Scriptnotes Podcast

John and Craig sit in project purgatory and ask, what do you do when the only answer you’re getting is “maybe”? They share advice on how to gently check in without annoying people, recognizing the soft pass, the unexpected benefits of patience, and what to do when you’re the person holding up the gears. Then it’s another round of the Three Page Challenge, where John and Craig give their honest feedback on three listener-submitted scripts. We also follow up on script supervisors and the encroaching perils of AI production. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig spill the telltale signs that a movie or TV show has had reshoots. Links: SCRAMBLINGLUMPTHE DREAD PIRATE ROBERTSThe King of TarsSesame StreetThe Goes Wrong ShowGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!InstagramBlueskyThreadsInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John welcomes back Christina Hodson (The Flash, Bumblebee) to ask, how do you to construct a great action sequence? Using examples from three different movies, they discuss what good action looks like on the page, how to keep your reader from getting bored or confused, and why production can sometimes blow your plans to smithereens. Then it’s a round of How Would This be a Movie?, where we take four stories from the news and pitch how we might adapt them for the screen. Stories include a mysterious painting, a train trapped in a blizzard, a teen who sued his parents, and zombie colleges. We also follow up on director’s chairs and mammograms, and answer listener questions on side characters and creating a healthy work/life balance. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Christina examine the do’s and don’ts of introducing yourself to a stranger through email. Links: Christina Hodson That New York Times article with John and Christina Bamboo Director’s ChairBirdigoAliensThe Bourne IdentityRise of the Planet of the ApesJurassic Park screenplayTroy screenplay A Man of Parts and Learning When a Deadly Winter Storm Trapped a Luxury Passenger Train Near the Donner Pass for Three Days A U.K. Teen’s Parents Sent Him to Ghana. He Took Them to Court. Zombie colleges? These universities are living another life online, and no one can say whyMike BirbigliaThe Onion in printResearch DepartmentGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueskyThreadsInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John welcomes back Liz Hannah (The Girl From Plainville, The Post) to ask, how do you know if a character can carry a story? They look at ways of identifying your protagonist, defining privileged storytelling power, and the choices to make when figuring out which characters can hold narrative point of view. We also look a the phenomenon of the “Stranger in the Room,” follow up on writing during crazy times, brain trusts, plays vs movies, the phrase “begs the question,” and the usefulness of sharing your pronouns. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Liz explain the difference between East LA, West LA, and why the valley might beat them both. Links: IMDbInstagramEpisode 676 – Writing while the World is on Fire Slate Culture GabfestThe PostScreenplay Episode 128 – Frozen with Jennifer Lee Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2Highland Pro The Girl From Plainville The Dropout “The Stranger in the Room”Episode 399 – Notes on NotesDragonsweeper Dare I Say ItGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig welcome producer Dan Etheridge (iZombie, High Potential, Party Down) to look at how non-writing producers develop projects, coordinate across departments, and maintain the tone of the show as directors come and go. We offer practical tips for making the most of video village, regardless of your role, and solutions for the scourge of directors chairs. Highland Pro, John’s next generation screenwriting app is now available now for Mac, iPad and iPhone! We discuss what’s new and what’s coming next. We also answer listener questions pitching multiple projects, writing on tablets and how to launch an app. In our bonus segment for premium members, John, Craig and Dan look back on their experience officiating weddings, and offer advice for those about to marry people. Dan even officiated John’s wedding! Links: Highland ProDownload on the App StoreDan EtheridgeBuck Rodgers’ robot sidekickStatpageDuckDuckGoI Miss the MusicCuruleEvercastScriptoNight MovesPrime CutScarecrow Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Diplomacy Beneath the Moon and Long Dead Stars by Daniel WallaceGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig decipher mystery box shows, where the premise and audience experience involve solving the puzzle of what’s really happening. They look at strategies for revealing clues and information, being mindful of the audience’s expectations, and the importance of the emotional journey inside the labyrinth. We also announce a new video game, discuss what we can learn by revisiting old projects, follow up on unlocked pages and home automation, and answer listener questions on live instruments, pulling story from D&D campaigns, and where to draw the line between INT. and EXT. In our bonus segment for premium members, how do you set boundaries when you feel like you’re always supposed to be writing? That’s not rhetorical — we need help. Links: BirdigoLutron HomeWorksHome AssistantThe Prisoner (1967) Scriptnotes, Ep 296: Television with Damon Lindelof Patrick Wilson, Jordan Donica Leading Industry Reading of Revised, Broadway-Aimed Big FishFalling Slowly scene in OnceLife and TrustGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

