Back from Austin
The screenwriting portion of the Austin Film Festival was the past weekend, and I was happy to be a panelist. I was in three sessions. The first was about writer’s block; the second was the action genre; the third was on editing your script.
For the writer’s block panel, I referred to a book I’d read called The Midnight Disease. I couldn’t remember the author’s name, but with the benefit of web access, I can say it’s Alice Weaver Flaherty. It’s not a self-help book per se; it’s more an examination of the syndrome, along its mirror-condition, hypergraphia.
The action panel was fun, though part of me wonders if it’s really doing the world any benefit to talk about how to make expensive movies where stuff blows up real good. Hopefully, everyone who attended this panel also went to one about independent filmmaking or something character-oriented.
The final panel on editing your script was the most frustrating, both for the panelists and the audience. While it’s certainly a moderator’s right to stray from the assigned topic, his questions went so far afield I couldn’t even parse them half the time. So for anyone who sat through it, my apologies. And here’s what I probably would have said if asked:
Editing is not the same as rewriting. Editing is a constant process of finding the right words. Rewriting is changing the story, not just the commas.
Be careful not to over-edit as you’re writing your first draft. Many scripts are left unfinished at page 38 because the writer keeps going back and polishing the early scenes.
Have a plan before you start rewriting, or else you’ll get confused, frustrated and despondent.
Always ask yourself: What is important in this scene? Do you really need everything else?
On the whole, I liked the Festival. I met some great people, particularly other panelists whom I’d long admired. I only wish I’d had more time to socialize with them.
Articles
October 19th, 2004 at 10:09 am
John,
I totally agree with your comments about the Editing panel. There was so much knowledge and experience on the panel and we had to listen to the moderator weave an esoteric web of babble. Thanks for such a prompt update on your website.
I’m the one that offered to be your assistant for $500 a week. Keep me in mind.
I enjoyed meeting you. Nice guys are always good to know.
Bev
October 19th, 2004 at 10:30 pm
Amen on the Editing Panel. The moderator had his own agenda. Here’s what went through his head the night before:
“I will use very large words to ask the questions I want answered. That way, the ignorant audience will think I’m asking an ‘editing’ question. They won’t speak up in fear of drawing attention to their lack of vocabulary skills. And then John August will connect me to his agent because it’s obvious I should be in the industry writing screenplays. I need a glass of warm milk.”
Anyway, the AFF was a blast. And thanks John for your continued support and availability to other screenwriters!
October 20th, 2004 at 8:53 am
Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree about the editing panel, but I also thought that one bad panel out of dozen or so was an acceptable casualty ratio.
I loved the action and writer’s block panels. I think I actually learned way more than I could have paying a university to tell me to hit pages 10, 15, 30…
Thanks Mr. August for being such a great friend to new writers!!
Derek
October 21st, 2004 at 2:13 pm
Ditto on the Editing Panel, although I thought that the screenwriters took control the last 15 or 20 minutes and made it worthwhile.
Andy Dufresne might say to the moderator, “How can you be so obtuse?”
And as has been said before this was the only dud I went to – overall AFF was great.
Dave
October 28th, 2004 at 2:04 pm
I attended this panel as well.I know (and heard) the audience’s unhappiness. However being there with pros I felt that everything said had potential to be rich with information so it wasn’t a negative experience. I do however suspect Jeff took a wrong turn at Dallas and landed on another planet. Helloooo Jeff……