Screenwriting: From the Trenches

CRAFT EPISODE! Rob and Kay get on the mic to have "A Talk About Dialog" (see what we did there?) First about how to spell it, then about how it should be done in your screenplays. We also talk about how Hollywood doesn't -- apparently -- know how to market Viola Davis as a badass, the scientific facts surrounding melanin in (Little) Mermaids, and how a Twitter battle almost brewed into literal fis...

Last week was kind of a dramaramallama, so Rob & Kay decided a new Therapy Session was needed! They talk about the death of Queen Elizabeth, the saga (still) unfolding over, "Don't Worry Darling" and Olivia Wilde, Filmic Pro, filmmaking, etc. We hope you can commiserate with us -- it's rough out there, folks. Sometimes you gotta vent. Social Shout Outs: Cindy Begel and Melissa Hunter Our Weekl...

In support of Microbudget Filmmaking, Rob and Kay have started a new series where they both spotlight a film & filmmaker in order to glean all the golden goodness for those of us in the trenches trying to make Marvels out of A24 's, and our second episode features the co-writers (and director and producer) of the still-in-production indie, Anna Key , Amanda Megan and Matt Anderson , whom Rob r...

This week we’re discussing #NoHollywood or the questioning of future productions done outside the Hollywood system and to help us with that we have the writer and director of one of Rob’s favorite new movies, 18 & 1/2 , Dan Mirvish ! We've also got a new Screenwriting Twitter bumper/theme song care of Zack Morrison ! Our Weekly Resource: The Cheerful Subversive's Guide to Independent Filmmakin...

In support of Microbudget Filmmaking, Rob and Kay have started a new series where they both spotlight a film & filmmaker in order to glean all the golden goodness for those of us in the trenches trying to make Marvels out of A24 's, starting with Rob Schulbaum and his film, " The Wrong Todd ". Our Weekly Resource: " The Wrong Todd " on Amazon Prime. We’ve said it before (and we’ll probably say...

As AFF (and others) loom in the Fall Festival Festivities, Rob and Kay discuss "Are festivals worth it?" (for writers) as, post-pandemic, we move away from online-only and back to in-person activities.  Our Weekly Resource: Moviemaker 's 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee is mostly compiled by Film Freeway (whose business model is built on getting you to submit to festivals, so take it wit...

I mean the title says it all. And to that end, we have a guest, Andrea Berting , who recently signed with Tobias Management . Our Weekly Resource: If you want to see what a manager attracting script looks like, look no further than Andrea's " Breast in Show ", on Coverfly which got her a full read from a management company with just the first 25 pages. As always we want to shout out those of us wh...

There are folks out there within the screenwriting community who seem to believe that you can't be original with your writing. Luckily, Rob and Kay are here to take umbrage! Our Weekly Resource: Stephanie Palmer’s " Good in A Room ". Pitching and putting yourself out there can be hard and you can feel anxious and awkward. Despite the natural urge to run and hide in a sock drawer when the time come...

For their first screenwriting DEEP DIVE, Kay and Rob have chosen their personal, sterling example of one location ingenuity, " The One I Love " starring Elizabeth Moss, Mark Duplass and Tony Dan -- sorry Danson, Ted Danson. Kay and Rob manage to extoll the virtues of this brilliant film with NO SPOILERS (mostly), so feel free to listen and then watch the movie to see what they see. In fact, you pr...

This week Kay and Rob are talking about the sun to our moons, the yins to our yangs -- writing short films vs feature films. Our Weekly Resource: Kay and Rob believe that one should always consider themselves to be a student of film (even after your degree). Andf to this, there are many teachers out there (in various media), from Alex Ferrari, Ryan Connolly, and Robert Rodriguez, to even youtubers...

This week we are continuing our foray into sharpening our skills on the page, and we’ve got some cool things on the docket, not only including something we've never heard done on a podcast before (a live notes session, where the writer, Rob, is "in studio") but also a guest, Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas , filmmaker, screenwriter, friend of Rob's who joins our host to help and celebrate some of his lat...

This week, Professor Kay Tuxford takes the lead on our topic of Sharpening Your Skills! We get very specific in our crafty episode, focusing on those things that help to make your screenplay functional AND specific. Our Weekly Resource: This week’s Resource: The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley. This is a formatting guide that constantly is updated and is available in paperback or as a PDF....

This week, in the midst of all the current turmoil in the world, Kay and Rob examine the important job we, as storytellers, have to the world at large.  And why. Our Weekly Resource: This week we have article by Jon Schiefer , a listener of the podcast and his article on Pipeline artists, “ Make the Red Flags ” which is kind of a treatise on what we talked about today, but very elegantly writ...

This week Kay and Rob talk about the industry whirlwind that surrounded the script "Billy Karate”, to that end, we have the writer of that script, novelist , screenwriter and podcaster , Robert Brockway , who also recently got representation at Entertainment 360. We also talk the internet thirst trapping Ryan Gosling (again) as Ken in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie, how Rod Serling was woke before wo...

This week Kay and Rob talk about “The Drop”: that moment in screenwriting when the story/characters fall into place and suddenly you know EXACTLY what the whole thing is going to be about. We also discuss the origins of the Bechdel Test , the proper way of spelling "whoa" (or is it "woah") and why coming for Bernie Mac's (RIP) comedic prowess is a very bad idea on the internet. Our Weekly Resource...

This week Kay and Rob talk about screenwriting consultants - the good, the bad, the ugly. And to that end, we have a guest, Danny Manus who is the man behind No Bull Script Consulting– and has weathered many ebbs of flows of the industry and has lived to tell the tale. We also address scandals in script consulting, why Wonder Woman being a Queer Icon is NOT a big deal, why Rob and Danny have a sha...

We get it, a lot of you folks out there want to just write, BUT, the industry as a whole is changing and a lot of us out there are folks who wear a few hats (and are successful because of it). Joining us this week to talk about that is Canadian-American Sonja O'Hara who as a writer, director, actor and creator is well versed in such. We had a great conversation with her and we can't wait to have h...

This week Kay and Rob talk about what lessons we can take about our writing that we can glean from working with actors. And to that end, we have a guest, Meg Cashel , who is the star of Kay and Rob's favorite new short, “ It’s Been A While ” while also discussing Twitter drama such as massive layoffs in the industry, the White Working Class Writer’s Guild Twitter account, and the She Hulk trailer....

This week Kay and Rob are talking about their favorite scripts (and what we take away from them), and amid that nerding out, we discuss the various Twitter controversies over Doctor Strange, White Space in scripts and why execs think your writing is probably bad. Our Weekly Resource: For years Drew’s Script-o-rama was the go to place for screenplays. Most times if you want to find a script I sugge...

This week Rob & Kay unload in the first (of what they hope will be many) Therapy Sessions on the show. During which they rant (and rave) over Elon Musk, Marvel Movies, the problem with having/getting Representation, how much it costs to go to the movies, indie film, why Rob hates soup, and of course, screenwriting (always screenwriting). We hope you can commiserate with us -- it's rough out th...

Kay is out of town, so Rob asks his beautiful producing partner (and wife), Micha, to fill in this week, discussing -- among other things -- what it's like to live with Rob as a screenwriter, why she's NOT on social media, as well as the ills of the week: Netflix woes (who knew Stranger Things was $30M an episode?), and a (another) thread about "screenwriting rules" that set Twitter on fire. Our W...

Kay and Rob once again tackle writing microbudget screenwriting with various tips/tricks/rants. Because these budgets be shrinking outchere, beloved! And y'all need to be INFORMED. Our Weekly Resource: The Filmmaker’s Podcast , one of Rob's favorite podcasts/sources of inspiration, this episode features independent filmmaker (and future guest), Sonja O’Hara , who has one of the most inspiring stor...

When is it okay to work for free? Rob & Kay discuss. Along with Cancellable Takes, the latest round of screenwriting contest finalists and scriptsplain' (*sigh*). Our Weekly Resource: How to Say No to Free Work , a fun little video from the YouTube channel, Scriptfella which goes very in depth in a very small amount of time about the situations where you will be asked to work for free (and why...

Rob and Kay tackle the page in a craft episode about how to craft a compelling screenplay, line-by-line (and the reasons for doing so), and along the way discuss twitter drama such as loglines, The Slap, and writing for television.  Our Weekly Resource: MeetUp.com Still one of the best places to find online and local screenwriting groups looking for members. Notes From the Episode: Tse Chun's...

Kay is back! And just in time for she and Rob to discuss Managing Expectations, Squid Games, the lies of indiefim (via meritocracy) and, of course, The Oscars. Kay also coins the term, "Messy Bitch Draft". Our Weekly Resource: What I Do On The Page , a 41 page screenwriting manifesto (?) by Twitter dad, Javier Grillo-Marxuach , who is very much about managing expectations and screenwriters of all...