Act Two Podcast

What makes a horror film truly terrifying? Tasha and Josh, along with special guest and horror aficionado Dave Levinson, break down their favorite horror films and what makes them so frightening that even decades later just the thought of the film sends a shiver up our spine.

TWIW: Josh is shocked by the discrepancies between a pilot script and a finished pilot episode. Tasha gets to the root of the simplistic genius behind Netflix’s Fall of the House of Usher. 

Questions / Comments: [email protected]

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Getting repped may seem impossible, but there are actually many different paths to representation. Tasha and Josh break down what worked for them and what they’ve seen work for others. (Spoiler: the best way is to write a good script!)

TWIW: Josh finished a pilot with his wife and celebrated with a bottle of rosé and Taylor Swift. Tasha celebrates an Act Two mentee getting repped! Plus, how long does it take to write a feature screenplay?

How Professional Screenwriters Outline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAY5Y9XWu4I

The Rep Thread: https://x.com/tclairsmith/status/1711126582549447165?s=46

Questions / Comments: [email protected]

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

There’s no wrong way to be inspired, but finding inspiration can oftentimes prove elusive. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss various techniques they use when they need a burst of creative inspiration, be it in nature, nostalgia, or an engaging museum plaque.

Take a break! Eat dinner with your family! Hangout with that friend! We promise you’ll still get your writing done. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the importance of self-care in a post-strike world, and the various strategies they use to relieve the ever-present pressure of work work work. Step one: acknowledging that you need self-care in the first place!

TWIW: Josh experiences notes in real time. Tasha feels pressure to make her next spec definitive while also finishing her short story five years in the making.

Questions / Comments: [email protected]

Writing a Pilot is one of the more difficult undertakings of a Screenwriter. It must set up an entire series without revealing too much of the series journey, engage the audience with questions, but not leave enough questions to be confusing. A great pilot starts with a great outline. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how TV Pilots are broken and outlined in a professional writer's room, and how to take those lessons with you to your own personal pilot process. 

TWIW: the Writer's Strike is over! A new series is coming to the Act Two Podcast. Tasha was on a panel at the Netherlands Film Festival! Josh broke his ankle, which has ripple effects to the upcoming Patreon. Tasha's TOMB RAIDER teaser came out! 

Questions / Comments: [email protected]

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

A great villain is the hero of their own story. Search for their humanity and discover what makes them your hero’s shadow self.

Plus, Elemental and the lost art of word of mouth marketing.

TWIW: Josh achieves #couplegoals. Tasha struggles to finish her short story, but finds hope in her calendar of all places.

Questions / Comments: [email protected]

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Why is IP important? Do you need it to make a sale? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down an article by Steven Hartman, the pros and cons of working with IP, and rethinking how to approach adapting one.

Link to article: https://screencraft.org/blog/is-this-the-end-of-existing-ip-domination/

There are 5 (Emotional) Stages a Screenwriter goes through in writing their spec. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down the writer brain at each stage, and how to power through to get that spec done.

TWIW: pitching safely vs. pitching for the win, being a Machiavellian writer to avoid notes, and would TAKEN be as iconic without *that* scene?

Questions / Comments: [email protected]

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down the structure and writing lessons Screenwriters can learn from Act One of SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, including how to use blocking and silence to tell your story, how to maximize spare dialogue, and how to use action to advance your story and hide exposition.

TWIW: the structure and writing lessons of WAR OF THE WORLDS, and if you were to fire your rep, should you do it during or after the strike?

Questions / Comments: [email protected]

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Eliza Clark (Showrunner, Y: THE LAST MAN) wrote a document for her writers on what to do once they were on set to produce their episode of television. The document highlights the incredible importance of a writer on set, and how imperative episodic writers are for Showrunners in production. 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down Clark's list of writer duties on set, and further elucidate the important, unique and difficult job that a writer has in production.

Questions / Comments: [email protected]

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist