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AFF Interview: AMERICAN MILKSHAKE
In 2005, Austin Film Festival world-premiered a brilliant short THE BRAGGART by filmmaker David Andalman (which you can see in its entirety here: https://vimeo.com/22129360). Now, seven years later we are excited to host the Texas premiere of AMERICAN MILKSHAKE, a film he wrote, directed and produced with Mariko Munro and which premiered at Sundance this last year. David and Mariko just landed in Cannes with …
In 2005, Austin Film Festival world-premiered a brilliant short THE BRAGGART by filmmaker David Andalman (which you can see in its entirety here: https://vimeo.com/22129360). Now, seven years later we are excited to host the Texas premiere of AMERICAN MILKSHAKE, a film he wrote, directed and produced with Mariko Munro and which premiered at Sundance this last year. David and Mariko just landed in Cannes with their AMERICAN MILKSHAKE foreign sales agent, and preparing for the Producer’s Network to pitch their next project. They took some time out of their busy schedule to answer a few questions from Director of Programming Bears Fonté about their debut feature.
AFF : Where did the inspiration for AMERICAN MILKSHAKE come from, and was there anything that came to you right away that ended up virtually untouched in the final version?
AMERICAN MILKSHAKE was inspired by our collective youth – Mariko and I that is. That time in childhood when it first dawns on you that race, sex, and class play a big role in your life – in the cards you’re dealt. And you’re first starting to realize life’s not fair. It can create rifts in friendships and between children and parents, and in relationships.
AFF: This is a dark, dark comedy. Were you ever worried about going too far? How did you give yourself the courage to carry on?
The beauty of indie is that you don’t have to play by the usual Hollywood rules. We weren’t so worried about going too far, but we did want to be very careful to accurately portray the characters. Nothing is dark just to be dark.
AFF: Every writing partnership works differently. How did you two collaborate on American Milkshake?
In this instance David wrote the first draft, and from then on out we poured over the script together, re-shaping, rewriting, punching up jokes, etc. Really working side by side at the keyboard. On the next project LIBBY AT THE DOOR – a New York Club comedy, Mariko is writing the first draft, and bouncing the pages off David along the way for feedback. In the second pass we’ll probably sit down side by side again.
AFF: Were there ever moments where you two as the ‘director’ were a little frustrated with you two as ‘the writers?’
It’s always a process. There’s always room for improvement in rehearsal and shooting. But in comedy, when the writing is very tight and particular it almost always works best if actors stick to the page. We were very happy with the script.
AFF: Our film competition accepts entries until July 15th. As a veteran of the film festival circuit, what advice can you give filmmakers about getting the most out of their festival experiences?
Have a good time. Meet people you want to work with in the future, and enjoy learning from others who have gone through it. It’s all a blast.
AMERICAN MILKSHAKE plays Monday, May 22nd at 7 pm in the Texas Spirit Theater at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
AFF Interview: David Magee on Breaking In and Taking Chances
05.08.13 | Erin Hallagan Wednesday, May 22nd, join Austin Film Festival for A Conversation with David Magee, writer of LIFE OF PI and FINDING NEVERLAND. The conversation will focus on adaptation, writing for imaginative worlds, and using language to articulate enchanting stories that have been so beautifully translated to the screen. Following the conversation will be a retrospective screening of FINDING NEVERLAND and post-screening Q&A. …
05.08.13 | Erin Hallagan
Wednesday, May 22nd, join Austin Film Festival for A Conversation with David Magee, writer of LIFE OF PI and FINDING NEVERLAND. The conversation will focus on adaptation, writing for imaginative worlds, and using language to articulate enchanting stories that have been so beautifully translated to the screen. Following the conversation will be a retrospective screening of FINDING NEVERLAND and post-screening Q&A. We sat down with Magee beforehand for a pre-interview about how he broke into the industry and his advice to screenwriting students. To hear more from David Magee and to join us May 22nd, click here.
AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (AFF): What did you do professionally before you became a screenwriter and how did you break into the film industry?
MAGEE: I started as a theatre actor, having a great time and earning no money, and I supported myself by doing voiceover. I narrated several audiobooks, which are usually recorded in full length and abridged versions. One day I went in to a recording studio with an abridgment of a novel that was horribly done – it was unfair to the original writer to record it – and I said to the producer offhandedly that I could have done a better job abridging it. She asked if I wanted to give it a try. It turned out that abridging was a perfect job for an actor who needed time to go to auditions and to regional theatres, and in the next five years I wrote abridgments of 85 books. Without intending it, I got incredible training in story structure. Toward the end of that period I began writing for the stage, which led to my opportunity to write FINDING NEVERLAND.
AFF: How does your experience as a theatre actor influence your writing style?
MAGEE: When I write dialogue, I am essentially performing the characters in my head, and thanks to my acting background, I know when a bit of dialogue gives an actor something they can sink their teeth into and when something sounds good on paper but can’t be said with a straight face.
AFF: On LIFE OF PI, what was your collaboration with Ang Lee like? How closely was he involved in the adaptation/writing process?
MAGEE: I worked very closely with Ang throughout the writing process. In the initial stages, I would write notes, sketch scenes, and so on. Once a week or so send what I had over to Ang and then join him in New York for lunch and an afternoon of throwing ideas around, then I’d head back home for another week of writing. Once we had a first draft, Ang began working with computer animators to plan out the filming of the sea adventure, essentially designing the film shot by shot. As I watched his visual ideas unfold, I revised the script to reflect what he was doing, and he changed the animation as the script evolved as well. I was in Taiwan for all of pre-production. Once the filming began I headed home – the script didn’t change at all during filming, which was a highly technical process that took place primarily in a wave tank – but when the editing process began, Ang invited me back regularly to tweak voiceovers and throw in my two cents worth on the process.
AFF: Initially you thought the novel was not filmmable. How did you make it work and how much research did you do?
MAGEE: Well, all of us made it work. Ten years ago, when the book came out, I couldn’t imagine how you could possibly film a real tiger and animals in a boat with a teenager, and the technology to create such amazing visual effects simply didn’t exist. I also didn’t imagine a studio would have had the guts to take on what I knew would have been an expensive and difficult film to make with no stars and an ambiguous ending. And if Ang hadn’t been directing, I don’t think I would have ever taken on the project myself four years ago – without a director of his caliber I don’t think it would have mattered what I wrote. My challenge was to tell a story about religious and philosophical issues that took place primarily in the mind of a teenage boy as he floated across the ocean in a lifeboat, and finding the actions that made his internal struggle visible onscreen, and the short answer to how I made my part of the process work was through a lot of trial and error, constant rewrites and input from a team of incredibly talented filmmakers.
Research was an essential part of the writing process. When I began I knew next to nothing about India, Hinduism, and even lifeboats for that matter. Early on, Ang and I met with Steven Callahan, a sailor who wrote a book called “Adrift” about his real life experience floating across the Atlantic in a five-foot round inflatable lifeboat. His stories about the ways in which the journey changed him physically and emotionally became an essential part of the story, and in fact Steve became our Survival Expert on the film, charting the exact journey through the ocean Pi would have taken, where he would have landed on the beach, where the island would have been located and so on. We also traveled through India to all the locations in the book before I had begun writing, and one of our associate producers, Jean Castelli, became our research expert on religious issues, prayers, different forms of Indian dance and the like. In a film with so many wondrous elements, you have to fully ground your story in the real to make the journey believable.
AFF: How did you decide what went into the film’s interpretation of the open-ended conclusion?
MAGEE: From the very beginning of the writing process, Ang and I saw this film not so much about religion as being about how different narratives help us get through the ordeals of our lives. A Hindu, a Christian, and an atheist can watch the same events unfold and come to different conclusions about the hidden forces at work beneath it all – but they all rely on a narrative to understand what they’ve witnessed. We didn’t want to force any one conclusion upon our audience, we simply wanted them to see the ways in which different views of the same story can add up to a larger view of our journey through life. Ideally, you own interpretation of what really happened to Pi on that boat says more about your world view than it says about what conclusions we wanted you to take from the ending.
AFF: Who are some of your favorite playwrights or screenwriters?
MAGEE: I’m going to stick with dead writers, because while I love a lot of writers working today, I also know a lot of them, and I don’t want to forget anyone or offend someone by not mentioning them. So… Shakespeare, Harold Pinter, Arthur Miller, Joe Mankiewicz, Billy Wilder, Ernest Lehman, Preston Sturges, Philip Barry, Tennessee Williams, Frank Capra, Frank Pierson and while he wasn’t a screenwriter, exactly, Buster Keaton. And I still feel bad that I left dozens of others off the list.
AFF: What do you find yourself telling your screenwriting students most? Any advice for up-and-coming writers?
MAGEE: The number one bit of advice I have is that if you keep showing up, if you keep working at your craft, if you always do just a little more than you’re asked and take your work far more seriously than you take yourself, eventually you will get your chance. It may be a small chance, and it may take many more chances along the way to get to your ultimate goal, but a door will crack open somewhere, and all that matters then is whether or not you’re prepared to step through it.
AFF Guest Blog: Director Alex Holdridge on The 2001 Making of WRONG NUMBERS and the Landscape of Filmmaking in Austin
05.01.13 | Alex Holdridge Next Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00pm AFF’s Made in Texas series kicks off with a retrospective screening of WRONG NUMBERS. WRONG NUMBERS was a 2001 Austin Film Festival Audience Award Winner, directed by native Texan Alex Holdridge and launched the careers of comedian and radio personality Matt Bearden and actor Scoot McNairy (ARGO, KILLING THEM SOFTLY). Alex, Matt and Scoot will …
05.01.13 | Alex Holdridge
Next Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00pm AFF’s Made in Texas series kicks off with a retrospective screening of WRONG NUMBERS. WRONG NUMBERS was a 2001 Austin Film Festival Audience Award Winner, directed by native Texan Alex Holdridge and launched the careers of comedian and radio personality Matt Bearden and actor Scoot McNairy (ARGO, KILLING THEM SOFTLY). Alex, Matt and Scoot will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A. Alex Holdridge sat down to pen what he remembers of filmmaking in Austin in 2001 when the Alamo Drafthouse was a one room entity, and late nights at Kerbey Lane was payment for the crew. For more information about the screening, and for tickets, click here.
What I remember about Austin in 2001 was shooting anytime we had cash (waiting tables at Hickory Street/working at Precision camera) to buy more DV tapes. That meant late nights with friends that were as obsessed about films as you were. There was no money for any of us, so payment was often pancakes at Kerbey Lane after shooting all night, exhausted. It was the end of an era when people could still smoke at Starseeds, and online editing at home was financially out of reach unless you braved hacked Adobe Premiere software and reconfigured your computer endlessly so it could play back without a hiccup (which we eventually did). It was the era of cutting, exporting back to DV tape “lossless,” and that made it possible to shoot way too many takes. It was the beginning of the end of 16 mm for low-budget films. We began WRONG NUMBERS shooting a 16 mm trailer to raise money when the three chip DV cameras started to become a viable means of shooting, and we took the chance to actually make the film rather than waiting around failing to raise money. It was the time when the Alamo Drafthouse was a one room affair, and they introduced us to a whole slew of great films that we watched while we actually drank beer, completely new for us. The drafthouse even showed Wrong Numbers for what eventually lasted for three solid weeks of screenings. Tim and Carrie are forever appreciated for that.
The Chronicle was kind and to my surprise actually took the time to write about our tiny film. JB and Sandy became friends after JB strolled into an Alamo screening one night and liked the film. They talked it up for us on their show, and made us feel special and got people to the Drafthouse. I was blown away because the film took us four years to make. We were all working full-time or going to school, so we shot part-time and had to figure out how to edit it. Along the way we changed a lot and learned what we were doing. The mistakes I made as a director are endless in this one, but the actors are absolutely phenomenal, and that made all the difference. I knew there was something special in each of those guys Scoot McNairy, Matt Bearden, Matt Pulliam, Brian McGuire, Robert Murphy. All still good friends. I continued making films with many of these guys for the next decade.
A decade later Scoot is in the best picture winner. That was a special little crew, and I love all those people for diving in like that.
Before we showed it, however, I was certain it was going to be a failure. The night of the AFF premiere, I slunk into the theater convinced this was going to be the most embarrassing night of my life. My friends were expecting Titanic after four years of working on the same film, and it was a tiny comedy about two underage friends trying to buy a six pack on a Friday night. Given I was learning what I was doing, I figured people had way too high expectations. You know what it’s like when people ask, what’s up and you say you’re working on the film. And they say, “The same one?!” When that goes on for years, you start to feel nervous. That tiny premiere in the Driskill was something I’ll never forget.
It’ll be fun to be back in Austin with the old crew to kick off the AFF screenings. It’s an honor.
For more information on WRONG NUMBERS and to attend the screening (Tickets are $5 General Admission / Free for AFF and Bullock State History Museum Members), click here.
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AFF Interview: Joseph Levy on SPINNING PLATES
Monday, May 6th brings the close of this year’s Austin Film Festival Audience Award Series. One of our favorite year round event series, these “Best of Fest” screenings give the Austin community a second chance at seeing AFF’s Audience Award favorites. Our last screening in the series, SPINNING PLATES will take place on Monday, May 6th at 7:00 the Alamo Drafthouse Village. Writer/Director Joseph Levy will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A but AFF sat down with him beforehand for a pre-interview.
05.01.13 | Bears Fonté
Monday, May 6th brings the close of this year’s Austin Film Festival Audience Award Series. One of our favorite year round event series, these “Best of Fest” screenings give the Austin community a second chance at seeing AFF’s Audience Award favorites. Our last screening in the series, SPINNING PLATES will take place on Monday, May 6th at 7:00 the Alamo Drafthouse Village. Writer/Director Joseph Levy will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A but AFF sat down with him beforehand for a pre-interview. For more information on the screening, click here.
Austin Film Festival: Your film follows three restauranteers and various stages of their restaurant’s development. How did you find them and how did you know you had the right people to focus the film around?
Joseph Levy: Alinea was the easiest find since I already knew Grant Achatz. In 2003, I made a Food Network show called Into the Fire that looked behind-the-scenes at some of the nation’s most renowned restaurants. At the time, Grant was the executive chef of Trio, just outside of Chicago. The dinner I had at Trio was the most incredible dining experience of my life (only to be surpassed by later experiences at Alinea), and at 29-years-old, Grant was a fascinating, driven character. Several years later, he opened Alinea, which was soon named the best restaurant in the nation. Two years after that, Grant would receive a diagnosis thrusting him into a fight for his life. Grant is one of the most interesting and brilliant people I have ever met, and I really wanted to tell his story.
Breitbach’s Country Dining involves a much larger cast and is about the incredible relationship between a restaurant and a town. I had never heard of Breitbach’s prior to 2010, but I knew the basic blueprint I was looking for. I was looking for something like a particular restaurant I grew up with in Corpus Christi, Texas, called Andy’s Country Kitchen – a place where everybody seemed to know everyone else and the color of your collar didn’t matter. It was a place where community just happened around food. But Corpus has about 300,000 people and I wanted to find a place where the stakes were higher – where the restaurant was the heart of the town. Because of their 150-year-old history and some of the things that the restaurant and the town went through that are talked about in the film, it wasn’t long before I found myself in Balltown, Iowa – a town of about 70 with a restaurant that seats 400 that on some weekends serves 2000. But at the center of this family-owned legacy is a very special and beautiful relationship with its community, and an amazing story of how that relationship was put to the test. Breitbach’s was everything I was looking for and more.
