Act Two Podcast

A Hufflepuff and a Slytherin examine the first act that started it all: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE! Harry Potter is one of the greatest and most influential film franchises of all time. It effortlessly brought us into a magical world that felt grounded and introduced an unsung hero. If you're world-building, write fantasy, or have that unassuming hero... grab your butterbeer and get rea...

You have to learn the rules before you can break them. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss why Three Act Structure is important and they break down some of the most popular structure guidelines out there, including Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" model. They also discuss how to avoid becoming a slave to structure guidelines, and how to instead use them as a valuable tool in you...

"Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night." - General Laia, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Hope is what every Screenwriter's dreams are built on, and it is also the hardest thing to sustain during the dark nights of your career. In this unique episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman illustrate the importance of hope in the Screenwriting jour...

Becoming a member of the Writer's Guild of America is an important milestone for every Screenwriter, and a significant hurdle in accessing a consistent and successful career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Screenwriter and WGA Captain Ben Shiffrin to discuss the basics of WGA membership, the pitfalls of a non-WGA deal and how to combat them, and the myriad of helpf...

Pixar storytellers are some of the best in the history of our business. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman walk through a viral Twitter feed where former Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coates posted Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling, and they talk about how those rules can be applied to your screenwriting in very real and practical ways.   You can find the original post here -- https:/...

Pitching is terrible. But one of the biggest ways to set yourself up for success is by adding visuals to your pitch presentation. So whether you're pitching over Zoom, or you're back in a room with real humans, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss all the different ways to use visuals to great effect in your pitch.   In addition, Act Two has a fantastic and talented in-house layout designer to...

Fellowships have become a formidable way to jumpstart (or restart) your Screenwriting career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with bRock Newell, winner of the 2018 Screencraft Fellowship to chat about what exactly the Fellowship entails, why he refused a free hotel stay in LA, and the incredible effects the Fellowship has had on his career.  Questions/Comments: ActTwoWri...

Sure, New Year's Resolutions suck and never work. But, what if your writing resolutions DID work? What if by Dec. 31st of next year, your career looked vastly different? It can happen. You (and only you) have the power to progress your career over the next year. In this special End of Year episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk in detail about how they make writing goals, their tricks on h...

There is a legend among Screenwriters that Shane Black wrote LETHAL WEAPON right out of college, sold it immediately, and that his first draft was what went into production. Tearing down that myth are hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman, with Special Guest David Levinson, who go behind the scenes of how this holiday action movie really came to be. The truth is nowhere close to mythic, and much closer...

BACK TO THE FUTURE, crafted by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, has one of the most satisfying endings in film. It accomplishes this through building continuous Obstacles and Paying Off all the Setups from Act One. In this last installment of The Breakdown: BTTF Edition, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down just how a perfect, satisfying ending is pulled off at the writing level. The Breakdown...

BACK TO THE FUTURE, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, is a masterclass in how to craft the perfect Act Two. It has a powerful story engine, unexpected twists and turns, emotional ups and downs, and it forces the audience to be an active participant in the adventure. In this second installment of The Breakdown: BTTF Edition, Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down just how Zemeckis and Gale pu...

You've written your first script and you're ready to show it to the world. Where do you share it? Who do you trust with feedback, and what do you do with it? When is your ego getting in the way, and how can you tell? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about their first scripts and the hard lessons they learned when they were confident film school grads just starting out.   Questions/Comments: A...

BACK TO THE FUTURE, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, wasn't always the perfect movie you think it was. The original draft was far from the genius that made it to screen. In this special holiday episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman take a close look at how Zemeckis and Gale handle Act One problems like setups, character intros, theme, dialogue, and suspense in the masterpiece that is B...

Competitions are a very effective way to jumpstart your Screenwriting career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Nicole Ramberg, 2020 Winner of the Screencraft Action-Adventure Feature Competition, to discuss how she found Screencraft, the application process, and how winning has affected her writing career. Hint: she now has a manager.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWri...

There are a million ways to a Screenwriting career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with screenwriter Corey Deshon to discuss his epic Twitter thread on the many starts and stops of his writing career, and how "the slog" is part of the job description. Corey started as a Production Assistant and found immediate success in Hollywood as an indie film writer, but never quit...

One of the most important and fraught relationships a Screenwriter will ever have is the one they have with their reps. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman field questions from Screenwriters struggling with their Manager / Agent relationships and talk about how to maximize those relationships and how to transform a difficult or stagnant representation team into one that is working fo...

Pitching is terrible. But when you have a pitch format you can rely on, it's that much easier to be confident and successful in the room. In this episode of the "Pitching is Terrible" Series, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the standard formats they use in structuring their feature and TV pitches that make it much less terrible.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Pa...

Turns out a Screenwriting career is not just about what you can do on a page. It's also about what you can do in a room. In this first part of a multi-episode series focused entirely on Pitching, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk generally about how you get pitches, what they are, and what you do once you have one. Pitching is terrible, but necessary if you are to have a Screenwriting career....

Confidence can literally make or break your writing career. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman get philosophical as they talk about their struggles with confidence as writers and how they powered through it. It ain't easy, but it is possible.   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg . Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  

The first question every Panel Host asks a Screenwriter is, "What does your typical writing day look like?" It's a burning question we've all had because knowing how other writers work effectively can be extremely helpful, especially if you struggle with stress, procrastination, excuses, or timing issues. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk through their typical writing day, and...

... and then what? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about their experiences as Screenwriters at Sundance and the Austin Film Festival (respectively) and how it affected their careers. Why should you apply to a screenwriting festival, what do you do once you're at one, and what's the point of them? Tasha and Josh go in-depth on the festival experience as a Screenwriter and why it may be right...

"The Couch & Water Tour" is the colloquial term for the slew of General Meetings that Screenwriters take on the road to finding work and building their network. It's called that because an assistant inevitably tells you to sit on the waiting room couch and asks if you want water. It can feel like a grind, but it's an inescapable and vital part of any screenwriting career.   Hosts Tasha Huo and Jos...

How the heck do you get a Staff Writing job on a TV show? And once you have it, what does the job even look like? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman grill seasoned staff writer, Nneka Gerstle, on what it's really like to be in a TV Writer's Room. Nneka dispels the mystery surrounding a staff writer's experience, tells the story of how she got her first staff writing job, and breaks down what her day...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman chat with Act Two member, Joe Russo, about his writing process on HARD KILL, his '90s throwback action movie starring Bruce Willis and former WWE wrestler Eva Marie. Joe walks us through the unique development process of writing a low-budget actioner, illuminates the realities of life as a working Screenwriter, and shares his entertaining tales from the trenches (l...

Spec scripts -- original feature-length screenplays you write for free and then try to sell on the market -- are an imperative part of a Screenwriter's profession, particularly for new and mid-level writers. They can offer you a unique control over your career, and have the potential to catapult you into the spotlight overnight. In this episode, Tasha Huo chats with co-host Josh Hallman about his...