Austin Film Festival 2006

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

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

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

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

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


Interview with Steven Puri and Aadip Desai:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Check out the full 2009 AFF Conference schedule here.

NEW FILM EXPLORES THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS

July 30th Austin Premiere and DVD Release

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

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

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

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

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

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