The third restaurant, La Cocina de Gabby, was a very hard find and took months of searching. I knew the story I wanted to tell – an ethnic restaurant run by owners who came to the U.S. in search of the American Dream. I also knew that I wanted the drama driving their story to be incredibly true. Most of the drama that people know of the food world today comes from what’s shown on television – screaming chefs and mystery basket competitions. I have nothing against that programming, but it’s entertainment… it’s manufactured and it’s an incomplete picture. This is the story of a couple trying to save their home from foreclosure and keep their family together while providing for their 3-year-old daughter. I feel it’s a very important story to tell because it’s incredibly prevalent and a very real snapshot of a part of the restaurant world that doesn’t get shown. So how do you find a restaurant that’s struggling because not many people know about it? After many food trips to different cities (one in particular comes to mind in San Diego that involved eating at 8 restaurants in 8 hours) and hours of searching on the internet for restaurants with only enough presence that I could find them, I found La Cocina de Gabby. I got on a plane to Tucson the next day, got to the restaurant in time for lunch, took in the atmosphere (and food) for an hour, and then finally introduced myself to the owner. Within minutes he was baring his soul to me with his wife and daughter at his side, and there was no question in my mind that this was the restaurant for the film.
AFF: Food is so ‘hot’ right now on television, and obviously made a great subject for your film. Why do you think America is so obsessed with chefs, celebrity chefs and food culture right now?
Levy: Food is universal. Everyone eats. And for the most part, even people who don’t consider themselves ‘foodies’ or food-lovers might have an unforgettable memory of a meal their grandmother once cooked for them when they were young. We can superimpose emotion upon food, much like music. Just as one might remember the first song they danced to with their spouse, they probably remember the first meal they ever shared. Food is familiar… food is comfort… food is love.
But suddenly, in the last decade or so, food is sexy… trendy. And whereas before, a great cookie recipe would make you incredibly popular at your family’s holiday party, now it can win you a baking competition, make you a TV star, get you a new career and get you a hundred thousand followers on twitter.
But most of all, food is fun. Almost everyone loves eating out. And now finding the newest great restaurant is something that’s almost become a sort of online community sport. But at the end of the day, whether it’s a bowl of tomato soup from mom or a lobster mac & cheese empanada from a trendy pop-up, we love being nurtured through food.
AFF: Shooting a documentary always involves collecting far more film than you could ever use to catch the right moments. Was there anything you left out of the final edit of the film that you found to be really interesting? In the end, why did you cut it?
Levy: Truthfully, our total footage shot is unbelievably low. We were very surgical and very conservative – drilled in on story from day one. But I do have about 5 hours of the most fascinating interview footage with Grant Achatz. Probably less than 10 minutes of it made it into the film. I’ve always thought I could have just released that interview and called it a day.
AFF: Many people have said that documentary films are more popular now than ever before. Do you think that’s true? Why or why not?
Levy: I think docs are perhaps more accessible than ever before. I can’t tell you how many people tell me that they watch countless documentaries on Netflix. And I imagine the audience has grown substantially as a lot of people who once thought of documentaries as sterile, academic films have eventually come to think of the genre as being just as entertaining as narrative.
AFF: Our film competition is running right now, with a late deadline of July 15th. There are probably many doc and doc short filmmakers putting the final touches on their film right now. Any advice for them?
Levy: As a life-long musician and film-scoring major, music was critical to me from the start. I spent about a month putting the temp score together and was fortunate enough to get a spectacular score from an amazing composer – Ed Shearmur. If I had any advice for those last few months, it would be to make sure the score isn’t just accompanying the film, but really taking it to a higher level.
AFF: Bonus question: it’s you last meal before a 1 year oatmeal smoothie fast. What do you want?
Levy: I’d go to a great food city and have a multi-hour, multi-restaurant progressive dinner throughout the city, eating a little of every type of food. I also call this “research.”
For more information on SPINNING PLATES, to watch the trailer, or for tickets, click here.
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Season 3 Episode 2: Explosive Action! Creating Action Through Character
The writers behind WANTED, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, CON AIR, and SNITCH discuss how they use action scenes to further the plot, convey tension, and build toward a satisfying climax. Followed by Lucas Martell’s animated short film, PIGEON: IMPOSSIBLE, about a trained CIA agent faced with an unexpected sudden threat to national security.
Staff Picks: TV Pilots – Bears Fonté and Lost
04.20.13 | Bears Fonté If you’re home this Saturday with nothing to do and an empty Netflix queue, why not check out some of this week’s Staff Picks TV Pilots? Today, Bears Fonté discusses J.J. Abrams and AFF2012 Alum Damon Lindelof’s critically acclaimed Lost, the show he credits with bringing him back into the world of serial televison. You can see Damon Lindelof in A …
04.20.13 | Bears Fonté
If you’re home this Saturday with nothing to do and an empty Netflix queue, why not check out some of this week’s Staff Picks TV Pilots? Today, Bears Fonté discusses J.J. Abrams and AFF2012 Alum Damon Lindelof’s critically acclaimed Lost, the show he credits with bringing him back into the world of serial televison. You can see Damon Lindelof in A Conversation with X-Files Creator Chris Carter today on the Season 3 Premier of On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival. Episode One airs tonight, April 20th on KLRU-Q at 7:30pm in the Austin area. Not in the Austin area? Watch it online now at OnStory.tv.
Before Lost was one of the most debated, deliberated, and disagreed upon series in television history, it began life as (at the time) the most expensive pilot in history. It is also, in my opinion, the greatest pilot of all time. In one intense hour, J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof set up an ensemble of instantly fascinating characters, a mysterious central location that promised years of confusion, and flashback intensive narrative technique that became the backbone of the show’s many surprises. In fact, the pilot became so legendary (amongst everyone I knew) that I flat out refused to watch it until well into season three when I knew my time investment was not going to be squandered (I recently been burned by Firefly and Invasion). When I did watch, I had the benefit of not having to wait a week to follow the crazy cliffhanger of the pillar of smoke (who I believe recently also appeared in Game of Thrones) killing the pilot and Charlie screaming “what does that?”
The thing that works so brilliantly about the pilot of Lost is that it has so many character details packed into, stuff not even mentioned in the episode, that pays off as the series progresses. It is a pilot that merits return viewing (I used to watch it ritually before the start of each new season). From Charlie’s dash to the toilet, John Locke’s absurd serenity in the face of massive airplane wreckage, to a stewardess who becomes a major character in season two, the writers gave us pieces of a puzzle and promised answers. Of course we would soon learn that for every answer there were four new mysteries, but such was Lost, a show that gave its rabid followers new fodder for argument every week. As the mysteries grew, so did the cast, and the talents of the actors portraying them, but you have to hand it to the team to put together such a fantastic core of characters right at the start.
The pilot opens with Jack, played by (known then as Party-of-Five escapee) Matthew Fox, waking in the woods with a tiny liquor bottle in his pocket. He follows the noise and screams and the lost dog through the bamboo to the beach, stumbling upon the most elaborate set-piece in television history, a full size plane crash. He takes control of the situation but is quickly joined by rag-tag group of castaways, my favorite always being Charlie, the bass player of a defunct Britpop band that had one hit. There is chaos on the beach and when Jack, Charlie and Kate (the sassy, doesn’t take no from a guy, hottie – we don’t know she’s a fugitive yet) head off in search of the cockpit there is a sense that this is going to be a show about people working together to overcome extraordinary circumstances. When they found the pilot, I remember thinking, oh, here’s another major character – only too soon to realize that Lost is not a show about that at all, it’s a show about ‘oh my god where the hell are we?’
Lost went on to be one of the most critically acclaimed series of all times and spawned countless projects for its production team and cast. Although the final season and series finale created quite a stir amongst disappointed fans, the pilot remains one of the strongest hours of television ever (or two hours if you take in the second half, filmed at the same time). Lost pulled me back into to serial television, giving me 4 and half seasons of amazing story-telling, and setting me up to be burned by Flashforward, The Event, Life on Mars and Rubicon.
Interested in checking out our staff picks for yourself? Head over to Vulcan Video where you can find all of our picks labeled as AFF Staff Picks. Go to vulcanvideo.com for location and catalogue information.
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Staff Picks: TV Pilots – Kristen Washington and GLEE
04.19.13 | Kristen Washington Today’s Staff Pick Blog comes from AFF Office Manager Kristen Washington. Kristen has been a GLEE fan from the beginning and has stuck with the show through its ups and downs, twists and turns, and the coming and going of cast members. Today she explains why the High School Musical is still relevant. When the staff decided to write about their …
04.19.13 | Kristen Washington
Today’s Staff Pick Blog comes from AFF Office Manager Kristen Washington. Kristen has been a GLEE fan from the beginning and has stuck with the show through its ups and downs, twists and turns, and the coming and going of cast members. Today she explains why the High School Musical is still relevant.
When the staff decided to write about their favorite TV pilots, I’m sure no one was surprised that I picked Glee (and if they were, they obviously haven’t heard me fangirl about the latest episode or furthermore heard my monthly High School Musical reference). Nowadays, Glee’s become less about the characters and more about the actors who play them, fandom, and controversial storylines about gay teens and school shootings. But, before all that, Glee was about something much simpler. A fun show about kids in a showchoir.
Will Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison, is an uninspired, rundown high school Spanish teacher, who takes over the school’s Glee Club determined to restore it to its former glory. Although the ragtag group is on the verge of collapse before it even properly takes off, it’s not for lack of talent.
Each character brings something unique to the table. You have Rachel with her gold stars and broadway ballads, Tina with an edgy rocker mentality, Kurt who is the definition of sass, wheelchair bound Artie, I-would-listen-to-you-sing-the-phonebook Mercedes, and finally, Finn, the clueless football player who’s had a secret love for singing since childhood (cue Journey’s Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ sang by an 8 year old) but is skeptical of what his popular friends will think.
Like any high school television show, there are stereotypical teenage characters: the jock, the cheerleader, the nerd, the outcast, etc. And, spoiler alert, they don’t all get along with each other.
Show creator Ryan Murphy gives a good balance of quick comedic gems – pretty much anything that comes out of Jane Lynch’s mouth (“ You think this is hard? Try being water boarded, that’s hard!”), and sincere moments of story – Will’s dilemma with continuing to work at McKinley versus getting a job that financially allows him to support his growing family.
I also love that Murphy recognizes that this show wouldn’t be a hit with all audiences and took the opportunity to make fun of it before the cynics could (haters to the left). The comedic and sarcastic tone of the show is brilliant, a prime example is when Berry scolding her fellow teammates by telling them “there’s nothing ironic about show choir” after they’d just given the lead to Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat to a kid in a wheelchair.
Rachel Berry is the voice of a generation founded on the principles that fame is an ultimate goal to have a successful life. In the era of ‘YouTube Famous’, and having your social status measured in views and likes and shares, Berry hits home with the line “Being anonymous is worst than being poor!” even though she apparently didn’t get the memo that MySpace was dead by 2009. Regardless of that, it captures the message of being seen and heard, preferably louder than the person next to you, to be taken seriously in this world.
Somewhere in between the realistic and unrealistic pursuit for fame and glory, Glee is the ultimate root-for-the-underdog, feel good story that literally had me at hello. The pilot successfully navigated this vulnerable new world of teenage dream, delusion and zeal needed to survive any high school hallway.
I’m so over trying to convince people why Glee is still a great show. It’s still funny, it still has good characters, it’s still has some kickass song covers that I have shamelessly downloaded to my iPod. But overall, Glee is downright fun. Just like it was always meant to be.
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Season 3 Episode 1: A Conversation with Chris Carter
Legendary television writer Chris Carter reveals the secret behind the creation and success of The X-Files and how he stirred audiences using the power of mythology. Lost and PROMETHEUS writer, Damon Lindelof, speaks with Carter on how his use of the paranormal and search for the truth have become staples of popular culture. Followed by Todd Somodevilla and Marysia Makowska’s surreal short film, SEA PAVILION, about a picnic outing by an abandoned seaside dwelling, that ends up encompassing more than just sand dunes and forgotten memories.
Staff Picks: TV Pilots Throwback Thursday – Rachel Malish and Veronica Mars
04.18.13 | Rachel Malish For today’s Throwback Thursday Staff Pick TV Pilot post we reached out to former Development Director Rachel Malish because of her famed love for Veronica Mars. Currently Rachel is the Austin Media and Community Relations Coordinator for Whole Foods Market. The Pilot episode of Veronica Mars – they don’t get much better than this, folks! It’s a pilot episode and it …
04.18.13 | Rachel Malish
For today’s Throwback Thursday Staff Pick TV Pilot post we reached out to former Development Director Rachel Malish because of her famed love for Veronica Mars. Currently Rachel is the Austin Media and Community Relations Coordinator for Whole Foods Market.
The Pilot episode of Veronica Mars – they don’t get much better than this, folks! It’s a pilot episode and it does what it has to do: introduces you to your main players, fills you in on what you’ve missed (after all, these characters didn’t just start living and breathing when you came along), and sets the tone for the entire show – this will determine if and why you’ll continue to watch.
I’ll preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of Veronica Mars. I’m elated at the success of the Kickstarter campaign started by Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell. In the beginning, it was the Pilot episode that got me hooked. What I learned about the show in that short amount of time was a structure – the structure – that maintained throughout multiple seasons.
Every episode of Veronica Mars has legs and can stand alone. You don’t need to have watched every episode to enjoy one, but you enjoy them even more as an entire season. That’s when you put the puzzle pieces together and witness that master plan. Rob Thomas gives you a beginning, middle, and end in every episode. A viewer never feels cheated at the end of an episode. Viewers aren’t concerned that they didn’t get a 10 minute catch-up with each character in each episode; they’re leaving fulfilled every time. Each episode becomes its own mini-movie with its own problem to be solved, all while there looms, however subtly, a haunting backstory – a key driver of the overarching plot. While you can’t necessarily tell from a pilot episode what the structure for an entire season will look like, you can with Veronica Mars.
When you’re watching Veronica Mars for the first time, you may not appreciate the structure as much as you will eventually through 3 seasons. What you will appreciate is the show’s namesake: Veronica Mars. She’s the show, and here’s what Rob Thomas tells you about her in the first episode that gets you hooked:
She’s a pessimist. As she sits outside the Camelot Hotel waiting to snap a picture of a nameless adulterer for one of her father’s clients, she shares her shattered views of love. You realize in this first scene that she’s not your average teen scorned by one too many jocks, she’s got some very adult views of the world and is balancing a very adult career with high school calculus exams.
She’s an underdog. She hasn’t always been the low man on the totem pole, but she’s there now and so is her dad. Her hometown of Neptune is made up of “haves” and “have-nots” and once her dad’s Sheriff title is stripped, her billionaire boyfriend dumps her, and rumors of a promiscuous lifestyle fly, her former friends aren’t exactly banging down the door.
She’s distant. Veronica is lost in thought throughout much of her day. This is how we get to know her. She reflects on her life before the murder of her best friend, Lily (the sister of her billionaire ex-boyfriend), and her dad’s failure on the case follows her in her daily activities. As she falls asleep in class or zones out while gazing as a table full of old friends, we get a peek into the life of a more carefree Veronica, a less jaded version of her present day self, and a glimpse at how much change has taken place in less than a year of her life.
She’s got a cool dad. They’re in this together. Keith Mars is now a private investigator of Mar’s Investigation, and when he’s not on the case, Veronica is. He trusts her. He leaves her home alone for days at a time while he’s chasing bail dodgers. They have great banter. Like all father-daughter relationships, she thinks he’s a dork, but also finds it endearing. She’s hurt in this first episode by her father lying about a case involving Lily’s father and her own mother who left Veronica months before (no one said it wasn’t complicated). Even with her confusion about this, she admits that he must be protecting her. We can all tell he’s loving and kind. Dear old dad.
