This week on On Story we’re exploring two of the most popular movie genres: action and comedy. First we’ll hear from the writers behind massive action hits Deadpool, Gone in Sixty Seconds, and Armageddon. And later, we’ll lighten the mood with a conversation with There’s Something About Mary co-writer and director Bobby Farrelly.

Action scenes can be some of the most memorable moments in a film but without a good story to support them they can fall flat. The most intricately choreographed fight sequence or heart pounding car chase is only effective if it furthers the story. Machete writer Alvaro Rodriguez spoke with Gone in 60 Seconds and Armageddon writer Scott Rosenberg, Deadpool and Zombieland writer Rhett Reese, and Hulk writer John Turman about writing effective action scenes at the 18th annual Austin Film Festival in 2011.

Bobby Farrelly has spent over twenty years redefining broad comedy. Alongside his brother Peter, the brothers have written and directed cult favorites like Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, Shallow Hal, and Me, Myself & Irene. Actor John Merriman spoke with Farrelly at the 23rd annual Austin Film Festival in 2016.

This week, writer-director Ric Roman Waugh and producer Jonathan King discuss their film, Shot Caller, followed by Oscar® nominated writer Frank Darabont detailing the process behind adapting Stephen King’s novel turned award-winning iconic film, The Shawshank Redemption.

Ric Roman Waugh has written numerous studio-based feature film screenplays for producers such as: Jerry Bruckheimer, Barry Josephson, Jim Sheridan just to name a few. This includes his latest screenplay, Currency, which Ric will direct next for producer Steve Golin and Participant Media. Ric also wrote and directed the critically acclaimed film, Felon, for Sony. The prison-based drama starred Val Kilmer. He followed that film with the dramatic-thriller, Snitch, which he also co-wrote and directed. He also recently produced and directed the documentary, That Which I Love Destroys Me. His film, Shot Caller, which Waugh produced and directed from his own screenplay for Bold Films and Participant Media.

Three-time Oscar® nominee Frank Darabont has made a name for himself as a screenplay writer, most famously for his adaptations of horror novelist Stephen King’s books The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, and The Mist. Darabont is also credited with creating the wildly popular AMC television series, The Walking Dead. Darabont’s accolades include Oscar® nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay in both, The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption.

This week, Oscar®-nominated writer Randall Wallace reflects on his  iconic and Academy Award®-winning film, Braveheart followed by screenwriter, Jeb Stuart who dissects the screenplay for his classic thriller The Fugitive, and fills us in on the story's journey from script to screen.

Randall Wallace is the Oscar®-nominated creative force behind many box-office hits such as Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, Pearl Harbor, Secretariat, and The Man in the Iron Mask. After drawing the interest of director and star Mel Gibson Braveheart became Wallace’s first produced screenplay and ended up the film success story of 1995, winning the Academy Awards® for Best Picture and Best Director, Writers Guild Award for Best Screenplay, as well as garnering Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations.

AFF Executive Director, Barbara Morgan spoke with Wallace at a retrospective screening of the film in at the 21st annual Austin Film Festival in 2014. Clips from this episode copyright: B.H. Finance, CV, Icon Productions and Ladd Company.

Jeb Stuart is the writer/producer responsible for the screenplays of several blockbuster films including Die Hard, The Fugitive, Fire Down Below, Another 48 Hours and Switchback which he also produced. Jeb Stuart spoke with No Film School contributor, Christopher Boone at the 22nd annual Austin Film Festival in 2015. Clips from this episode copyright Warner Brothers, a division of Time Warner Entertainment Company, LP.

On this week’s special podcast, Everybody Loves Raymond Executive Producer and Somebody Feed Phil creator and host Phil Rosenthal – will discuss the common thread between travel shows and sitcoms, the unifying power of food and the late great Anthony Bourdain.

In 1995 Phil Rosenthal created the hit CBS comedy Everybody Loves Raymond. He served as Showrunner and Executive Producer for all nine years of the series run which earned more than 70 Emmy nominations.

