in the film.
For venue info go to: www.alamodrafthouse.com.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Reel Geezers

I have become OBSESSED with Marcia Nasatir, one of our recently confirmed panelists. Marcia was a pioneering woman production executive and producer of such films as "The Big Chill" and "Hamburger Hill." Marcia and Lorenzo Semple make up Reel Geezers and their reviews are sharp, funny, and incredibly knowledgeable. Check out this great article about them from the LA Times.

Some of our favorite reviews from Reel Geezers:

Slumdog Millionaire

Superbad
Juno
Michael Clayton

Friday, July 17, 2009

Emmy Nominations for AFF Panelists

AFF proudly congratulates its past and present panelists on their Emmy nominations. The 61st Annual Emmy Awards will be held on Sept. 12

The nominations in top categories follow (see the full list here):

Outstanding comedy series
"Entourage" - DOUG ELLIN
"Family Guy"
"Flight of the Conchords"
"How I Met Your Mother"
"The Office" - GREG DANIELS & PAUL FEIG
"30 Rock"
"Weeds"

Outstanding drama series
"Big Love"
"Breaking Bad"
"Damages"
"Dexter" - MELISSA ROSENBERG
"House"
"Lost" - DAMON LINDELOF
"Mad Men" - MATTHEW WEINER

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

RON HOWARD TO BE HONORED BY AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL WITH EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTION TO FILMMAKING AWARD


Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Ron Howard will be presented with the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award at the 16th Annual Austin Film Festival & Conference, October 22-29, 2009. Ron Howard will be presented with the Award during the Awards Luncheon on Saturday, October 24th, at the Austin Club. In addition, Howard will be a featured speaker during the Festival’s four-day Conference, October 22-25, 2009.

Check out this article from the Hollywood Reporter. Remember, only Producer, Conference and Weekend Badge holders can purchase Awards Luncheon tickets. Buy your Badge here.

Just some more of the press this announcement has garnered:

Austin American-Statesman
Austin 360
The Austin Chronicle
Contactmusic.com
News 8 Austin
NewsOK.com

Monday, July 13, 2009

AFF Filmmaker Follow Up with Maureen Perkins


Mo Perkins received her Masters degree at UCLAs School of Theater, Film and Television. While at UCLA she was the recipient of numerous awards including the Dorothy Arzner Award, The Wasserman Award and the Motion Picture Association of America Award.  Her master’s thesis film, "Piss Hat" was selected for the UCLA Director’s Spotlight Award and was a National Finalist for the Student Academy Awards in 2005. 

 

In addition to directing several award winning short films, she has written many feature scripts.  Her writer/ directorial debut feature "A Quiet Little Marriage" premiered this year on the festival circuit and won the Audience Award at Austin Film Festival and the Grand Jury Award for best narrative feature at Slamdance.


AFF: Tell me about your film that won the Narrative Feature Audience Award in 2008.  My film is called "A Quiet Little Marriage".  

Mo: It's my first feature.  The story unfolds around a married couple, who are in love, but find themselves struggling over weather or not to begin a family.  They can't communicate about it and wind up sabotaging each other secretly rather than confronting one another.

 

AFF: You co-wrote “A Quiet Little Marriage” with a Cy Carter and Mary Elizabeth Ellis. What was that process like? 

Mo: The three of us had worked together before on short films and we are all good friends.  We came together and with the idea of making something where the actors would have a creative ownership of their characters and hopefully that collaboration from the beginning would lead to very grounded realistic performances.  Mary Elizabeth and Cy didn't actually write, but we co-conceived for sure.  After nailing out collectively some of the themes and ideas for the story in brainstorming sessions, I went off and wrote on my own and then brought scenes to the two of them every week.  We would rehearse those scenes and then I would go back and rewrite based on those rehearsals.  For me it was a wonderful way to write, a real luxury.  Every rehearsal was a discovery for all of us and the story just kept getting stronger.  Given the chance, I would work that way again in a heartbeat.

 

AFF: I heard that the entire movie was shot in 15 days. Why such a short time and how did you and the crew overcome that challenge?

Mo: We pretty much did as many days as we could afford.  It was a dead run.  But we overcame that by being really prepared.  It really helped that Cy and Mary Elizabeth had such a strong connection to their characters, we could trust each other, move quickly and still get good performances.  

 

AFF: What do you think separated this film out from other films about newlyweds?  