She’s got a conscience, and connections. She’s so smart! She uses her street smarts in the very first episode. We get to see Veronica at work. Not the kind of work she does specifically for Mars Investigation, the work we’ll see her do the rest of the season: helping out her peers at Neptune High. New kid Wallace is introduced and quickly becomes Veronica’s only friend. She uses her friends in high places (the fire chief still loves her dad) and low places (the pot head in pottery class) to get a new friend out of trouble. While she claims this is for self-serving reasons, Wallace knows she needs a friend. A beautiful friendship blooms right before your eyes, as well as a few new allies and enemies…
There’s more! She’s tough (and she’s got Backup!), she’s sharp tongued (her comments are biting, Kristen Bell says she’s not a comedic actress, but her delivery of the Veronica zingers are right on target), and she’s on a mission (she’s getting to the bottom of her families break up, and she’s scratching the surface on her dad’s secret investigation of Lily’s murder).
Watch the Pilot episode of Veronica Mars and prepare to keep watching. And don’t be intimidated by her harsh exterior. You know what the fans say: “Veronica Mars, she’s a marshmallow.”
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AFF Interview: Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy discuss their new Netflix Original Series: Hemlock Grove
04.17.13 | Erin Hallagan This week AFF has been bringing you our favorite TV pilots and how they’ve impacted our love for television. In today’s AFF Interview, we sit down with AFF Alum Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy to discuss their new Netflix Original Series Hemlock Grove and the shift they see in the future of television. AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (AFF): What was your relationship …
04.17.13 | Erin Hallagan
This week AFF has been bringing you our favorite TV pilots and how they’ve impacted our love for television. In today’s AFF Interview, we sit down with AFF Alum Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy to discuss their new Netflix Original Series Hemlock Grove and the shift they see in the future of television.
AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (AFF): What was your relationship before you started working on this project? When did you start collaborating? What is your process like as writing partners?
SHIPMAN: Brian and I started writing together after meeting in graduate school in Austin in 2004 and discovering we shared the same peculiar, often downright deviant, sensibilities. Finding the right writing partner is as difficult and rare as finding the right romantic partner, especially one into all that dirty business.
MCGREEVY: We were in the same graduate program (the Michener Center for Writers) and fast friends. We became screenwriting partners out of both mutual respect and mutual laziness: it was half the work!
AFF: Brian, the show is based on your novel. Did you always intend to turn it into a script, and if so, how did this affect the writing style in your novel? How did you both approach the adaption process and how much does the show diverge from the novel?
MCGREEVY: The novel, during the writing, was its own beast. Naturally I would daydream to some extent what an adaptation would look like, but as someone who works in different media I’m an advocate of focus: concentrate on the step you’re currently taking, not the one five down the line.
AFF: What makes Hemlock Grove different from other supernatural shows?
SHIPMAN: As much as we love the genre, we consider ourselves drama writers not horror writers. There is a supernatural element to our show, but to quote Joseph Conrad, “The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; Man alone is quite capable of every wickedness.” It’s a theme that runs through a lot of our work: the more civilized we think we are, the more we forget we’re all just animals — and will be grimly reminded of that.
Preparatory to shooting, our producing-director Deran Sarafian hosted weekly screenings of our favorites in the genre, and invariably they fell under the largely gore-free sub-genre of Psychological Horror: Polanski’s Apartment Trilogy, etc. It’s what we’re interested in and the only real way to sustain a series like this. That said, we don’t give a fuck who we kill.
AFF: How did Eli Roth become involved with this project? What was it like working with him?
MCGREEVY: We interviewed potential producers in the spring of 2011, and really connected with Eric Newman, who is Eli’s producing partner. Everyone agreed on the best direction to take the material, and by the end of the year the deal was in place.
AFF: All 13 episodes will be released at once on Netflix. Did this affect the way you designed/organized your first season? Does it make the writing process more exciting or frustrating? How do you anticipate this release platform affecting the future of television?
MCGREEVY: It is the future of television.
SHIPMAN: One of the more remarkable and atypical advantages of the full series order and our schedule of production was that we were able to write almost the entire season before we shot a single frame. Rather than scrambling week to week, we had the rare opportunity to take our time and craft this story into what can almost be looked at as a 13 hour movie. For two guys coming out of the features world, it was an intuitive model and quite forward-thinking on the part of Netflix.
I think what they’re doing is the future of TV. Just as we were looking to get into that world we saw the House of Cards announcement and knew immediately we wanted to jump in bed with them.
AFF: What are some advantages with Netflix releasing all 13 episodes all at once? Disadvantages?
MCGREEVY: I see no disadvantages, frankly. Traditional television holds no interest for me, and the direction things are going is being dictated by the audience, myself included. I haven’t personally owned a TV since 2008.
SHIPMAN: I haven’t had a TV in a while, so almost exclusively binge watch on a laptop. The traditional model will only continue to fracture and evolve, and as both a writer and viewer I toast it.
Watch the latest trailer for Hemlock Grove here: (warning, NSFW)
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Staff Picks: TV Pilots – Erin Hallagan and Friday Night Lights
04.17.2013 | Erin Hallagan Continuing our week of Staff Picks is Conference Director Erin Hallagan’s take on Friday Night Lights and how it helped reshape her image of Texas from a land of cowboy hats and red meat to a place she now calls home. I first made the announcement that I was moving to Texas at a random family dinner – mostly …
04.17.2013 | Erin Hallagan
Continuing our week of Staff Picks is Conference Director Erin Hallagan’s take on Friday Night Lights and how it helped reshape her image of Texas from a land of cowboy hats and red meat to a place she now calls home.
I first made the announcement that I was moving to Texas at a random family dinner – mostly to just say it out loud – to convince myself it was the right thing to do – to gage reaction – to be set in motion. I was as shocked as my parents when I heard the words escape my lips. But then, all of a sudden it was reality.
Austin was always an obvious fit for me, but definitely not the rest of the Lone Star state. In my mind, Texas was a desert of cowboy hats, come-to-Jesus churches, red meat, red blood, and of course football.
This is precisely the reason I did not want to watch Friday Night Lights. That, and I am absolutely, positively NOT a sports person. I’m repeatedly corrected on how it’s not “the second act” but second quarter of the game, how they’re not “characters” but players, it’s not “intermission” but halftime. Can you tell I’m more of a theatre person?
It started when I was just a girl, growing up in – to put it kindly – a rough part of Maryland. My father was outraged there were no girl sports in our county. Teams were only just beginning to accept co-ed rosters. So I was signed up for soccer.
Luckily for me, even though I didn’t have an athletic bone in my body, the other players found creative ways to welcome me aboard. My dad would repeatedly find me on the sidelines after practice, out-of-commission with a bloody nose. Apparently it was a running joke to see how many times my teammates could kick the ball square between my eyes. I remember laughing real hard after I had to get surgery years later to fix the broken vessels in my nose. On second thought, perhaps that was the laughing gas….
Then there was basketball. After finally being put into the game, and thrilled by the sudden attention the coach was giving me, I stopped in my tracks – ball in hand – to ask him if he liked my new shoes. He and my father ended up in the parking lot to exchange a bit more than words.
Baseball was my own damn fault. There are some lessons you only need to learn once. For instance, throwing the ball into the air, looking up to catch it only to find the blinding sun staring back, and then going home two-teeth-shorter than you arrived.
Needless to say, I went into the arts and never looked back. That is, until I moved here.
I chose to give Friday Night Lights a chance with the same enthusiasm I gave soccer and basketball. I thoroughly expressed my distaste for sports shows, and for angsty high school shows, and especially for the combination of the two.
Boy, was I surprised when the first episode came to an end that I had tears in my eyes and remote-in-hand, already going in for seconds. Even though the show was absolutely about football and teenagers, there were things that were even more absolute: it was raw, honest, painful, spiritual, hopeful, confrontational and I CONNECTED to it…
It was damn good writing, is what it was.
A pilot episode – or rather, a GOOD pilot – is a form of art. Opposed to establishing a laundry list of who and what we need to know, it will create a world-in-motion through unobtrusive introductions that need to immediately spark an audience’s interest, a narrative that immediately engages an audience’s attention, and a level of anticipation that immediately asks the audience to stay along for the journey.
At first glance, everything about Friday Night Lights screamed cliché. Yet, all in the sum of 45 minutes, the pilot locked me in for the remaining five seasons. Beyond that, I overcame some of my own stereotypes. Gradually, Texas was more than just cowboy hats, come-to-Jesus churches, red meat and red blood. It was a vast new world that was home to those with the same vulnerabilities I had out there on the soccer field. The same life-changing decisions I made at my family’s dinner table. The same pivotal feelings of community, humanity, acceptance, victory and loss that I finally felt in the arts. All of a sudden, Texas was home to me. Texas was about cowboy hats and mohawks, barbeque joints and vegan paradises, Sunday church bells and Sunday Chicken Shit Bingo.
That, and of course football.
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Staff Picks: TV Pilots – Brian Ramos and The Sopranos
04.16.13 | Brian Ramos For today’s staff pick, producer, editor, and voice of Austin Film Festival’s On Story Podcast, Brian Ramos talks about his introduction to The Sopranos and how it taught him that it was the little things that made life worth living. For more information on our On Story Podcasts, click here. Life’s simple pleasures link the divine to the mundane, offering up …
04.16.13 | Brian Ramos
For today’s staff pick, producer, editor, and voice of Austin Film Festival’s On Story Podcast, Brian Ramos talks about his introduction to The Sopranos and how it taught him that it was the little things that made life worth living. For more information on our On Story Podcasts, click here.
Life’s simple pleasures link the divine to the mundane, offering up comforting magic tricks in the face of every semi-conscious minute we spend marching toward our own inevitable oblivion. Through technology we’ve gifted ourselves with every convenience and pastime in order to take our minds off of our own mortality. Although I was raised Catholic, the closest thing to God in my upbringing was television. When The Sopranos premiered in January 1999, I had lost my faith. TV was out and obscure foreign cinema at the Dobie Theatre was in. The majority of my fellow Gen Xers, at least those in my immediate circle of friends, didn’t even own television sets. Too broke for cable. No Internet at home. No smart phones because they hadn’t been invented yet, and few, if any, cell phones. To settle a bet you had to go to the library…and I don’t mean the one in your Macbook that contains all of your mp3’s…I mean the one with the books in it. So it wasn’t a blog, Netflix streaming, or Itunes that hipped me to Tony Soprano and crew. My source for good new TV then and, I confess, even now?
My mother.
After catching up for a few hours on a weekend visit with mom a few months before the turn of the millennium, she looked at me and said:
“Mi’jito, I know you don’t like to watch TV anymore, but there’s a show that I think you’ll reeeeealy like….”
My father cracked the seal on a can of Coca-Cola Classic, and looked down at his shoes while nodding his head in affirmation. In went the VHS dub, on went the massive stereo my father had hooked up to the TV, and out went my high-minded sensibilities.
From the title sequence with its unforgettable Woke Up This Morning soundtrack, to the opening scene where we were introduced to Tony Soprano’s iconic heavy breathing juxtaposed against the stormy calm of Lorraine Brocco’s portrayal of Dr. Melfi, I was all at once lost in the bridge and tunnel universe of the show.
We all seem to have a quiet obsession with the charming violence depicted in mobster narratives. David Chase’s The Sopranos handled the tropes made famous by Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese in such a way as to make them even more irresistible. We might not see ourselves in the shoes of these anti-heroes, but somehow we can relate. Tony and his crew are constantly looking to the past, and the pilot explores the feelings of lament at the loss of tradition that these baby boomers experience as they come to affluent middle age.
David Chase offers insight into the creation of the show, and especially the pilot, in episode 1304 of the On Story Podcast, describing it more as a semi-biographical portrait about his mother who had a notoriously difficult personality. A week before shooting the pilot, and after seeing hundreds of women for the part, “Nancy Marchand came up to the casting office, all out of breath…this waspy, regal woman…and just channeled that thing, and there was no discussion.”
The question of casting The Sopranos comes up whenever my friends and I discuss the characters. Although many of these actors popped up in other mob stories on the big screen and small, the contrast between typecast actors and fresh faces gave the show a sweet familiarity while keeping it from feeling recycled in the way of other films of the era, (I’m looking at you, A Bronx Tale).
Any show that – in it’s first few minutes – depicts its protagonist running down a terrified debtor with his nephew’s car and then punching the man in his broken leg while Dion and the Belmonts plays in the background would have to qualify as junk food for the mind. But the production value, outstanding writing and terrific performances made this groundbreaking cable TV serial into junk food of the very highest quality.
Drama, violence, comedy and ducks…for me, this was a show about weathering the storm and holding on to the little things that make life worth living.
Thanks mom.
Staff Blog – Bears Fonté: My Opening Day Baseball Movie Lineup
04.03.13 | Bears Fonté With relative little national hoopla, Baseball’s opening day came and went this week. Growing up, Opening Day was the second thing I’d put on a new calendar, right after my birthday. Third was the day pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. This isn’t a blog about how baseball has slowly eroded from the national consciousness since the strike, the steroids, …
04.03.13 | Bears Fonté
With relative little national hoopla, Baseball’s opening day came and went this week. Growing up, Opening Day was the second thing I’d put on a new calendar, right after my birthday. Third was the day pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. This isn’t a blog about how baseball has slowly eroded from the national consciousness since the strike, the steroids, the asterisks and endless expansion of post-season and interleague play. Despite the national pastime being eclipsed by the NFL, College Football, NCAA March Madness and hating the Miami Heat, baseball still unquestionably supplies more stories to the sports movie pantheon than any other athletic pursuit.
Next week Austin Film Festival brings an advanced screening of 42 to Austin, as well as a conversation with writer/director Brian Helgeland (for details click here). Jackie Robinson’s story is so dramatic, it’s shocking that it hasn’t been brought to the screen previously. A true American hero, Jackie Robinson never wanted to be remembered for being the first black man playing in the major leagues since Moses Fleetwood Walker (1888 – yes, I’m a baseball junkie). Jackie Robinson just wanted to be remembered for being a great ballplayer.
One of the reasons baseball films work so well is because they have both the team element (doing it for your brother, we all fight as one, etc) and the individual glory (one man at bat to win the game, one pitcher on the mound, a one-on-one showdown). Individual characters in football/basketball movies get lost in the shuffle and the best of these films tend to focus on coaches. Baseball at its heart is a solo sport, with long gaps in the middle when you depend on other people. Star players can make or break a team in a way they can’t in other sports, and star players provide great characters for films.
This season, Austin Film Festival presents a triumvirate of great baseball films. In addition to 42 with Brian Helgeland on Wednesday, April 10th, AFF will also feature THE ROOKIE with director John Lee Hancock on June 1st (click here for more details), and indie bio-pic RESURRECTION: THE JR RICHARD STORY on June 12th. If you are an Astros fan and long for a day when they were competitive (and in the National League) don’t miss this small budget gem with writer/director Greg Carter in attendance (click here for more details).
With that in mind, I’ve put together the ultimate lineup of the greatest baseball players from my favorite baseball movies of all time. It’s interesting that so many films on this list (and some I left off) came out in the late 80s/early 90s, a time when I was a rabid fan and prior to all the things that ruined baseball for so many people.
Ultimate Cinematic Baseball Lineup
The Batting Order
1. CF Wesley Snipes as Willie Mays Hayes in MAJOR LEAGUE (1989). Almost every character from this film is memorable but the audacity of this guy to buy a 100 pairs of gloves for every base he intended to steal and the way he is able to beat out bunts makes him a perfect lead-off hitter. Incidentally, MAJOR LEAGUE is my favorite baseball movie of all time and features a stellar cast of Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernson, Dennis Haysbert, and Rene Russo in addition to Snipes.
