Act Two Podcast

Lists on how to write a "great" screenplay are practically useless when sitting down before a blank page. But hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how to use lists and tips in the REWRITE process to help hone your decent script into a great one.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss what skills professional Screenwriters need that aren't writing. Turns out there are a lot of skills Screenwriters need to practice and hone in order to have a successful career.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Screenwriter Steve Desmond and his co-writer Michael Sherman have made a career of securing IP and adapting it via pitches and spec sales. Their scripts have landed them on the Black List multiple times, and their latest feature, KNOCK AT THE CABIN, releases in theaters February 3, 2023 with M. Night Shyamalan directing. And it all started with a little-known IP.   Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman...

This Week in Writing, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the PUSS IN BOOTS franchise, WEDNESDAY, a fantastic book on writing by George Saunders, a schedule of how the industry functions, and reading between the lines when an Exec tells you to send work "at any stage".   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Happy 2023! Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss goals in the new year... how to set them, approach them, tackle them... The new year is here. Let's start strong! Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the responsibilities of a writer when tackling IP...  Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the latest Christmas movie SPIRITED (Ryan Reynolds, Will Farrell) and Christmas movies in general from the perspective of a Screenwriter. What should you consider while writing a Christmas movie, how should you approach it, and what are must-haves and must-nots?    Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414...

Winding down for the holidays, what should writers do? What should you be writing, how should you start preparing for your career in the new year, and what holiday gifts are appropriate for your reps? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss all things End of Year for Screenwriters.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how to hone your ear for dialogue and how to translate unique characters onto the page through the words they say. Hint: eavesdropping on real people is key!   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman take questions... your questions! We cover some of Tasha's favorite subjects: Intellectual Property and Pitching.    Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman debate the merits of a "likable protagonist" -- a popular note from producers and execs -- and discuss ways to answer the note in your own writing.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

In This Week in Writing, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss when stealing from other movies and shows makes sense, what the difference is between "stealing" and plagiarism, and how Tasha and Josh are currently rewriting their Act Twos.    Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

In This Week in Writing, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss what it means to be Hip-Pocketed by an agent or manager, hot topics in Screenwriting news, and what are the qualities that make a good Showrunner or a monstrous one.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about being rewritten! It's going to happen to you sooner or later... What does it mean? What do you do when it happens? Why does it happen? Also, Happy Halloween.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the great Paul Lundquist   Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman chat with Zach Baylin about his career, process, tennis, different Hollywood jobs, and how he secured the job to write KING RICHARD.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Tasha's getting married! So this week, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about love in the movies. What are their favorite romantic films, and why they make the cut from a writing perspective? Let's talk about love!   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Pitching is terrible. But, it is a necessary evil. All pitches start from the mere seed of an idea and must be built into a pitch script that can dazzle and impress executives enough to pay you money (or, more likely, pay you their boss's money, risking their own jobs if you fail).  So, in this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman do an impromptu brainstorming session on a surprise logline to...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman bring back the Fireside Chat by answering specific questions from a college student on ways to break into the industry, and from a listener on the differences between a pitch for a rewrite job and an original.    TWIW: Is Jurassic World: Dominion over-complicated?, how feature writers are treated poorly, and does the movie True Lies' convenient plot device work or...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman go through their own Three Act exposure therapy adventure as they talk through a popular structure tool for Screenwriters - The 8 Sequence Story Structure - that at once excites them, aggravates them, then inspires them.   Script Structure is something all Screenwriters have to learn and think about to have successful careers. In TV, structure is often as precise a...

This Week in Writing, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the Emmys, what makes a script unique, Don't Worry Darling, how Tasha broke through a new original spec, and how to juggle multiple projects for a more successful career.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

In This Week in Writing, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss Only Murders in the Building and why episode hooks are important, the ending of Nope and how/if it works, one of Josh's projects that has come back years later, and how Minority Report is a master class in world-building exposition.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

"Working hard" as a professional Screenwriter means more than just writing. It also means building your network and promoting your brand. But the way we Self-Advocate as writers is different than in many other businesses. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss what Self-Advocating means as a Screenwriter, and how to do it at any stage of your career.   Questions / Comments: ActT...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with one of the great adaptation writers in our business, Christopher Yost (THOR: RAGNAROK, COWBOY BEBOP), about how he approaches adaptation, how it differs from original writing, and how the tough choices of writing an adaptation are unique. He also discusses his path to writing some of the biggest movies in our industry, and how his latest original movi...

From Jealousy and Self-Loathing to Depression and Spite, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss all the unhealthy writer thoughts that come up in their own heads and in their conversations with other writers, why they come up, and how to deal with them in a healthy way.    Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down the Meet Cute device used in some of their favorite romantic comedies and discuss how the writing makes you root for the heroes and their romance.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg