Scriptnotes Podcast
Screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin discuss screenwriting and related topics in the film and television industry, everything from getting stuff written to the vagaries of copyright and work-for-hire law.
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730 - A Frank Conversation About Screenwriting
03/31/2026
730 - A Frank Conversation About Screenwriting
John sits down with the Northwest Screenwriters Guild at an event to promote the Scriptnotes book, and ends up having a poignant conversation about how the career of screenwriting has changed, missteps John made throughout his career, and how his approach to screenwriting has evolved over time. He also answers questions on kicking bad writing habits, screenwriting careers outside of Hollywood, what to look for in the projects you choose, whether age matters in a screenwriting career, writing your calling card movie, the sidekick problem, and the real story behind the Prince of Persia movie. In our bonus segment for premium members, John has been hanging out with sketch writers for the last few weeks and is excited to share what he’s learned about writing sketch comedy. Links: Steven Soderbergh’s Dennis Palumbo episodes, and , or Scriptnotes on and John August on and by Nick Moore () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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729 - Endings Compendium, Part II
03/24/2026
729 - Endings Compendium, Part II
In our first sequel compendium, John and Craig revisit four of their best segments dedicated to crafting a satisfying and emotional ending to your story. They look at rooting your ending in character, the function of the denouement, what makes a memorable farewell, how and why our endings can change, and how to bring everything full-circle. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and producer Drew continue a discussion that Drew Goddard started on character sides and the process of casting minor characters. Links: Our first endings compendium, with Aline Brosh McKenna Episodes , , , and , or Scriptnotes on and John August on and by Eric Pearson () Segments originally produced by , , Drew Marquardt and . Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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728 - Beats to Scenes with Drew Goddard
03/17/2026
728 - Beats to Scenes with Drew Goddard
John welcomes back Drew Goddard (Project Hail Mary, High Potential) to ask, how do you turn the beats of your story into full scenes? Using Drew’s script for The Martian, we look at how he translates moments in a book into scenes in a movie, the freedom Drew finds in a beat sheet, how beats are approached in a TV writers room, and his advice to a staff writer struggling with a draft. We also dig into Drew’s process for adapting Project Hail Mary, choosing what to cut, and his eloquent defense of double-spacing in a screenplay. He’s even kind enough to help answer listener questions on how to recharge your brain and how to indicate you wrote the most on a co-written script. In our bonus segment for premium members, Drew shares his outlook on the current TV landscape, including the big mistake he sees young writers make in their spec pilots. Links: | Drew Goddard on Noah Kalina on and by Lucia Berlin , or Scriptnotes on and John August on and by Nick Moore () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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197 - How do bad movies get made? (Encore)
03/10/2026
197 - How do bad movies get made? (Encore)
John and Craig revisit a favorite episode focused on a single topic: bad movies and how they happen. Using first-hand experience, they look at how bad ideas make it to the screen, how good ideas go wrong, and the range of patterns that end in terrible movies. We also make a list of our then-dream guests for the podcast (many of whom have now been on the show). And fast-forwarding to 2026, we announce an exciting new feature for Highland Pro. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Drew ditch the texts and emails and to pick up the phone and make a call. Links: has arrived! by Nellie Andreeva for Deadline John’s Screencasts on , , and , or Scriptnotes on and John August on and by Rajesh Naroth () This episode was originally produced by Stuart Friedel. Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode . The transcript of this episode can be found .
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727 - Free Work
03/03/2026
727 - Free Work
John and Craig tackle the scourge of free work and offer strategies to avoid it. They look at established norms, potential remedies, the things that should work but often don’t, and how writers should think about the time and effort they’re putting in before getting paid. We also follow up on useful comps, AI coverage, what to do with our DVDs, and answer listener questions on pitching at an internship and a sensitive situation when naming an award. In our bonus segment for premium members, how do we write American law enforcement officers now that their jobs don’t function the way they used to? Links: by Zack Sharf for Variety by Secret City Vancouver , or Scriptnotes on and John August on and by Eric Pearson () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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726 - So you’ve been nominated for an Oscar
02/24/2026
726 - So you’ve been nominated for an Oscar
Taika Waititi’s Andrea Arnold’s Martin McDonagh’s Damien Chazelle’s Jim Cummings’ David F. Sandberg’s by Mike Donahue , or Scriptnotes on and John August on and by Nick Moore () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Our Director of Photography is . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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725 - Torn from the pages of Squash Magazine
02/17/2026
725 - Torn from the pages of Squash Magazine
