Writers on Screenwriting - Brian Helgeland

Brian Helgeland, Rose McGowan and Robert Rodriguez at the 2006 Austin Film Festival

We know how valuable it can be to hear another writer, especially a successful one, discuss their craft. It can inspire renewed commitment to one's work, give ideas for different ways to approach a story and remind us that we are not alone with our frustrations - and joys - in the writing process.

We've asked some friends of Austin Film Festival to share some of their thoughts on aspects of the writing process with us. Here's Brian Helgeland on Writer's Block. How do you combat feeling stonewalled by creativity?


Writer’s Block is a myth, a chimera. It is a bogeyman spoken of around the fire by deluded writers too afraid to deal with the bitter truth. Writer’s block is not the departure of the muse. Because writing itself is a con, it’s a bait and switch and the muse is a slut who skipped town at dawn the night after you slept with her. Why would she stick with you? There are rock stars out there and writing is just hard goddamn work. Mental ditch digging. Anyone who ever used a shovel and hit a rock along the way knows what I mean. Writer’s block is not an obstacle to writing. Writer’s block is writing. When you stare at the wall, you are looking at the very spot through which the muse exited. She went that-a-way. Through the sheet rock. And she was laughing. Laughing at you for believing the lie. The life of the mind… Ha ha ha. Writing is staring at walls, banging your head into them, feeling stupid and useless and facing a life in which you will always fall short. Fear, anxiety and inadequacy are your cohorts. They are the weight you feel on your shoulder as you sit there staring. The joke of it is: get up from your seat and you have stopped writing. Do you really think you are writing when your hands are flying across the keys, when it feels like a symphony is rising before your eyes? Ha ha ha. Writing is a one man chain gang. Writing happens when you stare at that wall and wonder why you are so useless. Writing is doing the time harder than the time is doing you. So get your game face on, crybabies. Your sorry crooked ditch just uncovered a block.

- Brian Helgeland, screenwriter MAN ON FIRE, THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123, PAYBACK, ROBIN HOOD, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, MYSTIC RIVER, A KNIGHT’S TALE

AFF Friends Are Getting a Jump on the New Year!

The 2011 Black List is out! Check it out here: http://www.blcklst.com/

Austin Film Festival has several alums and friends on the list - both writers and their representatives - including Ed Solomon, Tom O'Connor (2003 AFF Screenplay Competition Winner), Christopher Cantwell (2010 AFF Screenplay Competition Semi-Finalist), Mike Jones, Allison Doyle (Oasis Media Group), Rebecca Ewing (UTA), Jeff Gorin (WME), Gayla Nethercott (The Nethercott Agency), Andrew Deane (Industry Entertainment), David Boxerbaum (Paradigm), and Ryan Saul (APA). We wouldn't have this list if not for Franklin Leonard, Black List creator, AFF and writer champion extraordinaire.

Also, no strangers to the Black List,

Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman have just signed a deal with Netflix and Gaumont International Television to adapt McGreevy's book HEMLOCK GROVE into a 13-episode series. This should make their adaptation panel at next year's Conference interesting!

Lindsay Doran's Elements of a First Act

Producer Lindsay Doran recently gave a talk at Sony Pictures Animation on the topic of constructing a first act. As part of her talk she listed ten elements one might expect to find in the first act of a screenplay. She's happy to share the list but would be interested to hear if anyone thinks she left something out.

ELEMENTS OF A FIRST ACT

a. Establish the main character(s)

b. Establish what they want (this might change scene to scene, or even within a scene, so make sure it's clear what they want every second) (My most basic rule is: Nothing can happen till somebody wants something.)

c. Create a rooting interest -Do we want the main character to get what he wants, or are we rooting against it? (Stranger Than Fiction is an example of a character who wants his life to stay exactly the same while the audience wants to see his life shaken up. But once he realizes he's going to die, we're on his side.)

d. Establish the stakes - Why does it matter that the various characters get what they want? What will happen if they don’t? If the stakes aren't life or death, they still have to feel like life and death. (Wall*E isn't going to die if he never gets to hold someone's hand, but I can't bear the idea that he might never get to know that feeling for himself rather than watching it endlessly on an old tape of Hello Dolly. Annie in "Bridesmaids" isn't going to die if she loses Lillian's friendship, but underneath the comedy there are plenty of moments that show me how desperately lonely and unhappy she is, and that her life is spiraling downward, so I believe that it matters that she hangs on to that friendship.)

e. Establish the obstacles – These might also change from scene to scene or in the middle of a scene

f. Set up ticking clock - What creates time pressure for these characters?

g. Set up tone – Sometimes it's not clear that a script is supposed to be a comedy, or a drama mixed with comedy, or even a parody.

h. Set up theme (My talk was to the filmmakers at Sony Pictures Animation, and in animated movies theme is a crucial element. But I think it should be a crucial element in every movie.)

i. Create Suspense (Unless you're making The Tree of Life or Meek's Cutoff, every story should have suspense.)

j. Start the story – In other words, get to the premise. But take enough time with the other elements so that when the rubber band snaps - assuming the first act up until that moment has felt like a rubber band being pulled back - we really care.

Listen to "Ready for My Closeup, Ms. Mills" Mondays, 1:00-1:30pm, on KOOP, 91.7, streaming live at www.koop.org.

Listen to "Ready for My Closeup, Ms. Mills" Mondays, 1:00-1:30pm (CST), on KOOP, 91.7, streaming live at www.koop.org. AFF member Sherry Mills interviews (mostly) women and men in the creative arts and (mostly) film world. Contact her at close@koop.org.


Listen to Sherry on the radio: "Ready for My Closeup, Ms. Mills!"
Mondays, 1:00-1:30pm, on KOOP, 91.7, streaming LIVE at www.koop.org!
Guest 11/14/11: Voice Actor & Coach Lainie Frasier of Voiceworks
Guest 11/7/11: Shelley Eager, Executive Director of the Austin Cinematic Symphony
Guest 11/2/11: Alex Ward, General Manager of I Luv Video
Guest 10/26/11: Author/Filmmaker Kelley Baker, AKA "The Angry Filmmaker"
Guest 10/19/11: Big Event Producer Debra Davis
Guests 10/12/11: Carla Jackson, Kelvin Phillips, Michael Morlan from the film "A Swingin' Trio"
Guest 10/5/11: Stephen Janisse & Kelly Williams, Programmers for the Austin Film Festival
Guest 9/28/11: Rebecca Campbell, Executive Director of the Austin Film Society
Guests 9/21/11: Steve Mims & Joe Bailey, producers of the documentary "Incendiary"
Guest 9/14/11: Actress/Writer/Designer Jolyn Janis
Guest 9/7/11: Jill Chamberlain, Founder/Director of the Screenwriting Workshop
Guest 8/31/11: Dr. Caroline Frick, UT R/T/F Faculty
Guests 8/24/11: Michelle Forbes & Laura Luthy of aGLIFF
Guests 8/17/11: Carolyn Banks & Jean Zurow of Upstart
Guests 8/10/11: Carlyn Hudson & Maggie Lea of East Austin Screenings
Guests 8/3/11: Amparo Garcia-Crow, Timeca Seretti, Carla Jackson, Chithra Jeyaram of the "Women of Color" panel & screening

2008 AFF Film BIGGA THAN BEN: A RUSSIANS' GUIDE TO RIPPING OFF LONDON Raising Funds Toward US Release!

In the running for Best Narrative Feature at the Austin Film Festival in 2008, Bigga Than Ben: A Russians' Guide to Ripping Off London is now raising funds towards its US release via an indieGoGo. The film made the Times Top 100 films of 2008 and received great reviews in the UK, opening on 85 screens in Russia (maybe they thought it was a real guide?) and winning awards. Starring Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian, Dorian Gray) and Andrei Chadov, Bigga Than Ben perks include signed Ben Barnes posters, credits and original paintings. Currently this is the only place you can buy the US version as a limited edition: www.indiegogo.com/biggathanben

****
'Dark, funny, charming, fast, immoral, decadent and delightful...a fresh blast of foul air. Chadov and Barnes are the best double act buddies since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' - Cosmo Landesman, Sunday Times.

'Well it's not the sound of music' - my dad.

Documentary Storytelling

Still from TOWNSHIP TO THE STAGE


One of the great challenges every year is finding documentaries that fulfill our expectations of great narrative storytelling. Real life is very rarely interesting; it takes a great documentarian to take hours and hours of footage and turn them into a cohesive and compelling story. Whether you're interested in tackling your own documentary project or simply opening a door into another person's life, we've got the schedule for you.

