A few topics that possibly could spark some interesting discussion:
Industry philosophy milestones
Meaning conceptual barriers and breakthroughs, not monetary or material, though they probably are the underlying reasons for philosophies to change. Basicly methods of approach, old mainstays and breaking ground with new ones, and the perception of them. Examples: Shooting several movies in a franchise simultanously (LOTR/Hobbit, Matrix, Pirates), quick reboots if the first go was unsuccessful (The Hulk, Superman, Spiderman), the acceptance of movies being three hours long and with no real ending, being the first act of a nine hour story (LOTR/Hobbit). Personally I think all the above are to an extent good things, I think they widen the creative space, your milage may vary. What are some of the past and current ones and do you think they are good or bad, what do you see coming and welcome or dread, and what do you wish to see and what do you not?
Industry buzzwords
There are a lot of phrases getting bandied about and taken as truths on which critical decisions are made, concepts like: Bankable star, happy ending, four quadrant, tentpole, high concept and such. Basicly a concept packed into a small phrase used to sell an argument of success or failure as a "sure thing" in questions of monetary risk. What are their history, rise and fall of such concepts, do they have any merit, and what are the new buzz going around now?
The movieness of movies
What's so movie about movies? What kinds of stories are best served by the movie format and what stories are not? What about the medium makes that so? Can't all stories be told in movie format or are there actual hard barriers for some kinds of stories that prevent them from ever being successful as a movie? What are the inherent and unique traits, if any, of movie storytelling as opposed to books, plays, audiodramas and games?
Movie making golden means
Are there any constants? I'm talking generally, as there are always exceptions. I mean, are old movies just slow because the medium was in a primitive state with an abundance of shoeleather, or are there examples of old movies with perfect edits still today? Is the notion that the MTV generation can cope with the fast cutting, and feel it's entirely natural, a false one? Are some cuts just too fast, no matter how many music videos you've watched? If we disregard the effects and production values and concentrate on the movie making itself, the pace and staging, can you think of any examples of movies that are evergreen, or at least come very close? I'll put forward Jaws, Seven, Die Hard and Alien, to name only a few, as potential and certainly biased candidates for discussion. This would also go for dialogue, visual language and such, not just pacing, though that will certainly pull us into a conversation about style. But I'll rephrase the question then: are there some things that never go out of style, and some that are forever antiquated? I mean, is there room for Mickey Mousing today, outside of parody? Or are there things we have entirely forgotten about but maybe should have a resurgence?
The Low Frequenter
One of the best panels at any convention involving writers is the one on how NOT to get published, all the mistakes you SHOULD make so the authors in the room don't have any more competition.
