Sep 30, 2025
John and Craig wonder, how has TV changed in the last ten years? They compare what’s better and worse, the tradeoffs between quality and quantity, how curation is changing, the pros and cons of shorter seasons, and what this all means for writers and viewers.
We also look forward to our time at the Austin Film...
Sep 23, 2025
John and Craig discuss short films: what makes a great short, when should you make one, and what should you realistically expect out of it? We also update our predictions on whether the career of “screenwriter” can survive potential global catastrophes.
We then answer listener questions on staff writer wages...
Sep 16, 2025
John welcomes back Liz Hannah (The Post, The Girl from Plainville) to discuss how to construct and communicate setting in a script. They talk about the balance between establishing a sense of space while avoiding the beginner’s mistake of over-blocking.
We also follow up on accountability groups, last looks,...
Sep 9, 2025
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...
Sep 2, 2025
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...