BY DAY

SATURDAY 10/22
9:00am–10:15am
Independent Filmmaking: Getting Started
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Assembly Room
You have a great script that you want to turn into a film. What should your next step be? And the 10 steps after that? Join a conversation with three filmmakers who share their independent filmmaking experiences. This panel will offer the motivation you need to bite the bullet and will cover the basics and overlooked hurdles first-time filmmakers often encounter when making their films.
Jeremiah Jones, Eric Schaeffer, Ya’Ke Smith
Moderated Chet Garner

10:45am–12:00pm
Independent Filmmaking: Budget and Funding Sources
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Assembly Room
Anyone can get their hands on a video camera these days, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still need a budget and an overall plan. Micro-budget and low budget films (under $50,000) require some creative strategies to be successful. This panel will cover formulating and determining a budget that can serve as an outline for your production and impress potential investors (hint: don’t forget music licensing, festival fees, and travel and marketing costs!). In addition, the panel will offer ideas on how to raise and save money, including in-kind support, donations, tax breaks and incentives, grants and foundation support, fundraisers, and crowdsourcing.
Noel Paynter, Stu Pollard, Susan Kirr
Moderated by Jason Wehling


12:30pm-3:30pm
Independent Filmmaking: Pre-Production and Production
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Assembly Room
This session will cover the nuts and bolts of starting production on your feature film, beginning with organizing a detailed plan to implement your idea and achieve your goal. From here, the panelists will walk you through all the legal stuff you need to know— crew agreements, releases, libel, privacy, right of publicity, copyright and trademark, music licensing, and more. They will also discuss the arts of identifying essential crew needs and the resources to find them; determining locations and equipment needs; creating a shooting schedule; preparing for a typical day of production; starting your marketing campaign (yes, now); working with your editor (yes, also now); and tips on how to have a successful production, stay on schedule, and keep your crew intact and positive (hint: food).
Kat Candler, Martin Guigui, Scott Meyers, Bryan Poyser, Eric Weissman
Moderated by Tom Copeland

3:45pm–5:00pm
Independent Filmmaking: Post-Production
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Assembly Room
This panel will cover the various elements of post-production for your film—editing (whether editing your own film or working with a hired editor), color correction, post-sound editing (cleaning and mixing), scoring, etc. It will also include information on finding and working with good, affordable people; putting together your trailer; and tricks for achieving high production value on a limited budget.
Mark Coffey, Eric Friend, Melissa Shea, Marcus van Bavel
Moderated by Alan Berg

SUNDAY 10/23
1:15pm–3:15pm
Documentaries 101
Driskill Hotel, Hogg Parlor
Join these notable documentary filmmakers as they walk you thorough the production steps of a documentary feature. From an inventive idea to a marketable trailer to the time you’ll need to spend filming and editing, these experts will relate their own experiences and offer insight on how to maintain control of your concept while staying true to your real-life subject.
Karen Bernstein, Vince Clemente, Henry Corra, Vanessa Roth, Michael Urie
Moderated by Paul Stekler

BY NIGHT

Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters (USA , 92min)
Director: Adam Cornelius
WORLD PREMIERE
Tetris. We've all played it. It may have been decades ago or today on the latest smart phone. But everyone has spent time rotating the pieces, dropping them in place, or despairing over that piece that just won't fit. But what about the people who've truly mastered Tetris? Are they out there; great champions who've dedicated their minds to solving these intricate puzzles?' Ecstasy of Order tracks down such a group of record-holding Tetris players as they prepare to compete in the 2010 Classic Tetris World Championship. The film gives us an intimate look at the Masters as they reveal their secrets, recount their decade-long obsessions with the game, and take us to the transcendental state required to reach the highest levels known as the 'Ecstasy of Order'.

One Night Stand (USA , 74min)
Director: Elisabeth Sperling, Trish Dalton
REGIONAL PREMIERE
It takes a lot of creativity, hard work, and talent to put together a musical. But is it possible to do this in under 24 hours? One Night Stand is a funny, intimate, behind-the-scenes documentary following top Broadway and television writers, actors, and directors as they invent four short musicals, from the blank page to the live stage, all within 24 hours. It's A Chorus Line meets Project Runway-- a window into the creative process intensified by a tight deadline: the spark, the camaraderie, the sheer panic, and the ultimate thrill of expression. Cheyenne Jackson, Rachel Dratch, and Richard Kind among many other talented actors, composers and directors come together one night to unleash their creative minds and talents in One Night Stand.

Township to the Stage (USA, 85min.)
Director: David Meyer
WORLD PREMIERE
In South Africa 's emerging world of stand-up comedy, comedians of color have only recently started performing on stage. With the opportunity to finally command the attention of a large audience, they go beyond just settling for easy laughs and confront the legacy of apartheid head on in their material. Against the backdrop of this volatile environment, twenty-five year old Trevor Noah attempts his first one-man show, despite his lack of experience performing on stage. Revisiting his past, he creates material from memories of growing up in the township under apartheid. Yet as he prepares, Trevor faces a multitude of challenges: an underdeveloped comedy scene, criticism from other comics, strained personal relationships, lingering racial tension, and a shocking family tragedy. They combine to form a crisis that threatens not just the success of the show, but Trevor's dreams of lifting himself and the South African comedy scene to the global stage.


Thank You For Judging (USA , 91min.)
Directors: Michael Urie, Sean Fornara, Selma Al-Faqih, Travis Flournoy
WORLD PREMIERE
In the spirit of Spellbound and American Teen, actor Michael Urie returns to his former High School to document a unique form of speech competition referred to as oral interpretation. Thank You For Judging tracks a group of teens with determined hearts and minds, not to mention talent, as they train and compete in hopes of winning first place at theTexas State Finals Tournament in Plano, Texas. Each year, the best from across the state come to be judged. Join Urie as he follows this young, passionate group of teens on a quest for more than just a trophy, but for a way to express themselves. Thank You for Judging is inspiring in how it gently reminders us of how commonplace events can be immeasurably influential in developing character and instilling values in today's youth.

When Dreams Take Flight (Canada, 54min)
Writer/Director: Sheona McDonald
WORLD PREMIERE
Through a series of fascinating stories about brilliant, obsessed and often courageous characters, spanning six centuries and two continents, When Dreams Take Flight explores the genesis, myth and reality of why humans are compelled to fly like birds and what six hundred years of failed experiments have taught us. But one man is determined to make it happen. Todd Reichert is a determined student at the University of Toronto who is set on building and flying the first human-propelled ornithopter. He and a small team workout diligently to accomplish what Da Vinci only dreamt of - pilot a human powered flying machine. If successful, this small group of Canadians will have a place in the aviation history books. This exciting film begins with the myth of Icarus, then travels through the dreams of DaVinci before moving into the 19th century with pioneers like Otto Lilienthal and Alexander Lippisch and finally landing with modern day characters like Yves Rousseau. When Dreams Take Flight is a film about dreams and dreamers, a film about people who are willing to risk life and limb to follow their hearts and chase a dream that has existed since the dawn of man.

Darwin (Switzerland , 98 min)
Writer: Taylor Segrest
Director: Nick Brandestini
REGIONAL PREMIERE
Darwin is an isolated community at the end of a weathered road in Death Valley , California with a population of 35 people . Propelled from society by tragic turns, the people of Darwin must now find ways to coexist in a place without a government, a church, jobs, or children. This near-ghost town's survival depends on a fragile, gravity-fed waterline that descends from the mountains where top-secret weapons are being tested. One 'accidental' drop of a bomb, they half-joke, could wipe out their entire town. Come and meet the people of Darwin.

Stories From An Undeclared War (USA , 82 min)
Director: Dennis Rice
REGIONAL PREMIERE
Stories from an Undeclared War is a feature-length documentary about The Freedom Writers Diary, a collection of journal entries written by 150 'at-risk' students from Long Beach , California who were once considered 'unteachable.' Encouraged by teacher Erin Gruwell and inspired by the writings of Anne Frank, the students discovered a new way to express themselves and began to care more about history, humanity, and perhaps most importantly, their futures. This new documentary follows their story from the first day of Freshman Year in 1994 to the present day. Containing intimate accounts from the students of Woodrow Wilson Hight School's Room 203, Stories from and Undeclared War exposes the truth behind this extraordinarily inspiring story.

Goold’s Gold (USA , 90 min)
Director: Tucker Capps, Ryan Sevy
REGIONAL PREMIERE
Jonathan Goold has discovered gold! Or so he thinks. Convinced that there's gold hidden in the recently exposed hills of the Alaskan wilderness due to the melting glaciers of global warming, Goold sets in motion events to find his treasure. With heart, a reckless adventurous spirit, and a group of supportive pals, Goold sets out on a quest to find gold. Set against the backdrop of the breathtaking Alaskan wilderness, Goold's Gold is an offbeat global warming adventure that takes us on a journey not only for gold, but one of self-discovery, friendships, and of course, hidden treasure. Join Jonathan Goold as he hunts for gold where no man has ever set foot.

The Art of the Pitch by Max Adams

In anticipation of the bevy of AFF Pitch Sessions, VH-1 Pitch Sessions, High School Pitch sessions, bar pitches, standing in line at the theater pitches and, of course, the old - and sometimes effective - elevator pitches about to hit this city, we asked Max Adams to share some of her best tips on pitching. Read on and good luck!

The Art of the Pitch by Max Adams

Pitching is story telling. It is also, however, selling. And it is the "selling" part that makes people crazy. Perfectly normal people will go into a meeting to pitch, or pick up the phone to pitch, or be standing in an elevator or supermarket line and suddenly have the opportunity to pitch -- and choke. This is in part being nervous, thinking too much is riding on performing well. It is also an unfamiliarity with what needs to be said, which results in people being unsure of themselves and the bottom dropping out when they are in the hot seat.

Pitching really is not that hard if you simply think of it as story telling. Which is exactly what it is: You telling someone your story. And if you can relax, and just fall into what it is you like about your story -- and presumably you do like it, it is your story and if you do not like it who will? -- you can tell your story to anyone. All you have to do is put faith in the story and tell it.

That’s the story telling part. But there is that other part: The selling part.

There are several different types of pitch. One is the full on meeting pitch. That lasts anywhere from a half hour to forty-five minutes -- and less is better. One is the short one liner pitch. That’s what goes in query letters or what you spit out over the phone, essentially the premise statement. Another is a sort of in-between pitch, what you could call the elevator pitch. You’ve got one to three minutes from floor one to floor ten -- ready, get set, go!

We’re going to talk about the basic executive meeting pitch here. We will come back to the shorter pitches later on.

When you pitch an executive or a producer, he or she is going to have to be able to tell someone else the same story you just told him or her. And if it goes well, the person he or she tells the story to will tell it again, to someone higher up the ladder, and if it keeps going well, the story will slowly make it up the food chain in the studio system all the way to the president of the studio. And if the president of the studio likes it, and “gets” the “movie,” feels like this story is a movie, and a good one -- he or she can buy the pitch.

