Screenwriting: From the Trenches

This week, Kay, like Backstreet, is back, and we’re talking about writing for the future! And to help us, I’ve managed to convince a guest I’ve wanted to have on for a long time, Liam O'Donnell, writer and director Beyond Skyline and Skylines to come on and tell us what it’s like. We also share some nice news about losers (racists/incels) losing, and Roadmap Writers taking L's on teaching writers about Blockchain.

Our Weekly Resource: Speaking futuristic, I’d like to shout out my friend Christopher English and his comic book magazine, Realms, which is up on Amazon, for free if you have Amazon/Kindle unlimited. And by its own description, explores science fiction, fantasy, and steampunk themes, as well as dystopian worlds, alternate realities, multiverse themes. Realms promises a wild ride in every issue.

Notes From the Episode:  

Liam O'Donnell on Twitter  

In support of Microbudget Filmmaking, Rob and Kay have started a new series where they both spotlight a film & the filmmakers in order to glean all the golden goodness for those of us in the trenches trying to make Marvels out of A24's.

This week, Kay was MIA (again!) so Rob sat down with Adam Mervis (writer/director) and Mark Stolaroff (producer), of the film, The Last Days of Capitalism.  We also -- like we do -- got into the various Twitter dust ups -- WE SEE FTW(!) -- and got into tea over everyone's favorite corporate overlord villain, WBDiscovery, and their diversity program shenanigans. 

Our Weekly Resource: The Last Days of Capitalism. Available for free on Amazon Prime and Tubi, you too can check out this little miracle of a film and form your own opinion of what the title means to you. You can also see some pretty amazing performances from stars Sarah Harper and Mike Faiola

Notes From the Episode:  

Adam Mervis on Twitter

Kay Tuxford and Rob are diametrically opposed as to how they come by writing their scripts, so, they decided to do full episodes on the methods to their madness to explain their processes and ultimately learn from each other...so you can too, listener. This is part one.

Our Weekly Resource: Index Cards! You can buy them at any office supply store for a few dollars and they are perfect for building and viewing an outline. Great to lay out on a table in front of you while you are building a story or if you love outlining as much as Kay does, great to put on a corkboard.

Notes From the Episode:

Rob's YouTube Channel

"Is my screenplay going to earn me a million dollars?" Anything is possible, but Rob & Kay are back this week to expel these frequent myths and demons from screenwriter discourse. Among the things discussed, how to break the rules by Tarantino, do you have to live in LA to be a screenwriter, and the ever popular "Should I bold my slug lines?" (ugh). Amongst the screenwriting drama, we discuss the follies of AFF, the potential mileage of putting your screenplay on The Black List, and how horror specs are popular (who knew?).

Our Weekly Resource: Adventures in the Screentrade by William Goldman – Screenwriting’s Grandpa and 2 time Oscar winner. Goldman’s book and its sequel, Which Lie Did I Tell? Is a candid look at the career of a successful screenwriter and many events that chronicled Goldman’s career are still relevant to today’s screenwriter. And since it is his account of his career, it is Myth free. He even debunks a popular screenwriting Myth – that he had a hand in writing Good Will Hunting. (Though Kay likes to believe he wrote it anyway).

Notes From the Episode:

Rob's YouTube Channel

In support of Microbudget Filmmaking, Rob and Kay have started a new series where they both spotlight a film & the filmmakers in order to glean all the golden goodness for those of us in the trenches trying to make Marvels out of A24's.

After watching (and being offended by) the film, Rob decided to eschew the normal format of the podcast and grill the folks behind the monster, which turned into a discussion on how Cactus Jack came to life in the first place (blame Hollywood), and how Jay Thornton and crew want to do more than build sympathy for the devil with their horror movie.  

Notes From the Episode:  

Jay Thornton on Twitter

CRAFT EPISODE! Rob and Kay get on the mic to have "A Talk About Dialog" (see what we did there?) First about how to spell it, then about how it should be done in your screenplays. We also talk about how Hollywood doesn't -- apparently -- know how to market Viola Davis as a badass, the scientific facts surrounding melanin in (Little) Mermaids, and how a Twitter battle almost brewed into literal fisticuffs. Y'all know how we do!

Our Weekly Resource: Google screenplay dialog and you’ll get a ton of stuff, but this week’s resource from Lessons From the Screenplay on YouTube has a specific example of how to write a battle with words, aptly titled “Writing a Final Battle” using A Few Good Men as it’s example. This video has the dual bonus of being of Aaron Sorkin stanning pedigree, so we can’t help but to recommend it.

Notes From the Episode:

Rob's YouTube Channel

Last week was kind of a dramaramallama, so Rob & Kay decided a new Therapy Session was needed! They talk about the death of Queen Elizabeth, the saga (still) unfolding over, "Don't Worry Darling" and Olivia Wilde, Filmic Pro, filmmaking, etc. We hope you can commiserate with us -- it's rough out there, folks. Sometimes you gotta vent.

Our Weekly Resource: Life is pain, so sometimes you need to laugh. We wish we could link you guys to the adult Wednesday series written by Melissa Hunter, but, I can link you to a hilarious short that she did entitled, “Dead Puppies” which is on YouTube for you to laugh at and enjoy.

Notes From the Episode:

Rob's YouTube Channel

In support of Microbudget Filmmaking, Rob and Kay have started a new series where they both spotlight a film & filmmaker in order to glean all the golden goodness for those of us in the trenches trying to make Marvels out of A24's, and our second episode features the co-writers (and director and producer) of the still-in-production indie, Anna Key, Amanda Megan and Matt Anderson, whom Rob recently worked with.

This week’s Resource: Filmic Pro. They may be moving toward a subscription based system soon, so word on the street is, if you’re under the old system – the now system – you’ll be grandfathered in before it goes into any potential subscription nonsense.

Key 13 Films on Instagram

This week we’re discussing #NoHollywood or the questioning of future productions done outside the Hollywood system and to help us with that we have the writer and director of one of Rob’s favorite new movies, 18 & 1/2, Dan Mirvish!

Our Weekly Resource: The Cheerful Subversive's Guide to Independent Filmmaking, a book that our guest wrote, is in its second edition over on Amazon, We haven’t read it yet, but Kay and Rob have just bought it on Audible so they will be looking forward to spending more time with our friend Dan in their ears this week.

Notes From the Episode:

In support of Microbudget Filmmaking, Rob and Kay have started a new series where they both spotlight a film & filmmaker in order to glean all the golden goodness for those of us in the trenches trying to make Marvels out of A24's, starting with Rob Schulbaum and his film, "The Wrong Todd".

Our Weekly Resource: "The Wrong Todd" on Amazon Prime. We’ve said it before (and we’ll probably say it again. If "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once" is the low-budget "Multiverse of Madness", then "The Wrong Todd" is the microbudget "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once" (it’d make a great triple feature at the drive-in). It’s a fantastic movie and a near masterclass in low-budget screenwriting. 

Rob's YouTube Channel