Scriptnotes Podcast

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, and how to balance the reality of the era with what’s relevant to audiences today. We also follow up on navigating industry connections and answer three period-appropriate listener questions on transitions across time, accurate dialogue, and how to handle historical sensitivities on the page. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig get into some toil and trouble as they give their rankings of the most iconic witches. Links: Apply for a student license for Highland Pro!More info here! Mel Gibson rant at Joe Eszterhas caught on tape Episode 129: The One with the Guys from Final Draft Episode 314: Unforgiven Episode 674: The One vvith Robert EggersEpisode 212Episode 394Standard ThermalAnd a summary by CEO Austin VernonPanthalassa The Concept C Is the All-Electric Sports Car Kick-Starting Audi’s Design FutureCountdown on Amazon Prime VideoRank these iconic witches!Preorder the Scriptnotes Book!Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

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 and transitions, they look at what to consider on a final pass so you can email your script with confidence. Then it’s another round of the Three Page Challenge, where we look at three listener-submitted scripts to offer our honest feedback on what’s working and what could use another pass. We also follow-up on advice for general meetings. In our bonus segment for premium members, what makes a great score? We look at the function of the soundtrack for feature films and how to work with composers. Links: The Thin Place – “Pilot”Sunset PaycheckLevelling UpSubmit to the next Three Page ChallengeInstagramXFixed-do vs. movable do solfège How to Tell if Something is AI-WrittenMark Halpin 2025 Labor Day ExtravaganzaPageant of the MastersPreorder the Scriptnotes Book!Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

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-gritty of approaching others for a favor, and the important ways to be generous in return. We also look at the good news in the WGA’s 2025 Screen Compensation Guide, follow-up on creator pay through streaming services, and answer listener questions on how to tell if you’re improving something, and whether having kids changes our storytelling. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig piece together their feelings on modern LEGO sets. Links: Scriptnotes Book is now on Goodreads!Scriptnotes 700 on YouTubeEpisode 645 with Meredith ScardinoVimeo on DemandKanopy WGAw Screen Compensation GuideNYT ConnectionsPips 50 Things I KnowPreorder the Scriptnotes Book!Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

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 questions about rewrites in post, avoiding traps as a production designer, changing characters in a rewrite, and advice on leaving the entertainment industry. We also welcome back familiar faces from Scriptnotes history for a brand-new segment, “People, Places and Things,” where we look at movie stills and ask how we might describe them on the page. Also for debate, what is the boundary between “spoiler” and “what’s happening in culture”? In our bonus segment for premium members, we keep the videophone lines open for more listener questions on juggling multiple projects, preparing alt lines for production, and whether studios option projects just to kill them. You can (and should!) watch the entire episode on our YouTube channel. Just search for Scriptnotes Podcast. While you’re there, give us a Like and a Follow. Links: Watch episode 700 on YouTube!Stuart FriedelMegan McDonellMegana RaoWeaponsThe Hunting WivesVince Gilligan YouTube video Our Back to School collectionWeekend ReadWoman onewoman twoman onekid duooceansidehousecityScriptnotes Episode 399: Notes on Notes Spike tapeBridge Base OnlinePreorder the Scriptnotes Book!Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

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 meetings. They offer practical tips on what to expect, how to get people to open up, navigating NDAs, staying true to yourself, and organically moving the conversation away from the weather and towards your work. We also look at a pernicious effect of underemployment (starting with a prompt from Ryan Knighton,) and answer listener questions on alternating POV, reusing adjectives, and giving your story beats cause and effect. In our bonus segment for premium members, we get meta as we discuss the modern podcast landscape and next era of Scriptnotes. Links: Scriptnotes Episode 700 – LIVEPamela RibonMy Year of DicksRental Family trailer Japan’s Rent-A-Family Industry37 Seconds Good conversations have lots of doorknobs Real Time Lightning MapStudents Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) Who Is Watching All These Podcasts?Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig descend into development hell to look at films that almost but never quite existed. Using both widely-publicized and little-known examples, they examine common patterns that keep movies frozen in script form. We also follow up on solar storms, writer education and genres people should see at least one of. We then answer listener questions on writing empathetically, late-career stamina, non-English dialogue, multi-part movies, and the Scriptnotes theme itself. In our bonus segment for premium members, if John and Craig were never paid to write in the screenplay format again, would they still do it? Links: Preorder the Scriptnotes Book! Birdigo Aurora by David KoeppPale FlowerDeep RedSuspiriaHands on a Hard BodyAmerican MovieWonderland Hands on a Hardbody the musicalCurePulse Moft magnetic wallet stand Total Party Skill podcastGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