If he or she doesn’t feel like it is a movie, he or she won’t buy the pitch. And notice, to get to the president of the studio, the pitch had to go from your mouth through a sort of telephone game all the way up to the studio president, remaining more or less intact, and had to “feel” like a “movie” when it got there.

The difference between a pitch feeling like a movie as it goes from one person to the next, being told on its way up the food chain – or not feeling like a movie -- is whether or not you have included the necessary story elements in a pitch that a producer, and later an executive, and later still a studio head, needs to hear in a pitch. There are five elements that have to be there:

The Five Pitch Elements:

•Premise Statement
•Opening
•Characters
•Turning Points
•Climax

Premise Statement: A premise statement is, essentially, the title, the genre, the protagonist, the protagonist’s story goal, and story stakes if there are big stakes. For example, Jaws is an action drama about a sheriff who must hunt and kill a monster Great White shark that is terrorizing his small island community -- before the shark wipes his community off the map. Lord of the Rings is a fantasy action adventure about a hobbit who must transport an evil ring of power across the land and destroy it in the fiery pit is was forged in -- or the ring’s evil creator will plunge the hobbit’s world into darkness forever.

Premise statements are pretty easy if you remember the parts that go into them:

[Title] is a [Genre] about [Protagonist] who must [Protagonist’s Goal] or else [Stakes if Protagonist Fails].

That’s a plot driven action picture. There is another kind of story: The situational story. In a situational story, there are no big stakes if the protagonist fails, but there is a defined central problem for the protagonist in the story. Moonstruck is a situational story. Moonstruck is a romantic comedy about a woman who falls in love with her fiancé’s brother. Note the goal is not mentioned there. It could be. I could say Moonstruck is a romantic comedy about a woman determined to marry a safe man she does not love – there is a definite goal in Moonstruck. But that does not define the conflict in Moonstruck, which is the protagonist falls in love with her fiancé’s brother. Kind of a big problem if you are planning to get married to your fiancé.

The defining difference between a plot driven premise statement and a situation driven premise statement is, where is the conflict in the story? Generally, in a quiet character driven piece, it will be in the situation, whereas, in an action driven piece, it will be in the goal versus stakes.

Opening: The opening of a film is the first clue about the story world an audience is entering. Likewise, describing a script’s opening scene in a pitch visually sets the person who is hearing a pitch in the story world. Think about pitching Jaws. Who in their right mind wouldn’t set the stage with that opening in the pitch? Openings do not always have to be in the pitch, but they are a nice way to open a pitch and set a visual tone for the hearer. And if you’ve got a big cinematic opening – always a plus – use it.

Characters: Characters absolutely have to be in the pitch. Not every character in the story. You want to focus on the protagonist first, and then any important secondary characters in the story. And you don’t go into huge details, you just give someone enough information to get a handle on the character. This is a lot like a character’s introduction in the script. If I were introducing Marshal Gerard from the fugitive, I might give him almost verbatim the introduction he gets in The Fugitive. Buzz saw hair cut. Clothes that spell cop. Shoes that have been shined a million times – and still shine in spite of the miles on them. A cop without a single vice, and one who always gets his man.

Turning Points: Once you’ve introduced the central dilemma in the premise statement, set the stage with an opening scene, and segued into the most important characters in the piece, it is time to start turning the story. Turning points are points in the story in which there is a shift in power/story dynamics. For example, in Die Hard, John McClane is trapped in a high rise with bad guys – so he sets off the fire alarm. That’s a shift in power, help is on the way. But the bad guys disable the alarm and call off the fire department. Oops. Another shift in power, this time power has shifted to the bad guys.

You can think of turning points in terms of a good news/bad news joke. Good news, the fire department is coming. Bad news, the fire department isn’t coming. Good news [sticking with Die Hard], the police are coming. Bad news, the police are leaving. Good news, the police are staying. Bad news, the bad guys are kicking police ass.

Those are turning points. Good news, bad news, when power in the story shifts. You only want to use the big turning points. You wouldn’t, for example, if you were pitching Die Hard, describe every fight in the script. There are lots of fights. Telling them all would take two hours and you haven’t got two hours, with a full story pitch which is what I am defining here, you’ve got between half an hour and forty-five minutes so you have to use the big turning points that really drive the plot, and leave the rest out.

Climax: After you’ve beaten out the big story points for your listener – which are hopefully escalating and building up to a big pay off – you want to close your pitch with the big climax. In Moonstruck, this would be when the fiancé shows and says he can’t marry Loretta and Loretta is objecting, “A promise is a promise!,” while the brother is sitting there ready for a stand off with his brother and now agog the woman he loves is fighting over being set free to marry him. In Die Hard, it’s the big stand off with Hans Gruber who is holding the protagonist’s wife at gunpoint – only to get himself knocked out a window and try to take the protagonist and the wife with him when he falls.

Never close a film pitch without the big ending.

*Excerpted from The Art of the Pitch, a lecture series from Max Adams & The Academy of Film Writing, http://theafw.com

Thanks, Max!

Conference Intern Katherine Freeman's Schedule!

Hey guys! My name's Katherine Freeman and I'm a conference intern at the 2011 Austin Film Festival. I am currently a student at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX pursuing a degree in English with a minor in film studies. I am an aspiring screenwriter and would love to be able to visit and watch all of the panels we have scheduled this year during our Conference (October 20-23). However, I'm an intern and there's much work to be done during the Festival so I won't have time to go see the panels I would like to.

If I wasn't working though, I would buy a Conference Badge so that I'd have unlimited access to all of the panels for the entire conference, entry into all eight days of festival screenings, along with many more benefits. The following would be my schedule:

Roundtable: The Creative Side
Complex Characters: A Conversation with Lawrence Kasdan
Comedy - The Hardest Genre?
The Art & Craft of Screenwriting
The Creative Career: What You Need to Know
Writing for Animation: The Writers’ Perspective
A Conversation with 2011 Outstanding Television Writer Awardee Hart Hanson
A Conversation with 2011 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Awardee John Lasseter
A Conversation with 2011 Distinguished Screenwriter Awardee Caroline Thompson
The Art of Storytelling with the 2011 Awardees
Script-to-Screen: Veronica Mars with Rob Thomas
Exclusive Staged Reading of “The Nice Guys”

The films I am most looking forward to are: EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, METROPOLITAN, BENEATH THE DARKNESS, SMALL AND CREEPY FILMS, ALBERT NOBBS, AMERICAN TEACHER, THE DESCENDENTS, JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME, LET GO, SHAME, AND LOREN BOUCHARD AND JIM DAUTERIVE'S PILOT BOB'S BURGERS

Conference Intern Christina Burlison's Festival Schedule

Hello all! Meet me: Christina Burlison. I'm a screenwriter, a graduate from UT Austin's Graduate Screenwriting program and I'm currently interning with the Austin Film Festival, which I love, by the way.

This year, my feature YEAR OF THE COCK a romantic comedy about a heartbroken lesbian who wants to know what's so special about the opposite sex, made it to the second round in comedy. My pilot DREAM SCREEN, a police procedural about a man who dreams of murder 48 hours before it occurs made it to the Second Round also.

If I weren't a Second Rounder, and didn't have the opportunity to attend all the Second Rounder panels, my schedule would include:


A Conversation with Alec Berg
Roundtable: The Creative Side
Roundtable: The Business Side
Raising Stakes, Reversals, and Payoffs: A Conversation with Shane Black
A Shot of Inspiration
Script-to-Screen: FIGHT CLUB with Jim Uhls
Roundtable: Television
In the TV Writers' Room
A Conversation with 2011 Distinguished Screenwriter Awardee Caroline Thompson
The Art of Storytelling with the 2011 Awardees


The films I am most excited to attend include: BUTTER, THE DESCENDENTS, DESPICABLE DICK AND RIGHTEOUS RICHARD, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME, THE RUM DIARY, and Kyle Killen's Pilot "Awake."

What are you going to attend?

What Conference Intern Jeff Storms Would Go To If We Didn't Have Him Working 24-Hours-A-Day

Greetings and salutations, Festivalgoers! I, Jeff Storms, am a screenwriter, sound designer, musician, and producer who has worked in Austin for the past six years. I’m a graduate of the UT Austin Radio-TV-Film program and I also have worked for the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics and the University of Houston Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences as a research scientist and project consultant since 2007, specializing in geographic database analysis and research project management.

As a writer, my screenplay, WHEN THE MOON RISES, an existential murder mystery set in Texas Hill Country, was a finalist for production in the University of Texas Film Institute (UTFI) program in Spring 2009, and in summer 2011, myself and my writer/director colleague established Keymaster Films, an Austin-based production company set to produce WHEN THE MOON RISES as well as two other screenplays that I’ve co-written. I ultimately hope to independently produce my work with a number of my co-conspirators in Austin and to work as a screenwriter on both studio and independent films.

