For
one brief weekend, it might be said that the lobby and mezzanine of Austin’s historic downtown Driskill Hotel
were transformed into Storyville. Not the New Orleans Storyville quarter of ill
repute, but, rather, a virtual Storyville — a place where storytellers rule
and better narrative is the Holy Grail. The art and business of the screen
story was celebrated, debated, and analyzed throughout the course of the third
annual Austin Heart of Film Festival and Screenwriters Conference, (AHFF) which
took place this past Thursday, October 10 through Sunday, October 13 and
attracted an enthusiastic cadre of participants ranging from working regional
screenwriters and aspirants to industry professionals from both coasts.
Although the weekend was Storyville Austin-style, there was, perhaps, a nod to
the Storyville of Louisiana with the screening of Louis Malle’s 1978 classic
Pretty Baby, which was scripted by conference participant Polly Platt.
In fact, several of the films scheduled for the evening screenings were
retrospective projects associated with industry participants that allowed for
Q&As following the films. Included were 84 Charlie Mopic, written by
Patrick Sheane Duncan (Courage Under Fire, Mr. Holland’s Opus),
The Usual Suspects, written by Christopher McQuarrie, Hollywood
Shuffle, written and directed by Robert Townsend, Nightmare on Elm
Street, written and directed by Wes Craven, The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre, directed by Tobe Hooper, and the world premiere of the
Austin-lensed The War at Home, which was written by James Duff and
directed by Emilio Estevez.
Seasoned professionals shared their insights into the art and practice of
screenwriting in a non-stop whirlwind of weekend panels and workshops.
Everything from practicums on pitching scripts, handling rewrites, legal
issues, dialogue writing, writing without dialogue, writing adaptations,
character development, getting an agent, research techniques, and ensemble
writing to case studies of specific films and philosophical examinations of
topics such as “Should I Spend All My Time Writing the Next Die Hard
IV?”, “Will Studying Screenwriting in School Really Help My Cause?”, “Where
Are the Strong Female Characters?”, and “The Emotional Connection to Your
Material: Don’t Leave Home Without It.”
Winners of the screenplay contest are as follows: in the family category,
Angel Pass by Drina C. Kay; and in the adult category, The Columbian
Expedition by Robert Bundy. The winner of the feature film competition is
Dog Run by Ze’ev Gilad with a script by Gilad and Brian Marc. Winner of
the student short film competition is Paul McCall by Florida State
University student Benjamin Hershleder, with a script by Hershleder, Ron
Friedman, and Craig Cobb. AHFF’s 1996 Distinguished Screenwriter Award went to
Austinite Bill Wittliff (Legends of the Fall, Lonesome Dove,
Raggedy Man). AHFF’s 1996 Best Screenplay Award was given to Tim Robbins
for last year’s Dead Man Walking. Robbins is also the narrator,
interviewer, and executive producer of the Independent Film Channel’s
exploration of the career of filmmaker Sam Fuller, The Typewriter, the
Rifle, and the Movie Camera, a film showcased in the AHFF Film Festival.
Films were judged primarily on their narrative content and how well the
writing contributed to the overall success of the movie — quite a remarkable
distinction for Dog Run‘s gritty, beautifully shot, urban tale of young
drug runners adrift in the world of New York City’s building squatters and
street punks, much of whose documentary-like dialogue was, ironically,
improvised and spontaneous. Dog Run‘s music score, which contributes
most effectively to the film’s jangly tone, also features a tune by local
musician Kacy Crowley. Judges for the feature film competition included
representatives from the Independent Film Channel, Doug Belgrad, vice president
of production at Columbia Pictures, and Blair Rhodes, an executive at Trimark
Pictures. The judges of the student film shorts included representatives from
the Bravo Network, Michael Philip of Nicolman Entertainment, and Scott De Las
Casas of P3 Entertainment.
Thus, for one spectacular Austin weekend, it seemed more possibility than
hyperbole that millions of stories, indeed, lurked in the streets of the River
City.
This article appears in October 18 • 1996 and October 18 • 1996 (Cover).