Mo: When we were coming up with ideas for what kind of story we wanted to tell, Cy and Mary Elizabeth and I all felt like marriage was somewhat untold.  It felt like films usually ended with a marriage.  We were all newly married and wanted to talk about the work of recommitting to partnership daily, living and sharing with someone on that intimate level.  I don't know if that intention made our film stand out or not, but it was a goal.


Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Cy Carter in "A Quiet Little Marriage" 

AFF: Did you face any challenges as far as transitioning from short films to feature films? 

Mo: In some ways I think feature film was easier for me that shorts.  I'm such a sucker for character and to tell a good short you have to get in and get out, features give you the luxury of a slower build and more time for discovery.  

 

AFF: Any favorite moments from your time at the Austin Film Festival?

Mo: Seeing other people's films was really fun.  I loved meeting all the other filmmakers and writers, just hanging out at the Driskill and talking to everyone who drifted in was a treat.  

 

AFF: What are you working on now?  

Mo: I'm working on a few projects with a bunch of the same folks who where a part of A Quiet Little Marriage, including one that my husband will direct and we hope to shoot up in Canada later this year.  I've got a new script of my own cooking and a baby on the way any day now

Its not too late to enter your film!

Very late deadline: July 15th



Just one more you reason you should be at the Austin Film Festival & Conference in October...



This year's panel discussions will feature case studies of the writing and script-to-screen production process with the writers and creators for such films and shows as Twilight, "Lost", Valkyrie, Watchmen, The Secret Life of Bees, "Mad Men" and the HBO hit series "Entourage".

First Look With Mike White


Writer/actor/director Mike White is more than just the sum of his credits but here they are anyway: "Chuck and Buck," "The Good Girl," "Year of the Dog," as well as "School of Rock," "Orange County," "Nacho Libre," "Freaks and Geeks," "Pasadena" and some other junk he won’t get into. He has won prizes for writing, acting and for loving animals. He wrote a hard-nosed Op-Ed piece for the New York Times once and was almost cast in an acclaimed Broadway play - but at the last minute, they decided to go another way. Most recently, he produced and acted in Sundance sensation Jared Hess’s new comedy, "Gentlemen Broncos", scheduled for release this Fall.

AFF: You've acted, written and produced. Do you have a favorite role in overall production?

WHITE: I’ve also directed! Haha. It’s all fun in different ways. I like to be able to mix it up and not feel like I’m doing the same thing over and over. But writing is probably the most satisfying. If the material is mine, I feel more connected to the experience.

AFF: For people new to the industry, what do you think are the best stepping stones to a career in screenwriting? What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

WHITE: My advice to aspiring writers is to write as much as you can. If you can keep from taking a day job, great. The more time you can give to writing, the better. Write that great first script you’ve been thinking about for years, then move on and write the next one. Then the next one. You can only develop a style and point of view by pushing the boulder up the hill, time and again.

AFF: Is there someone in the film industry with whom you would like to work? Why them?

WHITE: There are people I admire and would love to talk to – if not, work with. I admire comedy filmmakers like James L. Brooks and Woody Allen. I would love to talk to them about their processes etc. I would also love to talk to Jane Fonda – she was a producer for a few years who managed to do what many have tried but failed at – produce socially conscious, artistically successful and profitable movies. The China Syndrome, Coming Home, Nine to Five – all different genres and different topics, all interesting movies. As a producer, I respect that.

AFF: What are you looking forward to most about AFF?

WHITE: It’s fun to meet other writers since you often feel isolated, working on your own stuff. It’s always interesting to meet other people you admire and do what you do.

AFF: Why do you feel that festivals and conferences like this are important to both established industry professionals and newcomers?

WHITE: It’s great to create a community of individuals passionate about the same things. Newcomers can get inspired and emboldened that they can succeed in a tricky profession. And the old-timers like me (haha!) can get reinvigorated by interacting with their peers. It’s always a good thing.

AFF: With experience in both television and film, do you have a preference? Which, if either, do you find better suited to your skills?

WHITE: I prefer my lifestyle when writing in film. My days are more flexible and not as much pressure. But you really get an adrenaline rush writing for TV – the pace is faster, more immediate gratification. I think TV suits my skills better in that I like writing more character comedies and less the high-concept stuff the film market seems to prefer.

AFF: Can you tell us about "Them," which is curently in development?

WHITE: This is a Jon Ronson book I adapted with Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead”). It’s a lot of fun and very bizarre. Universal owns it and we’re just hoping when Edgar finishes his latest movie, we can get them to make it. It’s a conspiracy theory comedy – if shape-shifting lizards ruled the world.

