Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

The Screenwriting Conference in Santa Fe is spotlighted inside the "On Campus" section in the April 2009 Edition of StudentFilmmakers Magazine, the # 1 Educational Resource for Film and Video Makers. Read the accompanying online article here.

StudentFilmmakers Magazine takes a moment to chat with Larry Stouffer, Founder and Executive Director of the 11th Annual Screenwriting Conference in Santa Fe. Mark your calendars and save the dates. The conference will take place May 26 through May 31, 2009. Register now >>

It is very important for professional screenwriters to, of course, keep up with new and changing trends, techniques, and information about the industry and business. Could you share a few thoughts in regards to the importance of continuing education and professional education for writers and screenwriters?

Larry Stouffer: Years ago there used to be a pitch fest in LA. It was held in late summer. Screenwriters would pour in there and pour out their hearts to mostly agents and managers. Here's the deal: We, as beginning screenwriters, when we first sit down to write a screenplay type FADE IN:. Then we look around and say, "Now. Where do I get an Agent?" We embrace the misguided myth that all we have to do is get an agent and we can just sit back and be creative and the agent will sell all our stuff and we'll all live happily ever after. Well, the business of screenwriting is hard ball. And you better have it together before you get in the game. I knew back then that probably 99.9% of the folks who went out there didn't have a chance. That was the main reason SCSFe was conceived. The idea was come to Santa Fe in late May. Learn all you can. Go back home. Polish your screenplay. Then go to LA with a much better product and a much better chance of success. Expanding on that concept, come back to Santa Fe every year to brush up on your writing, and like spring training in professional baseball, learn new techniques and methods, and just become more knowledgeable about screenwriting. And more energized. Then go home, polish, and resume the task of presenting your work to potential representatives. That still holds today. Many of our attendees have been here as many as four or more times. A few up to seven, eight, and even nine times.

Can new writers and "beginners" attend the SCSFE?

Larry Stouffer: Terry Borst teaches a dynamic 9-hour Mentor class for beginning and emerging screenwriters. He covers the basics, and then the learning curve goes straight up. People in his class range from teens to folks in their 60s.

What is SCSFe�s philosophy or mission?

Larry Stouffer: Our original mission was and still is to teach the art and craft of writing a screenplay that is saleable to Hollywood. That is now known as The Screenwriting Symposium component of the Conference. There are two.

�The idea of SCSFe came to me to create a learning environment and bring in successful Hollywood screenwriters to Santa Fe, New Mexico to teach the willing all they could. We built it and they came. This is not a conference like a film festival, where a whole lot of partying is going on. We have two social events, and the rest of it is rolling up your sleeves and getting down to learning. Screenwriting is serious business. After the first conference I figured that we should bring in producers who are looking for screenwriters and/or screenplays. They came. That component is The Hollywood Connection.

What can attendees expect at this year's SCSFe?

Larry Stouffer: An unforgettable experience. One they'll never regret. They will go away being light years ahead of where they were before the Conference. It's indelible.

Is there anything new that you're presenting or offering this year, that maybe you haven't in previous years?

Larry Stouffer: Not from a Conference format perspective. But we always bring in new [to us] Mentors, Seminar Leaders, Special Speakers, Producers, Agents and Managers. Because year-after-year 25% to 30% of our attendees have been here before, we like to rotate what we call our Faculty. We all see SCSFe as a mobile art form.

Who are this year's mentors for the Mentor Classes?

Larry Stouffer: Terry Borst, Kirk Ellis, Karl Iglesias, Rob Tobin, and Cynthia Whitcomb. All extraordinary screenwriting teachers with different things to show and tell. But few if any war stories. We can get those on Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood. Our Mentors are here to teach. And they love every minute of it. In fact, in all these years I have never heard the word "no" to this question: Would you like to be invited back? That goes for the Producers, Agents and Managers, too.

What would you say is the most unique about your program, "The Hollywood Connection"?

Larry Stouffer: In most places where they hold what's called "pitch fests," in many, many cases you'll find reputable production companies represented by lower-level employees who need the experience of hearing pitches. The participants we bring in to Santa Fe are people sometimes from the same companies but who are in the position to shepherd a project to greenlight. We're after players. And we don't bring in a cast of thousands. We like a group of around 12 to 18 who are aggressively looking for screenplays and/or screenwriters to represent. We hold pitches in private. Each producer has his/her own room (or table at the pool) with a hall-monitor assigned to them. Pitches are 5-minutes in length which is long enough to pitch a project but not long enough for you to talk producers out of it. [laughs]

What would you say makes your screenwriting conference, as well as your screenwriting workshops, labs, seminars, and programs, different or unique compared to others?

Larry Stouffer: One thing that separates us from the boys is we stand alone. We aren't annexed to a film festival or magazine, so we have a kind of pristine position. Also, there is no other place in the world where you can take a 9-hour class (or 12-hour lab) over three days and choose from several dozen strategically selected 90-minute seminars, and get 20-minute private script consultations, and pitch in seclusion, and... compete in a bocce ball tournament, for goodness sakes! And while doing all that meet some of the most wonderful and dedicated screenwriters in America - and a few foreign countries - in a setting like Santa Fe which, I believe, is one of the most romantic cities in America. I mean, don't get me started...

What are some of the things you look forward to the most for this year's SCSFE?

Larry Stouffer: Seeing people overjoyed at what they're learning and the opportunities that present themselves to them. It's a beautiful thing. Santa Fe, in and of itself, is magical. And it permeates the Conference. There is an otherworldly feel about it all. You just have to experience it to know what I'm talking about.

By the way, could you tell us about your background as a screenwriter?

Larry Stouffer: I've been writing screenplays since before I knew it was called screenwriting. I'm still working on my first one which, I believe, wants to be a mini-series. [I'm 126 pages into the first act!] It's set in 5th Century Persia. Other than that, I've sold three and had two produced � both obscure [thank goodness]. I have several more completed screenplays and am working on one that has me by the you-know-what�s, but I'm determined to prevail. I started in the industry in Dallas where because of my perceived writing talent, I got a job with a film company. Then, I went into film editing. From that to directing, and then, to directing and producing. I encourage all young film students interested in screenwriting to at least take one class in editing. It will teach you more about screenwriting than you can imagine. Trust me on this.

Is there anything else that you would like to share or inform us about in regards to the Screenwriting Conference in Santa Fe?

Larry Stouffer: We had three people here one year who told us they worked at Pixar. I asked them why in hell were they here. The lady replied they were told at work that SCSFe was the best place in America to learn about screenwriting. This is our eleventh Conference. Somehow they continue to get better and better. I don't know why. My guess is because of the many, many hours and days and weeks and months, actually, we spend making sure SCSFe is going to continue to be the best screenwriting conference in the world. That's a hard reputation to maintain. But we're determined to hold it for always and to make it even better. Personally I feel it's a great thing to be doing with my life.

Register online today for The 11th Annual Screenwriting Conference in Santa Fe (SCSFe). Visit SCSFe's official website at www.scsfe.com. You can also reach SCSFe by calling (866) 424-1501.

Want a copy of this issue? Click here to get a copy of the April 2009 Edition of StudentFilmmakers Magazine.