How do you keep doing creative work when the world is falling apart around you? To sift through the despair and doubt, John welcomes back legendary Scriptnotes guest, writer-turned-psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo. They discuss the many feelings that catastrophic events can bring up in artists, the personal narratives that often inform those feelings, and how to keep moving forward when you feel like the band on the Titanic. We also follow up on AI, and answer listener questions on competing with brain trusts and how to support a friend embroiled in controversy. In our bonus segment for premium members, Dennis guides us through the best examples and worst mistakes of portraying therapists on screen. Links: “Am I Just Fiddling While Rome Burns?”Scriptnotes 99 – Psychotherapy for ScreenwritersShotDeckRiver Runner GlobalAt the Existentialist CaféGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

Craig welcomes writer and showrunner Joshua Zetumer, creator of the limited series Say Nothing, to explore the process of dramatizing real events — particularly when the subject matter can be volatile. They discuss how to keep a sprawling historical epic from feeling like a lecture, keeping a consistent tone, humanizing complicated people, and how not to get sued by the people who were really involved. They also answer listener questions on following up with people after the fires, charting the emotional journey of the audience, and whether writers need to cite their sources when writing about real events. In our bonus segment for premium members, Craig and Joshua pretend to be civil engineers and ask, how can we make Los Angeles function better? Links: Say NothingJoshua Zetumer Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland Difficult MenPlease Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of PunkGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

Hearken well! John sitteth in discourse with the learned Robert Eggers, weaver of dreadsome visions (The Witch, The Lighthouse), whose latest labour bringeth forth Nosferatu from the mistes of antiquity. Together, they dost unravel the craft of breathing newe life into the ghastly count of olde, how Robert didst hone his vision through toil and cunning in his firste labours, and the summoning of terror moste unholy upon the silver’d screen. We do also taketh to hand the queries of our faithful listeners on the perils of o’ermuch detail in one’s scribings, on what may be done when one doth feel oneself a dullard, and whether those who spin tales be ill-fitted for matters of courtship and love. In our boon segment for those of premium patronage, Robert doth speak of his fervent love for the wheeled steed and pursuits beyond the shaping of moving pictures. Links: Robert EggersNosferatuScreenplayHansel and GretelThe Tell-Tale HeartThe Girl with the NeedleMaking School Cafeteria Pizza from the 1980s & ‘90sGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtZoe BlackMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

Structure is the fundamental skeleton of every story ever told, so why does it flummox so many writers? John and Craig outline what structure really is, ways to find it in your story, and how to keep it from tying your brain in knots. We also look at ways to find nuance in our appreciation of movies, follow up on erotic fiction, and answer listener questions on how to work with a director and point of view shots. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig measure the helpfulness of their wearable body monitors. Links: Weekend ReadOscar nominations 2025Parallel MothersMaybe BabyGood NewwzDaughter from Another MotherManhunt The Love Hypothesis How to like everything moreGrowing a Human: The First 30 Weeks2024 Player’s HandbookGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

After a difficult few weeks in Los Angeles, John welcomes writer, director and actor Jesse Eisenberg to peel apart the complicated human reactions to grief and loss. They look at how both collective and personal grief inform the characters of Jesse’s latest film, A Real Pain, and reflect on the ongoing LA fires and the loss of David Lynch. They also explore Jesse’s evolution as a writer, directing himself as an actor, and answer listener questions on artistic signatures and simultaneous perspectives in action. In our bonus segment for premium members, Jesse and John look at the creative opportunities and frustrating restrictions of making radio dramas and audiobooks. Links: A Real PainScreenplayJesse Eisenberg WGAW Wildfire ResourcesDavid Lynch MongoliaThe RevisionistThe SpoilsNetwork of TimeFloyd Collins the MusicalCheck out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