The Scriptnotes Book is real, and now available for preorder! John and Craig take a look through its 335 pages to explore the topics, guests and deep-dives we’ve assembled from over 1,000 hours of this podcast, creating what is sure to be your favorite bathroom book. Then it’s another round of How Would This Be a Movie?, where we look at four stories in the news to see whether they’re ripe for adaptation. Stories include a mother taking on the revenge porn industry, a wife navigating her husband’s longtime crush, a government worker who was secretly recorded on a date, and the potential destruction of solar storms. We also answer a listener question on current filmmaking technology. In our bonus segment for premium members, what is kindness? John and Craig talk through what sets this undervalued quality apart from niceness and other traits we mistake for kind. Link: Preorder the Scriptnotes book! A Mother’s Revenge Charlotte Laws’ fight with Hunter Moore, the internet’s revenge porn king Help! My Husband’s Manic Pixie Past Has Become a Full-Blown Threat to My SanityWhat’s That Name An Offhand Remark About Gold Bars, Secretly Recorded, Upended His Life The Unseen Fury of Solar StormsTRMNLSteve Ballmer: DevelopersThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered BirdigoGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

In this compendium episode, John and Craig set their focus on directors — and how to work with them as a screenwriter. They look at the inner-workings of the writer-director relationship, etiquette on set, how to communicate notes from pre-production through post, and outline the qualities of the “perfect” director. We also offer advice to a first time director, looking at how to prep a project, how to run a set, working with actors, and how to inspire a crew to make the best movie possible. In our bonus segment for premium members, Drew joins John back in 2025 for advice about casting, and what to do when actors pass on your project. Links: Episode 4 – Working with directorsEpisode 176 – Advice to a First-Time DirectorScrappyHyperCardMount Wilson ObservatoryGodThe RemnantsGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Stuart FriedelDrew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig welcome back Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit, Dept. Q) to offer their best advice to film students and the people who teach them. They look at ways to improve how we educate writers, and offer advice to an aspiring development executive. We also look at the intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivations of characters in Scott’s new series, Dept. Q, follow up on the decline of sex in movies, and ask, what genres of movies should people see at least one of? In our bonus segment for premium members, John, Craig and Scott take a broader view of education in America to see what they’ve learned and what they would change. Links: Dept. QScott FrankEpisode 476: The Other SensesEveryone Is Beautiful And No One Is HornyScriptnotes 639: Intrinsic MotivationAntimemetics: Why Some Ideas Resist Spreading Elmore Leonard’s Perfect Pitch Richard Price’s Street Life McDonald’s AI Hiring Bot Exposed Millions of Applicants’ Data to Hackers Who Tried the Password ‘123456’Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John welcomes back Dan Gregor and Doug Mand (Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, Pretty Smart) to ask, how do you revive a dead genre? Using their upcoming movie The Naked Gun, they look at why the spoof genre fell apart, the challenges of introducing it to a new generation, and why turning genre tropes into jokes will always resonate with an audience. We also look at other genres they don’t make anymore, follow up on Dogma 25, and answer listener questions on complicated rewrites and whether or not to hire a publicist. In our bonus segment for premium members, John, Doug and Dan look at the movies that Gen Z hasn’t seen (and whether they even need to). Links: The Naked GunDan GregorDoug MandEpisode 548: Made for StreamersBottomsDicks: The MusicalNow, VoyagerIt Ends with UsSpencerBody HeatJagged EdgeAltered StatesDead Ringers You Must Remember Thins: Erotic 80sLonesome DoveThe English PatientOut of AfricaPast LivesMaterialistsRomancing the StoneThe Lost City John’s Aladdin residuals Breakthrough cholesterol treatment can cut levels by 69% after one dose One dose of experimental drug nearly wipes out stealthy cholesterol in ‘remarkable’ trial The Pentagon Disinformation That Fueled America’s UFO MythologyCalvin Kang on IngstagramWeekend Read 2 Top movies that Gen Z have never watched revealed – including Oscar-winning classicsGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig plant the idea for setups that have the most satisfying payoffs. Different from exposition, setups introduce ideas and concepts to an audience, priming them for a later revelation. They look at the sleight of hand required to have your setups deftly planted, take root in your audience’s mind, and grow into something delightful. But first, we look at the new California tax credits, the 2025 WGA annual report, follow up on AI and VFX, postmodernism, and verticals. We also answer listener questions on music videos and outing yourself to potential employers. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig look at the New York Times’ new list of the 100 best movies of the 21st century. We all know Craig loves pitting movies against each other, so there’s definitely no umbrage here. Links: The Best Movies of the 21st Century California lawmakers approve expanded $750-million film tax credit program WGA Annual Reportemployment and earningsresidualsMichael Graves How ReelShort CEO Joey Jia Used a Chinese Trend to Disrupt the U.S. Entertainment IndustrySundance LabsSabrina Carpenter – ManchildDJ Snake, Lil Jon – Turn Down for WhatMadonna – Voguea-ha – Take On MeRiz Ahmed – The Long GoodbyePhil Collins – Don’t Lose My Number30 minutes with a strangerChris Perkins Mike Birbiglia’s top ten movies of the 21st centuryGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

