On Story—Screenwriters and Filmmakers on Their Iconic Films

Austin Film Festival

Published by University of Texas Press 2016

On Story—Screenwriters and Filmmakers on Their Iconic Films

Austin Film Festival
Edited by: Barbara Morgan and Maya Perez
With contributions by: James Franco

https://doi.org/10.7560/310908

Overview
Contents

About this book

“On Story is film school in a box, a lifetime’s worth of filmmaking knowledge squeezed into half-hour packages.”
—Kenneth Turan, film critic for the Los Angeles Times

Austin Film Festival (AFF) is the first organization focused on the writer’s creative contribution to film. Its annual Film Festival and Conference offers screenings, panels, workshops, and roundtable discussions that help new writers and filmmakers connect with mentors and gain advice and insight from masters, as well as refreshing veterans with new ideas. To extend the festival’s reach, AFF produces On Story, a television series currently airing on PBS-affiliated stations and streaming online that presents footage of high-caliber artists talking candidly and provocatively about the art and craft of screenwriting and filmmaking, often using examples from their own films.

On Story—Screenwriters and Filmmakers on Their Iconic Films presents renowned, award-winning screenwriters and filmmakers discussing their careers and the stories behind the production of their iconic films such as L.A. Confidential, Thelma & Louise, Groundhog Day, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Silence of the Lambs, In the Name of the Father, Apollo 13, and more. In their own lively words transcribed from interviews and panel discussions, Ron Howard, Callie Khouri, Jonathan Demme, Ted Tally, Jenny Lumet, Harold Ramis, and others talk about creating stories that resonate with one’s life experiences or topical social issues, as well as how to create appealing characters and bring them to life. Their insights, production tales, and fresh, practical, and proven advice make this book ideal for film lovers, screenwriting students, and filmmakers and screenwriters seeking inspiration.

Author / Editor information

BARBARA MORGAN cofounded Austin Film Festival in 1993 and has served as executive director since its inception. A feature filmmaker and producer, she also developed and produces the TV series On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival.

MAYA PEREZ is a producer/consultant for On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival and a board member of the Austin Film Festival, for which she has also served as conference director. She has also been a Michener Fellow in Screenwriting at the University of Texas at Austin.

Reviews

"[L]ively and star-studded. . . . the collection will have you adding flicks to your ever-growing Netflix queue."

— Austin Monthly

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vi
Foreword: Tips James Franco Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Biographies Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
Introduction Maya Perez Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Creating Classic Characters
A Conversation with Shane Black, David Milch, and Sydney Pollack Barry Josephson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	5
2. Heroes and Antiheroes
A Conversation with Paul Feig, Jenny Lumet, and Aline Brosh McKenna Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
3. “In the name of my father and of the truth!”
Up Close with Terry George Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
Terry George on In the Name of the Father Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
4. “Can it be done, Father? Can a man change the stars?”
A Conversation with Brian Helgeland Barbara Morgan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	41
5. " Attica! Attica!"
Brian Helgeland Presents Frank Pierson with the Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the 2003 Austin Film Festival Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	51
Robin Swicord on Dog Day Afternoon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	54
Up Close with Frank Pierson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	61
6. “Houston, we have a problem.”
A Conversation with Ron Howard Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
A Conversation with Ron Howard, Jim Lovell, Sy Liebergot, John Aaron, Jerry Bostick, Michael Corenblith, Al Reinert, and William Broyles Jr. Jane Sumner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	78
7. “If nobody loses their head, nobody will lose their head.”
Up Close with Callie Khouri Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
Callie Khouri on Thelma & Louise Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	98
8. “It’s Groundhog Day!”
A Conversation with Harold Ramis Judd Apatow Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	107
Danny Rubin on Groundhog Day Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	123
9. “Have the lambs stopped screaming?”
A Conversation with Jonathan Demme Paul Thomas Anderson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	139
Ron Nyswaner on Philadelphia Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	144
A Conversation with Ted Tally Álvaro Rodríguez Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	146
10. “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
A Conversation with John Milius and Oliver Stone Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	181
11. “I am Groot.”
A Conversation with Michael Green, Ashley Miller, and Nicole Perlman Álvaro Rodríguez Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195
12. “Which story do you prefer?”
Up Close with David Magee Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215
Afterword: Some Things I’ve Learned Bill Wittliff Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	223

Language: English
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 246

eBook

Published: October 4, 2016
ISBN: 9781477311943