After a week of devastating fires in Los Angeles, we’re revisiting John’s conversation with Anna Jane Joyner and Quinn Emmett from Good Energy Stories on how to talk about climate change on screen. They discuss opportunities for writers to inspire change, raise awareness, and capture the environmental concerns of our time. We follow up on disability representation in Hollywood with the release of the Cost of Accommodations report from the Inevitable Foundation. In our bonus segment for premium members, we talk about asking people for money, whether it’s to finance a movie or launch a campaign to save the planet. Links: The Original Episode 547transcriptStanislav Petrov, The Man Who Saved the World How Much Does it Really Cost to Make Hollywood More Accommodating for Disabled Talent?Inevitable FoundationGood Energy Stories PlaybookDavid Robert Ted Talk on Climate ChangeYears of Living Dangerously Clip with Anna and her DadSubscribe to Important, Not ImportantFirst ReformedDana FoxThe Lost CityRussian Doll Season 2Redactle GameAnna Jane JoynerGood EnergyQuinn EmmettGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Megana RaoMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig look at three extraordinary news stories and ask, How Would this be a Movie? Stories include the United Healthcare CEO assassination, a small town’s process for licensing fortune tellers, and a harrowing I.V.F. mixup. We also follow up on AI, Flightplan’s source material, Craig’s Belfast accent, and answer a listener question on the order of surnames for writing partners. In our bonus segment for premium members: Hey Alexa, play John and Craig’s conversation about home automation. I don’t think she heard– HEY ALEXA, PLAY JOHN AND CRAIG’S CONVERSATION ABOUT HOME AUTOMATION. Links: The Wheel SpinsThe Conundrum of the Workshops OpenAI’s controversial Sora is finally launching today. Will it truly disrupt Hollywood? I Went to the Premiere of the First Commercially Streaming AI-Generated Movies A timeline of the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and search for his killer How do you license a fortune teller? An I.V.F. Mix-Up, a Shocking Discovery and an Unbearable Choice Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground Your Consciousness Can Connect With the Whole UniverseGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Matthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John welcomes Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Homeward Bound) to talk about her experience writing animated features, from the parallel processes of writing and production to her paltry paycheck for Beauty and the Beast. They consider the blurring lines between live-action and hyperrealistic CGI, as well as the history of animation writers’ exclusion from the WGA. We also answer listener questions about whether there is such a thing as a bad character want and how to manage story days within a screenplay, which prompts exploration of wardrobe changes, thinking in terms of color rather than time and Linda’s penchant for naked characters. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Drew look back on their goals for 2024 and discuss how to make New Year’s resolutions you’ll actually accomplish. Links: Linda Woolverton Episode 92: The Little Mermaid Shanghai Disney’s Pirates of the CaribbeanPOV video of the rideClimate CentralGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Megan McDonnellMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

Live from the Austin Film Festival, John joins panelists Jordan Mechner (Prince of Persia) and Erica Harrell & Desirée Proctor (The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners) for an in-depth discussion on working across movies, tv, comics, plays, videogames and VR. Moderated by Evan Narcisse (Rise of the Black Panther), they discuss what led them to new mediums, the storytelling strengths each medium offers, and building a career that moves between them. In our bonus segment for premium members, the panelists answer some video game specific questions, including how to stand out as a writer to the major game developers. Scriptnotes audio provided courtesy of ©Austin Film Festival Links: On Story Writing Across Mediums panelEvan NarcisseBlueskyJordan MechnerErica HarellDesirée Proctor Nuclear PowerSteamMeta storePlaystationPrince of Persia gamesSpy magazineGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Matthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