2. 3B Mike Vitar as Benny “the Jet” Rodriguez in THE SANDLOT (1993). A classic 5-tool player, Benny can play every position on the field (in fact he does in the film) so I’ll stick him in the hot corner and use his speed to circle the bases with Snipes. A classic kid’s movie celebrating its 20th anniversary just like Austin Film Festival. Vitar is apparently a fire fighter now (so he lived out 3 kids fantasies in his lifetime [actor/ballplayer/fireman] – I guess he didn’t have time to be an astronaut as well).
3. LF D.B. Sweeney as Shoeless Joe Jackson in EIGHT MEN OUT (1988) or Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson in FIELD OF DREAMS (1989). Sort of unfair to have one of the greatest hitters of all time on a team of mostly fictional characters but no one can deny the power the mythology that this criminally-wronged player still holds for the average baseball fan. EIGHT MEN OUT looks at the 1919 Black Sox scandal with the all the glory of a period bio-pic with a fantastic cast (John Cusack, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Charlie Sheen) while FIELD OF DREAMS puts it in the context of a father and son playing catch. And if you don’t cry during that one, you must have no relationship whatsoever with your father. A film that is only on its surface about baseball, FIELD OF DREAMS challenges its characters to listen to the voices in their hearts, as well as in their cornfields. Also I remember rushing home after this one to look up Archie ‘Moonlight’ Graham in my “Total Baseball,” a near 5 pound book (ah, the days before wikipedia).
4. 1B Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig in PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (1942) Every lineup needs a cleanup hitter and this one has one of the best of all time, The Iron Horse himself. The first great baseball movie, PRIDE OF THE YANKEES was nominated for 10 Oscars and was made three years after Lou Gehrig retired and one year after his death. Many baseball greats appeared as themselves in this film, including Bob Meusel, Bill Dickey, and the surprisingly astute Babe Ruth.
5. RF Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs in THE NATURAL (1984) Usually a manager places their purest power hitter in the 5-spot and with his ability to destroy stadium lighting, and a bat cut from a tree struck by lightning , this 34-year-old rookie fits right in the mix to win games with his bat. THE NATURAL surrounds Redford with an unbelievable cast (Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey, Joe Don Baker) and is the first of our classic ‘what if’ baseball characters. Hobbs originally came to the majors as a pitcher before being shot in the arm.
6. SS Tab Hunter as Joe Hardy in DAMN YANKEES (1958) Another ‘what if’ baseball films, i.e. what if I was the greatest baseball player ever and played for my favorite team, in this case the Washington Senators, a team so bad that they abandoned their city twice (for Minnesota and Texas) and then waited 34 years for the Montreal Expos to be equally bad and become the new Senators. Rarely do Shortstops hit with power, so Joe Hardy is a shoe-in for the team, after he sells his soul to the devil. A musical, the film features “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets,” early choreography by Bob Fosse, and My Favorite Martian Ray Walston as Satan.
7. 2B Frank Sinatra as Dennis Ryan in TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME (1949) Gene Kelly may have been the better player and got the girl, but old blue eyes has the advantage of playing 2nd Base, a position severely under represented in baseball movies. Directed by Busby Berkeley, fortunately all the players on the team double as vaudeville performers.
8. C Kevin Costner as Crash Davis in BULL DURHAM (1988) He can’t hit much anymore and his knees are questionable, but nobody calls a game and handles young pitchers like Crash Davis. This film really understands the way baseball works and is one of the few films on here that couples can enjoy (although my wife is equally a fan of MAJOR LEAGUE). A very young Tim Robbins and scorching hot Susan Sarandon make up the rest of this classic love triangle.
9. DH: Bernie Mac as Stan Ross in MR. 3000 (2004) Normally your DH hits for power and would be higher in the batting order but in this case Bernie Mac is back after four years retired, desperate to collect three hits to get him past the plateau he desperately needs to make the Hall of Fame. A really funny film and a great way to remember a truly talented actor gone to soon.
On the Mound
STARTING PITCHER: Tatum O’Neil as Amanda Whurlitzer in THE BAD NEWS BEARS (1976) This foul-mouthed child prodigy is the daughter of coach Walter Matthou’s exgirlfriend. She may be a diva (demanding ballet lessons, modeling school and imported jeans as payment) but she’s a steady work horse and a dependable arm. She was also one of my first crushes and this is simply one of the greatest comedies of all-time.
RELIEF PITCHER: Dennis Quaid as Jim Morris in THE ROOKIE (2002) Another ‘what if’ film about a Texas high school coach who loses a bet to his team and ends up at try-out for a major league team. At 35, Morris doesn’t have many innings left in him but his 98 mph fastball makes him a perfect closer. With one of Quaid’s greatest performances, THE ROOKIE gets baseball right, right down to the supportive wife as he toils in the minor leagues. It’s a film that says you are never too old to follow your dreams and is based on a true story.
Off the Field
MANAGER: Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan in A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (1992) With classic lines like “There’s no crying in baseball” and “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it,” Dugan takes a misfit team (see also MAJOR LEAGUE, THE BAD NEWS BEARS, THE SANDLOT) to the women’s world series. Directed by the great Penny Marshall, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN is one of the greatest sports movies of all time, with Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty and Rosie O’Donnell on the field and Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn, Bill Pullman, and Gary Marshall in the stands.
GENERAL MANAGER: Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in MONEYBALL (2011) The newest entry on this list, this is the only baseball film to ever make working in the front office look exciting. Great Performances, especially from Jonah Hill, and flashy production value, a great film about some things that maybe made baseball a little less interesting to everyone, WAR, OPS, wOBA, VORP, BABIP, FIP, UZR.
OWNER: Luke Edwards as Billy Heywood from LITTLE BIG LEAGUE (1994) the ultimate fantasy, a 12 year old boy inherits a baseball team. A movie that I like simply because it shows my favorite team, the Minnesota Twins, winning games, and sometimes I need to be reminded of that.
UMPIRE: Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin as Enrico Pallazo as the Home Plate Ump in THE NAKED GUN (1988) Not strictly a baseball movie, but who can forget the butchering of the national anthem (“That we still had a flag!”) followed by the worst and most charismatic ball and strike calls by an ump as Nielsen desperately tries to delay a baseball game and discover the sleeper agent on the field. Pre-tabloid OJ Simpson isn’t the only sports star in the movie as (then current) player Reggie Jackson robotically repeats “I must kill… the queen” and most of the other umpires and the announcers were all the real deal.
AFF Interview: Brian Helgeland
04.03.2013 | Erin Hallagan In anticipation for our Wednesday, April 10th Conversation with Brian Helgeland and Advance Screening of his new film 42, Austin Film Festival sat down with Brian for a sneak peak on his thoughts on screenwriting, filmmaking, and his research and process. Joins us Wendesday for a Conversation with Brian Helgeland where we will discuss his career, inspirations, and advice for writers, …
04.03.2013 | Erin Hallagan
In anticipation for our Wednesday, April 10th Conversation with Brian Helgeland and Advance Screening of his new film 42, Austin Film Festival sat down with Brian for a sneak peak on his thoughts on screenwriting, filmmaking, and his research and process. Joins us Wendesday for a Conversation with Brian Helgeland where we will discuss his career, inspirations, and advice for writers, particularly sharing his experience on directing his own scripts. For more information on the Conversation, and for tickets, click here.
AFF: You are originally from the Northeast and were a fisherman before you became a screenwriter and filmmaker. What made you decide to start writing screenplays?
Brian Helgeland: I was in a bookstore in between fishing trips in 1984 looking for something to read on the boat. I have been reading voraciously since I can remember. I had graduated a year before from college with a degree in English. I couldn’t find a job and as the only male member of my family who had never been to sea… I went to sea. Browsing through the store, a ‘Guide to Film School’ book caught my eye. I loved movies, but I literally had no idea you could go to school to learn how to make them. My second, cold winter of fishing was coming up; I had saved some decent money, and I cashed it in for the warmth of Los Angeles.
AFF: You’ve said before that you don’t like to call yourself a screenwriter. Why do you prefer the term filmmaker?
BH: I prefer filmmaker because that is what I am. If I wanted to write for a living I’d be a novelist. But I want to make movies; therefore I am a filmmaker. Screenwriting is just my end of it. I consider film editors to be filmmakers. Editing is just their end of it. If only the director is a filmmaker, then what are the cinematographer, the costume designer and the rest of us doing?
AFF: What excites you the most about writing a screenplay?
BH: The best part of writing a screenplay is full immersion. When I am working on a script, I don’t leave the house, I barely speak on the phone, I work seven days a week until it is done. It’s often frustrating and confounding, but I get to make a world, populate it and live in it, as imperfect as it might be.
AFF: How much research do you usually do before writing a screenplay?
BH: I do an inordinate amount of research. I try to read anything and everything I can get my hands on if it relates to what I am doing. There is no substitute. You cannot be smarter or know more than the actual reality of something. The key is when you think you finally know, then read one more book to make sure. And then another after that. I also interview people if it is appropriate for the story. When I was doing MAN ON FIRE with Tony Scott we spent a week in Mexico City simply interviewing people who had been kidnapped, families of kidnap victims, ransom negotiators, police experts and even former kidnap gang members. When you see the process shown in the film it is all real. On ’42′, besides the plethora of books available that touch upon the Dodgers 1947 season, I had the good fortune of being able to talk with Jackie’s widow Rachel and with former teammate Ralph Branca directly. Research becomes the breadcrumbs others have dropped before you to help lead you where you’re going.
AFF: How does your writing and process differ when you know that someone else will direct your work compared to when you direct the film yourself?
BH: My scripts are longer if I write for another director. I need to make what I am getting at clearer and easier to understand. The scripts I write that I direct are always 10 pages shorter.
AFF: 42 is based on a true story. What did you enjoy most about writing this screenplay? What were some of the challenges and benefits in writing something based on true events?
BH: In ‘A Knight’s Tale’ the character of William accuses Chaucer of lying. Chaucer’s reactive response is, “I’m a writer; I give the truth scope!” The trickiest thing for a screenwriter working on bringing to life a true story is to do their best not to lie. In ’42′ I tried my absolute best to document every major scene in the film. In fact, there is only one scene I made up and I felt I had enough circumstantial evidence to do so. Of course, ‘the truth’ can always be pushed left or right, but I did my best to avoid that as well. My job was to dramatize and structure so that, hopefully, the truth of two years of a man’s life could be boiled down to two hours.
Favorite moment/experience in making 42?
BH: The day Hank Aaron visited set, watched 20 minutes of footage and told me he thought I got it right.
Who are some screenwriters/filmmakers that have influenced your work?
BH: I am a big admirer of screenwriters who traded in their pen for the director’s chair. John Huston, Richard Brooks, Frank Pierson, Walter Hill. All bare knuckled directors who started out as bare knuckled screenwriters.
AFF Best of Fest Interview: 10 Questions with JUNK’s Kevin Hamedani
03.26.2013 | Bears Fonté This April Fool’s Day Austin Film Festival is bringing back one of the most talked about films of last year’s fest, the Narrative Feature Audience Award Winner JUNK, a behind-the-scenes satire of the film festival world. JUNK plays at 7 pm on Monday, April 1st at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. Two B-movie co-writers, Kaveh and Raul, must reconcile after their long-languishing …
03.26.2013 | Bears Fonté
This April Fool’s Day Austin Film Festival is bringing back one of the most talked about films of last year’s fest, the Narrative Feature Audience Award Winner JUNK, a behind-the-scenes satire of the film festival world. JUNK plays at 7 pm on Monday, April 1st at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. Two B-movie co-writers, Kaveh and Raul, must reconcile after their long-languishing film, ISLAMA-RAMA 2, finally makes its festival debut. Negotiating their way through pushy agents, brutish bodyguards, cutthroat colleagues, prima donna actors, and overly eager festival volunteers, the former friends piece together absurd horror film pitches for a mysterious speaker keynoting the film festival. JUNK is a ridiculous comedy about friendship, love, and crappy movies. For more information about the screening, and for tickets, click here.
Writer/Director/Star Kevin Hamedani will be in attendance at the screening, but AFF Director of Programming Bears Fonté e-sat down with him to discuss his film and experience making it.
AFF: Junk is about taking a film out on the Film Festival Circuit. What inspired the idea and how much of the film is based on things you saw happen/heard about?
Kevin Hamedani: After spending a year traveling the country to film festivals with my first feature, ZMD: ZOMBIES OF MASS DESTRUCTION (2009), I got inspired to make a movie about the crazy, wild and surreal world of film festivals. It’s a strange, fun and at times, frustrating environment ripe with funny and interesting characters, scenarios, scenes, etc… The film is about 50% based on my own experiences and 50% completely fictionalized. I never wanted to make an autobiographical movie. My goal was to make a funny, poignant movie about bromance while capturing the strange world of film festivals.
AFF: You came to Austin Film Festival in 2009 with ZOMBIES OF MASS DESTRUCTION, how was 2012 different?
KH: Honestly, not that much different. I had a great time both years. The main difference was the fact that Bears Fonté wasn’t there in 2009 and he’s a great addition to the festival. We had a wonderful time together.
I guess the other difference would be the fact that we won the Audience Award which made this year’s experience a bit more sweeter.
AFF: Is there any part of your 2009 AFF Experience in JUNK? What?
KH: Yes. There is a particular scene in JUNK when the two leads sneak off into the alley way during the screening of their movie and come up with a new movie pitch. In JUNK, the pitch is “Gremlins 3″ but in real life, it was actually JUNK. That’s where we came up with the idea so we decided to write that scene in.
The fun BBQ was very much based on AFF’s awesome BBQ party. We tried to capture that vibe.
AFF: You and your writing partner live on opposite sides of the country, how does that work?
KH: It’s very hard and I don’t recommend it but we manage. Lots of long phone calls.
AFF: You co-wrote this script, then directed it and starred in it. Are you crazy?
KH: Yes and I don’t recommend it. Only if you MUST play the role yourself. But doing all three with a low budget isn’t the best way to make an independent movie.
AFF: What was the hardest scene to film as a director/actor?
KH: The hardest scenes to direct were the ones involving a group of extras simply because we couldn’t afford that many so I had to spend time using tricks to make it look like the festival was packed with attendees.
AFF: Brett Davern from MTV’s Awkward is in JUNK. How did he get involved and how was he to work with?
KH: We actually grew up together and did stage in Seattle together for years. He starred in the first play I wrote and directed in Seattle. We’ve been trying to find a project to work together on and Billy is a great character for him.
AFF: OK Go has a bunch of songs and even appears in the film. How did that come about?
KH: A friend gave me their album while we were writing JUNK and Ramon and I just started listening to it over and over again, while finishing the script. During this time, we’d take a break and have lunch down the street in North Hollywood at this cafe every day. One day we realized the gentleman sitting next to us was the drummer for OK Go. So I approached him and he was kind enough to pass the script along to the rest of the band.
AFF: Our Screenplay deadline is coming up (May 1st, Late Deadline June 1st). Any advice on how to do one last polish on your screenplay?
KH: Do a live reading if you can. Get some actors to read parts in front of a small audience (not just your group of friends) but strangers who might be more objective and honest. Ask the hard questions, take the notes and don’t send off your script unless you are sure that every sentence, every line of dialog, every beat, works. You can’t polish a turd, and if you don’t have a great script you’ll never have a good movie.
AFF: Your film is full of crazy pitches. What’s the worst idea you’ve ever come up with? How far did you get on it?
KH: The worst idea we ever had was to remake Waxwork (1988). We got really far with it, made a pitch video, look book, the whole deal. We went to the high ups at Lionsgate and did an in person pitch. It’s a terrible idea but could actually make for an awesome movie…. if that makes sense.