In the past, I’ve attended individual screenings at the Austin Film Festival, but this year will mark the first time that I’ll be attending panels, as well. If I weren’t working at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel during this year’s conference, my schedule would probably look something like this:

Thursday, 10/20
12:00pm-12:30pm – Opening Remarks
1:00pm-2:15pm – A Conversation with Alec Berg
2:45pm-4:00pm – Complex Characters: A Conversation with Lawrence Kasdan

Friday, 10/21
9:00am-10:15am – Breaking into the Business: A Conversation with Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman
10:45am-12:00pm – Based on a True Story
1:45pm-3:00pm – The Creative Career: What You Need to Know
3:15pm-4:30pm – A Shot of Inspiration

Saturday, 10/22
9:00am-10:15am – Authors and Screenwriters: Adaptations and Writing in Different Mediums
10:45am-12:00pm – A Conversation with 2011 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking John Lasseter
12:30pm-3:30pm – Independent Filmmaking: Pre-Production and Production
3:45pm-5:00pm – A Conversation with 2011 Distinguished Screenwriter Awardee Caroline Thompson

Sunday, 10/23
11:30am-12:45pm – How to Take a Meeting & the Development Process
1:15pm-3:15pm – Endings: The Good, the Bad, and the Insanely Great with Michael Arndt
4:30pm – Exclusive Staged Reading of “The Nice Guys” directed by Shane Black

If Your Tastes Run Toward the Macabre...

Still from DEADHEADS

If your tastes run toward the macabre - whether straight horror, zombies, psychological warfare, or the terrors of real life, we've got you covered day and night. Fans, filmmakers and scribes of the darker genres, this schedule's for you.

And guess what? The Conference and Producers Badges both get you access to ALL of the below - including priority line for the screenings - and more!

By Day...

THURSDAY 10/20/11
2:45pm-4:00pm
Words That Go Bump in the Night: Writing Horror
Driskill Hotel, Ballroom
Scaring the pants off people requires more than just dramatic lighting, monster blood, and Dutch angles. Join this discussion on the language, style, and techniques used to write a convincing and enthralling horror film with writers whose films are sure to keep you up all night.
Alvaro Rodriguez, Juliet Snowden & Stiles White, Beau Thorne
Moderated by Fred Strype

FRIDAY 10/21/11
1:45pm-3:00pm
Graphic Novels and Comic Books: Translating Them to the Screen
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom
From Spiderman to Watchmen, comic books and graphic novels are king and have cemented themselves as a diverse commercial and artistic medium whose cinematic adaptations have become some of the most successful films in recent memory. Join the conversation about the complex and conflicted journey of adapting well-known and well-loved stories to film and living up to fans' demanding expectations.
Cort Lane, Chuck Mondry, Beau Thorne, John Turman
Moderated by Álvaro Rodríguez

SATURDAY 10/22
9:00am–11:00am
Script-to-Screen: FIGHT CLUB with Jim Uhls
Driskill Hotel, Maximilian Room
With script in hand and film clips on the screen, writer Jim Uhls (FIGHT CLUB, SEMPER FI, JUMPER) will dissect his critically acclaimed screenplay FIGHT CLUB, discussing his writing process, what worked, what didn't, what needed to be changed for film production and why. This case study will contain information that screenwriters and filmmakers can apply to their own works. Presented with the Texas Book Festival. Uhls will be joined by novelist Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club).

10:45am–12:00pm
Hart Hanson and Kathy Reichs: The Collaboration Process
Driskill Hotel, Ballroom
Since 2005, writer/producer Hart Hanson and author Kathy Reichs have closely collaborated on the hit Fox television series Bones, based on the international bestselling books, to put a creative spin on forensic anthropology. In this panel, the duo will offer insight into the collaborative process, the importance of research and real-life experience, and how two heads can be better than one when running a popular, long-running television show. Presented with the Texas Book Festival.
Moderated by Noah Hawley

2:15pm-3:30pm
Zombies, Apes, and Vampires: Breathing New Life into Old Genres
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the drive-in, the heroes and monsters from the B-movies of yesteryear have experienced a rebirth over the past few years as films like ZOMBIELAND and RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES take the tried-and-true monster movie formula and reinvigorate it. This panel will explore the evolution of monster genre over the years and how filmmakers today continue to find new ways to interpret to their old favorites.
Rick Jaffa, Rhett Reese, Alvaro Rodriguez, Amanda Silver
Moderated by Drew Yanno


2:15pm–3:15pm
Caroline Thompson and Steve Nicolaides Present: “Small & Creepy Films”
Austin Convention Center Screen 2
Eager to encourage the strange and idiosyncratic in young filmmakers, 2011 AFF Distinguished Screenwriter Award Recipient Caroline Thompson (EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS) and her husband, producer Steve Nicolaides (BOYZ N THE HOOD, LITTLE BIG LEAGUE, SCHOOL OF ROCK) founded and run the website Small & Creepy Films at www.smallandcreepy.com. This is a presentation of the “best of” Small & Creepy Films.

3:45pm–5:00pm
A Conversation with 2011 Distinguished Screenwriter Awardee Caroline Thompson
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom
Caroline Thompson's credits include EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, THE SECRET GARDEN, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, BLACK BEAUTY, BUDDY, and CORPSE BRIDE. She is currently working on adaptations of Melissa Marr’s novel Wicked Lovely and Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita.
Moderated by Pen Densham

By Night...

Below Zero (Canada)
Writer: Signe Olynyk
Director: Justin Thomas Ostensen
Cast: Edward Furlong, Michael Berryman, Kristin Booth, Dee Hanna
US PREMIERE
Jack (Furlong), a once successful screenwriter trying to overcome his new reputation as ‘Jack the Hack,’ arranges to be locked inside a meat cooler in an attempt to cure his writer’s block. As the temperature falls and his frenzy rises, Jack finds it more and more difficult to distinguish between his work and his present situation. Is he writing the best script of his career, or is he losing his mind? Strangely enough, the film is based on true events. The actual screenwriter of the film, Signe Olynyk, locked herself in the meat freezer of an abandoned slaughterhouse, and the film was ultimately shot at this very location, further blurring the line between reality and fiction. Featuring horror icon Michael Berryman (“The Hills Have Eyes”)
Saturday, October 22 – Alamo Ritz
Wednesday, October 26 – Texas Spirit Theater


Beneath the Darkness (USA, 97 min.)
Writer: Bruce Wilkinson
Director: Martin Guigui
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Tony Oller, Aimee Teegarden, Stephen Lunsford, Devon Werkheiser, Brett Cullen
WORLD PREMIERE
A group of high schoolers visit the local “haunted house” for a few laughs, but they soon realize that the horror inside is very serious. The house is inhabited by Ely (Quaid), a local hero, but he doesn’t seem to be the only one living there. After watching their best friend get murdered, the terrified teenagers struggle to expose Ely as the psychopathic killer and avoid becoming his next victims. Quaid delivers a staggering, maniacal performance in a film that was born at the 2003 AFF when director Martin Guigui met writer Bruce Wilkinson at a Q&A.
Saturday, October 22, 6:30pm – Texas Spirit Theater
Sunday, October 23, 5:00pm – Alamo Ritz


DeadHeads (USA, 96 min.)
Writers/Directors: Brett Pierce, Drew Pierce
Cast: Michael McKiddy, Ross Kidder, Markus Taylor, Thomas Galasso, Natalie Victoria, Eden Malyn
REGIONAL PREMIERE
A self-described 'zombedy' that is sure to please both horror and action-adventure fans alike, this frighteningly hilarious film is a return to the great comedy/adventure films of the 80's like “Back to the Future” and “The Goonies.” The story follows two zombie slackers, Mike and Brent, who find themselves surprisingly reborn from the dead during a disastrous zombie outbreak. After discovering an engagement ring in his coat pocket, Mike enlists his new zombie pal, Brent, to embark on a quest in search of his lost love, resulting in a hilarious cross country road trip with zombie-killing bounty hunters in hot pursuit.
Thursday, October 20, 10:00pm – Alamo Ritz
Sunday, October 23, 8:30pm – Austin Convention Center Screen 2


Some Guy Who Kills People (USA, 93 min.)
Writer: Ryan Levin
Director: Jack Perez
Cast: Kevin Corrigan, Barry Bostwick, Karen Black, Leo Fitzpatrick, Ariel Gade, Lucy Davis
REGIONAL PREMIERE
Ken Boyd (Corrigan) has just been released from the mental hospital where he was treated for severe depression following a suicide attempt several years ago. With nowhere else to go, Ken heads back to his hometown of Green Oaks and moves in with his overbearing mother, Ruth (Black). With his life at an all-time low, Ken plans to get revenge on everyone he holds responsible for his miserable fate. However, Ken’s plan for revenge is threatened when his estranged daughter, Amy, now 11 years old, shows up and asks to spend the week with him. Will Ken be able to complete his mission of killing the people who ruined his life?
Friday, October 21, 11:30pm – Alamo Ritz
Thursday, October 27, 9:15pm – Regal Arbor

You can check out the full panel, film and party schedule here.

Really, I Just Want to be a Working Writer

Okay, so maybe you don't need any more inspiration. You figure your script is already the best it can be, or that you'll work on it when you get back home. What you're coming here for is to launch your freaking career, already - sell your script, get hired for rewrite work, get staffed on a show.

Here's your schedule. And, whatever you do, don't miss the parties - the best place to meet and network with the top players in Hollywood.


THURSDAY 10/20/11
12:00pm-12:30pm
Opening Remarks
Driskill Hotel, Ballroom
The Austin Film Festival welcomes you to its 18th year of panels, intimate discussions, lively conversations, film premieres, special retrospective screenings, parties and limitless networking opportunities and inspiration. Join the staff along with AFF board members Shane Black and Lawrence Kasdan for Opening Remarks to find out about this year’s special events, last-minute additions and special guests.

