Film, TV writers conference offers “˜Words’ of inspiration
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 19, 2002 9:00 p.m.
Writers Guild Foundation Larry David (left),
the writer/creator of "Seinfeld," speaks with Bryan
Gordon.
By Beverly Braga
Daily bruin contributor
[email protected]
Any picture may be worth a thousand words, but it takes the
talent of a writer to express them.
In the land of entertainment, the brush painting the picture and
the pen writing the story are sometimes held by the same hand or
various other hands, creating a portrait that may not always be
what was intended.
This, and other issues, are the focus of “Words Into
Pictures,” a film and television writers conference presented
by the Writers Guild Foundation. Held every two years, the event
hopes to educate and inspire writers from all backgrounds and
experiences through a series of activities and panel
discussions.
Though presented by the Writers Guild, the event is open to
anyone with any sort of interest in the entertainment industry.
“It’s really a very special, unique event,”
Georgia Jeffries, Writers Guild Foundation Vice-President of
Programs and Co-Chair of “Words Into Pictures,” said
during an interview. “It brings together writers with
producers and directors and executives and agents.”
To be held in early June, over 20 panels are being conducted,
with the range of discussions varying from general topics such as
how to break into the business, to individual case-studies on
television shows like “C.S.I.: Crime Scene
Investigation” and independent films such as “Kissing
Jessica Stein.”
“The business of the business is really looked at through
the panels,” said Jeffries, who is also a television
writer/producer and UCLA alumnus. “We also provide a real
focus on different projects. We’re having case studies so
people can come and say, “˜How did you get it done?’
Because no matter how long you’ve been in the business, every
project is a new one.”
As for the panelists, the names read like an honor roll of the
industry’s creative talent. Oscar winners Ron Bass
(“Rain Man”), James L. Brooks (“As Good As It
Gets’), and Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”)
are on the list of over 100 participants. For a college student,
brushing shoulders with studio presidents and highly experienced
and respected individuals in the industry could cause great
intimidation. But Jeffries disagrees.
“Not all the panelists have won Oscars,” Jeffries
said. “From a writer’s viewpoint, it’s very
exciting, but anybody can go there and be intimidated by the names.
Even the most successful writers and producers are matched by a lot
of talent. A lot of students attend as well as a lot of people just
starting out.”
The writers on the panels are joined by producers, directors,
agents, and various other executives from every medium whether it
be television, film, or animation. Yet the one medium missing this
year is the Internet, which in recent years has grown as a market
for screening short films.
“We actually had a panel on that at a previous
conference,” Jeffries said. “This year we have an
animation panel (and) a documentary panel. I’m sure in the
years to come (the Internet) will take a precedence. We do have to
stay current with what the marketplace is, and the marketplace is
changing all the time.”
On the other end of the marketplace is the issue of writing as a
craft. A first time event, a pre-conference craft day is held which
focuses on the art of screenwriting. The daylong event consists of
four classes (“Narrative and Structure,”
“Character,” “Dialogue and Description,”
and “Adaptation”), each will be taught by at least two
screenwriters. But don’t expect it to be a boring
hour-and-a-half lecture series.
“It won’t be a lecture,” Craft Day Chair
Nicholas Kazan said during a telephone interview. “These
panels are intended to be conversations between two people with the
audience participating. I think it’s going to be very free
form.”
Kazan, a screenwriter, suggested the idea for a craft day after
hosting similar craft sessions at the Heart and Soul Festival, a
writers festival in Austin.
“I’ve been there three times and I found it to be
much more valuable than most panels,” Kazan said. “It
was dealing with really substantive practical stuff that most
people wanted to know and in many cases didn’t
know.”
One of the key elements of the craft day is that it is handled
by writers who are currently working and have been in the industry
for some time. Their perspectives come from their own experience
rather than the experiences of others.
“There are a lot of seminars and weekend workshops taught
here and in New York and around the country in which people who
have studied movies from the outside talk about what writers do and
how they do it,” Kazan said. “Personally, I find their
advice and their analysis of screenplays to be like what English
departments do with literature. That is they deconstruct it and
don’t really tell you how to construct it.”
When it comes to writing, Kazan feels there should be more
interest in the process of creating rather than the process of
dismantling.
“What people want to know is not how to break down a
screenplay but how to build up a screenplay,” Kazan said.
“The people on these panels are people who write screenplays
for a living and are very good at it and have done well. They know
what the real problems are and how to fumble towards solutions.
Their advice, I think, will be much more practical and provocative
than what students usually get from going to one of those expensive
seminars.”
The overall show is about bringing the entertainment community
together to share ideas dealing with old concepts and new trends —
and maybe to make new friends and business deals in the
process.
“The writer is often the unsung hero, particularly in
film,” Jeffries said. “This is about enhancing their
image. Nobody gives us a book saying these are the people to call.
It’s really an education event, about learning more about
what we do and how to do it right.”
“Words Into Pictures” runs June 7-9 at the Hilton
Los Angeles/Universal City. Tickets can be purchased individually
or in three-day packages.
Student discounts are available until May 24. For more
information call (310) 559-9334 or by visiting
http://www.wordsintopictures.org.
