The Hollywood by the Bay Screenwriting Conference
Review by Melissa Prusi
Writing, more often than not, is a lonely business. You know that. You sit at your computer – or with your pad of paper if you’re that sort – for hours on end with only your characters for company, and everybody knows they only care about themselves. Hell, you could probably go days without speaking if you didn’t have to order pizza.
And when you’ve finished your script and the time comes to bring it to the world, most of the time the world isn’t particularly welcoming. Agents won’t return your calls. Producers brush you off with varying degrees of politeness. Layers of assistants are in place whose sole purpose in life is keeping you from getting your big break, your WGA membership and your Oscar.
But there is a remedy for both problems: the screenwriting conference. A good conference gives the writer an opportunity to learn from the masters, network with the decision makers and talk to her peers, people who are facing the same challenges she is.
Take, for example, the inaugural Hollywood by the Bay Screenwriting Conference, two days worth of panels, lectures and schmoozing, recently held in Palo Alto, California. While it suffered from some of the organizational problems you might expect from a freshman effort, with its impressive lineup of industry professionals and screenwriting gurus, and the easy camaraderie that formed among attendees, Hollywood by the Bay felt like a jazzed-up summer camp for screenwriters. Only with loglines instead of campfire songs!
The weekend started strong on Friday afternoon with two pre-conference sessions. Miramax story analyst Michael Tierno explained that you can learn everything you need to know about drama from Aristotle, then brainstormed with students about their story ideas. Script consultant Michael Hauge described the interplay between plot structure and character arc, and I’ve never heard such a clear, concise definition of the Hollywood formula and why it works.
Friday evening’s opening panel discussion was both fascinating and frustrating. Fascinating because it brought an enthusiastic, opinionated, contentious group of writers and business people to the stage. Frustrating because it was far too short. I could have listened to this crew wrangle over commercial demands and artistic sensibilities for hours, but by the time they had debated and rebutted their way through the first question it was time to quit.
That blend of art and commerce played out in the breakout sessions as well. They ran the gamut from character archetypes (five paths to glory!) to practical advice on how to sell your script if you don’t live in Hollywood (how many loglines does one script need, anyway?); from producing a reality show to the challenges of adapting other material into a screenplay; from scene structure to writing the perfect query letter; and no less than three sessions on pitching.
There was also the opportunity to meet individually with faculty members. Each attendee could sign up for three 15-minute sessions with the instructor of their choice. This one on one time allowed students to get personalized answers to their questions, and each of the instructors I met with was extraordinarily helpful and enthusiastic. Unfortunately, this was also the aspect of the conference where some of those organizational problems I mentioned really showed. There was no specific location for the first round of one on ones, leaving attendees hunting for their faculty. Worse, at least one faculty member simply didn’t show up for his scheduled sessions.
But all was atoned for with Saturday night’s fascinating program. Local novelist/ screenwriter James Dalessandro interviewed Pamela Wallace, Academy Award-winning writer of
Witness. Listening to his thoughtful questions and her honest, insightful answers about her early career, writing process, current efforts and the Oscar experience, especially under the stars on a warm, late-summer evening, was relaxing, funny and inspirational.
The conference ended with the event most attendees had been awaiting with dread and anticipation: the pitch festival. Imagine the scene. A room full of producers, agents and screenwriting gurus just waiting for you to wow them with your finely honed story idea. To accommodate the different comfort zones of conference attendees, the room was split into two sections, which I came to think of as the business card dichotomy. On one side sat the people whose business cards were right out in the open: script consultants and writing teachers, people who aren’t in a position to buy material but were willing to listen to writers practice their pitch. On the other side were producers, executives and agents, business cards safely tucked away until such time as a writer pitched an idea that earned one.
Which side did I head for? Initially, neither. I was content to observe, really. Oh,
all right, I was nervous as hell. It was the other writers who turned me around. They were an encouraging bunch, and as each one came back from the pitching floor, relieved and exhilarated, full of excited whispers about how it had gone, I was peppered with “Have you done it yet?” “Come on, get out there!” and the ever-popular chicken squawk. So in I went, ultimately pitching to both sides of the room. I didn’t cut any deals, but I didn’t get any blank stares either, so I consider it a success.
It’s those moments, huddled with my fellow writers as we cajoled and encouraged each other, that best exemplify what I liked most about Hollywood by the Bay: the people. It was a great opportunity to talk not only to fellow writers but to people who are working in the business, in a relaxed, informal setting. There was a real sense of community among the students, the faculty and the organizers, built on a shared passion and respect for writing. It was rejuvenating. I came away from the weekend with a renewed enthusiasm for writing. Every now and then you need to get away from the computer and remind yourself that it’s not just you and your characters. And if along the way you can learn how to write the perfect query letter, well, that’s a bonus!
Visit Hollywood By The Bay at http://www.hollywoodbythebay.com/.
Their next conference starts January 30th, 2004 in San Francisco.
Melissa Prusi lives, works and writes (though not as much as she should) in
Minneapolis. She also runs her own movie review website, inexplicably called
Gorilla Pants. (www.gorillapants.com)
