Scriptnotes Podcast

What are storytellers' responsibilities when it comes to real-life figures? How much fiction can you blend with fact?

You Can See Everything is the latest film exploring Elizabeth Holmes, the fascinating and singular Theranos founder. In light of its cultural moment, this week we revisit episode 546, where John is joined by Liz Meriwether and Liz Hannah to discuss their own Liz Holmes series, The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried.

No spoilers in the main show, but in our mega-bonus segment for premium subscribers, John, Craig, Drew, Meredith and Lauren have a spoiler-filled roundtable discussion of their You Can See Everything experiences. Unsurprisingly, Craig has strong opinions.

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Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Gloom Canyon (send us yours!)

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John and Craig welcome a long-awaited guest: Andrew Stanton, writer-director behind many beloved Pixar films including Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., WALL-E, and the Toy Story franchise.

They talk about making sequels, Andrew's approach to storytelling, and the ways that Pixar shook up the typical Disney formula. (For example, Pixar's take on villains.)

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, the three discuss directing other people's writing, as well as working in TV versus features.

Links:

• Andrew Stanton's 2012 TED Talk
• Cool Hand Luke
• How many shots are in the average movie today? by Stephen Follows

Download the episode here!

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Nick Moore (send us yours!)

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Since the dawn of storytelling, there have been archetypes. What aspects of archetypes are actually useful for writers? And how do we move beyond tropes to create complex characters?

Pick a card, any card! John and Craig play around with the upcoming Creator Character Kit. They draw archetype cards and imagine multifaceted characters that embody those qualities.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig talk home cinema hardware: screens and projectors.

Links:

• Character Creator Kit
• L.A. World's "The One Street that Explains LA"

Download the episode here!

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Nick Moore (send us yours!)

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What changes when you take off your writer hat and put on your director hat? In this compendium episode, John, Craig, and Scriptnotes coordinator Lauren Loesberg review directing advice previously given on the podcast.

John and Craig offer Lauren pointers on directing her next project. They also answer a listener question about directing actors "on the page."

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, we discuss film festivals. Why would writers go? And what can you expect to get out of the experience?

Links:

• Three Page Challenge
• Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
• Mailbox Toluca Lake
• Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn

Download the episode here!

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Nick Moore (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

John welcomes writer and actress Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks, The Big Sick, She Said) to talk about her sweeping and thorough reimagining of East of Eden, releasing on Netflix on October 1st. They discuss her approach to period piece dialogue, the process of adapting such an expansive novel, and the family history behind this particular project.

Rich with biblical parallels, East of Eden is a perfect story for a discussion of archetypes. John invites Zoe to pull cards from the upcoming Character Creator Kit in a conversation about the iconic East of Eden antagonist, Cathy.

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, John asks Zoe about her experience growing up with two screenwriter parents.

Links:

• Writer Emergency Pack: Character Creator Kit
• why I can't stop thinking about Papua New Guinea by Daniel Frank

Download the episode here!

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Adam Pineless (send us yours!)

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Today, we welcome longtime fantasy guest, Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The West Wing, The Social Network) to talk through his writing process and tease his upcoming film, The Social Reckoning.

Does Aaron Sorkin use outlines? Where does he begin? And does he have any more ideas? All these questions and more will be answered. John also presents a couple of Sorkin's own scenes as a case study on writing conflict.

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, we discuss Sorkin's projects that never got produced. Now you see it… now you don't.

Links:

• The West Wing – Donna & Josh Conversation
• The Social Network – Do I have your full attention?
• Surf Dracula

Download the episode here!

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!)

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Think of this as a crash course in general meetings.

In this compendium, John, Craig and Scriptnotes intern, Lauren, mine previous episodes for advice on the bewildering "general." They aim to answer every question you've had about general meetings, over the years: What are they? What's discussed? And how do you get one?

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, John and Craig swap stories about their best, worst, and first general meetings.

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Nick Moore (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

What if you zigged when you thought you should have zagged? As an actress, a writer, a showrunner, and a host, Erin Gibson's career has been unpredictable. But look closer and you see it's driven by consistent values, smart timing, and the universal currency of comedy. John seeks her insight on going with the flow.

John and Erin answer listener questions about connecting with reps, sorting through your idea bank, and managing your emotions while writing. They also encourage listeners to praise colleagues and strangers. Just send the email!

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, John talks to Erin about moving out of LA "before it was cool."

Links:

• Attitudes! Podcast
• Gay of Thrones
• Feminasty
• Zach Cregger's "Elf Draft" Concept (11:43)
• Tuffy's Tug-O-War Dog Toy
• Agnes Pelton
• The Wax Child by Olga Ravn

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Matt Gillespie (send us yours!).

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The year was 2011. We had Occupy Wall Street, Hangover II, 50 Shades of Grey… and a podcast named Scriptnotes. On this episode, John and Craig celebrate their podcast Quinceañera, marking fifteen years together on mic.

They reflect on their very first episode, the content and cultural moments that marked 2011, and everything that's changed since.

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, John and Craig look forward fifteen years to make predictions on the year 2041.

Links:

• Walgreens with Mom Playlist by Danny Carney
• First Blossom in the Orchard by John Stokes

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!).

Email us at [email protected]

John and Taffy sit down for a candid conversation surrounding fame, interacting with famous people, and the depiction of fame on screen.

They also answer a listener question about cold email etiquette and the delicate art of asking for favors.

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, Taffy discusses the subject of her most recent "celebrity" profile: the controversial AI actress, Tilly Norwood.

Links:

• Why on Earth Have I Seen the Same Broadway Show 13 Times? An Investigation. by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
• Joe Allen
• I Profile Celebrities for a Living. Nothing Prepared Me for Tilly Norwood. by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our coordinator is Lauren Loesberg.

Outro by Timothy Lenko (send us yours!).

Email us at [email protected]