The Portland
Creative Conference is supposed to be more than a typical
entertainment-industry schmooze-fest. In fact, it's hailed
as a celebration of creativity itself: a chance for talented
people to share what they love about what they do.
I wanted to believe.
The conference began 10 years ago as the brainchild of
Portland animation pioneer Will Vinton as an opportunity
for film, TV and new-media people to escape money-obsessed
Los Angeles and charge their creative batteries up north.
The public is always welcome, but the $500-600 ticket prices
mean you have to want it bad. Although this year's edition,
held at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, lived
up to much of its promise (and prohibitive price), it also
proved that you can lead an artist to Portland, but you
can't always make him forget about the biz.
Actor Seymour Cassel was one of the best guests. Cassel
is no household name, but his career spans more than four
decades, including a string of films with visionary actor-writer-director
John Cassavetes, whose gritty character studies revolutionized
cinema in the '60s and '70s. Cassel brought a contagious
passion and idealism to his lecture, showing little patience
for the lack of talent he usually finds behind the camera.
"Most directors spend an hour and a half lighting the scene
and five minutes working with actors," says Cassel. "It
makes me want to kill them."
Gus Van Sant passed up his scheduled place on a panel discussing
"The New Wave of Feature Filmmaking," breaking the hearts
of Portland film freaks like me. In Van Sant's absence,
the panel was overrun by Hollywood producers (one wore a
sockless designer ensemble that recalled mid-'80s Don Johnson).
Because they do not actually create anything themselves,
the panel's industry goons focused on cinema's corporatization--
which they lamented even as they continue to play the game.
Later, Internet expert Tiffany Shlain, founder of the Webby
Awards, hashed over online culture. Shlain drew several
fascinating comparisons between the current Web explosion
and the Florentine Renaissance: Both eras used a combination
of economic salad days and a brand-new medium (the Gutenberg
printing press then, the Internet now) to restructure cultural
life. Unfortunately, Shlain stopped this line of discussion
before digging too deep, moving on to a promotional discussion
of her own awards show.
Saturday featured a powerful one-two punch of cartoon-industry
giants. John Callahan (whose syndicated cartoons appear
in WW) disarmed the capacity crowd with witty self-deprecation.
A slide show featuring Callahan's best work was underscored
by his tale of personal salvation: If not for the cartoons,
he'd be drunk or dead. As for the creative process, Callahan
says his cartoons are usually a last-minute endeavor and
that his average day usually consists of "drinking coffee
and going from Fred Meyer to Fred Meyer."
Matt Groening's speech was the conference's most anticipated
event, for obvious reasons. Although he's most excited about
Futurama these days, Groening offered irresistible
tidbits for Simpsons fans: The new season includes
Bart on hyperactivity drugs, plastic surgery for Moe, the
death of a regular character, and Lisa as the first female
president. The show is likely to continue for at least four
more years, and when asked about a feature film, Groening
said, "We want to do it." But Groening offered frustratingly
little insight into his creative process beyond bald statements
like "It's a blast!"
Perhaps the best part of the 10th Portland Creative Conference
came from little moments not listed in any promotional materials.
Between events, Groening and his fellow speakers could often
be found in the lobby making conversation with anyone who
approached. Even if the lectures were a mixed bag, the conference
still offered an increasingly rare chance to make contact
with those who inspire us.
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Willamette Week | originally
published September 22,
1999
|
