From Austin Film Festival this is On Story, a look inside the creative process from today’s leading creators, writers and filmmakers. I’m your host, Barbara Morgan.

Academy Award-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie’s films include Jack Reacher, The Way of the Gun, and the two most recent Mission: Impossible films – Fallout and Rouge Nation.  His writing credits include Edge of Tomorrow, Top Gun: Maverick, and The Usual Suspects. The Usual Suspects garnered McQuarrie an Academy Award and the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay, as well as the Edgar Allan Poe and Independent Spirit Awards. It has since been named one of the 100 greatest screenplays of all time by The Writers Guild of America. I spoke with McQuarrie at an Austin Film Festival virtual event that was co-presented by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

From Austin Film Festival this is On Story, a look inside the creative process from today’s leading creators, writers and filmmakers. I’m your host, Barbara Morgan.

From Christmas classics to modern holiday hits, the magic of storytelling seems to be stronger during the holiday season. We spoke with the writers behind some of the most celebrated modern Christmas films to discuss writing stories set during the most wonderful time of the year. Karen Schaler wrote 2017’s A Christmas Prince which was Netflix’s first original Christmas film and spawned two sequels. Matt Lieberman wrote 2018’s The Christmas Chronicles, also released by Netflix, which starred Kurt Russell. Lieberman also wrote the sequel, The Christmas Chronicles 2. David Berenbaum wrote the 2003 holiday hit Elf which stars Will Ferrell. The three writers spoke with moderator Fabienne Harford at the Austin Film Festival.

From Austin Film Festival this is On Story, a look inside the creative process from today’s leading creators, writers and filmmakers. 

Ric Roman Waugh is a director, writer, producer, and former stuntman. As a writer/director, Waugh’s work include Felon, Snitch, and Shot Caller. In 2019, he co-wrote and directed Angel Has Fallen, the third film in the Fallen film series, with Gerard Butler reprising his role as Secret Service agent Mike Banning. In 2020, Waugh directed the apocalyptic disaster film Greenland, which also stars Butler as a family man trying to find sanctuary from a planet-killing comet that threatens to destroy Earth. I spoke with Waugh about the film after an advance screening in Austin, Texas.

From Austin Film Festival this is On Story, a look inside the creative process from today’s leading creators, writers and filmmakers. I’m your host, Barbara Morgan.

In 1989, screenwriter Ron Bass won an Academy Award for co-writing Rain Man. The iconic road trip film stars Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman and took home 4 Oscars – including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, in addition to Bass’ award for writing. Bass’ other writing credits include My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Joy Luck Club, and Stepmom. Over his 35-year career Bass has written 211 scripts which span a variety of genres. Ron Bass spoke about his illustrious career with former AFF Creative Director Erin Hallagan at the 26th Austin Film Festival where he was awarded the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting.

Clips of What Dreams May Come courtesy of Polygram Filmed Entertainment & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Clips of Rain Man courtesy of United Artists & 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Clips of My Best Friends Wedding courtesy of TriStar Pictures & Sony Pictures Entertainment

Clips of The Joy Luck Club courtesy of Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Clips of When a Man Loves a Woman courtesy of Touchstone Pictures

Clips of Black Widow courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

From Austin Film Festival this is On Story, a look inside the creative process from today’s leading creators, writers and filmmakers. Phil Hay is a screenwriter and producer. Hay’s writing partner Matt Manfredi and director Karyn Kusama made the 2019 Los Angeles crime drama Destroyer which starred Nicole Kidman. In 2015, the three made the horror film The Invitation – the film follows a man as he becomes increasingly suspicious of his ex-wife’s motives while attending a dinner party hosted at their old house. Hay spoke about the film at the 26th annual Austin Film Festival with moderator Maya Perez.

This week on On Story, from suspenseful scares to urban legends and classic movie monsters, horror stories rely on the psychology of fear to thrill and chill us with the things that we fear most. Paul Alvarado-Dykstra discusses the scripts behind the scares with Akela Cooper, the writer behind the Conjuring spinoff, The Nun 2 and American Horror Story, and horror writer/director and author Owen Egerton.

This week on On Story we’ll hear from screenwriter Liz Hannah whose first screenplay, The Post, became an Academy Award nominated film. And later Oscar and Emmy nominated producer Sarah Green discusses her approach to producing and her frequent collaborations with filmmakers Jeff Nichols and Terrence Mallick.

This week on On Story we’ll talk with science fiction writers and filmmakers to discuss writing futuristic, out of this world stories. The team behind Skyman will discuss the freedom behind shooting a faux-documentary film. And later the writers behind Rogue One and Jurassic World: Dominion will talk about their experience writing big budget franchise films.

This week on On Story we’ll look at how true stories are told on the screen. From narrative films adapted from true events to documentaries that explore real individuals and incidents. We’ll talk with filmmakers and writers about the challenges behind balancing fact and fiction while staying true to the heart of the subject’s story.

