Craig and John take a look at what happens when the drama is behind the camera, and the difference between what's reported and what's really going on. We also offer some advice on what one should do, should they find themselves caught up in the crazy.

Finally, we answer a listener question on writing for specific actors and the challenges/opportunities this presents.

Links:

• The Mummy
• Lord and Miller and Han Solo
• Joss Whedon on Finishing Justice League
• Joss Whedon on his unmade Wonder Woman
• Computational Video Editing for Dialogue-Driven Scenes
• Clear
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Sam Brady (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

Craig and John take on a new Three Page Challenge, looking at three listener scenes to see if they follow the exacting rules set by Screenwriters University. (Ahem.)

We also answer listener questions on vintage screenplays, maturity, Smash Brothers and writing with a budget in mind.

Links:

• Sony Won’t Release Clean Versions of Films if Directors Disapprove
• The History of the Screenplay
• Steve Zissis
• Three Pages by Wyatt Cain
• Three Pages by Azhur Saleem
• Three Pages by Ashley Sanders
• Sarah Silverman - A Speck of Dust
• Mark Gatiss
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Sam Brady (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

Craig and John look at how screenwriters describe locations, and how these choices impact production and the final product. Plus, we discuss how podcasts have become a new source of IP for adaptations.

Finally, we address how to deal with the note to make your characters "more likeable."

Links:

• Screenwriters University
• Clean Movie Versions
• Homecoming
• Alex, Inc.
• Paris Circle Map
• Roman Roads
• Monument Valley 2
• Human Resource Machine
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

Craig and John answer listener questions about writer agreements, videogame properties, and page one rewrites.

How should a writer decide whether it’s better to keep revising an unmade project, or start on something new? We try to offer guidelines for when to buckle down and when to move on.

Also, John coins a new term that will forever change film studies.

Links:

• Scriptnotes Midnight Blue T-Shirt
• Portal: No Escape (Live Action Short Film by Dan Trachtenberg)
• This is why you want a writer’s agreement
• WGA Collaboration Agreement
• Rebecca Solnit: The Loneliness Of Donald Trump
• Faraway Puzzle Escape
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

In a new installment of How Would This Be a Movie, John and Craig take a look at three stories in the news to discuss how to adapt them into award-winning movies.

We also discuss why the studios are allowed to negotiate as one for the WGA contract.

Midnight Blue Scriptnotes shirts are back up at Cotton Bureau for a short time, so don’t miss out. Link below.

Links:

• Scriptnotes Midnight Blue T-Shirt
• The Seed Vault is Fine
• You May Want to Marry My Husband
• Scriptnotes, Episode 293: Underground Railroad of Love
• The Beleaguered Tenants of ‘Kushnerville’
• My Family’s Slave
• The Mystery of the Wasting House-Cats
• Dear Mr Darcy
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro Dear Mr Darcy by Esther Longhurst and Jessica Messenger (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

Craig and John look at The Addams Family -- not just the 1991 film and its sequel, but the property itself to see what lessons we can learn when adapting for the big screen.

We also answer listener questions on what makes a scene work and writing pilots based on existing IP.

Links:

• Addams Family TV Show Opening
• The Addams Family Official Trailer
• Addams Family Values Trailer
• The Moon And Me
• Master of None - Season 2 | Official Trailer
• New Paint Colors Invented by Neural Network
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

Chris McQuarrie (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, VALKYRIE) joins us to talk through how he went from writing giant movies to directing them.

We talk about the pitfalls directors face as they move from indie features to tentpoles, and the advice he gives them. Chris is currently, and conveniently, in Paris directing the next Mission: Impossible.

Links:

• Chris McQuarrie
• Valkyrie Official Trailer
• Mission Impossible 5 - Rogue Nation
• AutoDraw
• Zip Zap
• Fidget Cube
• Chris McQuarrie on Twitter
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

Craig and guest host Dana Fox welcome Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Rian Johnson (Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) to the live show at the Arclight. The four discuss breaking into Hollywood, handling rejection and sticking to your vision as a writer/director.

We also answer audience questions on motivation and holding onto hope.

Links:

• Rob McElhenney
• It's Always Sunny: The Gang Tends Bar
• Rian Johnson
• Looper Trailer
• The Last Jedi Trailer
• Dana Fox
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

Craig and John take on a new round of Three Page Challenges. There’s a fat “Elvis,” a bounty hunter White Rabbit, and a guy locked in the trunk of a speeding Mustang.

We also look at how characters move, and how screenwriters can use character movement to their benefit.

Links:

• Three Pages by Ted Wilkes
• Three Pages by Gerald Decker
• Three Pages by Phillip Rogers
• Kent Handmade Moustache Comb
• A Large-Scale Analysis of Technical Support Scams
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Andres Cantor (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

Craig and John investigate the future of the 007 franchise, script-reading robots, and the realities of overhauling a movie in the editing room.

We also look at another How Would This Be a Movie idea turning into reality.

The live show at ArcLight is a week away and tickets are almost sold out. Get yours now!

Links:

• Scriptnotes, Episode 214: Clerks and Recreation
• French Train Bros
• Scriptnotes, Episode 232: Fun with Numbers
• ScriptBook
• ScriptBook Sample Coverage
• The Battle for James Bond
• Passengers, Rearranged
• Important, Not Important
• Stephen King Pop Songs
• Pinball Arcade: The Addams Family
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.