Apr 16, 2024
John and Craig can’t help but look at intrinsic motivations — those specific internal drives that guide characters behavior. They discuss how to structure and expose that internal drive, the importance of an innate irritability, how it can stop your characters from becoming flat, and rewarding that...
Apr 9, 2024
John and Craig lawyer up with criminal defense attorney Ken White (aka Popehat) to look at legal scenes in movies and TV, and separate the tropes from the truth.
How do lawyers actually prepare a case? Will they meet a client in jail? Do they need to gather evidence themselves? And what happens when they go to trial?...
Apr 2, 2024
John and Craig look at four unbelievable stories in the news and
ask, How Would This Be a Movie? Stories include a finance
journalist who was scammed out of her savings, men who offer dating
bounties, a franken-sheep made of cloned animal parts, and how
standardized tests changed one woman’s life. We also reveal...
Mar 26, 2024
John welcomes back Pamela Ribon (Nimona, My Year of Dicks) to quietly ask: what’s with all the whispering in movies these days? They discuss trends and techniques in voice and volume, picking the right moment to whisper, and the value of voices across decibel levels.
We also revisit Pamela’s work on Moana to look at...
Mar 19, 2024
John and Craig wring their hands and ask, how do you make sure the person you’re hiring isn’t a monster? They look at best practices for vetting colleagues, sussing out problematic people, and managing your own emotions when you’re the person with power.
We also discuss writing for non-native English speakers,...