Kieran Fitzgerald is a writer behind several projects based on true stories. He wrote the screenplay for 2016’s Snowden which depicted the events of American whistleblower Edward Snowden and co-wrote the miniseries Wormwood which examined the mysterious death of scientist and CIA employee Frank Olson in 1953. In 2007, Fitzgerald wrote and directed the documentary The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez. The film, which is narrated by Tommy Lee Jones, investigates the killing of Esequiel Hernandez Jr. who was shot and killed by an active United States Marine near the US-Mexico border. The 1997 incident marked the first time an American civilian had been killed by an on duty military personal since the 1970 Kent State shootings. I recently spoke to Fitzgerald about the research required behind bringing true stories to the screen and films ability to highlight the emotional truths behind real events.

Next up, screenwriters behind biopics and true-life narratives discuss the power that films have to drive change. David Rabinowitz, who won an Academy Award for co-writing BlacKkKlansman, Barbara Stepansky writer of Flint, and Doug Atchison writer of Brian Banks spoke with moderator Matt Dy at Austin Film Festival in a panel co-presented by Screen Craft and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

This week on On Story we’re bringing you discussions with the creative teams behind two hit comedy series. Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch will discuss their Netflix series – GLOW, which chronicles the lives of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling - a 1980’s women's wrestling circuit. And later, creators Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom join filmmaker Katie Hyde to discuss the musical comedy series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and the documentary Oh My God I Think It’s Over - which chronicled the creation of the final season.

Clips of GLOW courtesy of Netflix

Clips of Crazy Ex Girlfriend courtesy of  CBS Studios Inc. and
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc, and The CW Network

On Story is part of a growing number of programs in Austin Film Festival’s On Story Project, including the On Story PBS series, The On Story radio program and podcast and the On Story book series. To find out more about On Story and Austin Film Festival, visit www.onstory.tv or www.austinfilmfestival.com

On Story is brought to you in part by the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, a Texas family providing innovative funding since 1979.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the US Institute of Museum and Library Services and Texas Library and Archives Commission.

This program is also made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

On Story is supported in part by DePaul University's School of Cinematic Arts.

The show is produced by Barbara Morgan, our associate producers are Colin Hyer, Maya Perez, and Kaetie Turner. Our editors are Jamal Knox and Travis Neeley. Audio capture by Travis Kennedy. Music is by Brian Ramos. Production assistance comes from Sound Lab Inc. Travis Kennedy and KUT 90.5 in Austin. Go to AustinFilmFestival.com to find out more about the Austin Film Festival & Conference in October.

This week on On Story, Scott Rosenberg (writer Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), Victoria Strouse (writer Finding Dory), and Jeffrey Lieber (writer Lost) discuss finishing scripts, trusting your gut, and finding your ‘Fade to Black’.

This week on On Story, join Netflix’s Seis Manos co-creators Alvaro Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series), Brad Graeber (CEO, Powerhouse Animation), and director Willis Bulliner for a conversation on writing, developing, and animating the adult anime series. In this podcast, the team will discuss the collaborative process for creating an animated series.

If you are looking for a little inspiration or motivation to get back to your script – We are here to help.  Austin Film Festival has over 26 years of archived panels that we will be curating and releasing every Wednesday to help you work through challenges you might be facing in your work.

Looking for more resources? Check out austinfilmfestival.com for more audio, streaming suggestions, writing prompts, and more. See you next week.

This week on On Story, Alex Tse (co-creator Wu-Tang: An American Saga), David Gleeson (writer Tolkien), and Micah-Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster (co-writers A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) discuss strategies for writing an effective biopic and the art of balancing fact and fiction while staying true to the heart of your subject’s story.

If you are looking for a little inspiration or motivation to get back to your script – We are here to help.  Austin Film Festival has over 26 years of archived panels that we will be curating and releasing every Wednesday to help you work through challenges you might be facing in your work.

Looking for more resources? Check out austinfilmfestival.com for more audio, streaming suggestions, writing prompts, and more. See you next week.

This week on On Story we’ll bring you conversations with two comedy titans. VEEP showrunner and Seinfeld writer David Mandel will discuss the widely successful HBO series that wrapped in 2019 and legendary screenwriter Daniel Petrie, Jr. will examine the 1985 comedy classic Beverly Hills Cop which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

Clips of Veep courtesy of Home Box Office, Inc

Clips of Beverly Hills Cop courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corporation

On Story is part of a growing number of programs in Austin Film Festival’s On Story Project, including the On Story PBS series, The On Story radio program and podcast and the On Story book series. To find out more about On Story and Austin Film Festival, visit onstory.tv or austinfilmfestival.com

On Story is brought to you in part by the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, a Texas family providing innovative funding since 1979.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the US Institute of Museum and Library Services and Texas Library and Archives Commission.

