#Scriptnotes Podcast

[chrisullrich]

Weekly Roundup 11.3.23

New On the Blog - Weekly Roundup 11.3.23

I’m starting/restarting a thing here on the blog. What is this thing, you may wonder? Well, glad you asked. I’m calling it the ‘Weekly Roundup’ and will be items of interest and/or links I found interesting during the week or continue to find interesting or useful on a regular or semi-regular basis. I won’t be talking much about or linking to anything to do with the current situation in the…

[dirtyriver]

John and Craig welcome Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, Good Omens) to discuss the serialized storytelling of comics and screenwriting. Using Neil’s script for issue 24 of The Sandman, they look at how comics are written, communicating with other artists, using the medium to your advantage, and finding unique ways to deliver your story.

Neil also shares how he developed his voice as a writer, from the origin of his religious and mythological curiosities to the importance of doing it wrong, defining style, and his advice to young writers.

[easternpine]

The beginning is the end is the beginning: writing endings

The Scriptnotes podcast recently put out a compilation episode about writing effective endings that I found really enlightening. They're coming at it from the perspective of screenwriters, but I think most of the advice applies just as well to fiction writers.

Give it a listen!

[leighlew3]

Hello. I just started screenwriting. It was a bit difficult since all I've been writing was prose all my life but I got used to it in a bit once I finished watching all the Youtube tutorials and kept studying scripts, especially superhero ones since that's what I write. I started screenwriting because I realized I think more visually (especially with my ADHD) and I wasn't writing as much as I used to. Plus my writing style sucks. Peroid.

Can you share tips for beginner screenwriters? Like writing tv show and episodic stories if you can? It will be highly appreciated.

Also, how did you get into screenwriting?

Hi!

Welcome to the circus! We're all clowns here.

Nah, but real talk -- I'd be sure to check in on some free resources online that offer invaluable information and tips. Whether it's just random sites found via Google, or podcasts. Two of the only ones I personally really pay much attn to:

John August's Blog Scriptnotes Podcast (eps are free but there's Premium extras)

First things first, MY tip to you is to learn to love and embrace research. A huge part of the craft and job itself is researching. So if you learn to be good at it, even right off the bat in looking up tips on structure, formatting (Screenwriter's Bible is a great book for the technical basics), etc -- you'll be able to slowly learn the basics, and then how to evolve as a writer, and so on. Everything I ever knew of screenwriting before becoming a professional was self-taught, so don't think that one has to spend a fortune, take classes, etc to do this. If you have the determination, the drive, the work ethic, a smidgen of talent, and the delusion to not give up -- you never know how far you could actually go.

When it comes to the TV space, I will say it's... evolving. Drastically and quickly. 'Rules' and standards in the industry that were rules 20 years ago changed 10 years ago. And they're changing again now as we speak. That being said there's always going to be the core basics.

I think a good resource some for the basics at this point in time can be found here.

Beyond all that, a very helpful thing to do is to download and read as many scripts in the vein of what you hope to write as possible. Make a list of your favorite shows or ones in the genre and style and format you hope to work in -- and check around online. You're sure to find some pilots, maybe even some early pitches or show bibles for those series. Seeing how it's actually done on the page will always be the most valuable way of learning, above all else.

If you have more specific questions, I'm around and can try to help further. As for how I got into screenwriting? I realized very young I wanted to be involved in the industry in a creative capacity. I loved writing short stories and poetry as a kid and won some stuff in school but I never really thought about writing professionally. That being said, I was studying box office results like it was math homework and reading the trades while my friends were reading teen magazines on fashion and celeb couples, lol. At first I thought perhaps I would be a director since I'm a visual person, but then I wrote some fanfiction as a teen, and so many people would say "I wish you wrote for the show!" so I started to think maybe I could be a writer, but I didn't think I had my own stories to tell. And then... one day I did. I dove into some original ideas by thinking on what I wasn't seeing enough of from Hollywood (female lead action and thrillers, etc at the time) and off I went...

I've worked in the industry in other capacities (social media, PR, marketing, etc) from afar (in TX) for many years but eventually really started to do everything I could to pursue the true dream and be a writer. Alas, I wanted to make it on my own without asking for favors nor hookups. I would avoid what I did, if I were you -- GO AHEAD AND ASK FOR HELP. Don't be afraid to. I stupidly took longer than needed b/c I didn't want to be that person that asked for help or yet another friend of a celebrity who needed / wanted something from them. That was dumb. I could've saved myself years of struggling and hustling alone -- alas, lesson learned. 😂

Anyway, I eventually landed a rep via cold email queries. The guy was awful. I've since upgraded to much better reps and have a lot of exciting things happening. Slowly. The pandemic and strikes sidelined a lot and made projects that would've happened 5+ years ago only now start to really happen, but hey -- better late than never.

So yeah, just know that it's a really really REALLY hard time in the industry right now, and the TV space is being hit the hardest. That being said -- somebody still has to write for television. And there's no saying it can't be you, or anyone else reading this. If you can learn the basics of formatting and structure, hone your craft, find your VOICE as a writer, and work really really hard and be patient as hell... you never know what you can accomplish.

[lies]

Hi! I saw your recent post of the Chernobyl abandoned radar system and wanted to ask you about it, if you feel like answering.

What do you remember of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster in 1986? I'm a bit younger than you so my memories of it are rather vague. I certainly remember when it happened but I wasn't old enough to have any real understanding of the event.

Did you watch HBO's 2019 miniseries Chernobyl? I was riveted by it. I also read Adam Higginbotham's "Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster" which came out that same year.

I don't remember much about it. I was 24, which means I was in the midst of struggling with early post-college employment. The partner in crime and I had been married for a few years. I remember it as difficult jobs, unreliable cars, and tight budgets on our respective tiny salaries. We were living in L.A. She was working at Tower Records, I was a substitute teacher for LA Unified. I was aware that Chernobyl happened because it was front-page news for weeks, but I didn't pay a lot of attention to it at the time.

Watching the HBO series was really interesting. I was already a fan of Craig Mazin from listening to Scriptnotes, and I listed to the bonus podcast for the series while it was airing. Yeah, riveting is a good word for it.

I didn't read the Higginbotham book. What did you think of it?

[talldecafcappuccino]

I want to shout out this delightful podcast episode because I adore Pamie (aka Pamela Ribon) and this was a good discussion/interview:

[painted-bees]

6 and 11 for the artist ask game!

6) Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it) Vision of Escaflowne always finds its way into my work one way or another, whether I want it to or not lmao. Same with Bedlam's Bard.

11) Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what Yes! Podcasts. If I don't have someone else's voice chattering in my ear, then my brain chatters to itself imaginary, circular arguments about the most infuriating garbage, and I can't turn it off and it's very disruptive. So I listen to Scriptnotes Podcast, Well There's Your Problem, Kill James Bond, and then on youtube, I regularly listen to Savage Books, Like Stories of Old, and 8 Bit Music Theory.

[trainsinanime]

If you have a bit of time, I recommend the latest episode of the Scriptnotes podcast (sidecast SC34), where John August and two other screenwriters go through the summary and explain what it means. John August is one of the people on the negotiating committee, so he knows precisely what is going on there. It’s very technical, but very informative.

The. Deal. Is. So. Good.

Couldn't get the link to the side-by-side of the WGA offer, the AMPTP counter offer from May, and the final deal, because it's a document to download and too many pictures to take for this post that probably wouldn't be legible, but it's in this tweet (click the link below the tweet to go to said tweet):

Don't forget,the fight isn't over for SAG-AFTRA and next year, contracts are up again for IATSE, including The Animation Guild.

If you're a fan of movies, film, and animation, keep helping the guilds fight the good fight!

And of course, big thanks to strike hero Drew Carey for paying for probably THOUSANDS of meals for striking writers in LA these past five months.

Congratulations WGA and Pre-WGA for your amazing wins with this contract!

[gunsandbutterproductions]

08.30, 08.31, 09.01, 09.02, 09.03 & 09.04.24

Kinda screwed the pooch on keeping current with the blogging over the past several days. The important stuff to know on the creative front: I settled on a version of theme which combines the advice from Craig Mazin's aforementioned Scriptnotes essay with guidance from his co-podcaster, famed screenwriter John August, who thinks of theme more in terms of a core idea or "DNA" that infuses every scene and character -- the essence which gives a film its distinctiveness. I made a change to the Set-Up Want section of the Nutshell worksheet to align with my theme (all the other sections stayed the same), so now I'm on to attempting that rudimentary version of the Beat Board. My goal is to have it filled in by this time next week and then finally grind out my first draft.

I now have a meme pinned to my corkboard, a photo of Jordan Peele along with his sage quote, "When I'm writing the first draft I'm constantly reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles." I hope to muster the discipline to abide by this credo.

