edsolomon

This week on On Story we’ll hear from Ed Solomon, the screenwriter behind Men in Black and the co-writer of the Bill & Ted series. Solomon has had a major film released in each of the last 5 decades starting in 1989 with his first feature Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, which he co-wrote with Chris Matheson. That film has spawned 2 sequels, both written by Solomon and Matheson, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, and 2020’s Bill & Ted Face the Music. Solomon wrote Men in Black, Now You See Me, and HBO’s interactive series Mosaic. I spoke with Solomon about his writing and the process behind deciding which ideas to pursue at the 2020 Austin Film Festival.

EPISODE 54 - ED SOLOMON - Writer

Team Deakins talks with writer Ed Solomon, (MEN IN BLACK, BILL & TED’s EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, NOW YOU SEE ME 2), in this episode. We learned a lot about the craft of writing! Ed talks about the differences in writing for TV and features, writing on spec versus adapting material, writers block, and how his script of the original Bill and Ted changed his career. He also shares the experiences of working with Gary Shandling, making writing “actable”, loving the blank page and writing for Steven Soderbergh. He speaks openly on all aspects of writing which makes this a very interesting episode!

Time to hop in that old phone booth and do a little sightseeing because we're jumping into Bill & Ted Face the Music! Does it live up to the first two movies? Is it a joyous film experience? Just how joyous? (Pretty joyous to be honest.)

After a three decade wait, the world has finally received Bill & Ted Face the Music, so it's only fitting that we close our sci-fi block with their entire trilogy. Returning guest, animator Neil McLean joins us to parse the many details and dissect the various special effects. Do these movies hold up? What did we notice after all this time? And how does this new installment clock in on the scale of being excellent to us?

Follow Neil McLean on instagram @remediavieo & neilmclean.net for his many stop motion animations and various other creations.

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Theme music by Samuel Oak.

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.

Ed Solomon is a screenwriter. He worked on Lavern and Shirley, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and his latest work is with Steven Soderbergh on a show called Mosaic. Ed discusses the creative process, how to go along to get along, and when that doesn’t cut it anymore.

Go watch Mosaic on Amazon or HBO. Don’t forget to follow us on Social Media and support us on Patreon.

Ed Solomon is a screenwriter. He worked on Lavern and Shirley, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and his latest work is with Steven Soderbergh on a show called Mosaic. Ed discusses the creative process, how to go along to get along, and when that doesn’t cut it anymore.

Go watch Mosaic on Amazon or HBO. Don’t forget to follow us on Social Media and support us on Patreon.