We reflect on where we’ve been, highlighting 10 memorable Conference panels from the past decade of our Writers Conference! Follow us on social media and each day we will feature a panel highlight from the past 10 years!
2017 - The Women in The Room
Take a look at last year’s panel description for The Women in the Room:
“Women make up a small percentage of writers in Hollywood, and working toward a full-time career in the industry requires a lot of flexibility and persistence. While this can certainly lend itself to a demanding journey, female artists are continuously changing the landscape of film and television for the better.”
Featured panelists: Moderator: Emily Ferenbach | Panelists: Christina Hodson, Kay Oyegun, Pamela Ribon
At AFF’s first Conference in 1994, we featured a panel discussion titled Women and Film: Gender, Power, and Opportunity featuring Lynda Obst, Freyda Rothstein, Linda Woolverton, and Ronda Gomez. Every year since this inaugural discussion, we’re proud to host a conversation with the leading women in television, film, and new media.
2016 - Great Bad Guys
Take a look at the 2016 panel description: “Great bad guys with fully developed worldviews are hard to come by, but when done right, even harder to forget. They keep us up at night, and, if they’re really good (er, bad), force us to see them within ourselves. So what’s the formula for a great bad guy? How do writers create complex antagonists with thorough back-stories and motives that justify bad-doings? Panelists will discuss how they breathe life into the despicable and add depth to the evil in order to give us the movie villains we fear (and love) today.”
Featured panelists: Moderator: Charles Ealy | Panelists: Carl Ellsworth, John Lee Hancock, Andrew Kevin Walker
2015 - Die Hard vs. Lethal Weapon
Take a look at the 2015 panel description: “Welcome to the wonderful world of crawling through air ducts and falling off of buildings. A world of explosion-filled Christmases and f-word-filled one-liners. A world where the good guys win and you’re never too old for this shit. This is the world created by our distinguished guests and kings of 80s action flicks—Shane Black and Jeb Stuart. Scribes behind some of the greatest action movies of all time, including Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, Jeb and Shane will share stories of writing these iconic screenplays and lessons learned coming on 30 years after the films were released.”
Featured panelists: Moderator: Barbara Morgan | Panelists: Shane Black, Jeb Stuard
2014 - Script-to-Screen: Groundhog Day
Take a look at the 2014 panel description: “When you think about it, a romance movie is an inherent contradiction. It takes something as intensely personal as love and plasters it onto the big screen. It makes the private public, and the intimate communal. It takes a skilled writer to work through this opposition and convince an entire audience to feel like they are witnessing a true love. Hear from writers who approached this challenge from different perspectives and processes, and can attest to how they romance the screenplay and, ultimately, the audience.”
Featured panelist: Danny Rubin
2013 - Vince Gilligan Presents: A Special Staged Script Reading of 2 FACE
In 2013 Vince Gilligan presented a script reading of his script 2 FACE; Directed by Rian Johnson; Featured cast included Will Ferrell, Linda Cardellini, and Thomas Haden Church
2012 - Scriptnotes: Live!
Take a look at the 2012 panel description: “Veteran Screenwriters John August (Frankenweenie, Big Fish) and Craig Mazin (The Hangover II, Identity Theft) recently launched a free and incredibly informative podcast, Scriptnotes, in which they discuss screenwriting and related topics in the film and television industry – ” everything from getting stuff written to the vagaries of copyright and work-for-hire law.” Join them and special guest Aline Brosh McKenna (We Bought A Zoo, The Devil Wears Prada) they record a live version of their wildly popular podcast and discuss craft and career, complete with audience questions and other surprises.”
Featured panelists: John August, Craig Mazin and special guest Aline Brosh McKenna
2011 - Endings: The Good, the Bad, and the Insanely Great
Take a look at the 2011 panel description: “Some movies leave you indifferent, some leave you satisfied, and some leave you feeling euphoric – walking on air and seeing the world through new eyes. What, then, is the difference between a bad ending, a good ending, and an insanely great ending? Screenwriter Michael Arndt attempts to answer that question with a close analysis of the climaxes of Star Wars, The Graduate, and his own screenplay, Little Miss Sunshine.”
Featured panelist: Michael Arndt
2010 - Roundtable: Executives and Producers
Take a look at the 2010 panel description: “Get in-depth answers to your questions about the craft and business of screenwriting and filmmaking. This session offers registrants exclusive access to executives and producers in an informal setting.”
Featured panelists: Adrienne Biddle, Maggie Biggar, Martina Broner, Rick Dugdale, Angela Lee, Maggie Malone, Joyce San Pedro, Mark Bahradian, Meta Valentic, Emily Zulauf
2009 - They Can Kill You But They Can't Eat You
Take a look at the 2009 panel description: Top writers discuss their experiences at the helm of a critically acclaimed yet cancelled show. How to validate yourself through your work, and not through the response, or lack thereof, your work receives.
Featured panelists: Paul Feig, Michael Green, Mitchell Hurwitz
2008 - Writers Who Direct
Take a look at the panel description from 2008: Join these filmmakers as they take you on a journey from script to screen. Hear from some of the top writer/directors in the business as they discuss the peaks and pitfalls of doing it all, and learn how you can take control of your work.
Featured Panelists: Bryan Bertino, Shane Black, Eric Red, John Lee Hancock