1:00pm-2:15pm
How to Work the Film Festival: For Filmmakers
Driskill Hotel, Maximilian Room
The camera stopped rolling and the editor finished cutting but your job as a filmmaker is far from over. Get insider secrets on how to develop a marketing strategy and corresponding press kit, get audiences to go to your screenings, and work the festival circuit.
James Faust, Chris Holland, Paula Martinez, Kelly Williams
Moderated by Eugenio del Bosque

How to Work the Conference: For Writers
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom
Want to get the most out of your time here? Get an agent, a writing partner, a script sold? Join these successful industry veterans who have attended the AFF Conference over the years and made the most of their time here – from networking to entering the Competitions. They were once in your shoes and have since made countless industry contacts, optioned and sold their scripts, and launched their film careers. Find out how to maximize your Badge and your time here at the Conference!
Richard Bever, Matt Dy, Tom O’Connor

2:45pm-4:00pm
Sustaining a Writing Career Outside of LA
Driskill Hotel, Jim Hogg Parlor
As the pace of technology catches up and film communities grow in cities throughout the world, writers are finding it easier and easier to work outside of Hollywood. Join the discussion on ways to maintain your writing career away from the main centers of film production.
James V. Hart, Tim McCanlies, Monte Williams
Moderated by Stuart Kelban

Breaking into the Business: A Conversation with Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson
Driskill Hotel, Maximilian Room
Ashley was a finalist in the 2005 AFF Teleplay Competition, and in 2007, she went on to win the AFF Teleplay Competition with a Scrubs spec. During this time she met her writing partner, Bart, who had been performing improv comedy at both the Improv Jam in Red Bank, NJ, and the UCB Theater in New York City. Their first collaboration, a 30 Rock spec, won best teleplay at the 2008 Columbia Film Festival and they have been working together ever since. Now she and Bart have been hired to write the adaptation of the YA novel SKELETON CREEK for Intrepid Pictures, and recently sold a pilot to ABC Family -- the adaptation of another series of YA novels, THE BIG EMPTY. Join this conversation with Ashley and Bart as they share their experiences and advice on getting into and navigating The Business, marketing themselves as writers, writing as a team, and working in both features and TV.


FRIDAY 10/21/11
9:00am-10:15am
Roundtable: The Business Side
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to executives, studio reps, agents, managers, producers and attorneys in an informal setting. Take advantage of this invaluable opportunity to ask those burning questions like how do I get an agent? Do I also need an attorney or manager? What’s the dynamic/relationship I can expect? Are studios buying spec scripts? Am I hurting my chances of selling my script if I ask to direct it? This is your opportunity to ask all this and more, without being charged by the hour or giving up a percentage of your script sale.
Katherine Brown, Mary Coleman, Cort Lane, Barry Josephson, Leif Lillehaugen, Maggie Malone, Justin Manask, Reeva Mandelbaum, Gayla Nethercott, Bonnie Orr, Ryan Saul, Mark Vahradian, Eric Weissman

Breaking into the Business: A Conversation with Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman
Driskill Hotel, Maximilian Room
Brian and Lee met in grad school at the UT Michener Center for Writers in 2004, and submitted a jointly written script to the 2006 AFF Screenplay Competition. The script didn’t win, and in fact, it didn’t make it past the Second Round. But, they’ve attended the Conference for years, gleaning “an immense amount of helpful stuff on a practical as well as craft issues,” and have since had their original scripts appear multiple times on the Black List. They are currently writing HARKER, an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, for Warner Bros, director Jaume Collet-Sera, and producer Leonardo DiCaprio. Other feature projects in development include the King Arthur epic PENDRAGON for New Regency and director Sylvain White, and an updated ZORRO for Fox. Join this conversation with Brian and Lee as they share their experiences and advice on getting the most out of the Conference, navigating The Business, marketing themselves as writers, and writing as a team.
Moderated by Dawn Wiercinski

10:45am-12:00pm
Breaking into the Business: A Conversation with Bryan Brucks, Tim Talbott, and Cindy McCreery
Driskill Hotel, Maximilian Room
You’ve got a script and are more than willing to write all kinds of material, but how do you turn your passion into a viable (and hopefully profitable) career? Join Bryan Brucks (DEEP IN THE VALLEY), Tim Talbott (South Park), and Cindy McCreery (FREE WILLY: ESCAPE FROM PIRATE’S COVE) as they share their experiences, successes, and failures breaking into the film industry.
Moderated by Drew Yanno

Writing for Animation: The Studios’ Perspective
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Assembly Room
Where do the ideas for animated features come from? How do animation studios find writers? How do they work with them? Take a look inside the process with Development Execs from Blue Sky Studios, Disney Animation, and Pixar Animation Studios. They’ll walk you through the elements of their creative process (pitching, research, treatment, outline, script, and reels) using examples from great animated movies.
Mary Coleman, Lisa Fragner, Maggie Malone

1:45pm-3:00pm
Agent-Client Relationships
Driskill Hotel, Citadel Room
You often hear how an agent works to get a writer or filmmaker noticed in the entertainment industry, but how do you get in touch with one? At what point should you seek one out, and how do you know which agent is right for you? This panel will explain the who, what, where, when, how, and why of agent-client relationships for budding filmmakers.
Rebecca Ewing, Amy Talkington
Moderated by Drew Yanno

The Creative Career: What You Need to Know
Driskill Hotel, Ballroom
A panel of successful professional writers will discuss what you need to know when setting out on your career as a writer,the common pitfalls to avoid and what the Writers Guild of America, West can do for you. This panel is presented by WGA, West.
Lawrence Kasdan, Craig Mazin, Daniel Petrie Jr., Rhett Reese
Moderated by Howard A. Rodman

Breaking into the Business: A Conversation with Julie Howe and Joyce San Pedro
Driskill Hotel, Maximilian Room
In 2010, Julie Howe's original script JASPER MILLIKEN won the AFF Screenplay Competition in the comedy category. After the script was acquired by Experience Media Studios, Julie introduced Joyce San Pedro, Creative Executive for Zhiv productions and AFF judge and panelist, to Michael-Ryan Fletchall of EMS. San Pedro quickly signed on with the developing project tentatively scheduled for release in 2013. Join this conversation with Julie and Joyce as they share their experiences and advice on the development process, the writer's relationship with the production company, taking meetings, and navigating The Business.
Moderated by Matt Dy

3:15pm-4:30pm
Roundtable: The Business Side
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to executives, studio reps, agents, managers, producers and attorneys in an informal setting. Take advantage of this invaluable opportunity to ask about current trends in the marketplace. Are studios buying spec scripts? Are you hurting your chances of selling your script if you ask to direct it? This is your opportunity to ask all of these questions and more, without being charged by the hour or having to give a percentage of your script sale.
Richard Bever, Katherine Brown, Bryan Brucks, Curtis Burch, Jon Cohen, Allison Doyle, Tai Duncan, Lisa Fragner, Deena Kalai, Maggie Malone, Noreen O’Toole, Stu Pollard, Ed Radtke, Mark Vahradian, Meta Valentic

Agents and Managers
Driskill Hotel, Maximilian Room
A panel for anyone interested in learning current practices for how to go about getting an agent or manager, the roles of each – do you need both? - and how they work together. Also, what are realistic expectations for your relationship? They’ll also discuss how to be a great client and when you should look for someone new.
Melissa Breaux, Rebecca Ewing, Justin Manask, Gayla Nethercott
Moderated by Stuart Kelban


Writing for Animation: The Writers’ Perspective
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Assembly Room
Is writing for animation different than for live action? How do animation studios find writers? How do they work with them? Take a look inside the process with several successful animation writers. They will step through the elements of their creative process (pitching, research, treatment, outline, script, and reels) using examples from great animated movies.
Jason Eaton, Mike Fry, Rita Hsiao, Kiel Murray
Moderated by Greg Garrett


SATURDAY 10/22
10:45am–12:00pm
Roundtable: Television
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the craft and business of writing for television. This session offers registrants exclusive access to TV writers, producers, showrunners and directors in an informal setting.
Sterling Anderson, Alec Berg, Jay Edwards, Dan French, Kyle Killen, Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Noreen O’Toole, Daniel Petrie, Jr., Nancy Pimental, Pamela Ribon, Malcolm Spellman, Tim Talbott, Donald Todd, Meta Valentic


The Heroine’s Journey: Writing and Selling the Female-Driven Screenplay
Driskill Hotel, Citadel Room
Panelists will discuss both the creative side of writing female characters and the business-related challenges of working in the male-dominated film industry.
Pamela Gray, Elizabeth Hunter
Moderated by Cindy McCreery


2:15pm-3:30pm
In the TV Writers’ Room
Driskill Hotel, Ballroom
This panel will cover everything about writing for TV: getting hired on a staff, the code of conduct once you’re there, the jarring pace at which you'll have to work and write, the new paradigms for pilot structures, how spec pilots become successful primetime television shows, ensuring you stay employed, and more.
Sterling Anderson, Noah Hawley, Nancy Pimental
Moderated by Monte Williams

3:45pm–5:00pm
Showrunners
Driskill Hotel, Ballroom
A discussion on the role of showrunners, their effect on the direction of a show, and how they put together and work with their writing team.
Rodrigo Garcia, Kyle Killen, Rob Thomas, Donald Todd
Moderated by Barry Josephson


SUNDAY 10/23
11:30am–12:45pm
On the Level
Driskill Hotel, Citadel Room
This panel breaks down TV staffing from intern to showrunner and offers advice on how to get inside a writer's room . . . and stay there. What does "executive producer" mean, anyway? What's a "Mid-Level," and is it a good thing? Donald Todd and Pamela Ribon discuss the politics of pitching jokes, taking notes, and the dangers of being funny while female. Think you'd be strong enough to survive?
Moderated by Monte Williams

1:15pm–2:30pm
Producing Outside the Norm: A Conversation with Elizabeth Avellán
Driskill Hotel, Citadel Room
Elizabeth Avellán is the Co-Owner—with writer/director Robert Rodriguez—and Vice President of Troublemaker Studios and President of EYA Productions. She began her producing career when she co-founded Los Hooligans Productions in 1991 with Robert Rodriguez as the two began their feature film project, EL MARIACHI. Made for just $7,000, EL MARIACHI, was the winner of the 1993 Audience Awards at the Sundance and Deauville Film Festivals. Her additional producing credits include DESPERADO, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN I, II & III, THE FACULTY, SPY KIDS I—IV, SIN CITY, PREDATORS, GRINDHOUSE, and MACHETE among others. Through her EYA Productions banner, she produced the recently wrapped holiday feature film, WHEN ANGELS SING, directed by Tim McCanlies, starring Harry Connick Jr., Willie Nelson and Connie Britton.
Moderated by James Faust

2011 Roundtables!

For the uninitiated, here's how Roundtables work: Roundtable sessions offer you exclusive access to production company executives, filmmakers, screenwriters, and producers. We offer Roundtables: The Business Side (mostly producers, executives, agents, attorneys, etc.) and Roundtables: The Creative Side (mostly screenwriters) - see below for the lists of participants and read their bios on our website.