In this craft compendium, John and Craig take a look at everything you need to make your bad guys compelling, memorable, and the perfect antagonist for your story. Using some favorite villains as examples, they look at the importance of understanding their motivations and offer seven tips for making a villain unforgettable. We also take a look at lackeys, henchmen and making sure your evil organizations are believable. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig shift their focus to monsters, and why even though those scary creatures are dangerous, they’re not always the villain. Links: Episode 75 – VillainsEpisode 590 – Anti-VillainsEpisode 465 – The Lackeys Know What They’re DoingEpisode 257 – Flaws are FeaturesEvery Villain is a HeroWriting Better Bad GuysScreenwriting and the Problem of EvilMama The 1000 Deaths of Wile E. CoyoteWhy do good people do bad things? Why some people are willing to challenge behavior they see as wrong despite personal riskblogbookAustin Powers deleted scene, “Henchman’s Wife”Redshirt7 Tips for Creating Unforgettable VillainsHow Christopher Nolan writes a movieGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Stuart FriedelMegana RaoDrew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig welcome author Stu Horvath to look at the rich history of tabletop role playing games. From Stu’s collection of over 2300 RPGs, they look at the evolution of collaborative storytelling, interactive narrative design, and the communities of players they inspire. We also discuss the complicated influences of J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft on the world of D&D, and how the need to escape their derivative influences pushed RPGs to new heights of world-building and storytelling. In our bonus segment for premium members, Stu leads us down down down to discuss a surprisingly recent narrative staple: dungeons. Links: Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the GroundVintageRPG.comD&D 5th EditionAmateur press association (APA)Little Wars by H.G. WellsPeter Cushing painting his minifigsChainmail ChaosiumTunnels & TrollsDread RPGFiascoScriptnotes episode 142: The Angeles Crest FiascoCritical RoleAlien: The Roleplaying GameStar Wars: The Roleplaying Game Traveller 2024 D&D Player’s HandbookBlackoath EntertainmentThousand Year Old VampireTales From the Loop RPGHoney Heist WWDC live translationShe Used to Be Mine performancevocal coach reaction Kolchak: The Night StalkerGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

How do you write science fiction when technology is moving so quickly? John and Craig welcome back journalist and screenwriter Max Read to look at the trickiness of predicting the future, how our imagined futures can affect our reality, and ways that writers can protect their work from becoming dated before it’s even released. We also follow up on the new Dogma manifesto, words we don’t have in English, questioning ChatGPT, and answer listener questions on hosting your scripts on your website, offline writing software and how to find the time to goof around. In our bonus segment for premium members, Max walks us through his Letterboxd lists and proposes a new, niche film genre. Links: newsletter Read Maxhis Letterboxd Dogma 25 Explodes at Cannes Maze by Christopher MansonBlue Prince Graham’s source for Egypt’s GDPJohn’ssourcesNeal StephensonWilliam GibsonRed Rooms This Strange Mutation Explains the Mystifying Color of Orange CatsThe Simulation is Failing.r/OneOrangeBraincellGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

