Conversations in Film: Writing Action!

We will be kicking off our 2012 Conversation in Film Series this month with a bang. Derek Haas (3:10 TO YUMAS, WANTED, 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS) and Ric Roman Waugh (ex-stuntman, FELON, the upcoming SNITCH and EVEL) will join us Tuesday, February 21st for a discussion on Writing Action. Using film clips and scenes from their scripts, Ric and Derek will talk about how to craft effective action scenes on the page that both further your story and convey the tension and energy that will translate to the screen.

Derek Haas is the author of several novels and co-wrote the screenplays for 3:10 TO YUMA, WANTED, 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS and THE DOUBLE. In 2008 he published his novel THE SILVER BEAR about the young contract killer Columbus. The sequel, COLUMBUS, was released in 2009. Derek is also the creator and editor of popcornfiction.com, where he publishes short stories by various authors. Haas explains that the site "grew out of a love for pulpy short fiction that used to dominate popular magazines in the mid-20th Century. I wanted to create a place where new popular short fiction could flourish, and Hollywood could have a new resource for cultivating great ideas."

Ric Roman Waugh began his career as a stuntman and became one of the youngest stunt coordinators at the age of eighteen. Gaining success as a writer, Waugh has developed, written, and rewritten over 20 studio-based feature film screenplays for producers such as Jerry Bruckheimer, Mark Gordon, Neil Moritz, Barry Josephson, Todd Garner, Mark Canton, Jim Sheridan and Nick Wechsler.  His latest screenplay, titled THE BRAND, is a dramatic thriller about the rise of the Aryan brotherhood with Leonardo DiCaprio set to star and Marc Foster to direct. His next feature film to start this fall will be EVEL, a biopic on the legendary daredevil, Evel Knievel. You can read more about EVEL in this article written for The Hollywood Reporter.

The event will take place at the Harry Ransom Center, and to kick off the series, we'll be having a reception in the lobby at 5pm prior to the Conversation. Take in the incredible exhibit created for the occasion from the amazing film collection at the Harry Ransom Center, including the storyboard panels from the burning of Atlanta scene in GONE WITH THE WIND (below), as well as storyboards from REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, TOP GUN, and more.

 Storyboards from GONE WITH THE WIND

  

Conversations in Film: Writing Action! takes place at 6pm on Tuesday, February 21st at the Harry Ransom Center. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for AFF members, and can be purchased online here.

Admission to the opening reception and exhibit is free! Doors open at 5pm.

LIVING RECORD: The Music Documentaries of DA Pennebaker

We will kick off the year on Wednesday, February 1 at 7:00pm, with our new series, Living Record: The Music Docs of DA Pennebaker. Partnering with Jo's Hot Coffee, we will be offering free screenings of this legendary documentarian's films at the downtown 2nd Street Jo's location the first Wednesday of every month. 

Pennebaker is renowned for his verite approach, replacing talking heads and intrusive voiceover with a simple record of seminal music events as they happened. After capturing hundreds of hours of footage at concerts, hotel rooms, and press interviews, Pennebaker told his story in the editing room, finding the moments that would resonate most with audiences. His films offer those who lived through these events a chance to recapture those memories while giving those who didn't an opportunity to feel intimately connected to our musical history.

The first film in the series is THIS WEDNESDAY - Don't Look Back, covering Bob Dylan's 1965 concert tour in the United Kingdom.

Pennebaker captures a young Dylan at the beginning of his ascent to superstardom - confident if not arrogant, confrontational and contrary, but also charismatic and charming. Along with transcendental performances by Dylan, the film also features Joan Baez, Donovan, Alan Price (who had just left The Animals), Marianne Faithfull, John Mayall, Ginger Baker, and Allen Ginsberg.

In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Jo's will also be offering drinks specials - $3 premium drafts, $3 house wine.

 

Don't miss these pivotal moments in music history:

February 1 | Music Docs of D. A. Pennebaker...DON'T LOOK BACK, @7pm, Jo's Downtown, FREE!

March 7 | Music Docs of D. A. Pennebaker...MONTEREY POP, @7pm, Jo's Downtown, FREE!

April 4 | Music Docs of D. A. Pennebaker...ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS, @7pm, Jo's Downtown, FREE!

May 2 | Music Docs of D. A. Pennebaker...ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE, @7pm, Jo's Downtown, FREE! 

And don't forget, AFF Members recieve a 10% discount at both Jo's Coffee locations! Interested in signing up? There will be a table at the events for more information, or visit our website.

AFF Presents...@ the Alamo Lakecreek

UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections

ONE-NIGHT-ONLY!
Thursday, July 31 | 7:30PM
FREE for Austin Film Festival Members, $4 Public

WATCH THE TRAILER!





UNCOUNTED is an explosive new documentary that shows how the election fraud that changed the outcome of the 2004 election led to even greater fraud in 2006 - and now looms as an unbridled threat to the outcome of the 2008 election.

This controversial feature length film by Emmy award-winning director David Earnhardt examines in factual, logical, and yet startling terms how easy it is to change election outcomes and undermine election integrity across the U.S. Noted computer programmers, statisticians, journalists, and experienced election officials provide the irrefutable proof.

When you have a membership with the Austin Film Festival, you not only enjoy discounts at the 2008 Conference & Festival - but free movies all year long! For more information on events, benefits (including free Film Passes or special invitations to festival parties ) and membership levels visit our membership page.