Have your own questions for Mike? Join him at the 2009 AFF Conference. Badges on sale now!

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

AFF Filmmaker Follow Up with Bill True

Bill’s feature script debut, RUNAWAY, was hailed by critics as "Brilliant" and "Hitchcockian" and premiered to universal accolades at the Tribeca and Toronto film festivals.  It went on to screen worldwide at Avignon, Woodstock, Vail, Tel Aviv and other fests.  Bill also took the top prize at the prestigious Austin Film Festival and Screenwriters Conference for his work on RUNAWAY, which is set for release in Summer, 2009.
His follow-up, the supernatural drama, "Incarnation", is projected to shoot in late 2009/early 2010.  He is also hard at work on a new spec script, "Lightseekers", and a new TV procedural drama, The Blender.

Bill is also a rising star on the professional speaking circuit as screenwriter-in-residence for SagePresence, a consortium of working filmmakers who teach professionals Hollywood methods to bring dynamic "stage presence" to make-or-break moments.  In addition, he teaches and speaks around the country about screenwriting and breaking into the movie business.  He's received rave notices for talks in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, and other cities, and he has been a both a featured panelist, moderator, and favorite pitch competition jurist at the Austin Film Festival’s screenwriters conference four years running.  He is currently an artist-in-residence at IFP Minnesota, where he teaches beginning and advanced screenwriting.

AFF spoke with Bill about the rollercoaster ride that was "Runaway" and the connection between the business and film worlds. 


AFF: Tell me about your film that screened at the 2005 festival and won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature.

Bill: "Runaway" is a psychological thriller starring Aaron Stanford as Michael Adler, a young man on the run with his eight year-old brother, Dylan (Zach Savage), whom Michael is trying to keep safe from what we come to believe is some pretty unsavory stuff at the hands of their father (Michael Gaston) and mother (Melissa Leo). 

Michael takes up refuge in a small town and hides Dylan in a flea-bag motel room as he works at a local convenience store.  There, he meets Carly (Robin Tunney), an acid-tongued high school dropout who’s trying to dig her way out of the hole that is her life.

As the two grow closer, it becomes increasingly difficult for Michael to hide his secret past.  And eventually, past and present crash together with—how shall I say..?  Devastating results.

The movie also features Peter Gerety and Terry Kinney, to round out an amazing cast.  It was directed by award-winning indie filmmaker Tim McCann and produced by Al Klingenstein and David Viola.

It was the first feature script I’d written.

I had taken a stab at TV writing in the mid-90s and almost got a show launched on one of the cable networks, but the deal fell through and I was broke.  I had a family to support, so I took a job in Corporate America and moved up the ladder very quickly.  I liked what I did, and I certainly liked the money.  And for the first five or six years I was in my corporate job, I figured that I would just continue to do that for the rest of my life.

But my friends wouldn’t let me forget.  They’d keep asking me, “When are you gonna face the facts?  You’re not a corporate guy…you’re a film guy!  Why aren’t you doing that?”  Eventually, I listened, and I decided that maybe I’d shoot a micro-budget feature on mini-DV and see if I could get it into a festival or two.  And so I wrote "Runaway".

Along the way, I had started to meet some folks in the film industry, and a few of them were nice enough to read the script.  The feedback I got was very positive.  The only warnings I got were, “You’ve really got something here.  Don’t shoot it yourself.  You’ll ruin it.”

At the same time, I had entered a draft (of which I was none too fond) of the script the Nicholl Fellowship competition.  Turns out that it made it to the semi-finals and placed in the top 1% out of something like 6,000 scripts.  After that, I started getting a few calls and emails from production companies interested in the script.  One of those companies was Filbert Steps Productions (which had won the Sundance Audience Award and Austin Film Festival Audience Award in 2000 for "Two Family House") out of New York.  As soon as I took a look at the Filbert Steps website, I knew I wanted to work with them.

After a little finagling (and a little white lie), I got them to read the script (they wanted me to just send a logline).  They all loved it, I guess, and a week later I was on the phone with Al (who headed up Filbert Steps) talking about optioning the script.

The rest, as they say, is history.


Melissa Leo in "Runaway"


AFF: Were there any major challenges in making this film? 

Bill: I certainly don’t want to characterize the process of getting from script, to option, to production as easy.  There were plenty of bumps along they way…

Like what I have affectionately come to call “the revolving wheel of Carlys”, where over the course of preproduction we had, at one time or the other, Anna Paquin, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bethany Joi Lenz, Natasha Leone, and Rachel Lee Cook (just to name a few) interested or attached to the project.  A month of so before our scheduled start of production, in fact, the production company struck a deal with Rachel, and we announced her as Carly.

