O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

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  • #16
    Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

    Originally posted by cyberian exile
    ... the "second round" is bogus. It's a coupon to get people to come to the festival. Too many people make that cut for it to be worth anything.
    Yeah, that's the impression I got. The phone call was a sales pitch embellished by flattery. And while I'm highly susceptible to flattery, it'll take more than that to get me to Texas.

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    • #17
      Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

      Well, crap, I thought it was all being done by letter.

      I discovered, right after I frantically sent my script out on the last day, that I had put my cell phone number down wrong.

      So if any judges are trying to get hold of me to give me good news, please send an email! I know I got that right.

      Seriously, I really did give the wrong phone number.

      Oh, well, my "ding" letter will probably be in the box tomorrow anyway, so it won't matter.

      "The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.

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      • #18
        Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

        Writerly, I'm not dissing Austin, for what it is. Which is a fun party. But I really don't think many people in the industry take Austin seriously -- at least not the "second rounder" stuff. Lots of friends send me their query letters to proof before they send them out, and I think every single one has mentioned "second rounder." If you talk to the Austin readers, they'll tell you it's a huge, huge cut. The object is to make people feel good so they'll drop money on the conference.

        Btw, this is not to make anyone feel bad if they don't make the "second round" cut. Maybe the reader hated your genre. Who knows.

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        • #19
          Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

          Well, for instance, one year I was a semifinalist at Nicholl and a semifinalist at Austin at the same time. I got dozens of calls based on the Nicholl placing, some of them from A-list places. I got three or four calls based on Austin. (Bottom-feeders, all.) And that's the semis.

          Since I didn't win Austin the year I won the Nicholl, I can't make an equal comparison there. But I've met lots of execs, and none of them have cared about my Austin placing. Granted, this is anecdotal but I can only speak from personal experience.

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          • #20
            Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

            I'm not dissing Austin either. I like Austin. I'd be more than happy if I made the finals. But a second round finish isn't enough to get me on a plane, especially when for only 75 cents I could catch the Big Blue Bus to the Screenwriting Expo. (But even that's a stretch ... I'll probably just stay home and write.)

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            • #21
              Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

              Originally posted by jillybob
              The place where sanity is lost is that time when a lot of the letters have arrived, and those who haven't received one are trying to figure out if it means they're about to get a call, or if their mail is just slow. And, of course, some letters always get lost along the way, which is just ... mean.

              I got two rejection letters today. I sent in three scripts. So, yes... my sanity is already lost.
              IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3134495/

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              • #22
                Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

                Originally posted by cyberian exile
                Um... not to be harsh, but "second rounder" at Austin is hardly equivalent to the Nicholl quarterfinals. That's not fair to the Nicholl quarterfinalists. Practically everyone who writes a coherent script makes the "second round" at Austin. I'm sorry for saying it -- I love Austin and have gone to the semifinalist party before, and had a great time -- but the "second round" is bogus. It's a coupon to get people to come to the festival. Too many people make that cut for it to be worth anything.
                I think it's a bit much for you to say that "practically everyone who writes a coherent script makes "second round"." I've entered more than one coherent script (and would gladly send it to anyone who wants to verify that statement) and haven't made the second round. I think that speaks more to the subjectivity/sensibilities/ages/preferences/whatever of the judges than it does to the quality of my writing.

                AND...the second round is not bogus. It's a culling point in a well-regarded screenplay competition. It's not a coupon. If you'd been around as long as I have, you'd know that the discounts for entrants and people who've won, placed or showed haven't been around for all that many years. AFF folks got smart a few years ago and decided to offer the discounts as a way to expand their market base. They didn't increase the number of second rounders just to offer coupons.

                As for whether or not the second round placing will mean much on a query letter, who knows? But then, how often to query letters work anyway?

                Susan

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                • #23
                  Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

                  Oh, yeah, btw...

                  I found out today that my trailer entry didn't win the competition but it got Runner Up (something they haven't done before to my knowledge) and as such, will be playing on the AFF website at some point in the near future.

                  Still no word on my screenplay....

                  Susan

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                  • #24
                    Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

                    Originally posted by suzbays
                    If you'd been around as long as I have, you'd know that the discounts for entrants and people who've won, placed or showed haven't been around for all that many years. AFF folks got smart a few years ago and decided to offer the discounts as a way to expand their market base. They didn't increase the number of second rounders just to offer coupons.

                    Susan
                    I went to years 2-7 or 8 of Austin. I don't recall when it started, but I know that SF were getting discounts in the late 90s.

                    I was a SF at Austin one time and got 3 phone calls and they were from bottom feeders.

                    I got more phone calls for being a QF in the Nicholl than that, as many as 10-12, many from bottom feeders, not all.

                    The reason I entered Austin is because I do love that damn trophy and would love to have one. When I was attending, I entered every year. 2000 was the last time I went, though.

                    I have to agree with Cyber that the second round of Austin is not equivalent to SF in the Nicholl. The fact is, whether it's fair or not, even though the SF round of Austin is FAR more selective than that of Nicholl, being a SF in Austin doesn't carry the weight of the Nicholl.

                    Austin doesn't have the weight of the Academy behind it, or the professional readers, or readers the level of Academy members, and it doesn't have the name screenwriters who have gone on to big success that the Nicholl has.

                    That doesn't mean I don't like Austin or am putting it down. Austin is great, it pays good money if you win and it has a gorgeous trophy. There are plenty of reasons to enter.
                    my webpage
                    my blog

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                    • #25
                      Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

                      Austin updated the notice on their website today:

                      All letters are in the process of being mailed to Screenplay/Teleplay competition entrants notifying you of your results in the competition. All letter will be sent out by Friday, September 8. Please allow up to two weeks for delivery.

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                      • #26
                        Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

                        Okie dokie...

                        How's this?

                        Advancing to the Second Round at AFF could be considered the equivalent of advancing to the quarterfinals in most* other screenplay contests.

                        *exclusions include, but are not limited to, the Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting.

                        ...

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                        • #27
                          Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

                          Hey Suz,
                          Congrats on being the runner-up in the trailer competition. Does that mean you'll definitely be going?

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                          • #28
                            Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

                            What if we made a 5 min short for every rejection letter that arrived on a stack of 110 pages?

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                            • #29
                              Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

                              Originally posted by suzbays
                              Oh, yeah, btw...

                              I found out today that my trailer entry didn't win the competition but it got Runner Up (something they haven't done before to my knowledge) and as such, will be playing on the AFF website at some point in the near future.

                              Still no word on my screenplay....

                              Susan
                              Susan, congrats on the Trailer. I look forward to seeing it.

                              I'm still waiting to hear about my short film. The waiting is killing me.

                              Carlos
                              Never let the competition know what you're thinking... and never tell the unseen masses your story idea.

                              -- Rule 85, Ferengi Rules of Acquisition (updated by cmmora)

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                              • #30
                                Re: O, Austin, Where Art Thou?

                                Second Round only...no phone call coming for me.

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