Austin Film Festival's On Story

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

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 taking a trip out west with Babaloo Mandel and Lowel Ganz, the screenwriting duo behind the classic American Western comedy, CITY SLICKERS. Lowell Ganz and Marc “Babaloo” Mandel are long-time screenwriting partners that began their careers writing for comedic television in the 1970s. The two New Yorkers met in a Hollywood comedy club where Mandel worked as a joke writer. Having both served on the writing staff for the sitcom THE ODD COUPLE they discovered that they had a lot in common, including their off-beat sense of humor and a love of Billy Wilder. Their creative partnership began with collaborations on Laverne and Shirley and the duo made their feature screenplay debut with the black comedy NIGHT SHIFT. They would go on to write hits such as PARENTHOOD, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, and the subject of today’s episode, CITY SLICKERS. I spoke with the pair at a year-round event presented by the Austin Film Festival.    Clips of City Slickers courtesy of Castle Rock Entertainment Clips of Night Shift courtesy of The Ladd Company Clips of Parenthood courtesy of Universal City Studios, Inc., and Imagine Films Entertainment, Inc. Clips of League of their Own courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.

This week on On Story writing duo, David Benioff & D.B. Weiss joins Catherine Reitman & Sarah Green in conversation about the Art of Storytelling. Catherine Reitman is a screenwriter, and actress known for her roles on Black-ish and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Most recently, Reitman served as the creator, executive producer, writer, and star of the CBC comedy series Workin' Moms. Sarah Green is a producer, known for her work on Terrance Malik’s The Tree of Life, and Jeff Nichols’ Mud, and Loving. Benioff and Weiss created GAME OF THRONES. Under their supervision the series ran for 8 seasons, won 59 Emmys, and became one of HBO’s most popular programs. Producer Barry Josephson spoke with them on a panel about the Art and Craft of Storytelling at the Austin Film Festival.

This week on On Story we’ll hear from television writers, David Benioff & D.B. Weiss on their process of adapting the Emmy Award-winning HBO television series GAME OF THRONES. Benioff and Weiss created GAME OF THRONES, the HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s series of books ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’. Under their supervision the series ran for 8 seasons, won 59 Emmys, and became one of HBO’s most popular programs. 

Hi podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story. This week on On Story we’ll hear from screenwriter and director Doug Atchison. Atchison is a writer-director best known for the 2006 film, Akeelah and the Bee which stars Keke Palmer and Laurence Fishburne. In 2000 the Atchison’s script won a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and the film later earned him a win at the 2007 Image Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Feature Film. Atchison went on to pen the screenplay for the 2018 biopic Brian Banks for which he won a Humanitas award. Moderator Alex Mitchell spoke with Atchison after a screening of Akeelah and the Bee at the Austin Film Festival. Clips of Akeelah and the Bee courtesy of LionsGate Films Hi podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story. This week on On Story we’ll hear from screenwriter and director Doug Atchison. Atchison is a writer-director best known for the 2006 film, Akeelah and the Bee which stars Keke Palmer and Laurence Fishburne. In 2000 the Atchison’s script won a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and the film later earned him a win at the 2007 Image Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Feature Film. Atchison went on to pen the screenplay for the 2018 biopic Brian Banks for which he won a Humanitas award. Moderator Alex Mitchell spoke with Atchison after a screening of Akeelah and the Bee at the Austin Film Festival. Clips of Akeelah and the Bee courtesy of LionsGate Films