Austin Film Festival's On Story

This week on On Story, we're joined by Susan Soon He Stanton for a look inside the writers room of the hit HBO drama, Succession. Succession centers on the Roy family, the ultra-rich owners of a global media conglomerate called Waystar RoyCo. The family business is spearheaded by aging patriarch, Logan Roy. As Logan's ability to lead the company becomes more and more uncertain, his adult children fight to out-maneuver their Father, and each other, to seize control. Each of the Roy children enters this fight for power carrying baggage from their bizarre upbringings within this cold, dysfunctional family. Succession was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for each of its four seasons, and won the award three times.  Susan Soon He Stanton joined the writers room in Succession's first season, and continued to write for the show throughout its entire run. She has written for theater, television, and film. Succession was her first experience working in a television writers room. She has also worked as a writer on the TV series Dead Ringers, Modern Love, Conversations with Friends, and The Baby.     Stanton sat down with AFF moderator R.B. Brenner to talk about what it was like bringing her playwriting experience into the writers room, and the challenge of writing in each character's specific voice.    Succession clips courtesy of Home Box Office, Inc.

This week on On Story, a conversation on the animated tragicomedy series Bojack Horseman with two of its writers, Alison Flierl and Joe Lawson.   The series follows Bojack, a washed-up former sitcom star who's trying to stage a comeback in Hollywood, while fighting against his own addiction and self-destructive tendencies. Bojack is also an anthropomorphic horse inhabiting a world where humans and animals live side-by side. The series, which ran for six seasons on Netflix, features the voice acting talents of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Aaron Paul, and a rotating cast of celebrity cameos.    Before writing for Bojack Horseman, Joe Lawson worked as a writer on Shameless, Modern Family, and This is Us. More recently, Lawson worked as a writer on Rian Johnson's case-of-the-week murder mystery series, Poker Face. Lawson is joined by his fellow Bojack writer, Alison Flierl, whose other writing credits include Conan, and the School of Rock TV series.    Flierl and Lawson sat down with AFF moderator Harrison Glaser to discuss their love-hate relationship with the character of Bojack, and how working in an animated medium allowed them to tackle surprisingly serious topics.    Clips of Bojack Horseman courtesy of BoJack Productions LLC. 

First up, a conversation with Kemp Powers on his experience co-directing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to the 2018 Oscar-winner, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The second installment continues the story of friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Miles Morales, as he is catapulted from his home in Brooklyn, through the multi-verse. In a neighboring universe, Miles encounters a multi-dimensional network of Spider-People, known as the Spider-Society. When Miles clashes with the other superheroes, he has to set out on his own to save the ones he loves.  Co-director Kemp Powers began his career in journalism, before pursuing playwriting. He wrote the screenplay for Regina King's directorial debut, One Night in Miami, which he adapted from his own play of the same name. That script earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2018, Powers began his work in animated film, serving as the co-writer and co-director of the fantasy film, Soul. Soul follows a middle school teacher, and aspiring pianist, who falls into a coma, and must reunite his soul with his body in time to play in a famous Jazz quartet, and earn his big break as a musician.  Powers sat down with Evan Narcisse, a comic book writer, journalist, and videogame narrative designer. He has written comic books published by Marvel Comics, including his limited series The Rise of the Black Panther, which he co-wrote with Ta-Nehisi Coates. Narcisse worked as the narrative design consultant for the videogame Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.  Powers joined Narcisse for an insightful conversation on learning to write for multiple different mediums, the social responsibility of being a Black creative, and the unique process of collaborating with animators. Clips of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse courtesy of  Sony Pictures Animation Inc. Clips of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation Inc. Clips of One Night in Miami courtesy of Hampton King Louisiana Productions, LLC Clips of Soul courtsey of Pixax and Disney Enterprises, Inc

This week on On Story, a conversation with Nicole Perlman and Jodi Hildebrand on their experiences as writers and producers working with existing intellectual property, or IP.  Nicole Perlman is best known for working as a co-writer on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain Marvel, as well as Detective Pikachu. For eight years, Perlman has worked as a Creative Advisor at the Sundance Screenwriting Labs, in addition to mentoring for Global Media Makers, Women in Film, the BlackList, and more. She is currently developing television projects for Fox Searchlight, Amazon Studios, and Netflix.  Jodi Hildebrand is a film and TV producer, who currently runs the Scripted Television and Film team at Conde Nast Entertainment. In this role, Hildebrand works with writers from publications like The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair, on adapting their articles for film or television. Hildebrand recently produced the 2018 film adaptation of Peter Rabbit, and its sequel, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.  AFF moderator Paul Alvarado-Dykstra sat down with Perlman and Hildebrand for a conversation on the ins-and-outs of working with existing IP, from respecting the lived experiences of the protagonist in a true story, to optioning the rights to your favorite book.  Clips of Guardians of the Galaxy courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.  Clips of Luke Cage courtesy of Disney+. Clips of Thor: Ragnarok courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.   

This week on On Story, a covnersation with writer-director Rian Johnson on his love of genre media from noir to sci-fi, and the long process of outlining which allows him to craft intricate stories without getting lost in the second act. Johnson made his directorial debut in 2005 with the neo-noir mystery, Brick. Set against the backdrop of a suburban high school, Brick draws inspiration from classic noir mysteries while adding a coming-of-age twist. Johnson dove into the sci-fi genre with his time-travel action-thriller Looper, released in 2012. Starring Bruce Willis, Looper follows the work of contract killers who are tasked with executing targets who have been sent backwards through time by crime syndicates from the future. Next, Johnson served as writer-director for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, an installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Most recently, Johnson has been busy writing, directing and producing his murder-mystery film franchise Knives Out. After earning Johnson an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, Knives Out was followed by its first sequel, Glass Onion. The third film in the series, Wake Up Dead Man, will be coming to select theaters this November before streaming on Netflix. The series is known for its star-studded ensemble cast, led by Daniel Craig, as the eccentric, gentlemanly detective, Benoit Blanc. In addition to his work in film, Johnson has also directed episodes of Breaking Bad and created the case-of-the-week crime-comedy series Poker Face, starring Natasha Lyonne.  Barbara Morgan sat down with Rian Johnson for a conversation on his expansive career and his intricate writing process. Clips of Brick courtesy of Focus Features. Clips of Looper courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing. Clips of Knives Out courtesy of Lionsgate. Clips of Poker Face courtesy of Peacock.