Roundtables are not pitch sessions, but rather casual table meetings where you are encouraged to ask specific questions about the business of screenwriting and filmmaking. How can I get a writing job without a produced script? What sort of projects is your company looking for? Is it easier to get my foot in the door through television? Do I hurt my scripts chances if I insist upon directing it myself?

All Roundtables take place in the Crail Hall of St. David's Episcopal Church, located at 301 East 8th Street, just one block north of both the Driskill Hotel and the InterContinental Hotel. They run Thursday, 10/20 through Saturday, 10/22, on the same time schedule as the panels.

There are approximately 15 tables in the room with 8 chairs at each table. In one of the chairs is a panelist and in the other seats are you and your fellow AFF registrants. You all meet and talk for 25 minutes and then the panelist will be notified to move to another table. This happens twice, so you will get to meet with three panelists during each session.

How to sign up: These sessions fill up quickly! After you check in at Driskill Hotel registration and get your Badge, go up to the Mezzanine, where the Roundtable Registration table is located, to reserve your spot with Robbin Kohn or Krista Keosheyan. Roundtable Registration opens on Wednesday, 10/19!

You can sign up for only one Roundtable session during the Conference. Screenplay Competition Second Rounders and Semifinalists may sign up for one of their special sessions in addition to one of the general sessions. If you are a Second Rounder or Semifinalist who has pre-registered for a Roundtable session, be sure to go to the Roundtable Registration table on the Driskill Mezzanine to check in and get your dot.


THURSDAY 10/20/11
1:00pm-2:15pm
Roundtable: The Creative Side
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the art, craft and business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to professional screenwriters and filmmakers in an informal setting. This is your opportunity to ask for advice on what to keep in mind while writing your script, how to break into the business, deal with writers’ block, work in a writing team, work with a director, and more.
Max Adams, Ernest Cline, Michael Druxman, Jonah Lisa Dyer, Stephen Dyer, Mike Fry, Leon Ichaso, Tim McCanlies, Turk Pipkin, Bryan Poyser, Anne Rapp, Alvaro Rodriguez, Dan Rosen, Beau Thorne

2:45pm-4:00pm
Roundtable: The Creative Side
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the art, craft and business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to professional screenwriters and filmmakers in an informal setting. This is your opportunity to ask for advice on what to keep in mind while writing your script, how to break into the business, deal with writers’ block, work in a writing team, work with a director, and more.
Shane Black, Greg Carter, Jason Eaton, Dan French, David Garrett, Pat Hazell, Craig Mazin, Cindy McCreery, Brian McGreevy, Tom O’Connor, Bonnie Orr, Lee Shipman, Jenny Wingfield


FRIDAY 10/21/11
9:00am-10:15am
Roundtable: The Business Side
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to executives, studio reps, agents, managers, producers and attorneys in an informal setting. Take advantage of this invaluable opportunity to ask those burning questions like how do I get an agent? Do I also need an attorney or manager? What’s the dynamic/relationship I can expect? Are studios buying spec scripts? Am I hurting my chances of selling my script if I ask to direct it? This is your opportunity to ask all this and more, without being charged by the hour or giving up a percentage of your script sale.
Katherine Brown, Mary Coleman, Cort Lane, Barry Josephson, Leif Lillehaugen, Maggie Malone, Justin Manask, Reeva Mandelbaum, Gayla Nethercott, Bonnie Orr, Mark Vahradian, Eric Weissman

10:45am-12:00pm
Roundtable: The Creative Side
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the art, craft and business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to professional screenwriters and filmmakers in an informal setting. This is your opportunity to ask for advice on what to keep in mind while writing your script, how to break into the business, deal with writers’ block, work in a writing team, work with a director, and more.
Greg Carter, Pen Densham, Michael Druxman, Harris Goldberg, James V. Hart, Jim Herzfeld, Leon Ichaso, Steve Nicolaides, Turk Pipkin, Juliet Snowden, Bob Soderstrom, Jim Uhls, Oren Uziel, Stiles White

1:45pm-3:00pm
Roundtable: The Creative Side
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the art, craft and business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to professional screenwriters and filmmakers in an informal setting. This is your opportunity to ask for advice on what to keep in mind while writing your script, how to break into the business, deal with writers’ block, work in a writing team, work with a director, and more.
Max Adams, Anthony Bagarozzi, Jonah Lisa Dyer, Stephen Dyer, Pamela Gray, Rick Jaffa, Tim McCanlies, Dan Rosen, Scott Rosenberg, Terry Rossio, Amanda Silver, Herschel Weingrod

3:15pm-4:30pm
Roundtable: The Business Side
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to executives, studio reps, agents, managers, producers and attorneys in an informal setting. Take advantage of this invaluable opportunity to ask about current trends in the marketplace. Are studios buying spec scripts? Are you hurting your chances of selling your script if you ask to direct it? This is your opportunity to ask all of these questions and more, without being charged by the hour or having to give a percentage of your script sale.
Richard Bever, Katherine Brown, Bryan Brucks, Curtis Burch, Jon Cohen, Allison Doyle, Tai Duncan, Lisa Fragner, Deena Kalai, Maggie Malone, Noreen O’Toole, Stu Pollard, Ed Radtke, Mark Vahradian, Meta Valentic

SATURDAY 10/22
9:00am–10:15am
Roundtable: The Creative Side
(Second Rounders Only)
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the art, craft and business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to professional screenwriters and filmmakers in an informal setting. This is your opportunity to ask for advice on what to keep in mind while writing your script, how to break into the business, deal with writers’ block, work in a writing team, work with a director, and more.
Jonathan Aibel, Anthony Bagarozzi, Glenn Berger, David Garrett, Harris Goldberg, Nick Kazan, Kiel Murray, Howard A. Rodman, Scott Silver, Amy Talkington, John Turman, Ric Roman Waugh, Herschel Weingrod

10:45am–12:00pm
Roundtable: Television
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the craft and business of writing for television. This session offers registrants exclusive access to TV writers, producers, showrunners and directors in an informal setting.
Sterling Anderson, Alec Berg, Jay Edwards, Dan French, Kyle Killen, Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Noreen O’Toole, Daniel Petrie, Jr., Nancy Pimental, Pamela Ribon, Malcolm Spellman, Tim Talbott, Donald Todd, Meta Valentic

2:15pm-3:30pm
Roundtable: The Business Side
(Semifinalists and Above Only)
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the business of screenwriting. This session offers registrants exclusive access to executives, studio reps, agents, managers, producers and attorneys in an informal setting. Take advantage of this invaluable opportunity to ask those burning questions like how do I get an agent? Do I also need an attorney or manager? What’s the dynamic/relationship I can expect? Are studios buying spec scripts? Am I hurting my chances of selling my script if I ask to direct it? This is your opportunity to ask all this and more, without being charged by the hour or giving up a percentage of your script sale.
Richard Bever, Bryan Brucks, Curtis Burch, Jon Cohen, Lindsay Doran, Tai Duncan, Rebecca Ewing, Franklin Leonard, Leif Lillehaugen, Joyce San Pedro

3:45pm–5:00pm
Roundtable: Young Filmmakers Program
(AEO High School Students Only)
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Crail Hall
Get in-depth answers to your questions about the art, craft and business of screenwriting and filmmaking. This session offers high school students exclusive access to industry professionals in an informal setting.
Sterling Anderson, Melissa Breaux, Pen Densham, Jay Edwards, James V. Hart, Rita Hsiao, Elizabeth Hunter, Chuck Mondry, Tom O’Connor, Terry Rossio, Bob Soderstrom, Chris Trew, Oren Uziel



All panelists are confirmed, schedules permitting, and subject to change and/or cancellation without notice.

Austin Film Festival Interviews Amy Talkington!

Writer/director Amy Talkington and Nick Stahl at the post-screening Q&A for AFF's 2006 screening of THE NIGHT OF THE WHITE PANTS


A writer and director, Amy most recently wrote the remake of VALLEY GIRL for MGM and is currently writing KICKED, BITTEN AND SCRATCHED for Summit Entertainment and the remake of PRIVATE BENJAMIN for New Line Cinema with Anna Faris set to star.

Amy wrote and directed THE NIGHT OF THE WHITE PANTS, which stars Oscar-nominee Tom Wilkinson, Nick Stahl and Selma Blair and was released by Image Entertainment in 2008 - and screened at AFF in 2006! Previously, Amy wrote and directed five short films which were selected for numerous festivals including The Sundance Film Festival and received a number of accolades including AFF’s Best Student Short.

In the television arena, Amy wrote the ABC Family movie "Brave New Girl" and co-wrote "Avalon High,” a children’s movie for which she won a 2011 WGA Award.

