Scriptnotes Podcast (.mp3)

It’s a new Three Page Challenge, where John and Craig take a look at listeners’ scenes and offer their honest critique. We also discuss techniques for letting the audience know your characters’ names. Plus, Craig has been stockpiling his umbrage for weeks, and may have found a worthy target. Huge thanks to special guest narrator Elizabeth Banks. Links: ScriptShadow Scriptnotes Li...

Craig and John discuss how and whether screenwriters should use social media. We also invite longtime listeners to tell us which episodes are worth pointing out to newcomers, and answer a listener question on writing short films. Links: UltraViolet Stop Using Filler Words Homeopathic Teething Tablets Scriptnotes Listener Guide Fruji It’s Not About The Nail Archive.org Ballotpedia Rusty Lake:...

Craig and John take a deep dive looking at how the Writers Guild attempts to make a deal with the studios on behalf of film and TV writers. Then we answer listener questions about writing for producers versus writing for the audience, and last steps when finishing up a script. Links: Kellyanne Conway’s interview tricks, explained On shared false memories Allison Schroeder Avoid a Screenwriting Tra...

John and Craig look at what screenwriters can pick up from Kellyanne Conway, plus what John learned from going through the copy-editing process on his book. We also answer listener questions about moving to Los Angeles and whether to use a pen name. Links: Riverdale Promo Kellyanne Conway Google Ngram viewer for toward, towards Spare-A-Rose Campaign Eurostar Snap John August on Twitter Craig Mazin...

Craig and John discuss a Vanity Fair article about the impending disruption of Hollywood and are unimpressed. The better question worth asking: if this were the end of the film and television industry, what signs would we look for? Then it’s finally time to answer listener questions about folktales, translators and writers who just don’t get it. Links: Scriptnotes Extra: A Refugee Story Their Stor...

John and Craig return to the topic of dialogue, looking at how characters talk in film and why dialogue matters. We also discuss two terms often applied to screenwriters, and why people should stop using them. Links: Episode 37: Let’s talk about dialogue Finding Carter Trailer The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys The Mandela Effect David Kwong and Dilemma Discourse Marker How to #StayOutraged Without Losi...

John and Craig take a look at stories in the news — and elsewhere — to ask How Would This Be a Movie? This week, we’ve got brine shrimp, Nazis, sympathetic kidnappers, and metaphysical paradoxes. What’s more, we’ve got a possible Nicole Perlman situation. Links: John’s Madrid Talk John’s Madrid Talk II Abducted at Birth and Found 18 Years Later The Real Story of...

Craig and Scriptnotes friend Derek Haas answer listener questions ranging from getting started in Hollywood to interviewing entertainment attorneys. We also leave a message for a Scriptnotes listener to hear years in the future. Links: Scriptnotes Midnight Blue T-shirt Scriptnotes Gold Standard T-shirt Sundance Episodic Story Lab 9 Celebrated Sundance Screenwriters Lab Alumni Rafael Agustin Calvin...

John and Craig look at the newly-negotiated DGA deal, and what it portends for writers — in particular, TV showrunners and those who want to direct. Then Kelly Marcel joins us for a new round of the Three Page Challenge, where we look at 80’s cyberpunk, dollhead ghosts, and the whimsical delusions of a bored movie theater worker. Because you demanded it, they’re printing an extra run of the...

John welcomes Aline Brosh McKenna to the City of Lights, where they answer listener questions about cheating reality and bilingual characters. They then invite a special guest on to talk about adaptation and autobiography. When writing about your own life, how much do you need to worry about portraying your friends and family? Both of the 2016 Scriptnotes t-shirts are headed back to print — but on...

John and Craig ditch their jobs as screenwriters to play quackery sleuths, investigating the practice of homeopathy and what it can teach us about how narrative shapes belief. Links: What is Homeopathy? The History of Homeopathy Oscillococcinum – “Oscillo” FTC Labeling Science Vs #11 Antidepressants French Pharmacists Quackwatch John August on Twitter Craig Mazin on Twitter John...

John and Craig discuss post-scriptum depression, that low feeling you sometimes get when finishing a screenplay. We also look at some of the trends in the most recent Black List, and a protest over Boys Don’t Cry which has one of us shaking his damn head. Links: Hulu Developing Foxy Brown Scriptnotes Gold Standard T-shirt Scriptnotes Midnight Blue T-shirt Writer Emergency Pack The sexiest an...