This program is also made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

On Story is supported in part by DePaul University's School of Cinematic Arts.

The show is produced by myself, Barbara Morgan, our associate producers are Colin Hyer, Maya Perez, and Kaetie Turner. Our editors are Jamal Knox and Travis Neeley. Audio capture by Travis Kennedy. Music is by Brian Ramos. Production assistance comes from Sound Lab Inc. Travis Kennedy and KUT 90.5 in Austin. Go to AustinFilmFestival.com to find out more about the Austin Film Festival & Conference in October.

This week on On Story, we’re exploring action & description with the writers behind 22 Jump Street, Watchmen, and Jurassic World 3.

If you are looking for a little inspiration or motivation to get back to your script – We are here to help.  Austin Film Festival has over 26 years of archived panels that we will be curating and releasing every Wednesday to help you work through challenges you might be facing in your work.

Looking for more resources? Check out austinfilmfestival.com for more audio, streaming suggestions, writing prompts, and more. See you next week.

This week on On Story, the writers behind The Terror, The Chi, Mudbound, and NCIS: New Orleans explore how a location and time period can influence the tone of your story.

If you are looking for a little inspiration or motivation to get back to your script – We are here to help.  Austin Film Festival has over 26 years of archived panels that we will be curating and releasing every Wednesday to help you work through challenges you might be facing in your work.

Looking for more resources? Check out austinfilmfestival.com for more audio, streaming suggestions, writing prompts, and more. See you next week.

This week on On Story, Jason Fuchs (co-writer Wonder Woman), David Lowery (writer/director A Ghost Story), and Kay Oyegun (writer This Is Us) discuss the importance of dialogue in your script – when to ‘show’ and when to ‘tell’ and why something we do every day can be so difficult to get down on the page.

If you are looking for a little inspiration or motivation to get back to your script – We are here to help.  Austin Film Festival has over 26 years of archived panels that we will be curating and releasing every Wednesday to help you work through challenges you might be facing in your work.

Looking for more resources? Check out austinfilmfestival.com for more audio, streaming suggestions, writing prompts, and more. See you next week.

This week on On Story the writers behind Westworld, Insecure, Hook, and Queen Sugar explore the tools for writing compelling characters and why character building is so vital to the success of your story.

If you are looking for a little inspiration or motivation to get back to your script – We are here to help.  Austin Film Festival has over 26 years of archived panels that we will be curating and releasing every Wednesday to help you work through challenges you might be facing in your work.

Looking for more resources? Check out austinfilmfestival.com for more audio, streaming suggestions, writing prompts, and more. See you next week.

This week on On Story we're kicking off our new series AFF AT HOME. Spark your story with Ashley Miller (Thor), Amy Louise Johnson (The Long Road Home) and Herschel Weingrod (Trading Places) as they discuss tips for tackling the blank page. 

If you are looking for a little inspiration or motivation to get back to your script – We are here to help.  Austin Film Festival has over 26 years of archived panels that we will be curating and releasing every Wednesday to help you work through challenges you might be facing in your work.

Looking for more resources? Check out austinfilmfestival.com for more audio, streaming suggestions, writing prompts, and more. See you next week.

This is On Story from Austin Film Festival. I’m your host Barbara Morgan.

Over the next few weeks we will be releasing a new series titled AFF AT HOME. Austin Film Festival’s mission has always been to further the art and craft of storytelling. When we started the script competitions and festival in 1994, it was with the intention of creating a community for writers to engage with one another and to create a network that connects craft to career.

Times of uncertainty and conflict often bring out the best stories. We truly believe that now is the time for storytellers to work through everything that is happening. If you are looking for a little inspiration or motivation to get back to your script – We are here to help.  Our Festival has over 26 years of archived panels that we will be curating and releasing every Wednesday to help you work through challenges you might be facing in your work.

To Kick-Off our new series we’re bringing you audio from Austin Film Festival’s 2019 Opening Remarks. Screenwriter Ed Solomon joined our staff to kick off the Conference and discuss sparking your story by examining the writers mindset and freeing yourself from misconceptions and obstacles that can prevent you from future opportunities.

Looking for more resources? Check out austinfilmfestival.com for more audio, streaming suggestions, writing prompts, and more. See you next week.

This week on On Story Matt Dy, discusses the journey of navigating competitions to careers with Austin Film Festival screenplay competition alumni, Eric Haywood, co-executive producer of FOR LIFE; Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis, co-writers of THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA; and Charmaine DeGraté, writer and co-executive producer of DAISY JONES & THE SIX.

