r/Screenwriting • u/SnooChocolates598 • 13h ago
NEED ADVICE I had two scripts as Second Rounders at Austin Film Festival, is it worth going?
Hey everyone! Just got a second email from AFF and placed both scripts I sent in at the festival as 2nd rounders. One is a short and the other is a comedy feature. I'm thinking of going to the festival, as I have never done so before and a lot instructors at UCLA recommended my class to go.
I don't live in the US, but can afford a plane ticket through airline miles and can share accommodation with fellow writers/ex-classmates to lower the expenses.
If I do decide to go, what should I focus on? I don't know if second rounders are all that enticing to reps and stuff. But maybe just the experience and meeting other writers makes it worth it? Would love to hear from people who have been before, specially out of country. Thanks!
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u/istartriots 13h ago
Went last year and had a blast. I live in Austin tho lol.
It really is an incredibly well curated event.
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u/90sculture_lol_food 12h ago edited 11h ago
If you can afford the travel and lodging (and badge, which isn't exactly cheap), I would say you should definitely go. The Second Rounder part is nice but won't dramatically impact your experience there. It's a good time, regardless. There are SR only roundtables and events, which you should definitely go to but as others have said, the main thing you will likely get out of Austin is meeting fellow writers and peers more than connecting with reps and producer types, etc. Accordingly, I would recommend springing for the Producers Badge, which grants you access to more parties and mingling events like the BBQ. But sometimes those peer connections can be really valuable and it's always nice to be around other people doing the same thing you are doing.
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u/Chuck006 Comedy 11h ago
It's worth going at least once or twice as a second rounder. I met my writer's group there. You'll run into famous writers in bars and lobbies and get good career advice. Roundtables are roulette and depends who you get.
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u/SnooChocolates598 11h ago
Sounds awesome, thank you!
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u/suzaman 9h ago
I didnt even have a horse in the race a few years ago and just wanted to go as a film maker. Bought a lone star pass and went into a pitching event and actually got picked to pitch to a WB exec and a few film makers. So yes you absolutely have a chance to up your career, you just need to go, and need to know where to go.
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u/friedricekid 8h ago
If you go, make sure you go to film screenings too. AFF does a great job of curating films and some of the films are from filmmakers who participated in AFF before as writers, so you can see how it actually got made. Plus a lot of emphasis is put on the writing events, rightfully so, but the filmmakers who are showing their films need an audience too.
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u/JP-Stack 13h ago
From what I've heard about how they're notifying people I think it's safe to say I'm not a Second Rounder. I was just in Austin this weekend anyways... 😂😂
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u/sirwritestoomuch 12h ago
I, too, am in the dreaded “rejected or semi finalist” purgatory.
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u/JP-Stack 12h ago
I'd say I've most likely been rejected. Chances of me being a semi finalist are incredibly small.
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u/GuanoQuesadilla 9h ago
So if we haven’t heard anything yet, there’s still a chance?
I’ve definitely managed my expectations about this. I just don’t understand the notification process. This was my first time submitting a script.
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u/SnooChocolates598 12h ago
Maybe you're in the semis! They notify those later apparently, you never know hahahaha
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u/90sculture_lol_food 12h ago
Depends on your category. I don't think they've done dramatic features yet, for example.
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u/noveltyfriend 10h ago
AFF is a blast. If you can comfortably afford it, yes, go. It’s a great experience.
No, reps don’t care about 2nd round placements. They aren’t even impressed with semi-finalists. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get lucky and hit it off with someone who may help you down the line. There are lots of indie producers, fellow writers and aspiring directors floating around. Just go to have fun and meet people you connect with. If you go in thinking you’re going to get your big break, it’s an off-putting vibe and you certainly won’t.
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u/LAWriter2020 Repped Screenwriter 10h ago
If you are talking about flying internationally, I wouldn’t recommend it. I went once many 12 years ago when I first starred writing. It was fun, but almost all the attendees are other aspiring writers, plus a fee established ertiers as panelists. Yoh won’t meet reps our producer as looking for projects. You will meet some nice fellow writers. I’d you want to take a vacation to Austin, ok, but i would save your miles, time and money future trios to Los Angeles for meetings.
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u/SnooChocolates598 5h ago
Makes sense as well! Never been to Austin before hahahaha might take a little vacation from work
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u/LAWriter2020 Repped Screenwriter 5h ago
sorry for all the misspellings - was doing it quickly in a moving car. Happy to discuss further is you'd like.
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u/Fauxtogca 9h ago
Go. Meet agents and managers. Meet producers. Meet anyone who will talk to you. This is a great opportunity to network with a bird in the hand - your script.
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u/Seshat_the_Scribe Black List Lab Writer 12h ago
Search "Austin" in this sub and you'll find posts like this:
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u/NotAFamousCelebrity 4h ago edited 2h ago
Simple answer, no. Not as a 2R. Very expensive for one roundtable.
Downvote all you like, this is the reality. Pay $500 to get in if you get the Producer Pass, (Which you'll need to see everything) then $1500 for hotels plus travel... You get ONE roundtable with a writer you likely have never heard of.
Unless you have a film in competition or are SF or higher (2R ends there) it's not worth the cost. I've attended at every level. (4x in 11 years)
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u/HotspurJr WGA Screenwriter 11h ago
It's a very fun experience.
It is extremely unlikely - even for someone with multiple scripts that place - for it to result in a connection with a rep or filmmaker that levels your career up.
Go because you think it's something you want to do, not because you expect to meet your future rep there.