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.
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.
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.
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.
John and Craig discuss the psychological barriers facing writers tackling big projects, and offer practical guidance for getting stuff written.
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.
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 at three new entries in the Three Page Challenge.
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.
John and Craig reprise their roles as development execs in “How Would This Be a Movie?” Looking at four true crime stories, the duo discuss what makes a great screenplay idea, and conversely, which stories work better as a serialized TV drama.
John and Craig dive into Netflix’s Stranger Things, investigating what made the show such a hit with fans and critics.
John and Craig discuss obstacles, those things your characters hate but desperately need.
Craig and John speak with agent Peter Dodd about what he looks for in a writer client, and how he sees the relationships between writers and agents and managers and executives.
John and Craig introduce “The 100 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Screenwriting,” a curation of questions from screenwriting.io.
John and Craig apply the principles of Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” to screenwriting. How can screenwriters learn to let go of beloved scenes, characters, and entire scripts?
Craig and guest host Mike Birbiglia discuss Mike’s new film, Don’t Think Twice, a comedy about life as an improv performer. The two explore the current state of independent film and the challenges facing aspiring filmmakers.
John and Craig implore screenwriters to think twice before using the phrase “begs the question.” We know it’s a losing battle, but if we learned anything from 300, sometimes those are still worth having.
Matt Selman (EP of The Simpsons) sits down with Scriptnotes favorites Aline Brosh McKenna and Rawson Marshall Thurber to discuss what went down in the season finale.
In the season finale of Scriptnotes, John and Craig reveal big changes to the podcast.
John and Craig take a look at three new entries in the Three Page Challenge, with scripts tackling kidnapping, dystopia and parkour hackers. We look at both how the writing works on the page, and what the writers seem to be trying to say.
Craig and John look at unforgettable villains, screenwriter billions, and a parallel world with two Nathan Fillions. (The last part is not true.)