Many of the biggest AI models have been trained on film and TV dialogue, and writers are furious. John and Craig explore the legal, ethical and philosophical implications of this revelation, our emotional reactions to it, and offer strategies for picking the right hills to die on. But first, we follow up on the definition of horror vs. thriller, generational narcissism, and young people’s ambition. We also answer listener questions on when to bail on a script and how to approach your first contract. In our bonus segment for premium members, we dig into the philosophical implications of Craig believing we live in a simulation, and whether that necessarily implies a creator. Woah, man. Links: FlightplanThe Lady Vanishes There’s No Longer Any Doubt That Hollywood Writing Is Powering AI Vince Gilligan Statement on AI to USCOLunchablesThe Serenity PrayerJon Batiste hears Green Day for the First Time Tini’s Mac and CheeseGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Matthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig welcome Brian Jordan Alvarez & Stephanie Koenig (English Teacher) and Jac Schaeffer (Agatha All Along, WandaVision) to join them for a live holiday benefit for Hollywood HEART. They discuss constructing Agatha All Along from blue sky to the Witches’ Road, “protagonizing” a villain, breaking in through YouTube and maintaining a working relationship with your best friend. We also play a new game, the Christmas Song Three Word Challenge, with former Scriptnotes producers Megan McDonnell (Dark Matter, The Marvels) and Megana Rao (Unstable). In our bonus segment for premium members, we answer an all-star round of audience questions in maybe the best Q&A we’ve ever had. Thanks to our fantastic audience, everyone at Dynasty Typewriter, and Hollywood HEART for putting the event together. Links: Hollywood HEARTJac SchaefferBrian Jordan AlvarezStephanie KoenigAgatha All AlongFleetwood Mac – Silver Springs (Live)English TeacherA Spy MovieSittingMy Old AssThe Downeaster “Alexa”The Later Daters Sun lampsThin Mint bitesA Man on the InsideGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramBlueSkyThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Matthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John welcomes playwright, novelist and screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes to discuss having his first two movies — Challengers and Queer — produced a single year. After charting his journey from playwright to screenwriter, we compare two drafts of Challengers to look at how the story changed during a hasty development, including crafting that iconic three-way. We also explore adapting William S. Burroughs’ novel Queer, and the film’s approach to showing sex on screen. In our bonus segment for premium members, Justin looks back on his time as a viral YouTube potion seller, and the value of that creative outlet early in his career. Links: Justin KuritzkesInstagramYouTubeChallengersQueerFamous PeopleChallengers – Production Draft Challengers – First DraftQueerPotion Seller3000 Miles to GracelandWhy does my sign look like it has been burned?Know Your Enemy podcastGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramThreadsInstagramTwitterMastodonOutrosend us yours!Matthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig take a deep dive with the Devil, exploring the unholy trinity of satanic films: Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen. They look at how these three horror classics work, where our modern conception of Satan comes from, and the future of the Devil on screen. We also answer listener questions on character arcs in horror, what separates horror movies from thrillers, and why the spooky stuff rarely gets awards attention. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig offer their nominations for the antichrist of our times. Links: Rosemary’s BabyScreenplayThe ExorcistScreenplayThe OmenScreenplay Gifted by Simon RichSay NothingGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramThreadsInstagramTwitterMastodonOutrosend us yours!Matthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig analyze the iconic 1995 comedy Clueless, and why they’re majorly, totally, butt crazy in love with it. A contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma set in Beverly Hills, Clueless follows protagonist Cher as she tries to do ‘good’ through make-over montages and match-making attempts. We discuss how the movie sets up the characters in the first ten minutes, why Cher’s voiceover works so well, and how Clueless ushered in a new era of teen movies. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig share their own experiences learning to drive and how they’re preparing to teach their teenage daughters driving. Links: CluelessClueless Script Episode Transcript8D sound example Creme Mains hand cremeO’Keefe’s Working Hands creamGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramThreadsInstagramMastodonOutrosend us yours!Matthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig explore character agency in everything from scenes to entire series. They look at what agency looks like on the page, which characters should have agency, and what to do when you feel your characters sleepwalking through the plot. We also strategize ways to move forward after the recent US election, and answer listener questions on writing sign language, screenwriting software for the blind, and how writing credits work when your TV series gets turned into a movie. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig escape to a world where where the story is always on rails — Disneyland! Links: Scriptnotes LIVE! December 6th at Dynasty Typewriter Even Under Trump, California (Yes, That Hellscape) Will Keep Moving the World Forward The Great Big Book of Horrible Things: The Definitive Chronicle of History’s 100 Worst AtrocitiesAnd Yet It MovesMarthaReplacement ear pads for Sony MDR-7506 headphones The Quantum Geometry That Exists Outside of Space and TimeGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterGift a Scriptnotes Subscriptiontreat yourself to a premium subscription!ThreadsInstagramThreadsInstagramTwitterMastodonOutrosend us yours!Matthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.