Every first Monday at the Alamo Village, AFF will bring one of its Audience Award-winning films back to town, along with the filmmakers who made them, to showcase the very best in independent filmmaking. From humor to horror, docs to narrative, there will be something for everyone, and, as always, each film represents Austin Film Festival’s mission to emphasize the art and craft of screenwriting and engaging cinematic storytelling.
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AFF Interview: Greg Beal, Franklin Leonard, & Matt Dy
03.20.2013 In anticipation of the Launching Your Writing Career panel in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 30th, we interviewed three of the panelists included in the discussion. The interview features Greg Beal, Director of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting; Franklin Leonard, Founder of The Black List; and AFF Screenplay Competition Director Matt Dy. For more information about the upcoming event, click here. Q: …
03.20.2013
In anticipation of the Launching Your Writing Career panel in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 30th, we interviewed three of the panelists included in the discussion. The interview features Greg Beal, Director of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting; Franklin Leonard, Founder of The Black List; and AFF Screenplay Competition Director Matt Dy. For more information about the upcoming event, click here.
Q: What do you consider a strong story?
GREG: For me, Graham Parker’s song title “Passion Is No Ordinary Word” should apply to every story. If the writer truly cares about her story, her characters and the moments of true feeling she’s conveying, it appears on the page and on screen. If she can make her characters live and laugh and survive, then I have the opportunity to live through them, feel with them and learn from them.
FRANKLIN: A beginning, middle, and end that keeps the audience interested in what happens next, elicits emotion of some sort of emotion (anything from fear to laughter to awe to sadness), and lives the audience viewing some aspect of their lives – no matter how small – differently than they did before being exposed to it.
MATT: A strong story is one that takes you on a journey without realizing it. When you’re reading a truly engaging script, the words fly off the page and you’re anxious to get to the next scene rather than thumbing through to see how many pages you have left. It’s easier said than done but it’s what every writer should strive for.
Q: What common mistakes do you find when you read a script?
GREG: If we’re talking about well written screenplays featuring intriguing characters and strong dialogue, then the missing ingredient is all too often conflict. Solid but inexperienced writers often suffer from following story templates and guru advice too slavishly, which can suck the life out of a script. If you’re referring to weaker scripts, then the problems run the gamut from poor writing to weak craft and execution to a lack of structure to all too little story.
FRANKLIN: The main (and biggest) mistake a writer can make is forgetting the human element. Emotional resonance, regardless of the genre, is the thing that will distinguish a screenplay (or any sort of storytelling or art more generally.)
MATT: I second Greg in that not establishing conflict is the most common problem with a lot of scripts. Conflict is what drives a story and moves it forward. Without conflict or greater stakes, there is no story. Also, a lot of first-time screenwriters will direct too much in their scripts and include long blocks of scene descriptions. Screenplays are considered the blueprint for a film but it still needs to leave room for the director’s vision.
Q: What’s the best advice you would give to a writer hoping to advance in a competition or make it on The Black List?
GREG: Submit your best work. Prior to uploading your script and paying the entry fee: Read the rules. Make sure you’re submitting an eligible and appropriate script for a particular competition. If you have questions about a competition, shoot an email to its administrators. Don’t trust everything you hear about competitions from online screenwriting forum “experts.”
FRANKLIN: I’m going to paraphrase Hayao Miyazaki’s definition of a popular movie: write something that is “full of true human emotion, no matter how base. The entrance should be low and wide so that everyone can be welcomed in. The exit should be high and purified. It shouldn’t be something that emphasizes or enlarges the lowness.”
MATT: Write something that truly stands out. Write the most daring and uninhibited story you can think of and in the most cinematic way that can draw in an audience. There isn’t a dearth of screenwriters in Hollywood so what the industry needs and is looking for is the next great original voice. Screenplay competitions hope to infuse the industry with new, exciting talent so you should do whatever you can to stand out.
Q: Could you share some success stories?
GREG: We have plenty, but let’s focus on the immediate. Destin Cretton’s “Short Term 12,” which he directed from his 2010 Nicholl Fellowship-winning script, just premiered at SXSW. 2002 fellow Creighton Rothenberg co-wrote “Olympus Has Fallen,” opening in theaters on March 22. 2012 fellow James DiLapo recently signed a two-script deal with Warner Bros. Jason Micallef wrote “Butter,” which opened theatrically in the fall of 2012 after being the opening night film at the 2011 Austin Film Festival; “Butter” was Jason’s 2008 fellowship-winning script. 1992 fellow Andrew Marlowe is the creator and executive producer of the ABC series “Castle.” 1999 fellow Rebecca Sonnenshine is an executive story editor on the WB series “The Vampire Diaries.” 2003 fellow James Mottern is currently in post-production on “God Only Knows,” which he directed. 1998 fellow Karen Moncrieff is currently in post-production on “The Trials of Cate McCall,” which she wrote and directed.
FRANKLIN: The annual Black List has seen its share of success stories, though it’s important to clarify that those who made the movies deserve the credit for the films themselves. It is worth noting however that over 250 scripts on the first seven years of the Black List have been produced. Those films have made over $16 billion in worldwide box office, been nominated for 159 Academy Awards and won 30 of them. Three of the last five Best Pictures were Black List scripts, as were seven of the last twelve screenwriting Oscars. As for the new platform, in just over five months, more than a dozen writers have already found representation with major agencies or management companies. I also believe we’re now up to a half a dozen script sales/options, and one writer – whose name I can’t yet reveal – just closed a two script blind deal at a major studio.
MATT: Several of our top writers placing even in the Second Round (top 10%) have found great success after advancing. 2010 Finalist Christopher Cantwell had his script “Halt & Catch Fire” (co-written with partner Chris Rogers) ordered by AMC as one of four projects this year to go to pilot, with filming slated to begin this year. Appearing on the 2012 Black List are 2011 Comedy Screenplay Winner Max Taxe for his winning script “Goodbye, Felix Chester” and 2012 Drama Finalist Austin Reynolds for “From New York to Florida”. 2010 Comedy Winner Julie Howe currently has her winning script “Jasper Milliken” in development with Sony-based Zhiv Productions. Julie will also participate in the panel discussion in LA. 2010 Second Rounder Lee Hoverd had his script “Ex-Men” optioned by Mike Fry (“Over the Hedge”) after hearing Lee’s pitch as a judge in the annual Pitch Competition during the Conference. Kevin Miller, 2010 Comedy Finalist, signed with manager Peter Meyer through a relationship that began at AFF and his script “Mother’s Day” was quickly optioned after placing in AFF by Sony producer Harry Gittes (About Schmidt). VJ Boyd, 2008 Teleplay Finalist, is currently a staff writer on the FX show Justified.
Q: What is the best script you’ve read or best film you’ve seen lately?
GREG: I still have some catching up to do from awards season but I really enjoyed “Argo” and “Lincoln.” Given my daughter’s love of all things animation, I have to mention “Wreck-It Ralph,” which was wonderful and unexpectedly moving. I recently watched four seasons of “Breaking Bad,” two seasons of “Sherlock” and the first season of “House of Lies” and was impressed by those achievements. And whenever I run across “Lawrence of Arabia” on TCM, and I can’t stop watching.
FRANKLIN: Best film I’ve seen lately: THE INTOUCHABLES, if only for Omar Sy’s performance.
MATT: I have two favorite films from last year: “Moonrise Kingdom” for its pure joy and originality and “Perks of Being a Wallflower” for its simple yet eloquent writing. I also read the scripts for both and I particularly loved the interactive storybook version of the script for “Moonrise Kingdom” released by the studio.
Q: Screenplay competitions are obviously not the only way a writer can break in. What other ways can a writer get attention?
GREG: Making short and feature films independently. Working on other filmmakers’ independent shorts and features. Working in Hollywood at an agency, production or managerial company. Working on film and television productions when they shoot in your region. Attending film festivals and screenwriting conferences. Attending film school. Connecting with college alumni in film and television and asking for advice. Targeting well-selected agents and managers with query emails, letters and phone calls. Et cetera. Finally, be persistent – and most importantly, keep writing new screenplays.
FRANKLIN: The Black List (http://www.blcklst.com)
MATT: Writing is such an isolated craft that the mere sound of the word “networking” can make any recluse screenwriter shudder. It’s so important though to meet and work with the right people that can help get your script made or get you hired for a project. I recommend joining a writer’s group and attending screenwriter’s conferences (like AFF of course!) to build a strong network of friends and collaborators. While it’s not entirely necessary, consider working in LA if you’re not already. Get a job working at an agency, production company, or TV studio. In the land of feature films, screenwriters don’t always get their due credit but in the world of TV, the writer is king (or queen). A lot of TV writers get hired to write features. And of course, keep writing and stay persistent.
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Bears Fonte’s look at the beginning of Austin’s 2013 film festivals
by Bears Fonte | 03.20.2013 The dust has settled and the massive influx of cool hip trendsetters have returned to their various blogs across America (and Europe); SXSW has finished another year of putting Austin at the heart of the entertainment convergence of music, interactive, and film. I’ve been an avid SXSW Music attendee for years, so really diving into SXSW Film for the first …
by Bears Fonte | 03.20.2013
The dust has settled and the massive influx of cool hip trendsetters have returned to their various blogs across America (and Europe); SXSW has finished another year of putting Austin at the heart of the entertainment convergence of music, interactive, and film. I’ve been an avid SXSW Music attendee for years, so really diving into SXSW Film for the first time was a blast. I got a late start, as I was at the Taos Shortz Film Festival the opening weekend, but by Sunday I threw myself full force at the packed schedule. There are so many films playing, in so many groupings, it can be hard to really master the SXSW schedule. I decided to focus on a few areas, the Midnighters, because they rarely played against the other films, the Shorts, because they were easily accessible in the giant Vimeo theatre, and the films with Austin/Texas connections. Of course, I made time to see AFF regular James Franco’s new film SPRING BREAKERS (he steals the film) and the film I had most wanted to see at Sundance but got closed out, THE SPECTACULAR NOW. James Ponsoldt, an AFF Alum (2004’s JUNEBUG AND HURRICANE), really shines with SPECTACULAR, a simple film about love and growing up that could have felt cliché if it had not been so full of deep characters and heart.
This year SXSW really showcased an excellent selection of Local or Texas films. Some of them had played Sundance (PRINCE AVALANCHE, UPSTREAM COLOR, MUD, A TEACHER – which I loved) so what I was really looking forward to catching was the new ones, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Chris Eska’s THE RETRIEVAL really transports the viewer to another time and pace, slowly creeping through a tension-filled battlefield until it all unravels at the end. The film features some phenomenal performances from the entire ensemble, although Tishuan Scott brought home the Special Jury Award for Acting as a former slave and fugitive murderer. The interplay between his character and the Uncle and Nephew team sent behind Union lines to fetch him back really drive the drama. It was great to see an independent film with limited resources pull off a period (and war) piece. Another favorite, the beautiful heart-warming documentary BEFORE YOU KNOW IT follows three elderly gay men as they discover their place in the world during the golden years of life. With three subjects that couldn’t have been more cinematic if they had been written in a script, PJ Ravel’s film acknowledges that you don’t loose your sexuality with age, even if your drive becomes refocused. Another great film with local roots was Brian Poyser’s THE BOUNCEBACK, a sort of anti-rom com about a guy who returns to Austin to stalk his ex and ends up meeting someone else. A hilarious film that features an extensive Air-Sex sequence and shot all over Austin, THE BOUNCEBACK is the kind of film that could have been made with someone from the Twilight franchise but thankfully was not. It should have a nice long run on the festival circuit. My favorite local film was ZERO CHARISMA, a comedy about a DND Gamemaster whose three-year long campaign gets hijacked when a hipster invades his gaming group and charms his nerdy friends. Equally funny and touching, Sam Eidson dominates the film with his desperate attempt to remain on the throne of his own carefully crafted world. This is the kind of quirky comedy that really, despite being made in Austin, could play anywhere and really find an audience.
Looking at the shorts program, a lot of my favorites from SXSW were ones I had already seen at Sundance including SOCIAL BUTTERFLY, SKIN and BLACK METAL. NECRONOMICA played as sort of the comic side to BLACK METAL and really stood out for its levity in a rather bleak program (Shorts 2). In sort of an extreme version of Bill and Ted’s, NECRONOMICA finds a band fraught to find a way to be the most evil band in the world (hint: it involves a goat head). In Shorts 1, SEQUIN RAZE gave the viewer an inside look into the questionable morality of reality television and really stood out. My favorite new short played during Shorts Program 3, IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME, a disturbing and hilarious tale of things going from bad to worse when a girl tries to break up with her boyfriend and ends up killing him instead (and that’s just the first two minutes). Although most of the Midnight Shorts were a little un-narrative for me, I loved the fake trailer HELL NO, a series of horror films where smart characters make rational decisions deflating any attempt at typical horror scenarios. I also loved the music video of a teddy bear killing every other toy in sight in VENGEANCE RHYTHM.
And while I am thinking about staying up late, the Midnighters Section offered some of SXSW’s most consistently entertaining features including the return of YOU’RE NEXT which has become sort of an Austin legend after wowing audiences at its original screening at Fantastic Fest and then being pulled for its final two screenings. It’s the kind of film that gets people cheering along with each kill and featured a great cameo from (SXSW Midnighter and Sundance director – THE RAMBLER) Calvin Lee Reeder at the end. My favorite Midnighter was the aptly named BIG ASS SPIDER! (I actually heard someone ask the director what the film about). A monster movie in the old fashioned sense of the art from director Mike Mendez, BIG ASS SPIDER! isn’t afraid to laugh at itself and ethnic stereotypes. It was some of the most enjoyable minutes I had in a theater in a long time. Yeah, it’s silly, but it works. It even had classic three act structure.
However, my favorite film overall was a documentary A BAND CALLED DEATH. A perfect example of what SXSW does best, the film was a music doc, about a seldom heard proto-punk band from Detroit. The band was in attendance, and played shows at SXSW Music. They also signed merch after the screening. Formed in 1971 by three African-American brothers who wanted to sound like The Who and MC5, Death recorded a legendary lost album that was rediscovered in a blaze of online mp3 trading. The band, now reformed although missing one of the original brothers who has sadly since passed, infamously refused to change their name when offered a record contract. The lost brother told his kin that someday someone was going to come looking for their music, and he turned out to be right. A BAND OF DEATH was picked up in February by Drafthouse Films so I suspect you will be able to see it shortly at an Alamo near you.
SX is just the first festival in a full year here in Austin, with Cine Las Americas coming up in April, Fantastic Fest in September, and Polari Film Festival and our own Austin Film Festival in October, to name a few. Austin really is a great town in which to be a filmmaker or film lover.
- Bears Fonte
Austin Film Festival Director of Programming
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Staff Picks: Horror – Bears Fonté: How I Learned to Love the Saw in us All
By Bears Fonte | 3.15.2013 I’ve lived most of my life as a cinematic snob. Back in high school when my friends were lining up to see Child’s Play 2, I was already ditching them to catch Whit Stillman’s METROPOLITAN. I celebrated college graduation by hosting a screening of Noah Baumbach’s KICKING AND SCREAMING for a group of 50 friends who did not appreciate …
By Bears Fonte | 3.15.2013
I’ve lived most of my life as a cinematic snob. Back in high school when my friends were lining up to see Child’s Play 2, I was already ditching them to catch Whit Stillman’s METROPOLITAN. I celebrated college graduation by hosting a screening of Noah Baumbach’s KICKING AND SCREAMING for a group of 50 friends who did not appreciate the irony. The first Horror movie I even admitted to liking was SCREAM, which appealed to my snarky dismissive opinion of horror movies as completely predictable and cookie-cutter.
