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 […]

John invites NBC Executive Marc Velez, SVP, Head of Development at UCP, on for an in-person round of the Three Page Challenge, our segment where we look at listener-submitted pages and offer honest feedback, at the Austin Film Festival. We’re joined live the writers who add context and pitch their vision for each project. From […]

John and Craig return to the Austin Film Festival for a raucous show with a full house. They invite Brenda Hsueh (The Afterparty, How I Met Your Mother) and Chuck Hayward (Ted Lasso, Wandavision) on to discuss breaking in, staff-able samples, and the dangers of losing your voice (literally!) in the room. Then we welcome […]

In our first live show since 2019, John and Craig welcome guests Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island), Ike Barinholtz (History of the World, part 2), Megan Ganz (Mythic Quest), and Aline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). They discuss writing scripted comedy vs. standup, representation, and the difficulties of being the boss. They’re joined by The Manager […]

John and Craig take an in-depth look at two scenes in Damien Chazelle’s WHIPLASH to see how conflicts were structured and what changed from script to shooting. We also discuss the myth vs. reality of Zola, and what we mean by a character having agency. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Megana […]

John and Craig welcome back Liz Alper (Day of the Dead, The Rookie) and Brittani Nichols (Abbott Elementary, A Black Lady Sketch Show) to discuss how much progress has been made on issues from #MeToo, #PayUpHollywood, and depictions of police on screen. We look at common threads between the movements, and the difficulty of maintaining […]

John and Craig compare the romanticism and reality of writing. They discuss why inspiration is overvalued, why ‘bad motivations’ aren’t necessarily bad, and the rare bliss that occurs when inspiration and motivation align. We answer listener questions on act breaks, cover the phenomenon of show-runners as promotional vehicles, and John attempts to manifest a Van […]

John and Craig analyze what lessons writers can learn from acting techniques (such as staying present) and working with actors (like staying open). We also discuss writer retirement, how Craig’s “central dramatic argument” applies to TV, and the skill of cutting a character to save a scene. In our bonus segment for premium members, we […]

John and Craig discuss movie and television stars. When do you want to cast a huge star, and when is it not a good idea? From big names in small parts to new names in big parts, they try to calculate how much fame a role requires. We follow up on the editing process and […]

John invites writer/producer/actor Ashley Nicole Black (Ted Lasso, Black Lady Sketch Show) to discuss fandoms, cultural appropriation and boycotts over abortion access. They also answer simpler listener questions: What do TV producer titles really mean? When should you attach a showrunner? And what happens when you disagree with your manager? In our bonus segment for […]

John and Craig host a round of the Three Page Challenge, a segment where they offer feedback on listeners’ scripts. This week they discuss the whiplash of cutting too quickly, captivating title pages, and V.O. narration that actually works. We also cover the return of MoviePass, 25 years of Netflix, and AI generated language. In […]

John and Craig answer questions from listeners teetering on the precipice of success. What projects do you take after a big win? How can you make the most money in your career? And how do you move forward when your dream project dies? We follow up on vocal fry/linguistic tics, HBO Max’s recent announcements, and […]

John and Craig welcome VFX supervisor Alex Wang (The Last of Us) and VFX producer/writer Addie Manis (Foundation) to pull back the (green screen) curtain on the visual effects production process. We ask the VFX experts to break down a sample scene, line by line to explain how they’d turn scene description into an actual […]

John and Craig discuss the confusing phenomenon of post-scriptum depression. They explain why even a good experience can feel like loss and offer tips for how to move on. We also cover the difficulty of balancing timelines in parallel storylines. Follow up this week includes a fuller explanation of the Monty Hall and a passionate […]