Jan 28, 2020

John talks with writer-director Noah Baumbach about his film Marriage Story. With script in hand, we discuss his writing process, handling overlapping dialogue, and how to find balance in a two-hander.

We also answer a listener question about LA vs. New York apartments (01:05:16), and the challenge of making boring...

Jan 21, 2020

John and Craig discuss the difference between ambition and anxiety, and how writers can find a balance. We also follow up on agency developments and a new study that shows the live-action Aladdin is good for your health.

Then we host another round of the Three Page Challenge, this time focusing on establishing the...

Jan 15, 2020

This feed is ending. So is the app.

Hey, it’s John. If you’re seeing this episode, it means you’re subscribed to the old premium feed. We retired it at the end of 2019. Your subscription won’t renew, and the Scriptnotes app will stop working at some point, probably at the end of February.

That sounds bleak, but...

Jan 14, 2020

John and Greta Gerwig (writer/director of Little Women and Lady Bird) discuss adaptation, ambition and authorship. With the screenplay in front of them, they look at specific scenes in Little Women and explore how its non-linear timeline changed how the movie works.

We also answer listener questions on writing for the...

Jan 7, 2020

John and Craig discuss what screenwriters can learn from watching movies. They cover techniques for making the most of the movies they watch and the questions you should be asking afterward.

We also share more advice from listeners about moving to LA and lots of answers FOR listeners who’ve written in with...