A week before start of production, she apparently had some concerns and dropped out of the movie.  Thank God for Bob Gosse (who co-founded the ‘90s indie powerhouse, The Shooting Gallery), who raised Robin Tunney and got her to read the script overnight.  She called the next morning, saying she was in.  We had to push production back a week, but we still had a movie!

But for all purposes, the production, itself, came together relatively smoothly.  We got all these amazing people—at the top of their game in their respective fields—on board to work on the movie.  Personally, I felt really good—like I’d done my job well—because most everyone, at some point during production, came up to me and said something like, “I had my choice of several projects to work on, but I am working on this movie because your script moved me.”  That was quite the thing for a first-time screenwriter to hear.  Very cool.  And very humbling.

The biggest problem with this movie has been getting it released.  The story of how this movie will eventually see the light of day could be a chapter straight out of Peter Biskind’s book, “Down and Dirty Pictures.”

"Runaway" was on all of the big “movies to watch” lists leading up to its premiere at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival, and it played to sell-out crowds and got great reviews.  At the premiere party, I remember the producer walking up to me, putting his arm around me, and asking, “How does it feel to have your first movie picked up by Warner Brothers?”

It felt pretty good.

But then something happened.  I won’t go into it all here, but suffice to say that a month after I left Tribeca we still didn’t have a deal.  Even worse, somehow, something slipped through the cracks, and eventually the interest faded.  When Warner’s interest went away, so did everyone else’s.

It was an interesting and painful thing to witness—how this movie that had everything going for it, and that everyone was certain would play well in art houses and cineplexes alike, was suddenly DOA.  Even getting accepted into (and playing to more packed houses and great reviews at) the Toronto Film Festival couldn't save it.  Even winning AFF.

The movie languished for about a year-and-a-half as the producers went on to make another movie.  Then, I met this exec named Brent Emery at—of all places—the Austin Film Festival.  He watched "Runaway", loved it, and put the company that held the rights (the producers shut down Filbert Steps at the end of 2007) in touch with Starz Home Entertainment.  They wanted to release it, but suddenly there were rights issues (foreign rights had been contracted out, and the movie was already released in certain territories).  Nearly a year went by, and eventually Starz fell off the map, too.

Finally!  At the beginning of this year, a great distributor saw the movie and liked it.  I am also guessing they liked the idea that Robin Tunney is co-starring in one of the highest-rated series on network TV, and that Melissa Leo got nominated for an Oscar this past year.  Regardless, I am happy to say that a deal is currently being finalized, and it looks like "Runaway" will finally hit the streets sometime later this year.


Aaron Standord and Robin Tunney in "Runaway"


AFF: You have attended the festival several times since "Runaway" won. Do you have any favorite memories of your time at the festival?

Bill: Man…so many cool things have happened at the past four AFFs I’ve attended, it’s hard to choose.  I’ve really enjoyed judging the pitch competition, being a panelist, and, of course…the Driskill Bar.

But the highlight of the festival for me would have to be the day I won…and nearly didn’t make it to the awards luncheon.

After the Friday night screening of "Shop Girl" at the Paramount Theatre, I somehow ended up chatting over beers for hours with director Anand Tucker and stars Jason Schwartzman and Claire Danes.  I kept pinching myself.  I mean, whoulda thunk?  As I recall, I finally landed in bed around 2 AM.

I woke up feeling slightly hungover.  I also woke up feeling completely LATE!  I was scheduled to be on a panel at 10:15, and a quick peek at my cell phone informed me that said panel would start in exactly 25 minutes.  I didn't shower.  I barely splashed water on my face.  I think I brushed my teeth.  I threw on jeans and a T-shirt, and tossed a sport coat on for good measure.  I wanted to at least look, you know, somewhat “professional”.

Right as the panel was beginning, Kelly Williams, the film program director walks in and taps me on the shoulder.

"Hey, Bill.  You're going to the awards luncheon today, right?"

Now...when a film festival director asks you a question like that, how are you supposed to answer?  "Absolutely!"  ...Right?

Not me.

"No...I'm heading out for a run and a shower after this panel."

Kelly got this look on his face.

"You sure?  It would be great to have you there in support of your movie."

"One of our producers, David Viola, is the guy with the actual 'film credentials',” I told him.  “I'm here on a panelist's badge.  I don't think I can get in.  Maybe David should go."