John and Craig gather our listeners’ favorite news articles and ask, How Would This Be a Movie? Stories include an underground network delivering menstrual supplies in Minneapolis, a millennial travel group, how the US hacked ISIS, and a fake college squash team. But first we follow up on modern comps, email issues, teaching screenwriting, and what it means to be undeniable. We also answer listener questions on querying reps with a published book and whether writers really need to repeat the plot for a second-screen audience. In our bonus segment for premium members, what do we do with all our old CDs and DVDs? We weigh the pros and cons of physical media. Links: by Jasmine Garsd and Sarah Ventre for NPR by Caity Weaver for The New York Times by Dina Temple-Raston for NPR by James Zug for Squash Magazine by David Foster Wallace by Cornell University and Anthropic , or Scriptnotes on and John August on and by Gloom Canyon () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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724 - Introductions with Joachim Trier
02/10/2026
724 - Introductions with Joachim Trier
John welcomes writer and director Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value, The Worst Person in the World) to ask, how do you introduce your characters and their world to the audience? Using the screenplay for Sentimental Value, Joachim lays out how he sets up his themes, characters, conflicts and narrative authority in the first few pages. We also look at Joachim’s process of developing stories with his co-writer Eskil Vogt, and answer listener questions on endings, casting, and work-life balance. In our bonus segment for premium members, Joachim and John flip through how we present screenplays on screen, why Joachim translates his scripts in pre-production, and the one little detail you might not have noticed in Sentimental Value. Links: | Chris Ware by Chris Ware , or Scriptnotes on John August on and by Jeff Hoeppner & Richard Kraft () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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723 - Blank Meets Blank
02/03/2026
723 - Blank Meets Blank
by Jack Plotnick on Instagram via Variety , or Scriptnotes on John August on and by Pete White () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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722 - Orality, or Writing to be Spoken
01/27/2026
722 - Orality, or Writing to be Spoken
John and Craig ask, are screenwriters just oral storytellers who happen to write things down? They compare the literate and oral markers of the medium, how it separates screenplays from other literary forms, and consider whether screenplays are just one long pitch. We also look at the upcoming WGA member meetings, follow up on having enough time in the edit bay, Steve Jobs, Eva Victor, justifiable Dad pride, and answer listener questions on deliverables and what makes a script “undeniable.” In our bonus segment for premium members, we look at the incredible slate of upcoming movies and make predictions for the 2026 box office. Links: by Kevin Kelly by JP Aumasson by Krista Conger trailer , or Scriptnotes on John August on and by Jennifer Lucy Cook () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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721 - Preparing to Direct (with Eva Victor)
01/20/2026
721 - Preparing to Direct (with Eva Victor)
John and Craig welcome the actor-writer-director of the acclaimed indie Sorry, Baby to discuss preparing to direct your first feature. Eva Victor’s year-long bootcamp included reverse-shotlisting movies, shadowing other directors, and lots of visual development. It earned them Best Directorial Debut by the National Board of Review. We also examine how Eva chose which scenes to cut, answer a listener question on how to talk to actors, and follow up on some excellent reviews of the Scriptnotes Book. In our bonus segment for premium members (like Eva!), Eva revisits their early career to think about how short-form video intersects with Hollywood. Links: Eva’s on X by Sophie Gilbert , or Scriptnotes on John August on and by Nick Moore () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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720 - Watch Your Tone
01/13/2026
720 - Watch Your Tone
John welcomes back Susanna Fogel and David Iserson (The Spy Who Dumped Me) to steal their secrets on creating an original tone in their new series PONIES. They look at how the writers room was built to match their sensibilities, using characters to anchor the audience, and what it takes to sell and produce an original period TV series in 2026. We also talk about the pros and cons of filming in Budapest, and answer listener questions on trusting your judgement, recognizing your talent, differentiating character voices, and whether spec pilots are out of fashion. In our bonus segment for premium members, Susanna and David look at how our taste develops, including what we can learn about taste from The Beatles. Links: | On Peacock January 15th and by Adam Moss by Adam Mastroianni Procreate emulators and International Society of Character Artists’ by Ira Glass , or Scriptnotes on John August on and by Matthew Chilelli () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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719 - When Good Enough Isn’t Enough
01/06/2026
719 - When Good Enough Isn’t Enough
John and Craig consider all the words they have to write and ask, how do you know when something deserves your best effort? They offer a useful rubric for deciding when something is worth perfecting, and when over-optimization is a waste of time. We also follow up on compulsive writing habits, industry euphemisms, back issues, and the impact and legacy of the WGA’s 2019 agency negotiations. In our bonus segment for premium members, it’s a new year! John looks back at things he accomplished in 2025 and his goals for 2026, while Craig sighs and gestures in the direction of The Last of Us. Links: by Nick Haslam Valentina Vee on and by Madison Karrh John’s , or Scriptnotes on John August on and by Eric Pearson () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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718 - No Worries if Not
12/30/2025
718 - No Worries if Not
