The Hangover Part II…and The Austin Film Festival
Posted by Craig Mazin on 20 Oct 2010 at 11:45 am | Tagged as: Miscellany, The Craft & Trade
So here’s my excuse for not blogging in a long time.
For the past few months, I’ve been writing The Hangover Part II with Scot Armstrong and Todd Phillips. I’m not telling you anything about it, so don’t even ask. It’s more fun to see the movie not knowing anything anyway, right? All I’ll say is that Todd Phillips and the cast are doing an amazing job, and I’m incredibly proud to be a part of this film.
In a few hours, though, I’m leaving the set and getting on a plane for Austin. I’ll be speaking on a number of panels at the Austin Film Festival. If you’re a blog reader and you see me there, wave hi or something. I’ll be hanging around with John Lee Hancock, John August, Derek Haas & Michael Brandt, John Turman, Jeff Lowell and everyone’s favorite computerized special-needs screenwriter, The Robotard 8000.
On Thursday, I’m moderating/participating on a panel about the business of screenwriting, at 1 PM. At 2:45, I’m on another panel about how to take a meeting.
On Friday, I’ll be doing the screenwriters roundtable at 1:45 PM. And at 10:45 AM on Saturday, there’s a comedy screenwriters roundtable.
I’ve never been to Austin before, but this is one of the few screenwriterish festivals that looks good (I also do the Nashville Screenwriters Conference, which is terrific). Hopefully I’ll see some of you there.
Austin is great! I was on panels there a couple of years ago. It’s a film fest that is all about screenplays… and hanging out in the Driskill bar talking.
wcmartell:
I’ll be in that very bar. Probably under a cloud of cigar smoke with the boys.
Hey man just stumbled upon your blog now. I’m a struggling aspiring film maker (world’s smallest violin plays) and everything you post is awesome man. Keep it up.
So YOU’RE the guy who’s putting words in Mel Gibson’s mouth now.
Congrats on the gig, Craig, and have fun at the fest.
Personally (and this may be my own limited imagination), I can’t think of a gig that would be more fraught with the possibility of popular disappointment in the result than that one. You have large hairy something or others to take it on.
Nevertheless, I’m very happy for all the guys that they get the richly-deserved big payday that only a sequel could bring, and will burn some incense or something while chanting affirmations and one-liners in your honor.
Bon courage!
Congrats!
Thanks for coming down to Austin. Really enjoyed chatting with you at the Roundtable for comedy writers. Definitely gave us some good thoughts to chew on. Hope you had a good time and will come on back.
John S.:
My pleasure. I’ll be back in 2011.
Congrats on the huge gig, Craig! Got any fun tidbits on the Mel controversy to share?
I had to beat them down with a stick and I still didn’t get a chance to speak with you at AFF! Alas! But you had me feverishly taking notes and wanting more. Would love to hear what resources you look to now as a writer and how that has changed since you first started writing. Would love to be your apprentice. Just say the word! Thanks for your insights.
Mari R.:
A lovely offer, but I don’t need an apprentice. Although I’ve never entertained the notion. See, now you have me thinking about having an apprentice. Like a Sith Lord or something.
Right now, I’m mostly into trying to read screenplays by really good writers, and reading more prose. All kinds of prose. I’ll boil that down to “reading.” Sometimes, the best way to write something is to get your head out of the culture of it; all the screenwriting how-tos and whys and don’ts and rules can be helpful, but they can also get you so tight when you sit down to write, you don’t know what the hell to do.
Feed your muse with other people’s good work. I find that helps.
And long showers.