Originally from Texas, Amy graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College with a degree in Art History and earned an MFA in Film from Columbia University's Film Division.

Amy will be speaking on panels at this year's Conference, and we start the conversation here:


AFF: While working on new takes for both VALLEY GIRL and PRIVATE BENJAMIN, how much does the original source material influence your scripts? How will VALLEY GIRL and PRIVATE BENJAMIN differ from the originals and how much creative freedom do you have to alter the original source material?

Amy: In both cases the producers and I felt it was crucial to honor the original in spirit but not to be bound to the source material. For VALLEY GIRL, the concept that the producers brought to me was to remake it as a jukebox musical using all 80s songs. We use the framework of the original but expanded on it a great deal, working in a lot more character stuff as well as the bigger set pieces and musical numbers. For example, we gave Randy a lot more in the movie. He’s not just a guy who hangs out in Hollywood but he’s in a band (this of course also helps motivate some of the musical numbers). And, through him, Julie is exposed not just to her first love but also to cool music and art for the first time, sparking her own creativity.

We are departing further from the original in the PRIVATE BENJAMIN remake. The producers wanted to make a PRIVATE BENJAMIN set in the present day. Because the original is so much about feminism as it existed in the late 70s and early 80s, we had to rethink the lead character and her situation in a more radical way. We had to come up with a woman that felt more contemporary and had more contemporary problems than the Jewish American Princess who doesn't think she can live without a husband. Our Judy Benjamin is a victim of the "me generation," the "everyone gets a trophy" generation. She has been raised to think she's going to change the world but has never really lifted a finger. She has a very unrealistic view of her place in the world so being thrown into the Marines (where, for example, you cannot even use the words "I" or “me” during basic training) provides a lot of conflict and humor.

AFF: Working as a writer, director and producer, which of the three are you most passionate about?

Amy: For a long time, directing was my passion. I saw writing as a means to an end. I wrote things to direct or I wrote things to pay the bills (so I could direct things that didn’t pay the bills). But, more recently, my passion has shifted towards writing. Writing VALLEY GIRL really inspired me and showed me that I could write something that I was excited about within the studio system. I hadn’t previously had that experience and it really energized me and re-engaged me as a writer. I’ve been busy with assignments since then. I know I’ll direct again some day (hopefully soon) but at the moment, I’m writing my ass off.

AFF: As exciting as it must be to work on VALLEY GIRL and PRIVATE BENJAMIN, are you also anxious to again write and direct your own feature? We were so thrilled to screen NIGHT OF THE WHITE PANTS and wonder if you've already got in the works your next directing project.

Amy: I’m developing two projects that I want to direct but I’m taking my time with them. One of the great things about being so busy with these assignments is that I’m becoming a better writer every single day. I know that when I get back to my “personal” scripts, I’ll be able to look at them with fresh eyes and make them much better.

AFF: On that note, now that you've been in the industry for several years, how do you look back on NIGHT OF THE WHITE PANTS and the experience you had making it? Many filmmakers say they can't bear to look at their earlier works, how do you feel about it? Do you look back fondness and nostalgia, or do you only see mistakes?

Amy: I look back at the experience of making the movie with great fondness – I really loved my entire cast and crew. But when I look at the movie itself I only see my mistakes. I am definitely eager to direct another feature and use all that I learned from that experience.

AFF: What's your writing routine?

Amy: I like to write in the mornings before I get too distracted with life. Ideally I get to my desk by 8:00 AM and write until at least 1PM. Then, later in the day, I do meetings, conference calls, research or anything else I can do to distract myself from obsessing on how much whatever I wrote that morning probably sucks.

Thanks, Amy, and we'll see you soon!

How to do the Fest by Registrant Robert Hampton

We asked longtime registrant Rob Hampton to give incoming attendees some advice on how to get the most out of the Austin Film Festival & Conference. Hampton's first year of attending the Conference was 2009 - the year we awarded Ron Howard, Mitch Hurwitz and Steve Zaillian - when he walked up and bought a Conference Badge at our Driskill Hotel Registration Center. He had such a great time that in 2010, he bought a Producers badge, AND introduced us to Emmy Award-winning writer Peter Murrieta (who came in that year), AND drove in a few days in advance from Florida to volunteer in our office which, at that point, is beyond crowded, hectic and crazy. Hampton is on board again this year and we are so pleased and honored to call him an AFF regular. We look forward to the day he joins us as a panelist. Heed his words!


Getting the most out of the Austin Film Festival & Conference by Registrant Robert Hampton

Getting the most out of the festival and conference is easy. If you're coming in from out of town, just being in Austin is worth the cost of the badge, so you're up already.

I discovered the Austin Film Festival in 2009 on the first day of the conference. I had an hour between when I bought my pass and started attending panels. With my superior sense of direction, it took me about thirty seconds to locate everywhere I needed to go, so it might take you a minute. You won't be able to find one that's not full of wonderful people being addressed by wonderful and accomplished people. The biggest problem is that there are several going on at once and you may think it's unfair to have to choose between them. Well, life's unfair. Pick one. Trust me, you won't regret missing the one across the hall.

Where else can you hear writers talk about how impossible it is to work with studio executives and producers, and then have studio executives and producers talk about how exasperating it is to work with writers? No other place that doesn't also have lawyers and a judge, let me tell you.

Why are you there? Answer that and you'll be able to pick panels to best suit your goals. Writing for movies is great, but more writers are employed writing for TV. Last year I attended a panel on "How to be a Showrunner," which is the head writer on a TV show. It wasn't as well attended as panels on movies, even though the people running the panel actually employ dozens of new writers every year and are always looking for talent. One remarked on the irony.

Carry a notebook and take notes. People you meet. Thoughts. You can ask people to write their names and contact info, or copy the Pixar "formula" for success in it. I've done both! And have plenty of cards if you want to network. Entire forests are cleared for the card stock handed out at the parties. Writers aren't the only ones there. People with mad skills in many areas are all over.

Stick around after the panels and ask a question, or just listen to other people ask questions. Many of these panelists are people you would never get close to in Hollywood. Seriously, if you approached them in a shop in Beverly Hills they'd mace you (I suppose). Here, though, they are generous with their time and eager to meet people who aspire to the industry. Don't be shy!

This is the place to meet new friends. At my first Conference Wrap party in 2009, I simply approached a beautiful girl and asked "have you gotten funding for your project yet?" She laughed, and we're still friends, though she was too shy to go over and meet Woody Harrelson or Mike Judge. Did I mention that Woody Harrelson and Mike Judge were at the party?

Hang out at the Driskill. Unless you're doing something specific somewhere else. Last year I spoke to Phil Rosenthal (creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond") in the lobby of the Driskill, at the Hair of the Dog Brunch over scrambled eggs, and after his movie premiere, we told jokes, shared info on the panels, and praised Austin. The year before, I was eating and drinking at the Driskill bar with Danny Rubin (Groundhog Day) and Shane Black (Lethal Weapon). This sort of thing almost never happens to me in my Florida suburb.

See as many movies as possible and meet the filmmakers. These are people who are actually doing the things that most people are only ever gassing on about.

Go to the script reading! The 2010 reading was epic. I don't know how they'll top it. Go anyway!

I was so impressed by my first festival that I started writing a screenplay (it'll be done by this fest!). I also wouldn't shut up about how great the AFF is. Seriously. The next year a journalist friend joined me. She got interviews with Dax Shephard and the cast of several of the movies showing there. We also got to hang out with the coolest writer in Hollywood - Peter Murrieta (Level Up, Wizards of Waverly Place, et al.), who was gracious enough to listen to me when I said he should be a panelist at the conference. We went record shopping and talked writing and baseball and steam punk. Before he left, he said "I'll see you in L.A.!"

But I'm sure other people have cooler stories and better advice.

(I'd say something about parking, but there isn't any. Good luck with that.)

Everything You Could Ever Want to Know About Writing for Animation. Everything. Seriously.

Have dreams of writing for Pixar? Curious to know the difference between writing live action and writing for animation? What it's like to work with the studios, how to break in and what you can expect of the development process?

Animation writers, here's your 2011 AFF Conference Schedule!

FRIDAY 10/21/11
10:45am-12:00pm
Writing for Animation: The Studios’ Perspective
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Assembly Room
Where do the ideas for animated features come from? How do animation studios find writers? How do they work with them? Take a look inside the process with Development Execs from Blue Sky Studios, Disney Animation, and Pixar Animation Studios. They’ll walk you through the elements of their creative process (pitching, research, treatment, outline, script, and reels) using examples from great animated movies.
Mary Coleman, Lisa Fragner, Maggie Malone

1:45pm-3:00pm
Graphic Novels and Comic Books: Translating Them to the Screen
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom
From Spiderman to Watchmen, comic books and graphic novels are king and have cemented themselves as a diverse commercial and artistic medium whose cinematic adaptations have become some of the most successful films in recent memory. Join the conversation about the complex and conflicted journey of adapting well-known and well-loved stories to film and living up to fans' demanding expectations.
Cort Lane, Chuck Mondry, Beau Thorne, John Turman
Moderated by Álvaro Rodríguez

Pixar’s Story Development Process
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Assembly Room
Pixar Animation Studio's development process is unique in the industry. Kiel Murray will talk about the rewards of their approach from a writer's perspective, and Senior Development Executive Mary Coleman will give examples of how support for original ideas, inspiring field trips, and the intense "brain trust" feedback process combine to create memorable stories.