I grabbed my cell phone.  "You want me to call him?"

"No, no, no," Kelly insisted.  "David can do what he wants.  We'd love to have the writers from all the competition movies at the luncheon.  I’ll get you in.  Just show up."

All right, I thought.  I sighed.  The shower would have to wait.

After the panel, I got my run...sprinting across downtown to get to the Austin Club in time for the luncheon, that is.

I get to the door, and a very nice person working security informs me that my name is not on the list.  I try on a "Kelly Williams told me..."  No go.  After five minutes or so of trying to wrangle my way into the place, I turn and start heading down the steps.  It’s not gonna work.  Just then…

"Bill True..?  RUNAWAY..?"

Next thing I know, a very official-looking person holding a clipboard is grabbing my arm.  She's literally dragging me back up the steps and into the main ballroom.

A minute later, I find myself seated at this table right in front of the stage.  Across from me is the cast and crew from one of the other movies in competition.  These are the folks that were going to win, I thought, because they were sitting at the table closest to the stage.  I was very happy for them.

And then a strange thought occurred to me.  I was also sitting at the table closest to the stage.  And Kelly Williams had been acting very strangely when I said that I wasn't planning to...  Could it be?

Naaaaaaaaaah!

I put the thought out of my mind completely.  I sat back and enjoyed the free meal.  I had a glass of wine.  I chatted.  I got to listen to Harold Ramis talk about how some of my favorite movies of all time came to be.  I got to see Karl Williams win his legendary screenplay hat trick (I am convinced the guy can't write a bad script!).

And then someone got up on the stage.  And then they were talking about the "Narrative Feature Award."  And I was taking a swig of pinot.  And then, all of a sudden, I heard the title of my movie.

And then I heard nothing.  Because no one was talking.  It was like a bomb went off.

I scan the room, waiting for someone to rise.  Everyone else is scanning the room, too.  It felt like hours were passing.  Dawn was breaking quite slowly in the molasses of my conscious mind. 

I eventually turn to the guy sitting next to me and chuckle: "I think we won."

He grabs the wine glass out of my hand and starts slapping me on the back.  "Dude!  YOU WON!"

Oh, my god!!!  He was right!

I spring to my feet.  Now I feel like a real fool because everyone was staring at me.  But I dare not move, lest I be wrong.  I wait for some other screenwriter to head toward the stage to accept an award.  'Cause I don't win stuff like this, I reminded myself.

There are no takers, and the people at my(?) table, like, pushing me toward the stage.  I still don't know what I am doing, but I decide it's safe to mount the stairs.  And then people are shaking my hand.  And then they put this thing in my hands that weighs about 15 pounds.  And then I'm in front of the microphone.

And as I scan the expectant faces of Hollywood's best and brightest, about to open my mouth and wing my first-ever acceptance speech, a profound thought occurs to me: I really wish I had taken that shower this morning.



Jurist Michael Barlow, Bill True holding the award for Best Narrative Feature, and jurist Alex Smith after the awards luncheon


AFF: You work as a consultant and business director as well. How have these experiences helped you in film? Are they related in certain ways?

Bill: That’s a good question.  More accurately, I’ve done a lot of business consulting in the past, and before I quit my “day job” I held a senior director-level position in a pretty large health care company.  Today, I am writing and producing full time, and I have also somewhat fallen into this really cool life where people are also asking me to speak professionally.

But to answer your question…they are absolutely related.

Back in the mid-90s I tried and failed at launching a career in writing and producing in TV.  Now, there’s nothing wrong with failure—it’s life’s great teacher of lessons.  But…

A little background…My partner at the time and I were trying to launch a kind of “Entertainment Tonight” for science fiction.  We’d somehow convinced the publisher of the biggest sci-fi fanzine, “Starlog”, to give us exclusive rights to use the logo and logline for TV, and we’d gotten commitments from James Doohan and George Takei (Scotty and Sulu from the original STAR TREK, respectively) that one or the other would be the host of the series.  As if that wasn’t enough, we had one of the big video game companies committed to putting up $40,000 toward a pilot.  And E! network was interested.

Yet, somehow it fell apart.  It’s not that we were stupid people; it’s that we were inexperienced business people.  We didn’t know how to leverage what we had—and we had a lot!  In the end, we were broke and lost, and the whole thing just kind of fell apart.