Austin Film Festival’s script competition is currently accepting submissions for 2020. March 27 is the early deadline, April 17 is the regular deadline, and May 15 is the late deadline. All entrants receive free reader comments and advancing writers will be afforded exclusive panels, workshops, and networking opportunities at Austin Film Festival’s annual writers conference this October 22 - 29. For more information and to submit please visit www.austinfilmfestival.com

This week on On Story we’ll hear from some of the writing team behind the first season of the immensely popular Fox drama series EMPIRE and later we’ll hear from veteran television writer and producer Virgil Williams who was nominated for a 2018 Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for the film MUDBOUND.

Clips of Empire courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Television

Clips of Mudbound courtesy of Netflix and MMC Joule Films LLC

Clips of 24 courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Television.

On Story is part of a growing number of programs in Austin Film Festival’s On Story Project, including the On Story PBS series, The On Story radio program and podcast and the On Story book series. To find out more about On Story and Austin Film Festival, visit On Story.tv or austinfilmfestival.com.

This week on On Story we’ll hear playwright and screenwriter Sofia Alvarez discuss the difference between writing for the stage and screen and the process of adapting Jenny Han’s young adult book series into the Netflix romantic comedy TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE. And later Catherine Reitman discusses creating the International Emmy Award nominated series WORKIN’ MOMS.

This week on On Story, CHERNOBYL creator Craig Mazin discusses his HBO five part mini-series. The series tells the true story of the world’s worst nuclear disaster and the remarkable acts of bravery and sacrifice that followed. Mazin’s previous writing credits include IDENTITY THIEF, THE HANGOVER 2 and 3 and THE HUNTSMAN: WINTERS WAR. Mazin spoke at the 26th Austin Film Festival about transitioning from comedy to drama, the difference between writing for film and television, and the responsibility behind fictionalizing a true event.

Clips of Chernobyl courtesy of Home Box Office, Inc.

On Story is part of a growing number of programs in Austin Film Festival’s On Story Project, including the On Story PBS series, The On Story radio program and podcast and the On Story book series. To find out more about On Story and Austin Film Festival, visit onstory.tv or austinfilmfestival.com.

On Story is brought to you in part by the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, a Texas family providing innovative funding since 1979.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the US Institute of Museum and Library Services and Texas Library and Archives Commission.

This program is also made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

On Story is supported in part by DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts and TooFar Media, immersive story experiences by Rich Shapero.

The show is produced by myself, Barbara Morgan, our associate producers are Colin Hyer, Maya Perez, and Kaetie Turner. Our editors are Jamal Knox and Travis Neeley. Audio capture by Travis Kennedy. Music is by Brian Ramos. Production assistance comes from Sound Lab Inc, Travis Kennedy and KUT 90.5 in Austin. Go to AustinFilmFestival.com to find out more about the Austin Film Festival & Conference in October.

This week on On Story we pay tribute to legendary comedy writer Buck Henry, who co-created the series Get Smart with Mel Brooks and was twice nominated for an Academy Award®- first in 1968 for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Graduate and again in 1979 for Best Director for the film Heaven Can Wait. In this episode we’re featuring a panel recorded in 2005 featuring comedy luminaries Buck Henry, Judd Apatow and Harold Ramis. And later we’ll hear from Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore

Legendary writer – actor – director Buck Henry passed away at the age of 89. A frequent Austin Film Festival panelist and the recipient of AFF’s 1997 Distinguished Screenwriter Award, Buck was unparalleled in his humor and generosity giving back to the writing community. On Today’s episode we’re featuring a conversation on comedy writing with Henry, Judd Apatow, and Harold Ramis that was recorded at the 2005 Austin Film Festival. 

Buck Henry got his start in television in the early 1960’s. Buck Henry co-created the series Get Smart with Mel Brooks and was twice nominated for an Academy Award®- first in 1968 for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Graduate and again in 1979 for Best Director for the film Heaven Can Wait.

Producer, director, actor, comedian and screenwriter Judd Apatow is best known for the television shows Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, and Girls. His extensive filmography includes the hit movies, Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Bridesmaids and the 2015 film Trainwreck starring Amy Schumer, Tilda Swinton and Bill Hader. 

The late Harold Ramis wrote, directed and starred in some of the most beloved comedies of the past forty years including Caddyshack, Animal House, Ghostbusters, High Fidelity and Groundhog Day. He got his start as a joke editor for Playboy Magazine and went on to become a performer and head writer on the sketch comedy series SCTV.

Producer Barry Josephson spoke with these comedy luminaries at the 12th Austin Film Festival

Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore has been a television producer, actor, comedian, and writer for more than 25 years. He started his career as an actor and stand-up comedian before writing and producing on the early nineties classic television shows In Living Color, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and The Jamie Foxx Show. He co-created The PJ’s with Eddie Murphy, The Bernie Mac Show with Bernie Mac, and was a consulting producer and guest star on the American version of The Office. This segment was recorded at the 14th annual Austin Film Festival and at a special event at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, TX in 2013. We begin with comedian and satirist Larry Wilmore discussing his comedic roots.