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October 31, 2006
Lost in Austin
I had the cool opportunity of attending the first ever Flow Conference, sponsored by the University of Texas Department of Rado-Television-Film (RTF), this past weekend. The conference organizers did a fantastic job of taking advantage of RTF's industry connections, sponsoring a special screening of a couple of virtually unseen TV pilots, which were shown at the Alamo Drafthouse, a local theater that serves beer and snacks while screening art house, indie, and cult films, which is about as close as it gets to paradise for me.
In addition to those perks, the conference itself was an interesting--and mostly successful--experiment. Instead of panels featuring three or four scholars reading twenty-minute papers, the Flow panels placed emphasis on dialogue, with panelists submitting short 1-2 page position papers in advance of the conference that were designed to provoke conversation. The panelists would begin a roundtable by briefly summarizing their position papers, followed by an extended discussion of the panel topic. The result was a much more energetic and lively conference, with many of the conversations continuing long after the panels themselves had concluded.
Because my blogging software was malfunctioning over weekend, I didn't get a chance to blog any of the panels, but Tim Anderson liveblogged many of the panels including my own and two panels I wish I coudl have attended, including panels on Technologies of Transport and Communication and Television as 'Cultural Center' in an Age of Audience. Oh, and the "New Technologies" Panel I missed because of a four-hour detour my flight took through Beaumont, Texas, because of delays at the Houston airport.
Also worth checking out, Kathleen liveblogged her own panel on Academic Publishing in the Digital Age, where this humble blog even scored a brief mention and her liveblogging of the "Watching Television Off Television" panel, which I also wish I could have attended.
Posted by chuck at October 31, 2006 11:41 AM
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Comments
We have a full menu in addtion to snacks! Thanks for the compliment. You rule!
Posted by: Justin Hyman at October 31, 2006 5:15 PM
Sorry for the vague term. I actually had the enchiladas, which was a very good meal. Hope I can make it back down to Austin soon.
Posted by: Chuck at October 31, 2006 5:21 PM
Not that this has anything to do with the delicious enchiladas previously discussed but i thought i'd share the following.
In sara frantz's class, the rise of the popular novel @ fsu, we're looking at adaptation of fiction into film. Of course, plenty of classic books and must-read short stories have been adapted for the screen, especially those mandatory in high school english classes.
Anyhow, i wanted to ask everyone to look at Thomas Leitch's "Twelve fallacies in contemporary adaptation theory", a fun-to-read article that you might also appreciate, oh mighty film prof! :)
muchos kudos!, Anca.
ps. you might want to find the article online at www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2220/is_2_45/ai_n6143332/pg_1
Posted by: Anca S. at November 2, 2006 12:02 PM
Not to brag or anything, but I recommended Leitch's article to Sara. Glad you enjoyed discussing it!!
Posted by: Chuck at November 2, 2006 12:28 PM