Las Vegas Screenwriters Conference 2001-- The Total Package for Screenwriters
July 20th, 2001
Hey folks, SU editor Chris here. I arrived back last week from the Las Vegas Screenwriters Conference with every intention to get my update and report from the event online right away. Umm, yeah anyway. It's a great conference and looks to be an even better one next year. Shelly of Script Magazine told me they plan on moving the event to sometime in May or June of next year. If you're interested in attending next year's event, check their web site over the coming month's for that info: http://www.vegasscript.com.
The LVSC was a well-rounded 4-day event where industry professionals gathered together on panels and tought classes. Here are some of my recollections from the 4-day event.
"There are no rules (in Hollywood), and they are strictly enforced." -- Sharon Cobb.
Wow, what a great introduction to a class and what a way to start off the conference. Sharon Cobb's "How to Sell Your Scripts Without an Agent" was my first stop. What an energetic and engaging person. Sharon is a professional screenwriter with numerous projects in various stages of development, and has been produced. Right away in her introduction covering her struggles to start a career, it was apparent that Sharon was someone who has had to fight for every accomplishment, and she's done a great job of doing that. Her class was fantastic and I know I learned a few things.
Next up was the man himself, Syd Field. I sat in on two classes of his: "Creating Great Characters" and "Writing for the New Millennium." Both were excellent and he had some new information to share that could not be found in any of his books. Syd was laid back, relaxed and easy going. He was approachable, and after each class you could always find him discussing screenwriting with attendees. A special treat during Sunday's Class, the LVSC 2001 Award recipient, William Kelley, or just "Bill" as his friends call him, stopped in for a few minutes. Syd, without missing a beat, immediately started discussing WITNESS, it was awesome. Soon Bill jumped in and told a few stories. I wish everyone at the conference could have been in that room. Now, I'm not sure if everyone knows who Bill is, and in case you don't know: he is the screenwriter of WITNESS, one of the best screenplays ever, former champion boxer, poet, novelist and the list could go on. The man's a lover and a fighter. Later during the conference I asked William if he was a beer drinker? Taken back for a moment, he paused, then went on to tell me how you can judge a man by what he drinks, or doesn't. That's when I took an instant liking to the man. The definition of class and character is Bill Kelley.
William C. Martell, the Washington Post calls him "the Robert Towne of made-for-cable movies." Now before you chuckle, know this, the man has had 10 movies produced. I wouldn't mind being called the "Robert Towne" of anything, er, well, anyway Bill is a great teacher, and really seems to have a knack for it. I sat in on his "Putting the Thrill in Thrillers" class and was impressed.
Other teachers included Larry Brody, Richard Stefenik, and Richard Krevolin.
The Panels were outstanding as well. The conference's professional guests included: Shane Black (LETHAL WEAPON), Steven Katz (SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE), Ross LaManna (RUSH HOUR), Mike Rich (FINDING FORRESTER), Charles Progue (THE FLY) and many others. There were also numerous executives present as well, but this is SU and we don't acknowledge executives, unless of course to bash them. Advice given by these fine people covered everything from how to write good dialogue, to how to create effective characters. The conference was a complete package for every aspiring and intermediate screenwriter.
Here are some photos from the conference:
The man himself: William Kelley
The other Bill, William Martell:
Professional writers just hangin' out: Shane Black, Mike Rich, among others:
Syd Field:
See you at next year's conference everybody!
Chris
The LVSC was a well-rounded 4-day event where industry professionals gathered together on panels and tought classes. Here are some of my recollections from the 4-day event.
"There are no rules (in Hollywood), and they are strictly enforced." -- Sharon Cobb.
Wow, what a great introduction to a class and what a way to start off the conference. Sharon Cobb's "How to Sell Your Scripts Without an Agent" was my first stop. What an energetic and engaging person. Sharon is a professional screenwriter with numerous projects in various stages of development, and has been produced. Right away in her introduction covering her struggles to start a career, it was apparent that Sharon was someone who has had to fight for every accomplishment, and she's done a great job of doing that. Her class was fantastic and I know I learned a few things.
Next up was the man himself, Syd Field. I sat in on two classes of his: "Creating Great Characters" and "Writing for the New Millennium." Both were excellent and he had some new information to share that could not be found in any of his books. Syd was laid back, relaxed and easy going. He was approachable, and after each class you could always find him discussing screenwriting with attendees. A special treat during Sunday's Class, the LVSC 2001 Award recipient, William Kelley, or just "Bill" as his friends call him, stopped in for a few minutes. Syd, without missing a beat, immediately started discussing WITNESS, it was awesome. Soon Bill jumped in and told a few stories. I wish everyone at the conference could have been in that room. Now, I'm not sure if everyone knows who Bill is, and in case you don't know: he is the screenwriter of WITNESS, one of the best screenplays ever, former champion boxer, poet, novelist and the list could go on. The man's a lover and a fighter. Later during the conference I asked William if he was a beer drinker? Taken back for a moment, he paused, then went on to tell me how you can judge a man by what he drinks, or doesn't. That's when I took an instant liking to the man. The definition of class and character is Bill Kelley.
William C. Martell, the Washington Post calls him "the Robert Towne of made-for-cable movies." Now before you chuckle, know this, the man has had 10 movies produced. I wouldn't mind being called the "Robert Towne" of anything, er, well, anyway Bill is a great teacher, and really seems to have a knack for it. I sat in on his "Putting the Thrill in Thrillers" class and was impressed.
Other teachers included Larry Brody, Richard Stefenik, and Richard Krevolin.
The Panels were outstanding as well. The conference's professional guests included: Shane Black (LETHAL WEAPON), Steven Katz (SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE), Ross LaManna (RUSH HOUR), Mike Rich (FINDING FORRESTER), Charles Progue (THE FLY) and many others. There were also numerous executives present as well, but this is SU and we don't acknowledge executives, unless of course to bash them. Advice given by these fine people covered everything from how to write good dialogue, to how to create effective characters. The conference was a complete package for every aspiring and intermediate screenwriter.
Here are some photos from the conference:
The man himself: William Kelley
The other Bill, William Martell:
Professional writers just hangin' out: Shane Black, Mike Rich, among others:
Syd Field:
See you at next year's conference everybody!
Chris
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