Not facetiously or disrespectfully but "What the heck happened to Hangover III?"

Almost all of the writers listed have had their work rewritten AND released, typically with their name still attached. How do you handle having your name associated with a project (and possibly the blame of a lackluster film) that you weren't the last writer to touch?

With all of the changes that the industry has undergone (less spec sales, less DVD profits, etc.), has your approach to writing or your writing process changed, as well? If so, how?

Given that you're all seasoned pros, which writers working at the time you guys started do you now hold in higher esteem or have unexpectedly impressed you the most?

What's the best way for the rest of us (the writers who have not broken in YET) to keep hope alive?

If you could send a message back to yourself as a fledgling writer just starting out, what advice would you give?

In what ways has success as a writer been exactly what you expected as a screaming and kicking newbie, in what ways has it been completely different?

Which movie do you wish you had written?

Besides writing, reading, and watching movies, what is the one thing I need to be doing RIGHT now?

How does a writer not only capture investors interest but convince the investor to allow the writer to direct it?

I'm curious to hear about one of your worst moments as a writer: how you got through/handled it, what you learned, and if/how it made you a stronger writer.

Talent aside, how much effort/relationship energy do any of the writers on the panel put into accepting notes and collaborating. I'm thinking of Michael Arndt as an example: Pixar and now Disney.

How many years did you work at writing, and how many screenplays did you write before you sold your first work which was produced into a movie with a wide release?

Since what is good is so subjective, is it indeed better to be lucky than good, and to what extent do you make your own luck?

Accepting the adage 'write what you know/love,' do you think it's better as an unknown to write something with niche appeal (sportos, motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wasteoids, dweebies, dickheads) or something with the broadest possible audience?

I'd second that question.

yup!

Question is for Greg Beal, Director of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting: At one time writers who had not earned more than $5,000 writing fictional work for film or television in their lifetimes were eligible to enter the contest. Now that number is up to $25,000, and I’d like to know - What factors influenced that decision to increase the amount?

Why are there no female panelists scheduled to be a part of the event?

What do you think's the hardest stretch of one's screenwriting career? Obviously, getting in is tough. What about just after "getting in", but you have little to no money coming in, assignments to secure and meetings to take? Or is it later when you have established yourself, and the new car smell wears off, and people start gunning for you? Or are there some other lurking horrors awaiting that aren't obvious?

Thinking of Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk on the genesis of creativity, do you believe you ARE a genius, or that you HAVE a genius? Where does your creative spark come from?

For any of the panelists: The ability to pitch your script is just as important as writing a script good enough to pitch. What are the most important aspects of crafting a pitch that will grab a producer/studio's attention, that writers' may take for granted?

In recent years we've seen movies being shot and cut for specific foreign markets, such as the special version of Iron Man 3 for China. Can you speak to the challenges that have arisen from this additional consideration and how it's impacted your process?

What's the most specific difference between breaking into screenwriting today, versus when you broke in?

+1 on that question...

Describe your first script sale. What made the agent / manager / producer buy into YOU?

Thinking that each screenplay is a journey where the writer is trying to escalate a huge mountain, how do you let the story lead you to the most appropriate narrative technique that allow you to best express what you want to tell?

After you became professional screenwriters what part of the business/ film making process was least like what you expected it to be and why?

From Plot to the actual story, what is hardest challenge any of you still face today?

What has been your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?

What is the one maxim you always follow when writing a new screenplay?

My question: Is it better to be known as a genre writer, or a writer who is more eclectic in style? Specifically, which aforementioned writer has a shot at surviving the longest in the industry?

ditto me on that one.

I would like to know, outside of learning and practicing the craft of writing, what are three basic habits, actions or behaviors which you can identify that have gotten you to the position you are in today?

In the book 'Which Lie Did I Tell", William Goldman said that Chinatown wouldn't work today because people can't be shocked or feel shame anymore. Do you feel that cynicism plays a larger role in cinematic storytelling than it did in the past?

"Color-blind" casting is being credited with injecting some life back into the Fast and the Furious franchise. Color-blind is an Orwellian phrase, a kind of euphemism for the fact that major characters in mainstream movies are overwhelmingly white, whereas the casting of something like the latest Fast and Furious is actually not color blind, but color aware. The industry is late to the game on this one. I was shooting TV commercials 10 years ago and we never would have put a commercial on the air that didn't show diversity. We didn't consider what we were doing forward-thinking. We simply considered it accurate -- a more accurate representation of today's America. All that said, whether you want to call it color-blind casting or real-world casting, the question is this: where do you see this trend heading? Is building stories around diverse casts something writers should be doing, or do you simply leave that to casting directors, and how deeply do you delve into this in stories that aren't specifically about racism?

At a time when franchises are becoming ever more important, how do you balance character development with the need for seemingly larger and more exciting set pieces?

Do you attend public screenings of your film during its theatrical run? If so, does gauging an audience's reaction to your writing affect how you script future screenplays?

EDIT: Do you feel that cynicism plays a larger role in cinematic storytelling TODAY than it did in the past? ; )

Which writers were your greatest influences and how did they impact the way you write today?

What do you see as the greatest ongoing or potential danger to the profession of screenwriting and what do you think is the best way to deal with it? Conversely, which opportunities and trends do you foresee as most benefiting writers in the future?

How do you tell when a script is ready?

$1 Billion+ box office or Best Picture Oscar?

What methods do you use to write your screenplay structurally - division by Acts, Syd Field, 8 sequences structure? How it helps the process of writing the script?

If there’s one thing about the industry today that you wish you could change or are not a fan of, what would that be?

What are the pros and cons of the rise of digital filmmaking as it relates to the screenwriting craft?