Podcast Episodes

707 - After the Hunt

Season 15 Episode 707

John welcomes writer and actress Nora Garrett to look at how her first screenplay, After the Hunt, took her from being un-repped to working with director Luca Guadagnino.

They discuss her path from…

Published on 15 hours ago

161 - A Cheap Cut of Meat Soaked in Butter (Encore)

Season 15 Episode 161

John and Craig invite Aline Brosh McKenna back to celebrate the third anniversary of Scriptnotes. It’s a jam-packed, glass-and-a-half of wine, listener-favorite episode.

They look at ways to breathe …

Published on 1 week ago

706 - Is TV Better Now?

Season 15 Episode 706

John and Craig wonder, how has TV changed in the last ten years? They compare what’s better and worse, the tradeoffs between quality and quantity, how curation is changing, the pros and cons of short…

Published on 2 weeks ago

705 - Short Films and Existential Threats

Season 14 Episode 705

John and Craig discuss short films: what makes a great short, when should you make one, and what should you realistically expect out of it? We also update our predictions on whether the career of “sc…

Published on 3 weeks ago

704 - Places, Everyone

Season 14 Episode 704

John welcomes back Liz Hannah (The Post, The Girl from Plainville) to discuss how to construct and communicate setting in a script. They talk about the balance between establishing a sense of space w…

Published on 4 weeks ago

703 - Getting Period Right

Season 15 Episode 703

John and Craig ask, how do you keep your period films from being a boring history lesson? They offer ten tips to keep your setting from taking over your story, defining the scope of your research, …

Published on 1 month ago

702 - Last Looks

Season 15 Episode 702

John and Craig welcome back producer Megana Rao, who has a question: how do you polish a script before sending it out? From obvious things like typos and title pages to tougher choices like cutting…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

701 - Connections

Season 15 Episode 701

John and Craig examine how to best use your connections to help yourself and others. They look at ways to identify the strength of a connection, leverage them without being manipulative, the nitty-gr…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

700 - The Live Call-In Show

Season 14 Episode 700

To celebrate our 700th episode, John and Craig open the phone lines for a live late-night call-in show (recorded at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday). Through the power of Zoom (and YouTube), listeners ask que…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

699 - How to Talk About Yourself

Season 14 Episode 699

Every writer has to pitch themselves, but how do you do it without sounding like a tool? John welcomes back Pamela Ribon (Nimona, My Year of Dicks) for a big talk about small talk and general meeting…

Published on 2 months ago