John and Craig talk about readers — both the friends you’d ask to look at your draft and the folks who professionally analyze scripts. They cover unions, state laws, and why companies should value good coverage. We also follow up on how to credit improv in scripts, share #PayUpHollywood feedback, and explain if/come deals. Stay […]
John moderates a panel discussion on the criminal justice system, incarceration and how to write about them. What’s real, what’s myth, and what stories need to be told? Guests include incarceration policy experts Aly Tamboura and Lovisa Stannow, writer Zach Calig of For Life, and documentarian Dan Birman (Me Facing Life). Then in our bonus […]
John and Craig talk about how to grow old as a writer, specifically how your relationship with your art and craft can evolve with time. Then we discuss tips for general meetings (00:26:13), and answer listener questions about character quirks and improv. Finally, in our bonus segment for Premium Members, Craig discusses his acting debut […]
John and Craig talk dialogue. How characters speak is an optimized version of real speech — but if you optimize too much you risk making your characters feel artificial. We listen to clips of real conversations to pick out patterns and tendencies you can incorporate to help improve written dialogue. Then we dive into the […]
John and Craig discuss the other stuff screenwriters write, from beat sheets to scriptments and everything in between. The differences are sometimes subtle, but each can have value — in the right circumstance. After that, they dip into the mailbag (24:23) for questions on TV bibles, writing while traveling, and using “I” in titles. Premium […]
John and Craig welcome back Liz Hannah to talk about her upcoming Netflix movie, All the Bright Places, and Hollywood’s often-frustrating reliance on IP. Particularly with non-fiction stories, has Hollywood warped journalistic ambitions? All of which serves as setup for another round of How Would This Be a Movie? (00:41:54), where we look at the […]
John talks with writer-director Noah Baumbach about his film Marriage Story. With script in hand, we discuss his writing process, handling overlapping dialogue, and how to find balance in a two-hander. We also answer a listener question about LA vs. New York apartments (01:05:16), and the challenge of making boring things interesting. In our bonus […]
John and Craig discuss the difference between ambition and anxiety, and how writers can find a balance. We also follow up on agency developments and a new study that shows the live-action Aladdin is good for your health. Then we host another round of the Three Page Challenge, this time focusing on establishing the setting. […]
John and Greta Gerwig (writer/director of Little Women and Lady Bird) discuss adaptation, ambition and authorship. With the screenplay in front of them, they look at specific scenes in Little Women and explore how its non-linear timeline changed how the movie works. We also answer listener questions on writing for the page and starting a […]
John and Craig discuss what screenwriters can learn from watching movies. They cover techniques for making the most of the movies they watch and the questions you should be asking afterward. We also share more advice from listeners about moving to LA and lots of answers FOR listeners who’ve written in with questions. And for […]
In this bonus episode for premium subscribers, John hosts a Q&A with Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns to discuss their new film 1917. They discuss writing a war film without exposition, turning psychology into behavior, and portraying emotional processing in real-time. They also answer audience questions on having a separate technical script and the challenges […]
John and Craig celebrate the holidays and our premium subscribers with a special episode on the 1988 Christmas classic: DIE HARD. Die Hard created a new template for action movies, heroes, and villains, establishing tropes still seen in theatres. We discuss both structure and story to examine what screenwriters can take away from this film […]
John and Craig welcome Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios), Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World), and Shoshannah Stern (This Close, Weeds, Jericho), to discuss creating an early aughts period piece, working with co-writers, and making genre movies out of comic books. We also introduce Scriptnotes Premium and play […]
John and guest host Aline Brosh McKenna welcome writer/showrunner Tim Federle (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) to talk about his path from Broadway to Hollywood and how he came to create his first TV show. Along the way, we discuss TV musicals, LA vs. New York and pitch decks. We also follow up […]
John and Craig use Thanksgiving break to finally answer some long-gestating listener questions, ranging from writing television with act breaks to keeping your drafts organized. Plus we’ll look at two moves by the US Justice Department and their impact on screenwriters. In this week’s bonus segment, we do a meme! We’ll compare and reflect on […]
John moderates the first Assistants Town Hall with panelists Liz Alper and Jamarah Hayne from #PayUpHollywood, Allison Begalman from Young Entertainment Activists, and employment attorney Jennifer Kramer. The panel examines the current conditions for assistants in Hollywood, the need to determine an accurate livable wage, and next steps for assistants and employers. We also open […]
John and Craig talk about best practices for assistants who write and how to properly credit support staff. We also touch on the state of WGA negotiations on both the studio and agency front, as well as a look ahead to the AMPTP deal. In our bonus segment, we’ll make our final ruling on cats. […]
John and Craig welcome back writer/comedian Mike Birbiglia (Sleepwalk with Me, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend) to discuss his one-man show “The New One.” When writing about yourself, how much has to be true? What responsibilities do you have to friends and loved ones? Then it’s a new round of the Three Page Challenge, where we look […]
John and Craig welcome writer-director Lulu Wang (The Farewell) to discuss not explaining things and the recipe for creating your own luck. We also answer listener questions on reactive protagonists, finding friends in LA, and Chris McQuarrie’s Twitter thread. Links: * [The Farewell](https://a24films.com/films/the-farewell) * Chris McQuarrie [Twitter Thread](https://nofilmschool.com/christopher-mcquarrie-twitter-writing-advice) * [A Lot Of Old Sitcoms Don’t […]
John and Craig discuss when writers should practice tough love vs. self-care. Inspired by Chuck Wendig’s blog post, they examine how real-world issues impact writers’ ability to get work done — but how they can also be used as an excuse for procrastination and laziness. They offer a checklist for helping decide whether it’s time […]