Scriptnotes Podcast

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.

John and Craig look at how writers (and other humans) handle the anxiety of uncertainty, from election nights to green lights. We’ll talk through strategies for navigating situations where your circle of concern doesn’t match your circle of control. Then we travel back to the 1980s and 90s, when many studios were run by ambitious strivers in their late 20s and early 30s. As the decades have passed, the players in these positions have held onto their posts, leaving the next generation stuck mid-ladder. We discuss what impact the aging of Hollywood has had on its output, and where the new guard might find an opening. We also ask, is development wage theft? And answer listener questions on reusing material written for a different project, and the cost-plus model of production. And in our bonus topic for premium members, what aspects of pandemic life have we incorporated into our daily routines? Links: Scriptnotes LIVE! December 6th at Dynasty TypewriterAlphaBirds Game Night at Village Well The Big Squeeze: Why Everyone in Hollywood Feels Stuck ‘Development is Wage Theft’: Pilot Season Death Morphs Into Year-Round Hell Isle of Arrows Rejection by Tony TulathimutteMr. McMahonGet 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 make their triumphant return to the Austin Film Festival for a wild night full of Emmy winning writers. They welcome Shōgun co-creators Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks to look at their process for structuring a series-long adaptation, keeping translations eloquent and accurate, and writing together as a married couple. We then welcome Susan Soon He Stanton (Succession, Dead Ringers) and Megan Amram (The Good Place, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin) to discuss staffing on shows and crafting jokes. We also invite two audience members to play a new game: IMDB Sweeney Todd. In our bonus segment for premium members, the panel answers audience questions on adaptations, a crossover with Succession and The Good Place, entering Hollywood from outside the U.S., and navigating Hollywood’s current contraction. Links: Austin Film Festival Scriptnotes LIVE! December 6th at Dynasty TypewriterRachel KondoJustin MarksMegan AmramSusan Soon He Stanton Decoder Ring – “The Wrongest Bird in Movie History” Vote Out Ted CruzBrick Appr/TVTooHighBliss Lau A Dream of IslandsGet 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 answer twenty listener questions on craft, career, and the future of the industry. Questions include: How do you correct well wishes you haven’t earned? What kind of relationship should you have with the person who created your source material? How do you keep your reps invested? What’s going on with that Stereophonic lawsuit? And are writers retreats helpful or a total waste of time? In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig celebrate the new D&D Player’s Handbook by looking back through every edition since 1978. Like the handbook, it gets less dense as it goes. Links: Scriptnotes LIVE! at Austin Film Festival Drew’s Emmy certificate Why AI Isn’t Going to Make Art The Stereophonic LawsuitRachel Bloom’s “Death, Let Me Do My Special”Warner Bros. Studios BurbankSave Scarecrow Video in SeattleGet 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.

Why is screenwriting so difficult, even for the smartest people? John and Craig look at the relationship between intelligence and wisdom, the kinds of problems writers attempt to solve, and the unmeasurable skills that screenwriters need to succeed. Then it’s another round of the Three Page Challenge, where they give their honest feedback on three listener-submitted scripts. We also follow up on Moneyball, green envelopes, shorts, script coordinating, and what Craig means by writers being “calculating.” In our bonus segment for premium members, how do you talk about movies and TV shows without spoiling them? John and Craig reason out how to dance around the twist that the two leads are actually the same perso– oh, shoot! Links: Quote-Unquote Marketing Director – Apply Here!Veteran Script Coordinator Why aren’t smart people happier?Middle Aged Man – SNL FLUNGECOWSNEVER DIE ALONEThe Cutting EdgeStrange DarlingMy Old AssGet 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 welcome back Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Fleishman is in Trouble) for a deep dive on 2011’s sports drama Moneyball. What makes Moneyball work? Is it a traditional underdog movie, or does it break all the rules? Is Billy Beane a hero or a villain? What advantages do sports movies give you, and how much do you have to explain to your audience? How are movies like this developed? And how can you not be romantic about baseball? In our bonus segment for premium members, John, Craig and Taffy dig further into the ways money is used to determine a person’s value. Links: Moneyball Moneyball screenplayTaffy Brodesser-Akner Long Island CompromiseScriptnotes LIVE! at the Austin Film FestivalHighland Pro Austin launch party – sign up here!ABBA VoyageOpti-V fireplaceKen MedlockImprint AppGet 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.