The Screenwriting Conference ‘Words & Images’ wound up in Sydney last weekend. Held at UTS and Macquarie University, the conference was an international gathering of academics and practitioners interested in researching and rethinking the role of the screenplay in the screen production process. Over the three days of the conference, the screenplay was discussed and debated from just about every conceivable angle: historical, national, intercultural, genre, specific works and auteurs, different approaches and platforms, even formatting.
One interesting session at the recent ASPERA Conference in Brisbane involved Michael Sergi talking about his research. Michael, who is the Director of Film and Television at Bond University, has a focus on the actor/director relationship in screen production. I was struck by similarities between some of his conclusions and my own research into improvised performances in filmmaking.