That’s a Wrap

Much-hyped weekend event a disappointment- workshops light on details and substance.

by Paula Hunt | Published January 1, 1994

Screenplay writing was by far the most popular subject among the participants. Judging from interviews and questions posed by audience members, there was a wide range of experience among individuals, from those who had had their work purchased, to those who were working on their first scripts (the latter far outnumbering the former). The first address of the conference, the "Elements of Screenwriting" held Friday night by Janna Gelfand (the Port Townsend Film Company's Development Executive), provided a few useful hints on how not to look like an amateur when submitting a screenplay. Ms. Gelfand's talk included several off-the-cuff remarks regarding the sophistication of current movies versus those of yesterday, such as "Have you seen an old movie lately. " Yes, Ms. Gelfand, we have, and we can even recommend a few that might change your mind.

The screenwriting panel of Christine Roum, Steve Conrad, and Tom Wright was moderated by Tom Rickman, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Coal Miner's Daughter. Although the writers were articulate, they and the audience were not served well by Rickman. Rather than directing or opening up discussion, his weak handling of questions from the audience left the discussion open to digression and a tendency to mire in the details of certain writer's experiences. This was unfortunate, since so many of the participants expressed an interest in this area.

The prospect of electronic publishing, video on demand, and interactive media, among others, should have made the New Technologies/ Special Effects segment the most interesting of the conference. Instead, Mitchell Cannold (president of Sony New Technologies) and Dori Berinstein (of Rider Films) looked as if they wished they were anywhere else that weekend. It was a disappointing showing for an exciting and relevant topic.

The most successful panel of the weekend consisted of agents Jane Sindell of CAA (Creative Artists Agency) and Mary Alice Kier and Anna Cottle of Cine/Lit Representation of Edmonds. Their bright, lively discussion of how they work, what they look for in screenplays, and suggestions for submitting work was useful and entertaining. Once again, the panel could have been much more successful with a skilled moderator to guide the discussion and direct questions from the audience.

On the final day of the conference, independent filmmaker and Port Townsend resident James Broughton, who is almost eighty and has never worked in Hollywood, spoke about his career and screened his 1968 film, which was given a standing ovation. His refreshing observations, such as "People always call something 'surrealist' when they don't know what else to call it," and "I love clarity, I eschew blur," ended the conference on an upbeat note.

A $250 admission price for a threeday event is not cheap, especially when it is aimed at individuals in the arts who are not known for their deep pockets. For this amount of money—or any amount of money—participants deserved to see polished moderation and obtain considerably more substantial information than was 'offered.' The First Annual Port Townsend Feature Film Conference was a disappointment- an opportunity that fell short. Most of the information imparted over the weekend could be found. by reading any number of screenwriting or filmmaking books which crowd the shelves at libraries and bookstores. Aside from rubbing elbows with an agent or producer, it had little worth to those with a modicum of film knowledge.

The noblesse oblige exhibited by some of the speakers, both in private exchanges, and onstage, was irritating, but ulitmately not surprising. After all, it is not the prerogative of Hollywood to, inform, but to entertain. Unfortunately, the First Annual Port Townsend Feature Film Conference did neither very well. MM

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