3:15pm-4:30pm
Writing for Animation: The Writers’ Perspective
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Assembly Room
Is writing for animation different than for live action? How do animation studios find writers? How do they work with them? Take a look inside the process with several successful animation writers. They will step through the elements of their creative process (pitching, research, treatment, outline, script, and reels) using examples from great animated movies.
Jason Eaton, Mike Fry, Rita Hsiao, Kiel Murray

SATURDAY 10/22
9:00am–10:15am
TOY STORY 3: How 4 Years of Creative Agony Became 93 Minutes of Movie Fun
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom
Screenwriter Michael Arndt traces the evolution of the script for the Academy Award® winning feature TOY STORY 3, from the first treatment in 2006 to the final film of 2010. Using clips from the film's early reels, he details all the blunders, missteps, blind alleys, and mistakes he and his fellow writers made in the course of the script's development and presents clips from the finished film to show how those missteps were eventually overcome and corrected.

10:45am–12:00pm
A Conversation with 2011 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Awardee John Lasseter
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom
John Lasseter is Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and the Academy Award®-winning director and executive-producer of MONSTERS, INC., FINDING NEMO, THE INCREDIBLES, RATATOUILLE, WALL-E, UP, TANGLED, and TOY STORY 3.

2:15pm–3:15pm
Caroline Thompson and Steve Nicolaides Present: “Small & Creepy Films”
Austin Convention Center
Eager to encourage the strange and idiosyncratic in young filmmakers, 2011 AFF Distinguished Screenwriter Award Recipient Caroline Thompson (EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS) and her husband, producer Steve Nicolaides (BOYZ N THE HOOD, LITTLE BIG LEAGUE, SCHOOL OF ROCK) founded and run the website Small & Creepy Films at www.smallandcreepy.com. This is a presentation of the “best of” Small & Creepy Films.

3:45pm–5:00pm
Writing Animation for the Whole Family: A Conversation with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
Driskill Hotel, Citadel Room
Join Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger (KUNG FU PANDA 1 & 2) as they relate their experience writing for animation in both TV and film. The duo will discuss how to keep your audience broad without sacrificing sophistication and what it takes to entertain the adults as much as the kids.


A Conversation with 2011 Distinguished Screenwriter Awardee Caroline Thompson
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom
Caroline Thompson's credits include EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, THE SECRET GARDEN, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, BLACK BEAUTY, BUDDY, and CORPSE BRIDE. She is currently working on adaptations of Melissa Marr’s novel Wicked Lovely and Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita.

Check out the full panel schedule here!

Funny Strange, or Funny Ha Ha?

You already know that regardless of the genre you write in, the basic elements are the same for a great script: tight structure, interesting, multi-dimensional characters, well-crafted dialogue and, above all, a solid and terrific story. Still, if your focus is comedy, you want to know how to make the comedic moments jump off the page and not just rest on the shoulders of actors. Lucky for you, we've programmed several panels around comedy writing, as well as conversations with writers and filmmakers who've taken it to new levels.

Comedy writers, here's your 2011 AFF Conference schedule!

THURSDAY 10/20/11
1:00pm-2:15pm
A Conversation with Alec Berg
Driskill Hotel, Ballroom
For over fifteen years, Alec Berg has been one of the leading voices in comedy writing for television and film. He has been nominated for four Emmy awards for his work with Larry David on the NBC series Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm - where he currently serves as a writer, executive producer and director - and he also served as a writer for Late Night with Conan O'Brien for several months. Berg will discuss his storied career as well as the key differences in writing for television and film using examples from his work on THE CAT IN THE HAT (terrible) and EUROTRIP (excellent!), and the upcoming THE DICTATOR, co-written by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen.
Moderated by Pat Hazell, formerly a special consultant on Seinfeld, a regular on The Tonight Show and a critically acclaimed playwright.


FRIDAY 10/21/11
9:00am-10:15am
Comedy - The Hardest Genre?
Driskill Hotel, Ballroom
Whether going for broad laughs or more subtle humor, comedies walk a razor-thin line between hilarious success and dead-silent failure trying to please their audiences. A discussion on the perils and pratfalls of writing all types comedy, from the sharpest of wits to the dirtiest limericks.
Alec Berg, Jeff Lowell, Craig Mazin


SATURDAY 10/22
10:45am–12:00pm
A Conversation with 2011 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Awardee John Lasseter
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Ballroom
John Lasseter is Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and the Academy Award®-winning director and executive-producer of MONSTERS, INC., FINDING NEMO, THE INCREDIBLES, RATATOUILLE, WALL-E, UP, TANGLED, and TOY STORY 3.

3:45pm–5:00pm
Writing Animation for the Whole Family: A Conversation with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
Driskill Hotel, Citadel Room
Join Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger (KUNG FU PANDA 1 & 2) as they relate their experience writing for animation in both TV and film. The duo will discuss how to keep your audience broad without sacrificing sophistication and what it takes to entertain the adults as much as the kids.


SUNDAY 10/23
11:30am–12:45pm
On the Level
Driskill Hotel, Citadel Room
This panel breaks down TV staffing from intern to showrunner and offers advice on how to get inside a writer's room . . . and stay there. What does "executive producer" mean, anyway? What's a "Mid-Level," and is it a good thing? Donald Todd and Pamela Ribon discuss the politics of pitching jokes, taking notes, and the dangers of being funny while female. Think you'd be strong enough to survive?
Moderated by Monte Williams

Comedy—The Hardest Genre?
Driskill Hotel, Ballroom
Whether going for broad laughs or more subtle humor, comedies walk a razor-thin line between hilarious success and dead-silent failure. Join us for a panel on the perils and pratfalls of writing all types of comedy, from the sharpest of wits to the dirtiest limericks.
Jim Herzfeld, Nancy Pimental, Tim Talbott

Check out the full panel schedule here!

And we've got your Film Schedule, too!

Freak Dance (USA, 98 min.)
Writer: Matt Besser
Directors: Matt Besser, Neil Mahoney
Cast: Michael Cassady, Megan Heyn, Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Tim Meadows, Andy Daly, Horatio Sanz
WORLD PREMIERE

Make no mistake, FREAK DANCE is a straight-up musical—a brilliant, musical comedy with dance numbers that rival the very films they are parodying. Adapted by Upright Citizens Brigade co-founder, Matt Besser, from the stage show that ran for more than a year at the UCB Theatre, the comedy skips cheap reference humor and goes right for absurdity. FREAK DANCE tells the story of Cocolonia, a spoiled rich girl who just wants to dance, so she sets out to join the ranks of some local street dancers. Little does she know that this will ultimately involve her in an epic battle of good and evil between two warring dance troupes. Besser and Neil Mahoney have created a sure to be cult classic featuring a cast of new comedic actors and fellow UCB Theatre founders Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts and Horatio Sanz.

Fred & Vinnie (USA, 89 min.)
Writer: Fred Stoller
Director: Steve Skrovan
Cast: Fred Stoller, Angelo Tsarouches, Scott Chernoff, Bill Rutkoski, John Asher, Fred Willard
REGIONAL PREMIERE

Writer Fred Stoller stars as Fred Stoller, an actor in Hollywood, playing an assortment of deliverymen, clerks and other oddballs. The rest of the time he wanders the streets researching his book project, Restaurants You Don’t Feel Self-Conscious Eating Alone At. He has a long distance bond with his old friend from back East, Vinnie DAngelo, who hardly ever leaves his rent-free basement apartment. Their relationship is put to the test when Vinnie ventures cross country to stay with Fred to give show business a try. At first, Fred is thrilled to have the company and eager to give Vinnie a live tour of his life, but soon feels trapped when Vinnie quickly reverts to his agoraphobic ways. Stoller and Skrova, both comedy veterans, create a surprisingly touching, but hilarious film about that one friend who everyone has and wants to ignore but ultimately, somehow, can’t.

High Road (USA, 83 min.)
Writers: Matt Walsh, Josh Weiner
Director: Matt Walsh
Cast: James Pumphrey, Abby Elliott, Rob Riggle, Joe Lo Truglio, Dylan O’Brien, Rich Fulcher, Lizzy Caplan, Horation Sanz, Ed Helms, Kyle Gass, Andy Daly
REGIONAL PREMIERE

Fitz is about to finish his rock opera about his life philosophy: the triangle theory that describes how any three points or people can make a triangle. But his world crashes around him when his band mates quit to take paying jobs. A despondent Fitz, thinking the cops are also out to bust him for dealing pot, decides to drive to Oakland to visit his estranged stepfather. He reluctantly agrees to let Jimmy, the 16-year-old neighborhood kid, tag along. However, Jimmy’s dad thinks their road trip is a kidnapping and sets off in pursuit of the duo. Naturally, mayhem ensues. The second directorial debut from an Upright Citizens Brigade founder in the program, Matt Walsh delivers a stoner farce from a script he wrote with AFF Alum Weiner.

Treatment (USA, 83 min.)
Writer: Sean Nelson
Directors: Sean Nelson, Steven Schardt
Cast: Joshua Leonard, Sean Nelson, Ross Partridge, Jessica Makinson, Brie Larson, John Hodgman
REGIONAL PREMIERE

Sometimes, screenwriters get to a point where they will do anything to get their film made. Leonard (Leonard actually is the character’s name) is no different: All his life he has dreamed of being a famous filmmaker, but he's better at making excuses than making art. A chance encounter with a wasted A-list movie star could be his lucky break. All he has to do is come up with $15,000 to join the actor at a luxury rehab facility, where their friendship can blossom into wealth and glory. Leonard pressures his writing partner (Nelson) into paying expensive bills while he checks into treatment under false pretenses. Leonard soon discovers that addiction comes in many forms. A daring comedy with serious underpinnings, TREATMENT is about the lies we tell ourselves in order to live, and the price we pay when we start to believe them. Indie film stalwart Joshua Leonard (HUMPDAY, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT) and writer/co-director Sean Nelson portray the doomed writing team—two friends who are both ambitious and desperate to make it.