Monday's screening of Spaghetti Western at the Studio City Film Festival went well. Frustratingly, Leti missed it due to a camera crew blocking the entrance of the theater when the program started (our short was first in the lineup), but hopefully she'll have another opportunity to see it projected. She would've been happy with the audience's response to the Wilhelm scream gag. Afterward, we gathered at Brews Brothers down the street and hung out with our crew and friends for about three hours. I had made a reservation at the wrong location (BB has another one in Burbank); luckily, there was plenty of room for us anyway. Abby brought Erica, which made me very happy; and though Manny made it to the screening, she was unfortunately unable to stay and socialize.

This week may be the hottest of the year thus far. It's hard to keep the office temperature comfortable, and the heat may be activating the constant itchiness on my back -- not ideal conditions for writing, but I can't let that stop me.

[stellasfilmblog]

Podcast Episode of the Week

I have been trying to listen to more filmmaking podcasts as they really help me develop a greater understanding of the filmmaking process and open my mind to totally different viewpoints.

So I'm challenging myself to write a Podcast episode of the week blog post every week, so that I can hold myself accountable to this goal.

This Weeks Episode is Script Notes Episode 609 - Dialogue and Character Voice.

A filmaking podcast that I've started listening to recently is Scriptnotes. I started initially listening to it because I wanted to improve my screenwriting skills but it's also quite enjoyable to listen to.

I listened to a couple of episodes of this podcast this week and the most interesting one was this episode, I learned a lot about making screenplays. They discussed how to make dialogue interesting, what can make dialogue easier for actors to remember and how much of a priority that should be, how to make dialogue more natural and gave some really helpful tips like avoid one character doing all the talking and read your script aloud.

[whydotheycallmedarren]

[kulturalnemakarony-blog]

Jeszcze w ramach luźnych przemyśleń na temat „Czarnobyla”: nie wiem, czy wiecie, ale scenariusze wszystkich odcinków dostępne są zupełnie za darmo i całkowicie legalnie. Craig Mazin jest współtwórcą Scriptnotes, podcastu o scenopisarstwie (wysłuchałam jednego odcinka, ale był super, więc jeśli interesują Was takie tematy…), i scenariusze zostały udostępnione w ramach tego projektu.

Dla mnie była to bardzo ciekawa lektura, bo (o czym już trochę mówiłam) bardzo, ale to bardzo podoba mi się struktura „Czarnobyla” i sposób, w jaki poprowadzona jest tam cała narracja. Przeglądając scenariusz można zobaczyć tak od podszewki, jak rozplanowane są poszczególne odcinki i sceny, co było według scenarzysty ważne, na jakie elementy chciał zwrócić uwagę widza. Scenariusz różni się oczywiście od produktu końcowego – niektórych scen ostatecznie nie ma w serialu, niektóre wyglądają zupełnie inaczej. Sporo rzeczy, które scenariusz mówi wprost, w serialu jest tylko delikatnie zasugerowane – co może być dość oczywiste, bo scenariusz to jednak tekst roboczy.

Jednocześnie podczas lektury możemy dostrzec, jak zbudowane są pewne elementy świata przedstawionego. Dla mnie na przykład bardzo ciekawy w „Czarnobylu” jest czas, który z odcinka na odcinek przyśpiesza, aż w końcu wrócimy do punktu wyjścia. Jest to bardzo ładnie zrobione, a w scenariuszu wyraźniej niż w serialu widać, kiedy właściwie sygnalizuje się nam jako widzom upływ czasu, jak buduje się napięcie, jak współgrają ze sobą poszczególne sceny. A że „Czarnobyl” jest dobrze napisany, to i bardzo przyjemnie się to czyta.

/K

Scenariusze dostępne są tutaj: https://johnaugust.com/library Link do podcastu Scriptnotes na spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ohMdZ91g1sXIYz8ylNgD9

[maaarine]

Scriptnotes: 433 - The One with Greta Gerwig

“John and Greta Gerwig (writer/director of Little Women and Lady Bird) discuss adaptation, ambition and authorship.

With the screenplay in front of them, they look at specific scenes in Little Women and explore how its non-linear timeline changed how the movie works.”

Scriptnotes: 435 - The One with Noah Baumbach

“John talks with writer-director Noah Baumbach about his film Marriage Story.

With script in hand, we discuss his writing process, handling overlapping dialogue, and how to find balance in a two-hander.”

[historiaeroteiro]

Podcast do John August e Craig Mazin - dentro do festival de Austin, Craig Mazin fala com vários veteranos sobre entrar no mercado. Coisas que muitos roteiristas iniciantes erram ou não entendem.

[bunchofbloom]

Aline talks with her longtime friends looking back on the show.