John and Craig host another round of the Three Page Challenge where they look at listener pages and offer feedback on what’s working and how to avoid common pitfalls. They discuss writing gore, finding your tone, and introducing a character’s problem. We also follow up on villains, pirates and European script consultants. We then ponder […]
John and Craig welcome back writer/producer Megana Rao to discuss techniques to explain what happened in the world of a movie before the movie began. How do we use past events as touchstones, and how does our interpretation of events become the narrative in our culture? Then Megana tells us her story of getting staffed. […]
John and Craig twirl their mustaches and discuss what motivates our villains. Why does past trauma lead some characters to become villains, while others become heroes? What separates good and evil, and what makes a villain great? We also celebrate Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy TV special, and follow up on office phones, #PayUpHollywood, and American […]
John and Craig welcome comedian, actor, writer and Jeopardy! champion Patton Oswalt to discuss joke structure and building standup specials. Patton pulls back the curtain on his writing process, how he develops a comedic premise, and earning an audience’s trust. We also dissect M.O.D.O.K., punching up other people’s scripts, and the art of adaptation. We […]
In honor of our producer Megana Rao’s departure, John and Craig discuss how to retool a long-running show when a beloved character leaves. How should writers think about replacing them, and does it have to change the fundamental dynamics? We also follow up on staffing while pregnant, working with child actors, and European script consultants. […]
John and Craig discuss a doppelgänger murder, the true life of a Hollywood rebel, an unexpected roadtrip, and more in this week’s installment of How Would This Be A Movie, where we analyze how stories in the news would translate onscreen. We also follow up on Chat GPT, Celebrity Jeopardy, and writing in other people’s […]
John and Craig welcome back writer/producer/director Aline Brosh McKenna ahead of her feature directorial debut “Your Place Or Mine.” Aline discusses how tech has changed Hollywood and finding new creative challenges. We also talk about streaming news, platform mergers, and follow up on script consultants. Megana asks about professional ambitions and we answer listener questions […]
John and Megana chat about the start of the 2023 WGA negotiations. John defines terms like the AMPTP, MBA, and Pattern of Demands, and offers an overview on what the process will look like for the next few months. John also answers listener questions on writers who are trying to break in and what a […]
John and Craig take a look at ‘writer fingerprints.’ They break down how idiosyncratic choices make up an individual’s style on-the-page and offer advice on how to mimic someone else’s voice. Follow up includes pet rock, a defense of script consultants, the preface page in Tár, and the anti-“actually” mindset. In our bonus segment for […]
Taffy Brodesser-Akner joins us to discuss her journey adapting her bestselling novel “Fleishman Is in Trouble” into an acclaimed limited series. We chat about drawing inspiration from the familiar, learning how manage others, and presenting multiple sides to a story. We also answer listener questions about naming characters, decorative dialogue, and the renaissance of the […]
John and Craig invite writer/director Sarah Polley to discuss her critically acclaimed feature “Women Talking.” They cover twice-removed adaptations, crafting fable-like settings, protecting your audience, and the power of narration. We also look at “Run Towards the Danger” — the title of Sarah’s book as well as her personal philosophy. We answer a listener question […]
John and Craig dissect expertise and “why you should think twice or thrice before taking someone’s advice.” They look at how survivorship bias, pride, and luck should factor into how we judge sources of authority. We answer listener questions on raising kids in LA, writers for videogames, and Megana asks about creative-comedowns. In our bonus […]
John and Craig (and Aline!) discuss the elements of quality writing in this collection of craft conversations. As we work on the Scriptnotes book, producer Megana Rao has been collecting wisdom from the archives to write an introductory chapter to define good writing. In these segments we cover how to find your voice, spot confidence […]
In this How Would This Be a Movie case study, John interviews screenwriter William Nicholson (Les Misérables, Gladiator) on the challenges he faced with his script for Thirteen Lives, a film that follows the attempted rescue of a Thai soccer team trapped in a cave in 2018. They cover issues of life rights, competing projects, […]
John and Craig welcome back writer/director Rian Johnson (Glass Onion, Knives Out, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) to discuss the difference between developing a mystery vs. designing a story. Rian shares how his writing process begins with structure and how the needs of the story inform the tone of his films. We then test ChatGPT, […]
John welcomes writer/producers Al Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville, Shanghai Noon, Into the Badlands) to discuss their process of discovering new stories within familiar worlds, like in their Addams Family hit series Wednesday. We discuss casting actors, shooting overseas, and the difference between writers’ block and story block. We also answer listener questions on one-pagers […]
John and Craig welcome Daniels, writing-directing duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Swiss Army Man, Everything Everywhere All at Once) to discuss making big, ambitious movies. The filmmakers share their process of chasing challenging ideas and the importance of novelty seeking. We also talk about having faith in your future self, bravery, the narrative structure […]
John and Craig get crafty! They examine how sentence structure and word choice translate to camera direction, allowing writers to direct the reader’s eye. They offer advice on how to think about the visual and aural idea behind each noun and verb, and why the screenwriter’s task is unique. We also discuss Disney’s leadership changes, […]
John welcomes writer/performer Matt Rogers (Fire Island, Las Culturistas) for a new installment of How Would This Be A Movie. From crypto crashes to lotto longshots, this week they look at money-themed stories in the news and why they’re worth adapting. Matt shares his background getting started as a comedy writer and tips for non-icky […]
John and Craig investigate why some scenes are so much harder to write than others, with strategies for tackling (or surrendering) to the difficulty. We also follow up on virtual rooms, act breaks, and diversity workshops. Listener questions this week include introducing twists, getting elbowed out of your project, and whether it’s possible to be […]