Then I discovered Blake Snyder’s book “Save the Cat” and the glories of structure. Horror films are the most mass-produced genre that Hollywood churns out, because they don’t have to FIND an audience, they just have to FEED an existing one. Horror fans respond to films that meet their expectations, and rave about films that deliver those and STILL manage to surprise. Of course, it was also about this time I started to write horror scripts. With my first feature, a thriller, already in post-production, I knew that no one was going to read a comedy I had ready to go. Thrillers do lead directly to horror, so there you had it. I had research to do.
I sat down with a horror aficionado friend of mine and sketched out the most important horror films of the last ten years. There were a few, like THE RING and THE GRUDGE (and the Japanese originals) to which I was actually really looking forward. There were remakes (THE HILLS HAVE EYES) and franchises (FREDDY VS. JASON). And then there was the so-called Torture Porn of HOSTEL and WOLF CREEK, and the one I had already decided to hate on the basis of its name and the one thing I knew about it, SAW.
I’ll skip to the end and just say I loved SAW. I watched it twice in one day and made my wife watch it. It is absolutely frightening, but not in any way that should put it in a same category as HOSTEL, a film so utterly violent and gore-filled that I have serious concerns about the production team that worked on it. Actually, SAW is a crime story, and the incidents described are no more horrific than David Fincher’s SEVEN and in fact, serve the story far better than those tableaus of torture. Nothing is dwelled on for the sake of shock, only as a clue for catching a killer. The ending moment that gives SAW its name is no more than an amplified 127 HOURS. At its core, the film is a mystery and an essay on morality. Everyone has some guilt and the killer appoints himself arbiter of a competition of sorts, who is the most deserving of death.
SAW boasts a surprisingly recognizable cast (for a low budget horror film) with Cary Elwes and Danny Glover turning in fantastically nuanced performances (okay Glover chews a little scenery as well) and Michael Emerson in his pre-Lost days. However, what really makes SAW a must for any writer, is its perfect structure. Without ruining the phenomenal twists and turns of the plot, the film manages to balance several timelines and flashbacks and still hit all the points of setting up a perfect Act One. By the time the Fun and Games of Act Two arrives, every character is experiencing their own struggle, all leading to the inevitable Act Three where all the plotlines and characters are brought together. It is a really well-made movie that also happens to be incredibly frightening. It’s not necessarily for the weakest stomachs, but I think the name (and maybe the sequels, which I’ve never seen) tend to overshadow what at its heart is just a really disturbing edge of your seat mystery.
As a final thought, one more take away on HOSTEL, a film that really accomplishes what it set out to do. The most frightening scene of the film (and the best scene without a doubt) is one in which no one at all is killed. Two-thirds of the way through the film, the lead character ends up in a locker room with another ‘client’ of the establishment who raves about the rush of killing someone. This dialogue gets to the fundamental impulse of horror films, we all have a little voice inside us, a little guilt, something we don’t want other people to know about, and a great horror film forces us to acknowledge that, for better or worse.
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Staff Picks: Horror – Kristen Washington and THE GRUDGE
by Kristen Washington | 3.14.2013 I’m often told that I am the best person to watch scary movies with. Not because I enjoy them or revel in the horror as it unfolds on screen, but because I am incessantly terrified of almost everything. The slightest movement makes me jump or scream and leaves my friends in a fit of stifled laughs while I try get …
by Kristen Washington | 3.14.2013
I’m often told that I am the best person to watch scary movies with. Not because I enjoy them or revel in the horror as it unfolds on screen, but because I am incessantly terrified of almost everything. The slightest movement makes me jump or scream and leaves my friends in a fit of stifled laughs while I try get my heart rate back to a normal speed.
The list of horror films that are forever engraved in my mind is a mile long, leaving terrified thoughts that plague my existence. I could pick DARKNESS FALLS, which instilled an irrational fear of the Tooth Fairy (for crying out loud!) at the young age of … 14. I could also write about THIRTEEN GHOSTS, which left me terrified of bathtubs for the better part of 6 months. However, there is one scary movie that has had a lasting terrifying grip on my daily thoughts and nightmares — THE GRUDGE.
THE GRUDGE is about a cursed spirit that kills everyone it comes into contact with. The spirit stems from a woman named Kayako who was brutally murdered by her husband, him being convinced that she was having an affair. The movie opens with an American couple and their elderly mother who move into the house where the spirit lives. The couple is killed by the spirit, leaving the mother to be taken care of by a caretaker. In comes Sarah Michelle Gellar and ensues the never-ending terror that is THE GRUDGE.
Not only did I sleep with my light on for three days after that movie, I didn’t want to sleep in my bed. I was afraid to open cabinets, and I couldn’t even go in my garage where my attic was, all in fear of being sucked into the depths of darkness by Kayako. Yes, I know, this is all very dramatic.
Thankfully all of these (completely rational, if you ask me) fears ended after more than enough anticlimactic, heart racing moments in the imagined eerie stillness of my parent’s house.
But THE GRUDGE has left one last mark on me, this one last terror that’s been branded into my fears: that noise. I don’t even know what it is! It’s this gurgling croak that come straight from the pits of hell. My hands are sweating writing this… so.
…Anybody seeing THE CROODS?
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Staff Picks: Horror – Matt Dy and THE THING
By Matt Dy | 03.13.2013 What does John Carpenter’s THE THING have in common with Steven Spielberg’s E.T.? Well, it’s not a cute, cuddly alien that’s for sure. Both were released at the same time but Carpenter’s film took a beating at the box office while up against Spielberg’s behemoth classic. However, over the years THE THING has found renewed appreciation as one of the …
By Matt Dy | 03.13.2013
What does John Carpenter’s THE THING have in common with Steven Spielberg’s E.T.? Well, it’s not a cute, cuddly alien that’s for sure. Both were released at the same time but Carpenter’s film took a beating at the box office while up against Spielberg’s behemoth classic. However, over the years THE THING has found renewed appreciation as one of the greatest horror films of all time.
THE THING was written by Bill Lancaster and directed by John Carpenter and is considered a remake of THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD. The title refers to the not-so-cuddly alien creature that assimilates other organisms (humans, dogs, anything is game) and has the unique ability to imitate them. This serves as an excellent plot device as The Thing terrorizes a research team in the Antarctic and they begin to turn on each other. The paranoia that develops and the slow burn of tension that builds underneath are what make this film as frightening as the fantastically gory transformations by The Thing. The best example of this is in the tension filled scene where all the men are having their blood tested to find out if any of them have been assimilated. In the scene, the men have realized the Thing has an extreme aversion to heat so they all agree to be tied up and have their blood drawn to be tested. MacReady (Kurt Russell) already passed so he administers the test by applying a hot wire to each man’s blood sample. One by one, we nervously wait to find out if the Thing lives in one of them. Suspicions and clues have already been laid throughout the film escalating to this moment. When we do find out who has been assimilated, The Thing reveals itself in the most horrifying way and we see it in all its gruesome transformations. If you haven’t seen it, it’s probably best you discover this for yourself.
Since it’s release, THE THING still holds up well. The movie was considered a mindless gorefest by many critics when it first came out. The perception of the film and horror in general obviously has shifted over the years as it is now embraced as a master class in subtle terror and over-the-top gore and special effects.
- Matt
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Staff Picks: Horror – Allison Frady and CHILDREN OF THE CORN
Today’s Staff Pick comes from AFF’s Development Director Allison Frady. Here’s her take on George Goldsmith’s adaptation of CHILDREN OF THE CORN. When we created the staff blogs for this week I instantly knew the film I was going to write about… THE EXORIST written by William Peter Blatty. It’s THE classic scary movie everyone just has to watch at least once in their …
Today’s Staff Pick comes from AFF’s Development Director Allison Frady. Here’s her take on George Goldsmith’s adaptation of CHILDREN OF THE CORN.
When we created the staff blogs for this week I instantly knew the film I was going to write about… THE EXORIST written by William Peter Blatty. It’s THE classic scary movie everyone just has to watch at least once in their lifetime.
However, when I went to re-watch the film to refresh my memory on the details, I got scared. It was then that I decided this was the perfect opportunity to explore other classic horror films. I decided that the perfect film would be adapted from quintessential horror stories and thus started searching through films adapted from Stephen King novels. THE CHILDREN OF THE CORN written by George Goldsmith instantly grabbed my attention for two reasons: 1. It was a short story by Stephen King adapted to a feature film and 2. There is nothing scarier than sadistic children.
The film follows the classic scary story plot line of people being stuck in a town and seemingly going in circles to continuously end up where they just came from, the suspenseful music that plays when something bad is going to happen, and the blank faces of the killers. In addition, the 1984 film has that classic 80’s feel of bad clothes, bad music, bad acting, and that yellow car which ironically made the 80’s so great! AND it stars a young Linda Hamilton pre- SARAH CONNER and TERMINATOR.
All of the above is a recipe for success in horror films and for the first hour it did not disappoint! The opening scene leaves you shocked and on the edge of your seat- children killing adults, all led by Isaac, the master mind behind the theory that anyone over 18 must die. The hate and unresponsiveness in the children’s eyes and the glaze over their faces makes the audience scared at the thought of “How can these kids be capable of this?” As the film continues you realize that Isaac is leading the children to believe that this is right and you must follow his ways to survive in the town- there is no escaping as you’ll be hunted down by Malachai and his group of followers. It feels like a bad religious cult, brainwashing people to drink the kool-aid because it was what HE wants of you and you’ll be better off if you follow in the cults footsteps. As an outsider, you feel like screaming and shaking some sense into them but it is so ingrained in their brains nothing can help. The sadistic nature of the children makes the viewer sad that one individual can cause so much harm to so many people.
As the climax of the film approaches and the children start turning on each other for the power of the cult, the plot takes a left turn to “bad-scary-movie-ending” town. It’s not the children or Isaac creating the assumption that all adults should be killed it’s the corn field- literally. The 1980’s version of CGI graphics to create a “spirit” amongst the corn turns out to look like blob or a smoke cloud coming to kill the crops. On the ground, it has Tremors characteristics, that will suck you into the corn field and hold you hostage by wrapping the crops around you. This great classic horror film that makes you afraid to have children and shows the power in numbers turns into a laughable ending that leaves you feeling dissatisfied and wishing that the kids were the real demons.
In the end, I’m glad I watched it so I can now understand all of the CHILDREN OF THE CORN references in pop-culture and have another horror film checked off my “I need to watch this” list. The film also leaves you understanding the innocence of children both good and bad and more importantly, not that children are sadistic but red-heads are sadistic. Forever will I look at my red-headed friends and think of Sarah’s face as she mentions “Malachai is the one putting the adults in the corn field.”
- Allison
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Staff Picks: Favorite Horror Films – Patrick Pryor on Mr. VAMPIRE
This week Austin Film Festival staff talks about their favorite Horror movies to gear up for this Friday’s Conversation in Film in partnership with Dallas Screenwriters Association: Writing for Horror with Mick Garris and Steve Niles. Stay tuned to this weeks Staff Picks blog and Newsletter for an announcement about our NEW Screenplay and Film Competition’s Horror Categories. For more information on this Friday’s Conversation …
Like many films near and dear to my heart, Mr. Vampire pulls out all the stops to send audiences howling and hooting into a fist pumping frenzy. This horror movie has everything: high flying kung fu battles, lecherous lady-ghosts, slapstick comedy, black magic rituals, Cantonese pop music, a period setting chock full of billowing robes and frilly dresses, and a rotting, rasping, hopping vampire archnemesis. This film crawls, oozes, and groans to please, and it succeeds wildly with its gleeful mishmash of popular genres. Jump kicks and dizzying back-flips segue into pants ripping hijinks and boil bursting scares. The plot of Mr. Vampire, which concerns a Taoist priest and his assistants battling an ancient vampire, keeps butts teetering on the edge of seats, but still finds time to slip in inspired flourishes of supernatural lunacy. One of my favorite scenes involves a showdown between the priest and a lecherous lady ghost. Her head detaches, grows spikes, and flies at the priest. But he delves into his Taoist bag of tricks, including magic basil leaves and a glowing dagger, and tears the ghost a new one. I even prefer to listen to the English dub. It sounds like it was recorded by a pizza delivery guy from Compton, complete with “whoas” and botched Chinese pronunciations. However, the dub, like the film itself, captures and crystallizes a pure sense of fun.
- Patrick
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AFF NEWSLETTER ISSUE #198
February 27, 2013: Guest Blog: Julie Howe and the Ups and Downs of Scrip Development, AFF Summer Camp Registration is Now Open!, Staff Spotlight: Kristen Washington, Interview: Best of Fest (Shorts 2012) Filmmakers and more!
February 27, 2013: Guest Blog: Julie Howe and the Ups and Downs of Scrip Development, AFF Summer Camp Registration is Now Open!, Staff Spotlight: Kristen Washington, Interview: Best of Fest (Shorts 2012) Filmmakers and more!
AFF Interview: Best of Fest (Shorts 2012) Filmmakers
Next week at the Alamo Drafthouse Village, Austin Film Festival will present AFF’s Best of Fest (Shorts 2012) as part of our monthly Audience Award Series. This evening of award-winning shorts from last year’s festival includes two Oscar-nominated films and Animated, Documentary and Narrative shorts all together in one program. Bears Fonté, Director of Programming, sat down (or e-sat down actually) with a few of …
Next week at the Alamo Drafthouse Village, Austin Film Festival will present AFF’s Best of Fest (Shorts 2012) as part of our monthly Audience Award Series. This evening of award-winning shorts from last year’s festival includes two Oscar-nominated films and Animated, Documentary and Narrative shorts all together in one program. Bears Fonté, Director of Programming, sat down (or e-sat down actually) with a few of the filmmakers to discuss their films and their take on being a Shorts Filmmaker.
Bears, AFF: What do you consider a strong story?
Zach Endres, Writer/Director THE TELEPORTED MAN: “The strongest stories are those that make you look at life at a slightly different angle. They provide a unique perspective in a way that makes you feel something, whether it be joy or heartbreak or fury. The best stories lead you to empathize with a new point of view. They broaden your mind, either by allowing you to wear someone else’s shoes or revealing the truth that you’re not the only one wearing your particular shoes. With that knowledge you face your everyday life with a new tilt, hopefully in a positive direction.”
Jason Berger, Director GOOD KARMA $1: “A strong story to me is really just something that pulls an emotion or feeling out of me. A comedy can have a really strong story the way that a drama or epic period piece can. “
Bears, AFF: How long did the writing process take you and when (how) did you know that it was ready for production?
Christoph Kuschnig, Writer/Director HATCH: “It took about six months from the idea to the script that I actually shot. It’s never ready – even rewrites on the day of shooting a scene. There is a point in writing when you know, you’ve done everything possible to make it as strong as you can. Then it is time to bring in your collaborators to ascend it to the next level.”
Zach Endres: “Writing took place over a couple of months, but I would have loved more time. Being my undergraduate thesis film, this entire project had to be completed within one semester, including script revisions. So in all actuality, production just kind of happened whether the script was ready or not. But that pressure kept me vigilant. I wrote draft after draft, squeezing as many revisions into that time as possible. I tweaked the script throughout rehearsals and into production, and oddly enough even well into post-production. It’s impossible for a script to reach perfection, but that doesn’t mean you should settle. Actively critiquing your creation until the end is a way to ensure you’re creating the best product possible, albeit at the expense of your sanity.”
Bears, AFF: What was the biggest challenge making the film?
Chelsea Hernandez, Director SEE THE DIRT: “The biggest challenge in making the film was determine how to edit the story together. Erik and I did not have an idea of how the structure of the film would be and there was no event to really cover that would create a narrative arc. We knew we wanted to highlight Scott and allow the audience a peek into his life. So, it was hard to determine how to make a “day in the life” short documentary flow and keep one’s attention. Also, I filmed and edited the movie, it was hard to cut down the film. I was so attached to certain scenes because I was present at the shoot. It was heart wrenching to loose certain scenes, but in the end it worked much better.”
