Act Two Podcast

What makes a horror film truly terrifying? Tasha and Josh, along with special guest and horror aficionado Dave Levinson, break down their favorite horror films and what makes them so frightening that even decades later just the thought of the film sends a shiver up our spine.   TWIW: Josh is shocked by the discrepancies between a pilot script and a finished pilot episode. Tasha gets to the root of...

Getting repped may seem impossible, but there are actually many different paths to representation. Tasha and Josh break down what worked for them and what they’ve seen work for others. (Spoiler: the best way is to write a good script!)   TWIW: Josh finished a pilot with his wife and celebrated with a bottle of rosé and Taylor Swift. Tasha celebrates an Act Two mentee getting repped! Plus, how long...

There’s no wrong way to be inspired, but finding inspiration can oftentimes prove elusive. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss various techniques they use when they need a burst of creative inspiration, be it in nature, nostalgia, or an engaging museum plaque. TWIW: Josh and Tasha fear AI becoming a creative crutch, but admit that it can be a helpful tool when creating perfect imagery for loo...

Take a break! Eat dinner with your family! Hangout with that friend! We promise you’ll still get your writing done. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the importance of self-care in a post-strike world, and the various strategies they use to relieve the ever-present pressure of work work work. Step one: acknowledging that you need self-care in the first place! TWIW: Josh exp...

Writing a Pilot is one of the more difficult undertakings of a Screenwriter. It must set up an entire series without revealing too much of the series journey, engage the audience with questions, but not leave enough questions to be confusing. A great pilot starts with a great outline. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how TV Pilots are broken and outlined in a professional...

A great villain is the hero of their own story. Search for their humanity and discover what makes them your hero’s shadow self. Plus, Elemental and the lost art of word of mouth marketing. TWIW: Josh achieves #couplegoals. Tasha struggles to finish her short story, but finds hope in her calendar of all places. Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Why is IP important? Do you need it to make a sale? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down an article by Steven Hartman, the pros and cons of working with IP, and rethinking how to approach adapting one. TWIW: Goal Buddies keep us on track and motivated to solve Act 1 problems, and why you should sit on notes for a day (even if you agree with them).   Link to article: https://screencraft.org/...

There are 5 (Emotional) Stages a Screenwriter goes through in writing their spec. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down the writer brain at each stage, and how to power through to get that spec done.   TWIW: pitching safely vs. pitching for the win, being a Machiavellian writer to avoid notes, and would TAKEN be as iconic without *that* scene?   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down the structure and writing lessons Screenwriters can learn from Act One of SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, including how to use blocking and silence to tell your story, how to maximize spare dialogue, and how to use action to advance your story and hide exposition.   TWIW: the structure and writing lessons of WAR OF THE WORLDS, and if you were to fir...

Eliza Clark (Showrunner, Y: THE LAST MAN) wrote a document for her writers on what to do once they were on set to produce their episode of television. The document highlights the incredible importance of a writer on set, and how imperative episodic writers are for Showrunners in production.    Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down Clark's list of writer duties on set, and further elucidate t...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Screen and TV writer Jeff Howard (HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, MIDNIGHT MASS, OCULUS, GERALD'S GAME) to talk about his unique story of how he got started (including meeting the Terminator), how he became director Mike Flanagan's writing partner, his own career struggles, and the realities of working in a TV room.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmai...

Jumping off an article posted by NoFilmSchool.com , hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss what Screenwriting imperatives one can learn from dissecting INDIANA JONES movies, including everything from how to introduce characters in an impactful way and how to keep your story moving with an active protagonist.  TWIW: Josh was told his characters sound like him, so what is voice and how do you find...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Alyssa Alvarado, the Screenplay Department Director of the Austin Film Festival, to chat about what makes AFF the best festival in the US for Screenwriters and what writers can expect by both applying and attending the festival, including tips on networking successfully while in Austin.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GR...

It is the Midpoint of the 2023 Summer Blockbuster season! Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the Barbenheimer phenomenon and what's been good, bad and ugly so far this Summer at the theaters.    TWIW: Act Two's Idea Creation Night, Why studios hire A-list writers when a lower-level writer could do the job for cheaper, Favorite MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE titles and why they do/do not work.   Questio...

Back by popular demand, Screenwriter Dan Kunka (12 ROUNDS) talks with hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman about his journey through arbitration for his latest film, LIFT, based on his spec, and why more writers need to learn that being rewritten is simply part of the job.    Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg

Screenwriters have been inspired for a long time by JJ Abrams's "Mystery Box" TED Talk from 2007. It gave a glimpse into JJ's genius as a writer whose movies and shows were irresistible and impossibly engaging. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman walk through JJ's TED Talk and how and why the "Mystery Box" could make you a better writer.   TWIW: SAG-AFTRA has joined the WGA on strike...

As huge genre fans, hosts Tasha Huo & Josh Hallman discuss their thoughts on FLASH and INDIANA JONES: DIAL OF DESTINY. *Spoilers definitely ahead, beware!*   TWIW: Quiet Writers vs. Loud Writers in a TV Writer's Room, that time Josh saw INCEPTION with Christopher Nolan, and NO HARD FEELINGS (with Jennifer Lawrence)   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundq...

It's a blockbuster Summer like we haven't seen in years. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the Summer 2023 line-up and what are the must-sees in theater.    TWIW: the unlikely origin story of a Fast & Furious cast member, and different structures writers use to write.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg

This Week in Writing includes wildly different reviews of Spiderverse by hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman, Hollywood books that have made it on their reading lists, the DGA agreement and AI, and the State of the (Screenwriter) Union.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg

What are the main tenets when writing a short film? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss what you should be thinking about as you embark on writing your short film in terms of story, character and structure. TWIW: ChatGPT writes "Black Mirror" episodes and BURN IT DOWN by Maureen Ryan and toxicity in writers rooms.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundq...

What is Arbitration, how does it work, and what does a Screenwriter have to do when it happens to them? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss Tasha's recent (and first!) arbitration experience trying to retain credit on one of her features, breaking the process down from start to finish.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg

After a day of picketing, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman chat about what it's like to picket and how WGA writers they talked to are currently feeling about the strike.    Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg

Hosts Tasha Huo & Josh Hallman discuss a blog post by Final Draft about 5 Ways to stretch your Screenwriting muscles every day so you never lose writing momentum, even on days you don't feel like writing.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how Screen and TV writers get paid, and why the pay system can make it difficult to grow your Screenwriting career.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how the WGA Strike has affected them and their projects, and suggest resources for WGA and pre-WGA writers to learn more about the Strike, why it's happening, and how it can affect them.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg