Scriptnotes

John and Craig answer listener questions about credits and casting, pilots and professional experience. Does Tom Ford really need his name on the poster twice? Kinda. It’s complicated.

It’s a new Three Page Challenge, where John and Craig take a look at listeners’ scenes and offer their honest critique.

Craig and John discuss how and whether screenwriters should use social media.

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.

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.

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?

John and Craig return to the topic of dialogue, looking at how characters talk in film and why dialogue matters.

John and Craig take a look at stories in the news — and elsewhere — to ask How Would This Be a Movie?

Craig and Scriptnotes friend Derek Haas answer listener questions ranging from getting started in Hollywood to interviewing entertainment attorneys.

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.

John welcomes Aline Brosh McKenna to the City of Lights, where they answer listener questions about cheating reality and bilingual characters.

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.

John and Craig discuss post-scriptum depression, that low feeling you sometimes get when finishing a screenplay.

John and Craig look at how heroes let us know what they’re after, with or without a song.

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.

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.

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.

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.