Austin Film Festival's On Story

This week on On Story we’ll hear from screenwriter April Shih who has worked on shows like Dave, You’re The Worst, and This is America and Tripper Clancy who wrote the script for 2019’s Stuber, and has worked on Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This.   April Shih is a screenwriter and producer, known for You're the Worst, Mrs. America,starring Cate Blanchett and most recently served as supervising producer on FX’s Dave, which follows the semi-autobiographical story of American rapper Lil Dicky. April has also produced several films and plays including the Ovation Award-winning revival of Kiss of the Spiderwoman: The Musical.   Tripper Clancy is a screenwriter known for writing the scripts for Stuber which starred Kumali Nanjiani and Dave Bautista as well as Die Hart starring Kevin Hart and John Travolta. After working in the Fox Writers Studio in 2011, Tripper went on to write comedies and dramas of all shapes and sizes for Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Amazon, and is currently a writer on season one of I Am Not Okay With This, a half-hour show for Netflix.   Moderator Harrison Glaser spoke with the pair about their journeys as writers at the Austin Film Festival.   Clips of Dave courtesy of FX Productions, LLC.   Clips of You’re The Worst courtesy of Bluebush Productions, LLC.   Clips of I Am Not Okay With This courtesy of Netflix Studios, LLC.   Clips of Stuber courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

This week on On Story we’re taking a look back at the 1972 cult classic, Greaser’s Palace with Legendary filmmakers Paul Thomas Anderson & Jonathan Demme.   In 1972, following a succession of truly unruly underground films, including 1968’s Putney Swope, Robert Downey Sr. gave the world a new take on the holy story of Jesus Christ in the form of the acid-western Greaser’s Palace. Featuring a brilliant mix of offbeat character actors and willing amateurs, Downey weaves a New Testament allegory against the backdrop of an absurdist Western parody.     Paul Thomas Anderson, director of 2021’s Licorice Pizza and the Silence of the Lambs joined director Jonathan Demme to pay tribute to Robert Downey Sr. 's cult classic after a retrospective screening at the Austin Film Festival.  Clips of Greaser’s Palace courtesy of Greaser’s Palace Company

This week on On Story we’ll join queens of comedy Katie Dippold, Liz Meriwether, & Paula Pell for a conversation all about writing for laughs.   Actress, comedian, and screenwriter, Katie Dippold, wrote for NBC’s hit comedy series Park and Recreation as well as the comedy films, The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, and the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot.    Liz Meriwether is a writer, producer and television showrunner known for creating the Fox sitcom New Girl, and for writing the romantic comedy film No Strings Attached. She also created the ABC sitcoms Bless This Mess and most recently, Single Parents   Paula Pell got her start working in the writers room at Saturday Night Live in 1995 where she wrote for nearly 20 years before also working as a writer and producer for 30 rock. You may recognize from her cameos as “Paula”, Pete Hornberger’s wife, or as Parks and Rec’s “Tammy Zero,” Ron Swanson’s mother and very, skilled drinker. She performed in the 2015 Oscar-winning Birdman and Anchorman 2. Her body of work also includes writing credits on Bridesmaids, This is 40, and The Heat as well as the Tina Fey & Amy Pohler comedy, Sisters.   Moderator Paul Feig sat down with this panel of writers at the Austin Film Festival.   Clips of Bridesmaids courtesy of Universal City Studios LLC Clips of The Heat courtesy of  Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Hi podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story. This week on On Story we’re joined by screenwriting duo Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis discussing their journey writing films such as Five Feet Below, and the recent Netflix adaptation of the J.A. White fantasy-horror novel, Nightbooks. Mikki Daughtry is a screenwriter and young adult fiction author. She is best known for writing, along with writing partner Tobias Iaconis, the films The Curse of La Llorona, Five Feet Apart, and Netflix’s Nightbooks.    Tobias Iaconis is also a screenwriter best known for his work with Daughtry, as well as 2009’s Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia. In 2012 he partnered with Daughtry for an adaptation of the Jack Kilborn action-horror novel Afraid.  Moderator Harrison Glaser sat down with the pair to discuss their process at the Austin Film Festival. Clips of The Curse of La Llorona courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures Clips of Five Feet Apart courtesy of CBS Films