Rosenthal’s new Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil follows Phil as he travels the globe taking in the local cuisine and culture. I sat down with Phil to discuss food, family, and the new season of Somebody Feed Phil, which is out July 6th on Netflix.

Clips of Somebody Feed Phil courtesy of Netflix, Inc.

On this week’s episode, second generation actor Ed Begley Jr. talks about what he looks for when choosing new projects, finding the pain in a character, working with Christopher Guest and other comedy legends.

Ed Begley Jr. has performed in hundreds of movies and television shows, including An Officer and a Gentleman, St. Elsewhere, This Is Spinal Tap, Batman Forever, Pineapple Express, Better Call Saul, and Best in Show. He is most recognized for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere for which he received six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award Nomination. He is a recurring cast member in several of the mockumentaries written by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy. Barbara Morgan spoke with Ed Begley at the 23rd Annual Austin Film Festival in 2016. 

This week on On Story, we’ll hear from podcast pioneers on breaking into a new medium and adapting audio stories for television. And later, we’ll hear from rising television talent, Misha Green, on her work co-creating the critically acclaimed, genre-bending drama Underground.

Narrative fiction podcasts have updated the radio drama with a modern, streamable twist. This new medium has attracted storytellers who, until recently, never considered telling strictly audio stories. Writers Lauren Shippen and Jenny Turner Hall discussed their transition into podcasting and the new opportunities that their shows have provided them at the 2017 Austin Film Festival.

Next up we’ll hear from television writer and showrunner Misha Green. Green began her career as a staff writer on FX’s hit drama Sons of Anarchy and NBC’s cult sci fi series, Heroes. Green later went on to co-create Undergound, which chronicled a group of Georgia slaves who escaped bondage to find freedom via the Underground Railroad. The series broke ratings records for the WGN network and was nominated for several awards. Misha Green spoke with filmmaker Ya’ke Smith at the 2017 Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Underground courtesy of: Safehouse Pictures, Get Lifted Film Company Sony Pictures Television, Safehouse Pictures

This week, the indie filmmakers behind Transformer, Don't Talk to Irene and  Mr Fish: Cartooning From the Deep End discuss their journey from initial concept to ultimately producing and screening their award winning films in Austin Film Festival's film competition this past year.

We begin the show with last year's  powerful Documentary Feature Jury Award and Hiscox Insurance Audience Award  winner (tied with Mr. Fish): Transformer. Written and directed by Michael Del Monte, the film follows former U.S Marine and world-record powerlifter, Matt “Kroc” Kroczaleski as he sets out to become a woman. Outed as being transgender and banned from competition Janae, attempts to find her place in society. Transformer world premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2017. Film Competition Director, Harrison Glaser spoke with  Del Monte and Janae at a special screening of the film hosted at the Alamo Drafthouse Village earlier this year.

Next up, our 2017 Comedy Vanguard Feature Jury and Audience Award winner: Don't Talk to Irene. Written and directed by Pat Mills, Don't Talk to Irene is Mills' second feature. The film's script first won Austin Film Festival's Best Comedy Screenplay Competition in 2013 and follows, Irene - the fattest girl in high school – as she gets suspended, and endures two weeks of community service at a retirement home. Mills, sat down with me to discuss the film at a special screening hosted earlier this year at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. Additionally, the film director, screenwriter and actor was also named one of MovieMaker Magazine's 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2018.

Finally, we wrap the show with the other Documentary Feature Audience Award winner last year: Mr Fish: Cartooning From the Deep End (tied with Transformer). The film follows, adult themed editorial cartoonist, Mr. Fish as he navigates his often controversial profession during a time when the industry is on the way out. Directed by Pablo Bryant, the documentary reveals the struggles Mr. Fish endures to stay true to his creativity in a world where biting satiric humor has an ever-diminishing commercial value. Film Competition Director, Harrison Glaser spoke with Bryant, Mr. Fish and Diana Day at a special year round event screening of the film at the Alamo Drafthouse Village earlier this month.

This week, we talk with Ed Solomon, the comedic screenwriter behind Hollywood classics Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Men in Black, and Now You See Me.  Solomon looks back on his long journey working on Men in Black, and discusses working with industry icons such as Barry Sonnenfeld, Tommy Lee Jones, and Will Smith.

Ed Solomon is the co-writer for the screenplays Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and its sequel, Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, and also wrote on It’s Garry Shandling’s Show for its first three seasons.  He then penned the screenplay for Men in Black, and many others, including the first X-Men (uncredited).  Since then he’s worked on all sorts of films, including Levity, which he also directed. He wrote the Lion’s Gate film Now You See Me, Now You See Me 2, Sony Picture’s How to Disappear Completely, and Colossus for Universal Studios.

On this week’s episode, we’ll hear from the creators behind the upcoming comedy heist film Ocean’s 8. Screenwriters Olivia Milch and Gary Ross discuss spinning-off a popular franchise and approaching the heist genre from a new perspective. And later, we’ll hear from King of the Hill writer and Bob’s Burgers’ co-developer Jim Dauterive on writing for animation and how characters develop over a series lifetime. 

Ocean’s 8 is an upcoming comedy heist film that remixes Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 trilogy. The film brings a unique perspective to the genre by featuring an all-star, all female team. The idea for the film was created by four-time Academy Award® nominated writer/director Gary Ross. Ross co-wrote the comedy classic Big, and went on to write and direct Pleasantville, Seabiscut, The Hunger Games, and 2016’s Free State of Jones. Ross co-wrote the Ocean’s 8 screenplay with filmmaker Olivia Milch, who has made a name for herself by writing stories that authentically represent the female experience. Earlier this year she released her directorial debut, Dude, on Netflix.

Next up, we’ll hear from Jim Dauterive who started his career as one of the original writers for the award-winning animated comedy King of the Hill which ran for 13 seasons on the Fox network. The series won two Emmy Awards and was named one of the 100 greatest television shows of all time in 2007. Dauterive currently serves as the executive producer of the popular animated Fox television series Bob’s Burgers, which he co-developed with Loren Bouchard. I spoke with Dauterive at Texas State University at an event put on by Austin Film Festival and The Wittliff Collections.

This week, in honor of Austin Film Festival’s 25th Anniversary we’re going back into our archives to bring you conversations with writers that created two of 1993’s most remembered films. First we’ll hear from screenwriter Angelo Pizzo who wrote the inspirational football drama Rudy. And later, we’ll hear from Ron Nyswaner who wrote the Jonathan Demme directed drama Philadelphia, which starred Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks.

1993 saw the release of giant blockbuster films like Jurassic Park, classic comedies like Groundhog’s Day, Rom-Com staples like Sleepless in Seattle, and the inspirational true-life story of an undersized, dyslexic student who’s only dream was to play football for the University of Notre Dame. Rudy, written by Angelo Pizzo, has stood the test of time as a film that still resonates with an audience 25 years after its release. In 2005 the film was named one of the 25 Best Sports Movies by ESPN and one of the most-inspiring films of all time by the “AFI 100 Series”. Pizzo, who also wrote the Indiana basketball drama Hoosiers, spoke about Rudy at the 22nd Austin Film Festival in 2015.

Clips of Rudy courtesy of TriStar Pictures, Inc.

We continue our 25-year look back with a conversation with screenwriter Ron Nyswaner. In 1993, Nyswaner wrote Philadelphia, which follows an attorney who is fired from his high-powered law firm after it’s revealed that he is HIV positive. The film was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV and homosexuality. Tom Hanks won an Academy Award® for Best actor for his portrayal of lawyer Andrew Beckett. Nyswaner is also known for adapting the W. Somerset Maugham novel The Painted Veil into the 2006 film of the same name. Nyswaner spoke about his career and writing process at the 20th annual Austin Film Festival in 2013.

Clips of Philadelphia courtesy of TriStar Pictures, Inc. Clip of Ray Donovan courtesy of Showtime Networks, Inc. and clip of The Painted Veil courtesy of Bob Yari Productions & Yari Film Group Releasing.