- It's a drag when Delta loses your baggage.
- There is nothing new under the sun at the writer's conference, i.e., no literary learning going on. Not for me, anyhoo.
- Film fests are populated mostly by men, except for a few gorgeous, young actresses. Other than you and me, there was only one woman writer there that I could locate. She had a terrible case of the flu.
- Gorgeous, young actresses do not have time for the likes of me.
- Old guys think I am some nice lookin' wool. I became quite popular, all of them buying me drinks and hanging all over me. There of them offered to help introduce me to the right people and/or turn my script into a movie... if I slept with them. One asked me not to tell my husband, because he had been threatened with a machete before. He had a little trouble with the 'machete' word, as he was seriously sloshed.
- A lot of people get sloshed at after parties.
- The flu (see #3) is contagious.
- It is a serious drag to fly with a case of the flu.
Here are the things I learned:
- Resting on your laurels will not keep you successful - i.e. not preparing anything worthwhile for the 2012 screenwriting conference may discourage return visits.
- Bringing your husband to a film festival allows for a no-hitting-on zone.
- Being allergic to alcohol makes other people NOT want to buy you a drink.
- Allowing spouses of panelists to speak can backfire.
- Don't let friends fly with the flu.
- The stranger your hair cut or your shoes, the cooler you think you must be.
- Showing a crappy film a panelist thinks is great, but really isn't, can make for interesting outcomes - see #1.
- There aren't enough female screenwriters succeeding in the industry.
It's great being able to attend the festivals and the gala events in which you have reached finals and you get to meet filmmakers, screenwriters and actors. The nerves are wonderful - did I win? Did my friend win? You meet up with friends and get to meet new ones. You learn how certain people's personalities change with alcohol and learn whether you want to be around them at such times or not. You get free practice pitching your script and hope the other person is sober enough to enjoy it and is really interested and not just being polite. With any luck, the room you booked is also nice and with a good view.
I must admit that the best part of this latest festival was meeting up with old friends and meeting new ones. As a writer, the computer screen is your best pal, though generally opinionless, so the chance to be around other writers doing what you do, frustrated by similar issues, whose spouses can also commiserate, is a pretty neat place to be.
I'm finding more niche writers than anything else, in other words, independent film types. Since I belong to that group, I'm thrilled. Seeing people like Ted Hope work so hard to promote non-Hollywood projects thrills me to no end.
So, while I'm taking a little break from arranging acting classes, casting, producing, and writing screenplays, it's nice to reflect on the craft and all that goes with it. I've recently started a screenwriting critique group in Fresno (Woodward Screenwriting Group), a critique group, and I can't tell you how fulfilling it is to share work! I encourage it for those of you who are looking for feedback as you go along or after (you think) you're on the final draft.
Speaking of final drafts, there's a series I write for Three Lines or Less called "Creating an Unforgettable Screenplay." You can find them here. The latest one deals with Drafts...
KRL is also a place to find my articles, with one coming up soon about my experience at this recent film festival, but more about screenwriting.
See you next time!
