I'm pretty sure I've reached my question asking quota.

What are some ways to approach potential resources when doing research? Do you usually tell experts what the story is up front? Do you owe them some kind of credit if/when the film is made? What about historical fiction? I know that sounds dull, but I mean setting a fictional story with a real-life event as the backdrop. Are there protocols for using newspaper articles to get the true-life part accurate while still taking creative liberties with the story/plot/characters? I guess "The Social Network" would be a close example. I don't want to base my story on a real person specifically, but on an event that happened and how my characters react to the circumstances. But I do need to research the event to help with my approach. Any suggestions?

What advice can you give for short film structure? On the one hand I've got both Linda Cowgill and my writing prof from last semester saying you still need 3-act structure, just that the pieces will all be much shorter. On the other hand you've got Roberta Munroe's book on short films (which admittedly was aimed at directors more than writers) which says "screw 3-act structure, you don't have time, just get in and get out." I'm working on a short script now, hope to get it to come in at less than 15 minutes, and although I think the story is good, I'm feeling a little lost without the structure signposts.

And a bonus question in case you didn't like the last one: I'm going to the Austin Film Festival next month, as a total film industry newbie, just a fiction writer with a handful of publishing credits and a couple of scripts that still need polishing. What advice can you give for getting the most out of the experience? What should I be prepared for? What should I definitely try to do, and what would be a waste of time?

@Ray: The Austin Film Festival is terrific, focused as it is on screenwriters. They have an unbelievable array of writer panelists this year. I'll be happy to take up your question. Look for the next installment of that series to start on Monday, 9/12.

This isn't a very deep question but it's irked me. Like JanuaryFire, I am also hung up on advice from opposite corners. One way to write is give the actor the emotion of their character and let them decide how to portray it physically. Some say that's novelistic, bad screenwriting. It's telling instead of showing. The correct way is to write what you see. I think it depends some on genre but it leaves me frustrated about this whole "show don't tell" thing.