I treasure my time in Corporate America because it was my MBA.  I learned how to be a businessperson there, and I got hands-on, sink-or-swim experience managing projects with budgets in the tens of millions of dollars and affecting millions of people around the world.  I learned how to apply the same creativity and resourcefulness that I brought to artistic endeavors to commercial ones.

That was, I believe, the critical difference as I ventured back into the entertainment industry.  Because now I knew why they called it show business.  Even better, I knew how to operate in the business side, so when problems presented themselves I was more equipped to handle them and turn them into opportunities.

AFF: Your new film “Incarnation” is set to shoot this summer. Any specific plans for the film?

Bill: Well, I wish we were set to shoot this summer.  As you know, the movie biz is like the weather in my home state of Minnesota—wait an hour and everything’s gonna change.

We’re still hopeful, however, that we will be in a position to shoot sometime late ’09 or early ’10.

We’ve had a commitment to fund half the film from a great production company in LA headed up by a longstanding manager/producer who’s been a terrific cheerleader and supporter of mine for years—even flew out to New York to see the premiere of my first movie.  He’s an amazing and passionate Renaissance man that is plain brilliant at everything he pursues.

We had another investor group involved to provide the other half of the financing, and, thanks to our great casting director, Eve Battaglia, we were getting the script to topnotch actors.  About the time we put an offer letter out to our male lead, the investor group opportunity dried up.  Actually, "Incarnation" was to be part of a larger film slate, and the whole thing sort of fell apart in early spring.

We decided, though, that this was a great time to take one more look at the script and see what we could do to make it even better and an even more attractive proposition for new potential investors.  In the end, we moved on from our original choice for the male lead, so we also wanted to take a moment to check the tone of the script against our current understanding of the tone and vision for the movie.

We’re about ready to take it out again and see what happens.  Luckily, we have two other production companies that are at least interested in the project, like the script, and are equally intrigued to see what we come up with next in terms of the script and cast attachment.  Hopefully, that leads to more tangible involvement (read: money) to complete our financing package, and we’ll be announcing a production start date!

AFF: What are you working on now?

Bill: I’m currently finishing the next draft of "Incarnation", as I mentioned above.

I am also working on another spec script called "Lightseekers", which is about a guy who’s trying to keep his garage band alive long enough enjoy fame and fortune.  Problem is, the world has been overrun with flesh-eating monsters.  Kind of like (though I hate it when other people do this, so forgive me) "I Am Legend" meets "The Commitments".  But with strong accents on the satirical syllables.  It’s my comment on all things American Idol and Swine Flu.  I’ve pitched it to a few producer friends of mine in Hollywood, and they all seem to think it’s got legs.  One producer with one of the major studios keeps asking me when it’s gonna be done, so I guess I better finish it.

Otherwise, I was sought out by a guy who is tied to a pretty solid investment group to develop a procedural drama for TV based on the private investigator who took down, among others, the company that put out the Dalkon Shield years ago.  He’s quite the character, which is wonderful, as my initial thought was that I wanted to work on a procedural drama like I wanted a hole in me head.  These folks seem really committed to making it work dramatically, though, and they’re not only being very cooperative, but they’re allowing me a lot of creative leeway.  I am having a ton of fun working with this guy, and there are already two TV production companies chomping at the bit to get a look at the series bible.  We’ll see what happens.

I am also developing a feature based on one of my favorite science fiction books ever.  I had been working with a development executive at one of the larger management/production companies on the project, but in a  Hollywood moment, he left the company and the project lost its traction.  Now I am back hitting the pavement.  I can’t say any more on that right now, but I think it would make a movie that’s cool and funny and meaningful all at the same time.

Finally, I’ve had a number of people ask me if I was interested in producing someone else’s work other than my own.  I guess with all the development work I’ve done over the past few years, I am sort of getting a name out there.  Of course, I don’t know whether that’s exactly a good thing or not…  Okay…kidding aside…at first I shied away from the idea.  I’ve since had a shift in my thinking, and I am also in the process of scouting for a project to shepherd though as a producer.  So we’ll see what happens.   There have been a couple of near misses—properties that caught my attention—but nothing that’s really grabbed me yet.

For more on Bill, please visit www.billtrue.net.


Its not too late to enter your film!

Very late deadline: July 15th



Just one more you reason you should be at the Austin Film Festival & Conference in October...



This year's panel discussions will feature case studies of the writing and script-to-screen production process with the writers and creators for such films and shows as Twilight, "Lost", Valkyrie, Watchmen, The Secret Life of Bees, "Mad Men" and the HBO hit series "Entourage".