Christoph Kuschnig:“Shooting at an actual baby hatch. We asked for the three nights but only got one. We had to cram in 24 setups in less than 12 hours of shooting with an actual baby on set, heavy traffic outside the baby hatch – and still we were able to make it look quiet.”
Bears, AFF: Working within your budget, what type of compromises did you have to make along the way? Were there any that were particularly painful to you?
Chelsea Hernandez:“We started shooting “See the Dirt” in standard definition because (co-director) Erik and I both owned Panasonic DVX100s that we just couldn’t let go of yet. I wished we would have filmed it in high definition, but stepping back now, I’m glad we did shoot in SD. Since the movie is about Scott’s unique vintage hobby, it gives it a nostalgic, novelty look. And it leads the audience to focus more on Scott.”
Zach Endres: “Making a science fiction film on a shoestring budget is always a challenge. We had to make compromises with almost every aspect of the film. While these changes seemed painful at first, I’ve found that I make my most creative decisions when the greatest limitations are placed on me. Some of the moments in the film that I’m most happy with are not even close to how I imagined them in the writing process. I’m a firm believer that you must embrace limitations, because they often lead to a better movie if you know how to manipulate them to your benefit.”
Bears, AFF: What advice do you have for shorts filmmakers?
Zach Endres: “Keep it simple. A short doesn’t have to be a compressed feature film. The strongest shorts are often those that tell a story that fits their timeframe. It’s all about efficiency. Start late, leave early, reduce locations, combine characters, simplify simplify simplify. The clarity of brevity allows for even the smallest of stories to leave the biggest of footprints.”
Jason Berger: “Just have fun. If you’re not having fun, then don’t do it. And do it for yourself. I think you should submit (your film to film festivals) – you’ve just got to do it. I think it’s a good exercise in getting your film out there. And even if your film doesn’t get in, it’s a learning experience. If you want to be into making films, you can’t really be worried about whether people are going to like it or hate it. You want to get as many eyeballs on it as possible. The goal is to get people to see it.”
Bryan Buckley, Writer/Director ASAD: “There are tons of film festivals out there. Take the time to know the festivals you submit to. Look at their past winners. Look at how they screen. Make sure that they recognize the type of work you’ve created. Traveling 1400 miles to see your film screen in front of eight disinterested people is about as disheartening as watching Mitt Romney trying to explain his take on foreign policy.”
Bears, AFF: What have you learned or do you must appreciate, after working the festival circuit?
Jason Berger: “I really appreciated the audience laughing at the parts that we laughed at!”
Bryan Buckley: “If you look at Austin’s track record for picking films that are socially noteworthy, it’s pretty damn ridiculous. As a writer/director I also like that Austin is such a writer’s festival – I mean look at the award – it’s a typewriter! We couldn’t help but put Austin at the top of our festival submission list. Warhol said ‘in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.’ I wonder if it was his way of predicting the rise of the short.”
Zach Endres: “I’ve learned to not take rejection personally. In fact, rejection is just a challenge to do even better work the next time around. On top of that, I’ve learned that some people actually do want to see my films. Appreciation of that fact is key: focus on the positives, bear the negatives and use them as fodder to build upon your past work.”
AFF’s Best of Fest (Shorts 2012) plays Monday, March 4th at the Alamo Drafthouse Village at 7 pm. Films will include SEE THE DIRT (Doc Short Jury Award Winner), GOOD KARMA, $1 (Doc Short Audience Award Winner), ASAD (Oscar-nominated and Narrative Short Jury and Audience Award Winner), HATCH (Student Short Jury Award Winner), THE TELEPORTED MAN (Student Short Audience Award Winner), and HEAD OVER HEELS (Oscar-nominated and Animated Short Jury and Audience Award Winner). Filmmakers from SEE THE DIRT and THE TELEPORTED MAN will be in attendance. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Oscars Prediction Post: Matt Dy
For football fans, the Super Bowl may be over but for me, mine hasn’t started yet. This Sunday is the Academy Awards and the only playbook in sight is the one Harvey Weinstein is pushing hard for. Will it be Silver Lining’s night or Argo’s? This has been the most unpredictable and surprising race in years featuring a stellar line-up of nominees. AFF …
For football fans, the Super Bowl may be over but for me, mine hasn’t started yet. This Sunday is the Academy Awards and the only playbook in sight is the one Harvey Weinstein is pushing hard for. Will it be Silver Lining’s night or Argo’s? This has been the most unpredictable and surprising race in years featuring a stellar line-up of nominees. AFF is represented well here as our 2012 festival line-up included Silver Linings Playbook, Flight, The Sessions, and short film nominees Asad, Buzkashi Boys, and Head Over Heals. I’ve included my predictions below in all 24 categories. I’ll start off with an analysis of my two favorite categories, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay. Click on each of the titles to download the PDF of the script (Lincoln is not available).
Best Adapted Screenplay
Argo by Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild by Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin
Life of Pi by David Magee
Lincoln by Tony Kushner
Predicted winner: Argo
Chris Terrio’s tight script never lags and does a phenomenal job of keeping the audience in suspense despite already knowing the outcome. And with tons of smart, funny one-liners, Chris Terrio could be telling the other nominees “Argof*ckyourself” on Sunday. Tony Kushner has enough respectability in the industry to pull off a win but I think Argo will continue its winning streak here.
Best Original Screenplay
Amour by Michael Haneke
Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino
Flight by John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty by Mark Boal
Predicted winner: Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino has already won some key awards so far for original screenplay so I’d say he’s the favorite. I’m sure some residual love from Inglorious Basterds and the box office success of Django can’t hurt either. Mark Boal did win the WGA award but Tarantino wasn’t eligible for a nomination and Michael Haneke could surprise here too.
And here is the full list of my predictions:
Best Picture: Argo
Best Director: Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio – Argo
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables
Best Cinematography: Life of Pi
Best Production Design: Anna Karenina
Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina
Best Hair & Makeup: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi
Best Editing: Argo
Best Sound Mixing: Les Miserables
Best Sound Editing: Life of Pi
Best Original Score: Life of Pi
Best Original Song: Skyfall
Best Animated Feature: Brave
Best Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour
Best Live Action Short: Curfew
Best Animated Short: Paperman
Best Documentary Short: Open Heart
Check back after the show on Sunday and see how I did!
–Matt Dy, Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Director
If you think you have what it takes to correctly predict the Oscar winners, take a chance at our Oscars Prediction Contest and you could win a Producers Badge or a Film Pass to the 2013 Austin Film Festival! For more information, click here.
Interview: Conversations in Film: Making Your Feature Film, Panelists
In preparation and excitement for our upcoming MAKING YOUR FEATURE FILM event, panelists Emily Hagins (MY SUCKY TEEN ROMANCE), Brandon Dickerson (SIRONIA), John Fiege (MISSISSIPPI CHICKEN), and Jeremiah Jones (RESTIVE) reflect on some of their experiences, joys and trials as filmmakers. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for much more insight and advice during Austin Film Festival’s next Conversation in Film! AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL …
In preparation and excitement for our upcoming MAKING YOUR FEATURE FILM event, panelists Emily Hagins (MY SUCKY TEEN ROMANCE), Brandon Dickerson (SIRONIA), John Fiege (MISSISSIPPI CHICKEN), and Jeremiah Jones (RESTIVE) reflect on some of their experiences, joys and trials as filmmakers. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for much more insight and advice during Austin Film Festival’s next Conversation in Film!
AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (AFF): What do you consider a strong story?
HAGINS: I think a strong story is one that you feel passionate about as a writer, because you’re able to really bring all the details of the world your characters live in to life.
DICKERSON: I gravitate toward true stories I find will translate to screen in an authentic and honest way..
FIEGE: A strong story portrays the world from a distinctive perspective.
AFF: What were some of the biggest challenges with making your film?
HAGINS: One of the biggest challenges was keeping the narrative concise with a simple, character-driven story. There were a lot of character moments we could’ve expanded on, and themes we could’ve explored– but it would’ve deviated from what the big picture really was. Understanding what the movie would ultimately feel like in the early stages was definitely a necessary but difficult step for a movie like this.
FIEGE: Finding the story tends to be the hardest part of production. With documentary, even when you think you’ve found a great story, you’re never sure how it’s going to play out. Following strong documentary stories is, by definition, a risky endeavor; and one of the hardest parts of production is pouring everything you have into such an uncertain process.
DICKERSON: For SIRONIA, we were pulling crew from Austin+Dallas+Los Angeles as well as working with locals in Waco. Every one of those cities has its own vibe. Crew from each city has their own unique approach to production. It was a challenge to be at the helm of those different personalities within an abbreviated 20 day shoot with little prep time. A film crew needs to work as a passionate family with a unified vision and we had to create that connection on a train that had left the station. It all worked out in the end.
JONES: Finding money to make a film is always a big challenge. I have only made ultra low-budget films, so scheduling and moving efficiently to get what you need with not much time is another big challenge. When people come into a project and spend a lot of time and resources working, you need to make sure that you are on the same page and have the same expectations. The indie environment can be kind of all hands on deck, so just talk everything out.
AFF: Working on a low-budget, what type of compromises did you have to make along the way? Were there any that were particularly painful to you?
HAGINS: Luckily we had an amazing cast and crew that really went above and beyond when things were tough– like one day we shot 9 pages in a location with 100 extras, and everyone really worked hard to get everything done in the best way possible… I really don’t feel like we had to make compromises, because this story was designed for a budget we would be able to work with.
JONES: I try to hopefully make the most out of the current situation that we are facing. I don’t think it’s compromising, it’s problem solving. Make the most out of what you have in that moment and don’t let one moment bring the movie down. A lot of challenges can be happening all around the set but you only see what goes into the frame.
FIEGE: Art is a compromise between a vision and the representation of that vision. I have to constantly make difficult choices about how to spend extremely limited resources of time and money. Yet, it is these choices that result in a particular artistic representation of a story. I always wish I had more time and money, but I also believe that when I figure out how to tell a story in a stronger way, more time and money will become available somehow. As Robert Bresson wrote, “One does not create by adding, but by taking away.”
AFF: What was one of the most memorable parts of shooting?
JONES: If it is possible and the schedule allows, I like picking up the cast from the airport. An actor puts a lot of faith into you – they read the work, we talk on the phone about it, the details or business get worked out – but I always find myself still hoping that they get on the plane. Meeting them at the airport is when I have the realization of” Hey, they actually came. We have a chance – let’s get this thing done.”
FIEGE: Seeing the story appear before my eyes for the first time.
DICKERSON: The first day [of SIRONIA] was insane. I had fallen on my sword that we needed to shoot at an actual rodeo with real Mutton Bustin’ so it moved up our shoot two weeks and became the first day of filming. It turned out that the time the rodeo had generously given us to film the dialogue sequences was during a pre-concert so we had to shoot between songs. On top of this, the reality that you were finally doing what you wanted to do since you were eight years old felt like an astronaut taking off for the moon.
HAGINS: The day we shot 9 pages was definitely the most memorable for me. We were working with one of our lead actors for the first time, difficult lighting, 100 teenagers, stunts, and one of the most emotional scenes of the whole movie… I felt like a different person at the end of it, and very grateful for the people involved in the production.
Hear more from Emily, Jeremiah, John and Brandon on Saturday, March 2nd at 12PM at the George Washington Carver Museum. The conversation will continue with panelists offering tangible advice for aspiring filmmakers including creative ways to raise money, find marketing and distribution, and utilize acquired tricks of the trade. Click here to get your tickets.
Staff Picks – 2012 Favorites
With awards season upon us, the AFF staff got to talking about our favorite films from 2012. Some have been nominated for a slew of awards and broke the box office bank, while others simply captured festival audiences’ hearts. While it’s impossible for most of us to pick a top favorite, we all agree that 2012 was chock-full of great cinematic experiences. We challenged ourselves …
With awards season upon us, the AFF staff got to talking about our favorite films from 2012. Some have been nominated for a slew of awards and broke the box office bank, while others simply captured festival audiences’ hearts. While it’s impossible for most of us to pick a top favorite, we all agree that 2012 was chock-full of great cinematic experiences. We challenged ourselves to pick a favorite from the last year, outside of the 2012 AFF line-up (because otherwise, we’d all have top 10 lists!).
Patrick – YFP Director
If an almighty movie wizard tapped my skull and projected my thoughts onto a screen, it would probably resemble something like HOLY MOTORS. This was a rare film that felt made specifically for me. It had everything: gossiping limousines, a bedraggled derelict scarfing flowers, a kidnapped supermodel (played by Eva Mendes), computer generated copulation, troubled teenage girls, knifings, accordion interludes, a family of chimpanzees, and even a Kylie Minogue musical number. The fearlessness of HOLY MOTORS had me laughing, cringing, falling out of my chair, and made me want to high five a hippo after leaving the theater. While other directors dribble out bland awards fodder featuring dead historical figures (LINCOLN) or golden throated thespians (LES MISERABLES), Leos Carax really swings for the fences with HOLY MOTORS. Like the chameleonic protagonist, played by Denis Lavant, Carax explores a variety of narrative paths and cinematic techniques. His film is a comedy, family drama, musical, social satire, romance, and action film all rolled into one freewheeling package. The ambition of HOLY MOTORS could have crushed it into one incomprehensible pile of rubbish, but luckily a wicked streak of absurd humor and a devil-may-care playfulness keep the proceedings in check. Who could forget Lavant, reprising his role of a taloned flower-munching troglodyte from TOKYO!, as he drags a modeling Eva Mendes into a sewer and drapes her in a burka? Or when Lavant returns home to his chimpanzee wife and son? Or when Lavant knifes a man, shaves his head, and steals his jumpsuit? So many great scenes litter this film, I came back a second and even a third time to bathe in their ridiculous glory. This film is almost too good for awards.
While HOLY MOTORS satiated my juicy cerebellum, THE RAID: REDEMPTION socked me in the solar plexus and left me crawling back for more. I love how this action movie wastes no time cutting to the chase. Our hero kisses his pregnant wife goodbye, then spends the next 90 minutes snapping necks, dodging machetes, cracking skulls, and emptying round after round of machinegun fire into a slew of sweaty, tweeked-out goons. I admire the claustrophobic, Carpenter-esque, premise: a police team must fight their way to the top of an apartment complex to apprehend a ruthless drug lord. The kinetic camerawork and jacked up sound made every bone snap and bullet blast hurt like a sack of soup cans. One question still eats at me, though. Who was redeemed in THE RAID: REDEMPTION? I guess you could say the slum dog brother of our supercop hero, but then again, with a body count rocketing into the stratosphere, no one really comes out on top. A lean, frothing mad-dog of an Asian action bruiser, THE RAID: REDEMPTION, shows more blatant disregard for human life than all the POLICE STORIES combined. I wanted to jump kick the air after I left the theater and take on a kung fu fighting cartel of my own.
Honorable Mention: LAST DAYS HERE
Bears – Director of Programming
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS: With a name that plays upon the most common horror movie cliché, this Drew Goddard/Joss Whedon film is a kick in the ass of the stale state of the industry. I love horror films, but smart, well-crafted movies that push the genre and surprise us are noticeably lacking in a niche field whose main purpose is to supply forgettable fodder to Friday night teenagers. Without ruining it, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS revolves around five teens that end up trapped in a – wait for it – cabin in the woods. This however, is no typical run-down house full of chainsaw-wielding mask-wearing madmen. It has been specifically built and scientifically outfitted with everything necessary to scare and kill off the teens, much to the approval of the crew of lab-coats and ties manning the controls.
