Show Notes
Why is it so satisfying to watch a highly-skilled character complete their goals? And why can it be equally hilarious to watch an incompetent character bumble through a slew of screw-ups? In this episode, John and Craig discuss how to play with competence in your characters. We also say goodbye to our producer Drew Marquardt with a thoroughly embarrassing exit interview, and reveal our new producer. However, it's not really goodbye, because Drew will be staying on to work with John on an upcoming project (TBA). In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig deliberate on the question: Should you quit LOUDLY? Links: The attack on competence by Iris Meredith Scott Tenorman Must Die (South Park – Season 5, Episode 4) Bartosz Ciechanowski's Curves and Surfaces Rhubarb Breakfast Dessert by Melissa Clark Easiest Citrus Roasted Rhubarb by "Kate Cooks" Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book! Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube Follow Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok John August on Bluesky and Instagram Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our intern is Lauren Loesberg. Email us at [email protected] You can download the episode here.
More from Scriptnotes Podcast
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!) Email us at [email protected]
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!) Email us at [email protected]
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!) Email us at [email protected]
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!) Email us at [email protected]