Marcie Mayhorn interviewing America Ferrera at the 2012 Austin Film Festival

Over the AFF Christmas break, I wanted to spend my time in the most efficient way possible. For some, this means finally getting to Christmas shop and relax, but for me it meant re-watching a few episodes from each season of my favorite TV show Ugly Betty for some writing inspiration.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to moderate the panel “A Conversation with America Ferrera” during our 19th Annual Festival. While watching the show, I recalled that crazy Sunday morning in October, trying to hide my nerves and remain professional at the same time. I had my pages of questions prepared, wanting to make sure I got every detail of her biography just right.

This was the ultimate dream come true for me – being not only a huge Betty fan, but also a huge admirer of America Ferrera’s work. I had not gotten the chance to meet Ms. Ferrera in advance like I had the other panelists, so I knew I would have little time to make a first impression. On my way upstairs to the Driskill Mezzanine, I stopped as I realized who was sitting just outside the 1886 Cafe – America herself.

I froze. Flashbacks of crying at the series finale came rushing back, and how I felt inspired to do anything with my life because of how Betty had lived hers. Coming back to reality, I made my way over to introduce myself. I couldn’t believe it – the moment of meeting one of my idols, of meeting Betty Suarez herself, was coming true.

After a few minutes of chatting though, and seeing how quiet and calm she is, I realized something very important: I wasn’t talking to Betty Suarez; I was simply talking to the woman who played her.

Don’t get me wrong – America was absolutely stunning, and I learned how passionate she is not only about acting, but about a powerful story as well. She constantly develops with every role she plays, and continues to impress with her breadth of work both in acting and producing. It will always be one of those rare, defining moments in my life.

After that day though, I made an important discovery – the monumental influence our favorite characters and stories have on our outlook on life. The character of Betty Suarez was a guiding light for me: she taught me how to keep my head above water, to move through uncertainty and, most of all, to always keep a positive outlook on life. It wasn’t the person playing Betty who inspired me, but the story of her life and all of the relatable experiences that she and I shared.

I used to solely admire Ms. Ferrera for her portrayal of Betty. But after the Festival, I realized how much I also admired her love of story and passion to play such a compelling character. I realized how grateful I am to the creator and writers on the show, for always finding a consistent beat that resonated with me and millions of other people during its 4-season run. It’s amazing how a piece of work can seem like it was written just for you.

I’m so excited for what the 20th Anniversary will bring this year, and I hope that our registrants will also get to meet the characters that inspired them. Happy Writing!

– Marcie Mayhorn, Office Manager

Marcie Mayhorn

I sometimes feel that there are two types of people in this world: those who believe in the power of movies, and those who simply view it as entertainment.

Seriously – try taking a random assortment of friends to a film.  Afterwards, ask everyone what they thought of it.  What are the responses?  You will have the few friends who adored it, who related to the characters, suffered with them in their sadness and had their heart skip a beat when they found happiness.  The other group simply says that they enjoyed it, but couldn’t get into it because: it’s just fiction.

Tonight, AFF is screening RUBY SPARKS at the Alamo Village here in town.  I’ve not done any research on the film, nor do I know a thing about it.  You could call it stellar marketing, or maybe something about it clicked with me.  Either way, I watched the trailer for the first time tonight and needless to say – I was hooked.

I couldn’t quite say what it was specifically that hooked me, but I think it winds down to the connection between Ruby (Zoe Kazan) and Calvin (Paul Dano).  In that two minute trailer, I was already fascinated by their connection.  But what about it?  Another “boy meets girl” film – where is the hook in that?

I then realized that the reason I was hooked was because I was relating their connection to my own life.  I thought of my wonderful, charming boyfriend: how we first met, the time we’ve spent together, everything in two years for some reason was narrowed down in that two minute trailer about Ruby and Calvin’s relationship.

I know there are those of us who look at art as a means of entertainment – something to take our mind off of the present.  Art will always be known as that type of outlet for people, but sometimes I also believe it helps us self-reflect.  A girl I knew once told me, “Why would I want to watch a sad film, or a film similar to my own life?  I’m already living that.”  True as that may be, sometimes we need to look at our own situations through a different set of eyes in order to learn how to figure it out.  Sometimes, we need a two-minute romantic comedy trailer to realize the great things that we might already have in our own lives.  And sometimes, we might just need that masked superhero or daring leading lady to help us make the right choices in our everyday life.

Now try telling me you don’t believe in the power of movies… If you still don’t, maybe we can have a conversation after RUBY SPARKS tonight and see what category you fall under.  See you then!

- Marcie Mayhorn, AFF Office Manager

At a staff meeting this afternoon, my colleagues and I started up a discussion about one of our co-workers seeing THE HUNGER GAMES last night.  Upon letting us know that he teared up at one of the scenes, I instinctively blurted out “Oh my gosh, when the girl dies, right?!”  I didn’t specify any characters, but the whole office reacted as if I told them one of our good friends died.  Responses like “Did you really just say that?!” and “I can’t believe you gave it away!” were tossed my way.

Needless to say, I felt pretty bad, as I know how popular the books and now movie have been these past few months.  But then, another thought popped into my mind: how important an ending is in a story.  Even though we might not know a thing about a storyline or plot, we still love the thrill of going on the hero’s journey.  As someone who recently saw the film, I knew nothing of the back story – I briefly knew about the plot, but I was otherwise in the dark.  Nonetheless, I knew exactly how my friends felt when they thought I had revealed the end, as if it was pointless to even attempt to see the movie now.

In a way, the revelation of an ending to a film or book can be as disappointing as if someone told you how things would end up in your own life: you don’t want to know, because you want to experience it for yourself.  I think this is why people often say, “Don’t tell me!” when the inkling of some part of a film is revealed, even if you have no interest in it.  As writers, we should all take a note on how important an ending can and should be – you can either forever hold or lose an audience in just one moment.  Michael Arndt gave a great discussion on writing endings this past festival, and gave some great tips on what makes a good ending. (One of the few panels that I truly wish I could have attended!)

I encourage all of you to check out not only our panels on writing endings, but any of our panels that can help further your writing process; there is always something for everyone at our Conference.  Hopefully I will see you there… and I promise not to blurt out any plot points to movies I’ve recently seen, either.

- Marcie Mayhorn, AFF Office Manager