Self-aware films can be a bit indulgent, but when they work, they let the audience in on the joke and expose the machinery of the greatest gift the entertainment industry has to offer, storytelling. CABIN works because it embraces the structure of a good screenplay. It knows the protagonist has to make a choice that leads them into Act Two. It knows that the B-story has to save the A-story and offer the way into Act Three. It knows that everything it set up has to be paid off (merman? really?).
I cheered out loud during this film, and have never laughed so hard as people are literally decimated into splatters of blood in the third act. The characters are simple archetypes, but that’s the point, and none of them really are as simple as they appear, also the point. It’s probably the smartest horror film since SCREAM, the film that re-energized the horror genre in the 90s. It’s also a horror film for people who don’t like horror films (because it mocks them), while still completely satisfying the tried-and-true fans. And it’s also just a film for people who like films, and good writing. It is a tragic shame that by the time awards season rolls around, no one remembers a film that came out in April, especially in the category of original screenplay.
Taylor – Marketing Director
I saw STARLET by chance. It was one of those magical moments that happens at film festivals — despite all the planning, scheduling, poring over the program guide — when you find yourself outside a theater, unencumbered by a plan and inspired by a burst of spontaneity. In this case, it was SXSW 2012 and there was a moment when my free time lined up with my boyfriend’s and we found ourselves in line at the Stateside for a film I had heard nothing about. I hadn’t read the synopsis, I hadn’t watched the trailer or visited IMDb to research the filmmakers. I jumped in, blind and ignorant.
Sometimes, those moments can end in heartbreak. But when they work– oh, the triumph. You feel like you stumbled upon some mystical, buried treasure (nevermind that people had already been singing its praises, the internet heretofore abuzz).
Had I read the synopsis, I doubt I would have placed it on my “must-watch” list. A twenty-something aspiring actress (Dree Hemingway) meets an elderly widow (Besedka Johnson), an unlikely friendship follows. The merits of the film are beyond a plot summery: the subtle, rich performances; the stunning stylistic choices — haunting, lustrous, and ethereal; the complexity and sensitivity in its representation of human connection. Dree Hemingway is mesmerizing as Jane, and she brings an unlikely fullness of character — curious, capricious, charming, fragile, yet instilled with a understated fortitude — to a 21-year-old malingerer.
But it was Besedka Johnson who stole your heart, in equal turns breaking and fortifying it. It’s the kind of performance, so nuanced and genuine, that leaves you breathless, wondering why the hell you’ve never seen this actress before. I discovered the answer in the post-screening Q&A: at age 85, this was her first film. Executive Producer Shih‐Ching Tsou found her at a YMCA gym in West Hollywood and asked her to audition. It’s heartening to know that an old-fashioned Hollywood-dream story still happens once and a while.
Director Sean Baker captures a rare and delicate authenticity with STARLET. And it’s a true testament to his storytelling abilities when he was able to unveil a character-defining revelation about Jane with such nuance that it was both deeply surprising and completely natural, with a lightness of hand that left the film’s flow completely uninterrupted. It was as if we the audience knew all along but only chose now to acknowledge it (if you plan to experience this yourself, I would recommend resisting the urge to watch the trailer).
While I saw a number of magnificent films in 2012, STARLET had the added pleasure of the stars aligning for an ideal theatrical experience. It was a reminder of how good cinema, and the act of viewing, can be.
Marcie – Office Manager
It wasn’t hard for me to pick my favorite film of 2012. A combination of stunning visuals and a compelling story are rare to find these days, but BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD combines both perfectly.
Many have said that Quvenzhané Wallis’s performance isn’t worthy of an Oscar© nomination, but I disagree. Never have I seen a performance that is so strong in its subtlety, especially from an 8-year old. The character of Hushpuppy (Wallis) is one that stands out because of the fact that this is a girl acting years above her age with the wisdom of an adult. When her father Wink (Dwight Henry) becomes ill and acts out against her, she retaliates with guff and heart, fighting to understand why his suffering grows worse and worse. Although she is lightyears ahead most children her age, she still cannot comprehend why her father is so angry. This left me and the audience with the heartbreaking revelation that at the end of the day, she is simply a child trying to understand the world around her.
Along with the performances, the visuals of this film stand out to me more than many films I have seen in the past 5 years. Benh Zeitlin’s use of cinematography captures the beauty and desolation of New Orleans in a post-Katrina state. It not only stands out as being unique, but adds to the world that Wink and Hushpuppy live in – a bleak but playful wasteland filled with eccentric neighbors and the barest of necessities.
Finally, the score to this film creates the ultimate trifecta and completes the movie-watching experience. It, too, is simplistic yet strong, just like the characters and tone of the film. I was moved to tears by the end of this story, and cannot wait to watch it again to take it all in once more. I was so excited to see this on the list of nominees for the Academy Awards©, and wish the best of luck to the director, cast and crew of this film.
Allison – Development Director
SKYFALL was definitely not my first choice when Joey, my boyfriend, suggested we go to a movie on a Saturday morning. However, since there was nothing else playing that peeked my interest I gave in and attended the matinee screening. My problem with these action-packed movies is that they jump into the story so quickly that I get confused on what the main mission or plot of the film is suppose to be- and the 007 James Bond movies are probably some of the worst offenders. I’m used to the romantic comedies that ease you into the story and films that you can just simply enjoy without thinking all the way through. Therefore, I sat in the theater and started mentally preparing myself- I didn’t talk through the previews, I ordered food and drinks before the theater got dark, and I promised Joey I wouldn’t ask questions all the way through the film.
As the movie started I immediately got nervous that I was going to lose the plot line. Between the chasing through Istanbul, riding motorcycles over rooftops and ending up fighting on a train- all the action was so thrilling that it was easy to get caught up in the chase rather than the reason behind it. But I kept relaxed and by the time Adele started singing the Original Song, “Skyfall,” I was hooked! The 2 and a half hours flew by as 007, played by Daniel Craig, followed the trail and mystery of who was behind exposing the MI6 agents. Not being a fan of any James Bond movies in the past it took a minute to pick up on the language- who was M? What is MI6? Why is this database so important? But after giving it some patience the screenplay worked out all my questions and provided a complete package of an action film. After we left the theater, I was continuously going through scenes in my head and putting all the pieces together of how he solved the puzzle. For days, Joey and I compared thoughts on the film. I found myself enjoying the plot more and more as we discussed it with each other and friends who had seen the movie.
This is when I discovered that it was my favorite movie of 2012 — it was the most memorable film I saw and one that I am dying to watch it again. In addition, when a movie is over 2 hours, you can generally feel like you’ve been in the theater for awhile. However, the fast-paced action, constant change in scenery, and the way the script flowed did not make it feel long. It kept you on the edge of your seat not knowing what was going to happen and each scene filled you with more information- making each one vital in the creation of the story.
SKYFALL might not have been my first choice of films to see that Saturday but I’m definitely glad that I went! It was not only a wonderful story but the camera work was great and the actors did a good job keeping you involved with the plot. I also learned that if I just relax and focus, I can follow the complicated action to discover the plot and storyline. When the next 007 film is released I might just be the one suggesting we go see it. Maybe I should listen to Joey more… Wait that’s taking it a bit too far!
Erin – Conference Director
I accidentally stumbled upon POLISSE while browsing my Netflix recommendations. Trust issues aside, I pressed play despite Netflix’s recurrent mistaken assumptions regarding my taste in film. The 2011 Cannes Jury prize winner had never made it to Austin theaters, and as a festival employee, I felt an obligation not to skip over this one. I’m glad I didn’t.
POLISSE is a multi-character drama that follows a Child Protection Unit in Paris, France. Somehow through the film’s pervasively raw and procedural milieu, I fell in love with an ensemble of dysfunctional and idealistic police who failed to produce a hero in themselves, but instead embraced the altruism of their work.
This is a sobering film, sprinkled with sweet absurdities. The intimacy of the narrative and cinematography arouse the stylings of a documentary, textured with honest ingredients and gritty undertones. Comprised of uncomfortable subject matter entrusted to cops who are cursed and blessed by their inability to escape desensitization, they must also endure messy home lives and the credence of their flaws. As a viewer, the immediate invitation into the privacy of this world was almost equally (yet appropriately) uncomfortable – voyeuristic even, but I couldn’t look away. Consequently, the moments of contentment, accomplishment, relief and laughter felt truly shared and mutually enjoyed.
The characters share a striking chemistry in their personal relationships and as a collective. The cyclical, black-holish nature of this occupation was demonstrated through their grave acceptance – or perhaps their conscious disregard – that their work will never be done. While some superficial stereotypes certainly exist, deep down the film makes you feel wholly human through its own exploration of humanity.
Despite a slightly haphazard finale, the largely masterful POLISSE (based on true CPU accounts) challenged me to reevaluate my thoughts on this difficult, layered and tragic reality. That, and – okay – the decision to give Netflix recommendations another chance.
Linzy – Assistant to the Executive Director
Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER is a charming romantic dramedy film that explores the separation of two high school sweethearts, Celeste (played by Jones) and Jesse (played by Andy Samberg).
Celeste exemplifies success as a trend analyzer (that’s a job), but breaks up with Jesse, an unemployed artist, to encourage him to go back to work. She realizes they cannot keep up the same playful relationship while technically going through a divorce.
Jones and Samberg have wonderful chemistry and each of their characters is likeable, funny and flawed. If you, like me, have a guilty pleasure for romantic comedies combined with 13-year-old boy humor, this is the perfect film for you! The film also includes segments of Celeste looking off into space while an indie song plays, which I’m led to believe is pretty “deep” and cool.
This movie gives you even more reason to be jealous of Rashida Jones. Her father is Quincy; she has cool friends; she’s a talented actress and now a talented screenwriter. Not bad for her first time! I can’t wait to see what other cool projects she has in store.
Sonia – Operations Manager
A tale of young love, MOONRISE KINGDOM captures the spirited innocence of first love blooms. It’s the summer of 1965 for twelve-year old lovers Suzy (Kara Hayward) and Sam (Jared Gilman). Only writers Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola understand their affection. Their words are the only key to both of these fragile little hearts. With one look at Suzy and her family you’re reminded that this in fact is a Wes Anderson film. Suzy, much like Margot Tenenbaum from Anderson’s 2001 film THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, is the epitome of the mysterious and offbeat female characters Anderson draws you into. She’s cool enough to wear eyeliner and has killer style. Sam, on the other hand, is the total opposite. But who cares this is love.
On a quaint island off the coast of New England better known as “Moonrise Kingdom”, the two lovebirds decide to run away together. Anderson gives Suzy and Sam the opportunity to awkwardly express their emotions through witty dialogue and humor as the gateway to their hearts. Suzy’s parents, Walt (Bill Murray) and Laura (Frances McDormand) are not thrilled but with the help of an excellent ensemble cast that includes: Sam’s scoutmaster (Edward Norton), his chief (Harvey Keitel) and the police captain (Bruce Willis), they intrude on the young lovers before it’s too late. Eventually though, love conquers all.
Anderson and Coppola (who together co-wrote Anderson’s 2007 film DARJEELING LIMITED), manage to balance a vision of love that is both smart and charming with dysfunctional and broken adults in the mix. If you’re looking for a whimsical story about what you hoped “puppy love” would have been like growing up, MOONRISE KINGDOM is this year’s fairy tale.
Matt – Screenplay Competition Director
I’ll admit it here: I actually paid to go see Twilight: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2. It wasn’t all that bad but I really needed to see something that would redeem my taste in movies immediately. So naturally, I decided to go see a movie based on another popular young adult novel. Thankfully that film was The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I didn’t read the book and I hadn’t heard much about the film, so it truly surprised me just how good it really is.
Stephen Chbosky is the writer and director of the film and it was adapted from his own novel. It’s rare to find a writer who has retained complete control over the integrity of his work like this. As a result, you can definitely tell a lot of love was put into his characters. The story is about Charlie, an introverted kid with a good heart and a traumatizing secret, during his freshman year of high school as he befriends a group of seniors. The story is fairly simple and Charlie’s secret doesn’t come as a big surprise but what won me over was how well the story was told. Chbosky tells a straightforward story that is honest, poignant, and with just enough restraint. There is nothing flashy or pretentious about this film. Everything felt authentic from the early 90s soundtrack to the dialogue. The best line in the film, “We accept the love we think we deserve”, could have easily come across as cheesy but it’s set up in a way that felt real. Even the casting didn’t distract from the story since the principal cast were mostly relative unknowns. Charlie was played by Logan Lerman who apparently was in Percy Jackson which I don’t think anyone saw. Emma Watson is perhaps the most recognizable but her performance as a free-spirited rebel with a dark past is a far cry from the straight-laced Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series.
I chose this film as my favorite of 2012 because the story came first above all else and it had so much heart. If you’ve got a heart, you’ll love this film. The screenplay received a nomination from the Writer’s Guild of America for Best Adapted Screenplay and was also recently nominated for the USC Scripter Award.
First Round of 2013 Panelists!
The 20th Annual Austin Film Festival will run October 24th-31st, 2013, once again magnetically attracting the most talked about, prolific, outlaw and legendary filmmakers and screenwriters in the entertainment industry. Plans are well under way to produce another exceptional Conference to inspire, educate and entertain you. Just some of the panelists already confirmed for the 2013 Conference: …
Terry Rossio
Robin Swicord
Jim Uhls
The 20th Annual Austin Film Festival will run October 24th-31st, 2013, once again magnetically attracting the most talked about, prolific, outlaw and legendary filmmakers and screenwriters in the entertainment industry. Plans are well under way to produce another exceptional Conference to inspire, educate and entertain you. Just some of the panelists already confirmed for the 2013 Conference:
- Terry Rossio, writer SHREK, DÉJÀ VU, THE MASK OF ZORRO, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise
- John August, writer FRANKENWEENIE, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, BIG FISH, CHARLIE’S ANGELS I & II, GO
- Peter Craig, writer THE TOWN, FATHERS AND GUNS, BAD BOYS 3
- Lindsay Doran, producer STRANGER THAN FICTION, NANNY MCPHEE, NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
- Jim Hart, writer HOOK, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, CONTACT, TUCK EVERLASTING, THE LAST MIMZY, AUGUST RUSH
- Robin Swicord, writer MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, LITTLE WOMEN, PRACTICAL MAGIC
- Dan Sterling, producer Girls, The Office, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, writer, The Sarah Silverman Program, King of the Hill, South Park
- Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, writers/producers RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, writers THE RELIC
- Barry Josephson, Josephson Entertainment
- Nicholas Kazan, writer MATILDA, AT CLOSE RANGE, BICENTENNIAL MAN
- Franklin Leonard, Overbrook Entertainment, creator of The Black List
- Jim Uhls, writer FIGHT CLUB, SEMPER FI, JUMPER
- Craig Mazin, writer IDENTITY THEFT, TURKEYS, THE HANGOVER PART II, SCARY MOVIE 3 & 4, ROCKETMAN
- Alvaro Rodriguez, writer MACHETE, SHORTS, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 3: THE HANGMAN’S DAUGHTER, ALLIED FORCES
- Daniel Petrie, Jr., Enderby Entertainment, creator/producer Combat Hospital, writer BEVERLY HILLS COP, THE BIG EASY, SHOOT TO KILL, writer/director FRAMED, former WGAw President
- Rick Dugdale, Enderby Entertainment
We’ll be announcing more of our confirmed panelists and events for the 2013 Conference in the coming months. Please know that we also greatly value your input and if you have suggestions for panel discussions, please send them to our Conference Director Erin Hallagan at erin@austinfilmfestival.com. Our goal is to provide you with the best writing and filmmaking conference yet.
Click here to get your 2013 AFF Badge!
All panelists are confirmed, schedules permitting. All speakers and events are based on permitting schedules and subject to change and/or cancellation without notice.
