YOUR DAILY GUIDE TO THE 2011 TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL >>>

Structure and character provide the foundation for a good screenplay, but you must still build beautifully upon the base. This morning at 10 a.m. in The Grand Cinema's lower lobby, Warren Etheredge explains and explores the craft of drafting a compelling scene - when to start, how to exit, what to say, how to say it and how to ensure that conflict escalates as the plot evolves.

Warren Etheredge didn't speak until he was 6 years old; he's been going strong ever since, making a lively livelihood and the most out of every conversation, elevating small talk to high art, discourse to an ideal. He talks. He teaches. He interviews. 

Etheredge knows films. He has has conducted more than 1,500 interviews - in print, on camera, on stage - with a wide range of filmmakers, authors, personalities and smarties including Amy Sedaris, Darren Aronofsky, Michael Pollan, Charlie Kaufman, Naomi Watts, Salman Rushdie, Robert Duvall, Alexander Payne, Nora Ephron, Augusten Burroughs, Michael Lewis and Chuck Palahniuk. He hosts The High Bar, the award-winning weekly television series devoted to "raising the bar" through light-hearted conversation with people who care about culture that matters. He is the founder of The Warren Report (www.thewarrenreport.com) and as such curates and hosts more than 200 events every year. He is also one of the founding faculty of The Film School, former curator for the 1 Reel Film Festival (at Bumbershoot), a published author, an Off-Broadway produced playwright, an acclaimed documentarian, a regular contributor to public radio and, internationally, a much sought-after public speaker on myriad topics.

The workshop is free and open to the public.

Today's film recommendation

Tacoma Film Festival Director Emily Alm recommends you hit the following film today:

HIT SO HARD (8:35 p.m., The Grand Cinema): Much like Harlistas, I wasn't sure how well I would relate to Hit So Hard, given that my music tastes differ quite a bit from the grunge and rock scene dispelled from Seattle in the 1990s. But yet again, I was pleasantly surprised. I was lucky enough to watch Hit So Hard  in Seattle on the big screen, and listen to Patty Schemel herself (the film centers on her, the openly-gay female drummer for the band, Hole), talk about her life story and her experiences in the music industry, and yes - her friendships with Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain. This is a music documentary unlike any other.

Today's Highlights

Family Shorts (88 minutes): Eight films screen at noon inside The Grand Cinema including the The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - the story of a writer who is swept up into a Katrina-like storm and loses all of his work. He is introduced to a place where magical books are kept, and that’s where he finds the inspiration to return to his own writing.

Documentary Shorts (102 minutes): Four films screen at 2:30 p.m. inside the Tacoma Art Museum including the film Kevin - the story of Austin musician Kevin Gant who disappeared in the mid-'90s. Jay Duplass's documentary debut explores who Kevin is, how he lost his inspiration, and what he must do to get it back. Bonus: Gant will perform live after the film screens.

Animated Shorts (92 minutes): Eight films screen at 4:15 p.m. inside the Tacoma School of the Arts including the U.K. film The Eagleman Stag, which nabbed the Grand Jury Prize for annimation at the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival.

For a complete list of today's films, click here.

LINK: Opening Night Gala photos

LINK: Three stories behind the stories

LINK: Big stars at the Tacoma Film Festival 2011

LINK: Our Tacoma Film Festival preview

LINK: TFF Director Emily Alm's picks

LINK: TFF on twitter 

LINK: TFF website