Hello podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story. This week on On Story we’re joined by The Terror writer, Dave Kajganich discussing the elements of scare. Kajganich is a screenwriter and producer. He has written several films in the horror genre, including 2009’s Blood Creek and the AMC network television series The Terror, as well as 2018’s Suspiria, on which he collaborated with Italian director Luca Guadagnino. I spoke with Dave Kajganich about his process of writing for the horror genre at the Austin Film Festival. Clips of The Terror courtesy of AMC Studios

Hi podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story. This week on On Story the writers behind I AM LEGEND, TRUE BLOOD & THE WALKING DEAD discuss bringing the undead to life on screen.  Mark Protosevich is a screenwriter known for his work on the films Poseidon, Thor, Oldboy and most relevant to today’s episode, I Am Legend.  Alexander Woo is a screenwriter best known for writing several episodes of the HBO drama series True Blood. While also serving as Executive Producer on the show, True Blood earned an Emmy nomination, two Golden Globe nominations, and two NAACP Image Award nominations.  Angela Kang is a screenwriter and producer currently serving as showrunner on the AMC horror drama series The Walking Dead. In addition to working on The Walking Dead and other shows, Kang also starred on the Talking Dead, a talk show about The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead.  Moderator Greg Garett spoke with this seasoned panel of writers about their craft at the Austin Film Festival.

Hello podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story. This week on On Story, horror writers Akela Cooper and Owen Egerton discuss their love for the genre, setups and payoffs, emotional scares, and inspirational moments from classic horror films.  Akela Cooper is a television writer and producer whose work includes Hell Fest, American Horror Story; and Netflix’s Luke Cage. She began her career as the Writer’s Assistant on ‘Dexter’ and the Researcher on ‘Jericho.’ Following the programs, she landed her first staff writing job on the ABC series V. She then joined the NBC paranormal drama Grimm in 2012, as story editor and has since written for The 100 and Witches of East End, for which she also served as a co-producer. Cooper is currently set to write the next installment in James Wan’s Conjuring universe, Nun 2, produced by New Line. Owen Egerton is the writer/director of Mercy Black, Follow, and Blood Fest as well as a novelist whose work includes Hollow, which was named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR. Working in both horror and comedy, Egerton's screenplays have landed on the Black List and the Blood List, and have earned him writing work for Warner Brothers, Disney, and Fox Studios. Moderator Paul Alvarado-Dykstra spoke with Cooper & Egerton at the Austin Film Festival.  

This week on On Story we’ll join veteran screenwriters Shane Black and Ric Roman Waugh as they discuss what it takes to write and direct a big-budget blockbuster.  Considered one of the pioneer screenwriters of the action genre, Shane Black made his mark with his 1987 screenplay, Lethal Weapon. Black went on to pen the screenplays for such films as Nice Guys, Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, and the latest addition to the Alien vs. Predator franchise: Predator.    Ric Roman Waugh is a former stuntman, director, writer, and producer, known for his work in Felon, Snitch, and Shot Caller. He wrote and directed the third installment of the Has Fallen series, Angel Has Fallen in 2019, and is currently in production of Night Has Fallen, the fourth installment in the series. Moderator Harrison Glaser spoke with Shane and Ric at the Austin Film Festival

This week on On Story we’re diving behind the pages of the 1999 classic horror film The Blair Witch Project with screenwriter Daniel Myrick & his wife and research partner Julia Myrick. Daniel Myrick is a director and screenwriter, most known for co-directing and writing the 1999 psychological horror The Blair Witch Project with Eduardo Sánchez. Considered a seminal work in low budget, filmmaking, as well as being one of the highest grossing films in history, the film ushered in a new methodology of production and grass roots marketing that is still being utilized today. He later went on to pen the screenplays for Believers, which he co-wrote with his now wife, Julia Myrick, Solstice, The Objective and the 2020 sci-fi found footage horror film Skyman. 

This week on On Story we’re joined by Academy award winning screenwriter Ron Bass. In 1989, 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 sat down with Film Programmer Casey Baron to discuss his process of writing the film What Dreams May Come after a retrospective screening at the Austin Film Festival.   Clips of What Dreams May Come courtesy of Polygram Filmed Entertainment & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment