On The Page

Curiosity and lots of research helped Andrew Logan and Taylor Allen write the movie "Chappaquiddick," a dramatization of the car accident and cover-up involving Senator Ted Kennedy.  

Filmmaker Ben Zolno talks about what he's learned from making the improvised dialogue movie, "Status Pending."

Brian Pope, Mike Musa, Nina Berry and Pat Francis join Pilar for their annual discussion of the Oscar nominees for best screenplay and best adapted screenplay.

Writer Jake Morgan describes the ways in which taking meetings and working in a writers' room is like dating. And, in honor of Valentine's Day, Pilar walks us through a structural template for romantic comedies.

Writer Jennifer Joyce talks about how her life and experiences become the starting point for sketches, TV shows and movies.

Writer John Whittington ( The Lego Batman Movie, When We First Met, Boy 21 ) talks about  his live action/animation writing career and the surprising script that changed everything.  

Writer Ed Solomon ("Now You See Me," "Men in Black," "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure") wrote the HBO six-part series "Mosaic" as well as the eight-hour storytelling app that goes with it. Here he discusses objective and subjective storytelling and talks about how he breaks and rewrites his scripts.

Doug Jones, star of the Golden Globe winning film "The Shape Of Water," reveals how he brings silent and non-human characters to life.

Writer Matthew Aldrich and writer/co-director Adrian Molina discuss their approach to story, pay-off and world building for "Coco," the winner of the 2018 Golden Globe for animated feature.

Jennifer Julian and Holly Payberg of June Bug Pictures talk about the techniques they use to hook a listener in a two-minute pitch.

Alan Jenkins, President of The Opportunity Agenda, and Jon Fitzgerald, author of "Filmmaking for Change," discuss ways to change the world through film, TV and documentary storytelling.

Writer Brian Turner returns to talk about his new job writing for the Netflix series "Trolls" and helps Pilar answer more questions from her neglected e-mail inbox.

Career-coach Lee Jessup returns to talk about the changes we saw in 2017 and writing trends ahead for 2018. 

Pilar and Aadip review log lines sent in from listeners!  Who will be the winner?

Non-binary characters don't fit into classic male or female molds. Writers Laura Erickson-Schroth and Sonya Ellis discuss the challenges and creative opportunities. Pilar's 17-year-old daughter Ezra Rae Dodson leads the way.

Armed with a case of thumb drives and a bag filled with aspirin, filmmakers Curt Wiser, Al Mauro and John Wotring went to the American Film Market for four days of pitching, meetings and networking.  Hear their day-by-day account in this special "roving reporter" episode.

Filmmakers Shazia Malik and Danish Renzu talk about their experiences pitching, writing and directing movies in India and the U.S.

Sometimes you just happen to run into an old client from New York, who happens to be in town taking meetings for his feature after wrapping production for his short film.  So, what do you do next?  Put him on the podcast of course!  Guest: Keith Armonaitis  

Pilar gives a sneak preview of her next book, "The Coffee Break Screenwriter Breaks the Rules," with this discussion about narrative devices like voice over and flashback.

Josh Stolberg, writer of "Jigsaw" (in theaters now), talks about the "Saw" franchise, working with Clive Barker and his advice for being scary on the page. 

Writer on the verge Eric Rudnick talks about rewriting, video pitching and channeling your inner Bruce Springsteen.    

So you've got a script. What happens next?  Producer Rona Edwards fills us in.  A must-listen for those who want to understand the true business side of showbiz.  Also check out the third edition of her book, "I Liked It, I Didn't Love It:  Screenplay Development from the Inside Out."

Animation writer Katie Mattila (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kung Fu Panda, Harvey Beaks, 100 Things to do Before High School, Tangled: The Series and Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh) talks about her experience with script-driven animated series and story-board driven animated series.  

Pilar's students from the International Film School in Cologne, Germany talk about their stories and feelings about US and German television. 

With the help of writer Suzanne Keilly, Pilar clears out her overstuffed e-mail inbox and gives long overdue answers to listener questions.