John and Craig look at how heroes let us know what they’re after, with or without a song. We also answer listener questions about how much despair to feel when a movie similar to your spec is announced, getting staffed off of improv groups, and whether we’re wrong about gurus. (We’re not.) Links: Download Weekend Read Auli’i Cravalho – How Far I’ll Go from Moana Terry...

John and Craig look at phrases that have been banned from comedy writing rooms, and more generally why making a list of what you will never do can help you figure out what you should do. We also answer listener questions about character names, life rights and sticking to a genre. Links: Scriptnotes Midnight Blue T-shirt Scriptnotes Gold Standard T-shirt No, Gotham, That’s Not How Tightropes Work J...

Craig and John look at how writers, and screenwriters in particular, impact the way people think about things in the real world. From crime scenes to courtrooms to CPR, we simplify things for storytelling and leave audiences with skewed expectations. In follow up, Craig invited Final Draft into his life (and office), actors’ accents got analyzed, and more news came out about fake news. We al...

Writer-director Chris Sparling joins John and Craig to discuss his new film Mercy, and what it’s like to make a movie for Netflix. Then it’s another round of How Would This Be a Movie, with stories including ex-girlfriends, fake news, and permafrost ivory. Plus we answer listener questions on cosplay, criticism and parallel structures. Links: Mercy Trailer Dear Mike’s New Girlfriend How a Fake New...

In this very special episode from 2014, Craig and John welcome special guests Aline Brosh McKenna, Rachel Bloom, B.J. Novak, Jane Espenson and Derek Haas to talk about writing books, movies and especially television. Aline and Rachel just finished shooting a pilot called Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. We discuss the genesis of the project, and how sexism is just stupid. B.J. tells us about the joy of readin...

John and Craig look at how movies and TV shape the English language, and how writers should think about their role in all of this. We also examine the uncomfortable overlap between rom-com characters and stalkers. We are coming to you one day earlier than usual because Tuesday, as you may have heard, is an election in the US. And perhaps you’re looking for something to distract yourself from...

Craig and John listen to the winner of the Austin Film Festival’s pitch competition and discuss what makes it work so well — and why you would never give this form of a pitch in an actual meeting. Then it’s another round of the Three Page Challenge, with three special guest readers, one of whom Craig likes far too much. Last call! The all-new 2016 Scriptnotes t-shirts are available for limit...

John and Craig answer listener questions from our overflowing mail bag on topics including comedy round tables, getting rewritten, coffee meetings, and what comes after moving to Los Angeles. To kick it off, we try (well, John tries) to help a high school senior with his class assignment. The all-new 2016 Scriptnotes t-shirts are available for limited pre-order. If you miss out, you’ll have nothin...

Craig sits down for a late-night session with screenwriters Katie Dippold, Phil Hay, Tess Morris and Malcolm Spellman to finally answer the question, “How does anyone make it in Hollywood.” Plus questions from the packed audience at the Austin Film Festival. Thanks to our guests, our audience, and our hosts at AFF for a great night. Links: Katie Dippold on IMDB Phil Hay on IMDB Tess Morris on IMDB...

John and Craig discuss the psychological barriers facing writers tackling big projects, and offer practical guidance for getting stuff written. We also respond to a listener question about autism spectrum disorder and how it might impact a screenwriting career. Links: Forest and Nature Ambiance Snowstorm Ambiance Howling Wind Ambiance Julia Roberts to Star in PTA Mom Film Chuck Wendig Blog Wikitra...

Craig enlists the help of another John (Lee Hancock) to hold down the fort with regular John away. The two discuss JLH’s career, starting out as a lawyer in Texas and breaking into the film industry as a writer and director. We also answer listener questions on mystery, copyright and collaboration. Links: John Lee Hancock A Soft Murmur Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria John August on Twitter Cra...

John and Craig compare mystery and confusion, and how you can have more of the former with less of the latter. We use these lessons as we look at three new entries in the Three Page Challenge. We also answer listener questions on flashbacks and capitalizing on festival success. Links: Three Pages by Gabrielle Mentjox Three Pages by Jesse Gouldsbury & Brendan Steere Three Pages by Mitchell LeBl...

John and Craig come to the defense of montages in screenwriting, giving examples of how and when the much-maligned device can be employed to benefit the story. We also share our thoughts on the latest incarnation of Final Draft, plus new listener questions on sex scenes and resuscitating old scripts. Links: Starting a Screenwriting Career Outside of LA, New York or London AFF Pitch Contest On Stor...