New forms of video creation are coming to disrupt the entertainment industry, but will they succeed? John and Craig look at verticals and Veo 3 to see where we might be heading, and what our industry’s past innovations might tell us about about the future. We also look at Memorial Day’s banner box office, and answer listener questions on bereavement during production, momentum, scene geography and how to fight motion smoothing. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig travel back in time to find which moments in history they wish they could see in person. Links: Highland Pro student licenses! Collaborate on a tabletop RPG with John!Tom and JerryHanna-Barbera Accidental Triplets with the Billionaire A Mistaken Surrogate for the Ruthless BillionaireWebToon Werewolf Billionaire CEO Husbands are Taking Over HollywoodVeo 3 fake news example More Veo 3 examples Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50The Last of UsGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscriptionSubscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig welcome back writer, director, and comedian Mike Birbiglia (Don’t Think Twice, Sleepwalk with Me) to take a look at several true news stories and ask, how would this be a joke? Stories include run-club haters, a conflicted bone marrow donor, and the coyotes roaming San Francisco. We also look at how Mike developed his new Netflix special, The Good Life, and answer listener questions on taking an idea from a podcast and knowing when you’ve broken a story. In our bonus segment for premium members, Mike walks us through how he’s able to market his work without it feel like marketing. Links: Mike BirbigliaThe Good Life121168261427443Working it Out: Screenwriting Advice You’ll Actually UseEpisode 660 – MoneyballIra Glass on Mike’s podcast Working it OutElizabeth Gilbert TED Talk The Run Club Haters I Hadn’t Heard From My Dad in Over a Decade. Now He’s Returned With a Brazen Request. I’m Actually Considering It. The Coyotes of San FranciscoCoyote VestEverybody’s Live with John MulaneyChris FlemingBlue PrinceGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscription!Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTubeInstagramBlueskyInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig dig through the mailbag to answer some of our trickiest listener questions. They lay out their best advice for first-time feature directors — from picking department heads to making sure your movie actually gets seen — and look at how to adapt Craig’s “How to Write a Movie” for structuring a TV series. But that’s not all! Do you owe your writer’s group access to your contacts? How do you break out of the mailroom? Where should high-school students start? How far can adaptations stray from the source material? And how do you remain professional in the middle of a dumpster fire? We also follow up on tariffs, mysterious birds, and a different set of 36 Questions. In our bonus segment for premium members, we play John’s new game, Strong Opinions, where we all have to guess each other’s true feelings about things we didn’t know were controversial. Links: Scriptnotes on YouTube!Strong Opinions game Hollywood Unions letter to President Trump The Curious Case of the Pygmy NuthatchFoggy Brume36 Questions, the podcast musicalAustin Film Festival My First Movie: 20 Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film Orange T-shirts are back!Aqua voice dictation softwareGhost TownGet a Scriptnotes T-shirt!Check out the Inneresting NewsletterBecome a Scriptnotes Premium membergift a subscription!InstagramBlueskyThreadsInstagramOutrosend us yours!Drew MarquardtMatthew Chilelli Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig look at how writers and their characters handle the obstacles they encounter. They outline proven techniques for solving problems both in life and on the page, why it’s important to see characters solving problems in a story, and how taking big swings can open up exciting possibilities. We also follow up on episodes that focus on a single character, long takes, making your phone less interesting, words we don’t have in English, present the definitive guide to the lunch run, and look into this stupid movie tariff thing. In our bonus segment for premium members, John is back from Egypt and Jordan, and ready to answer all of our questions about tombs and travel in the Middle East. Links: The Production Assistant’s Guide to the Lunch RunIndiana Jones and the Great CircleNote On Long TakesVideo tour inside the Great Pyramid of Giza Donald Trump Says He’s Pursuing 100% Tariffs On Movies Produced Outside U.S.John Voight’s proposal Sustainability by the Numbers Solving for ClimateThe Mr. Rabbit Magic ShowBirdigoGet 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 writer, director and playwright Leslye Headland (The Acolyte, Russian Doll) to ask, why are stage plays so challenging for screenwriters? Using her recent Broadway play Cult of Love, they look at different approaches to scene description, heightened and simultaneous dialogue, and strategies for adapting stage plays to film. We also chart Leslye’s career from theater kid to auteur filmmaker, her approach to time loops (because how could we not?), and answer listener questions about music cues and long scripts. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Leslye compare notes on how to keep up with what’s on stage, and what to do if you missed a production. Links: Leslye Headland Cult of Love – selected pagesthe playthe movieFanny and AlexanderJohnOriginal Cast Album: CompanyStephen SondheimWaiting for GodotJohn Cassavetes Tár screenplayArthur Aron’s 36 QuestionsEva discloses her autism on Survivor Making Movies by Sidney LumetOn Filmmaking by Alexander McKendickGet 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 writer and showrunner Eric Kripke (The Boys, Supernatural) to look at planning out a multi-season series. They chart Eric’s early career from shorts to showrunner, how he developed Supernatural, his process for structuring seasons of The Boys, and how great TV shows stick the landing. We also answer listener questions on lone character episodes and emulating comic panels on screen. In our bonus segment for premium members, Eric spills on everything blood, guts and gore. Links: IMDbInstagramThe BoysBattle of the SexesMinions on the Seine!Strange Darling The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers PodcastGet 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.