John and Craig circle back on all the euphemisms and stock phrases that float around Hollywood. Using some favorite examples, they attempt to define and demystify the current industry-speak so everyone is looped in when we come up for air after the holidays. We also wrap-up 2025 with a look at Scriptnotes by the numbers, check-in on Disney’s deal with OpenAI, follow up on that director who scammed Netflix out of $11 million, and answer listener questions on the guilds’ involvement in video podcasts and reps who won’t send out co-written scripts. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig navigate how to deal with difficult collaborators. Links: by Steven Zeitchik and Julian Sancton for The Hollywood Reporter by Dominic Patten for Deadline by Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon by Seth Abramovitch for The Hollywood Reporter by Larian Studios , or (now with fewer emails!) Scriptnotes on John August on and by Nick Moore () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode . (46:41)
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717 - The Screenwriting Life: The Craft Lessons That Matter Most
12/23/2025
717 - The Screenwriting Life: The Craft Lessons That Matter Most
In a Christmas crossover event, John and Craig join Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) and Lorien McKenna (Tab Time) on their podcast, The Screenwriting Life. We talk about why rigid structure can miss the point, how theme emerges from character, what fear and denial really look like on the page, and how writers can survive rejection without letting it define them. In our bonus segment for premium members, John breaks Drew’s heart with his lovely memories of Rob & Michele Reiner. Links: podcast , or (now with fewer emails!) Scriptnotes on John August on and by Mathew Chilelli () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode . (20:00)
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716 - Personality Typologies
12/16/2025
716 - Personality Typologies
on Netflix Mike Makowsky on and (The last time Mike was on the podcast) Alan Sepinwall for The Ringer by Candice Millard from Assassins by Gretchen Rubin by Linda Edelstein by Emily Mullin for WIRED on HBO Max , or (now with fewer emails!) Scriptnotes on John August on and by Luke Foster () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode . (9:00)
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715 - The Book Launch, Live!
12/09/2025
715 - The Book Launch, Live!
John and Craig celebrate the release of the Scriptnotes Book with a sold-out show full of arguments, games and holiday cheer at Dynasty Typewriter in LA. Slate’s Julia Turner returns to interview John and Craig about the fifteen year journey towards creating the book, and challenges Craig’s dismissal of critics. We also welcome back Ashley Nicole Black (Shrinking, Ted Lasso) to help us get through a fridgeful of leftover questions, and invite three lucky audience members to play our new game: “Somewhat strange lines from Christmas movies.” In our bonus segment for premium members, we invite our audience to ask us questions in a live Q&A. Links: Ashley Nicole Black on from on Instagram , or (now with fewer emails!) Scriptnotes on John August on and by Mathew Chilelli () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode . (2:18)
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714 - Three Page Challenge Live in Austin 2025
12/02/2025
714 - Three Page Challenge Live in Austin 2025
John and Craig gather a congregation of writers in St. David’s Episcopal Church for a live round of the Three Page Challenge. They look at three listener-submitted scripts to offer them their honest feedback, face-to-face. They offer suggestions on world building in the apocalypse, making military characters specific, building mystery and suspense, and crafting con-artist logic. In our bonus segment for premium members, we answer questions from our audience on how to know if a script looks correct, what we want to see in the first three pages, using actor names in character descriptions, what comedy requires, and how to direct a reader’s attention on the page. Links: Follow along with our Three Page Challenge Selections! by Michael Warnecke, by Teddy Johnson, by Becca Hurd , or (now with fewer emails!) Scriptnotes on John August on and by Mathew Chilelli () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at (1:03) You can download the episode .
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713 - Your First Produced Film
11/25/2025
713 - Your First Produced Film
John welcomes Danya Jimenez & Hannah McMechan, the writing team behind KPop Demon Hunters, to chart their path from film school to first feature. They look at navigating early career difficulties like finding your voice and trying to get reps, their method of building a writing partnership, and how a bad pitch led them to writing one of the biggest movies of the year. We also follow up on breaking in later in life and writing with ADHD. In our bonus segment for premium members, what does Hollywood get wrong about Gen Z? Danya and Hannah share what drives them crazy about how their generation is portrayed on screen. Links: and on Netflix on Scriptnotes, episodes , , , on Apple TV by Kevin Brownlow by Gretchen Felker-Martin on HBO Max , or (now with fewer emails!) Scriptnotes on John August on and by James Llonch () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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712 - Something Wicked This Way Comes
11/18/2025
712 - Something Wicked This Way Comes
John and Craig welcome back Dana Fox (Wicked, The Lost City) for a magical flight through everything that went into adapting Wicked and its upcoming sequel, Wicked: For Good. They look at the history of the project, why it was split into two movies, the process for writing when you’re shooting two movies at the same time, and the exhausting effort it takes for big movies to defy gravity. We also chat with Graham Rowat, the narrator of the Scriptnotes audiobook, follow up on weird movies and cuck chairs, answer listener questions on the limits of torturing your heroes and ask, did the 90’s really have the best actions movies? In our bonus segment for premium members, Dana sticks around to take us behind the scenes of a big movie’s promo circuit, and how to stay sane (and even popular!) throughout the world tour. Links: Dana Fox on and Wicked and Owl Labs’ podcast , or (now with fewer emails!) Scriptnotes on John August on and by Spencer Lackey () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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