Thu, 10 November 2022
From visionary director Robert Eggers, The Northman follows a young Viking prince (Alexander Skarsgård) on a quest to avenge his father's murder. Eggers and his co-writer, Sjón, chatted with Final Draft about the collaborative process of working on the script. "I had lunch with Alexander Skarsgård, who said that he wanted to make a Viking movie," Eggers said, "and I said, 'I can make a Viking movie, and I know the perfect person to write it with me,' and luckily, Sjón wanted to... I wrote the first draft, and from there, we just [passed] it back and forth for eternity, all through production, all through post-production." When asked if they would recommend collaborating with a writing partner on a project, Sjón said, "I really recommend working with a co-writer on films. I've written poetry and novels and all sorts of things, but when it comes to film, I really think it works when you're writing with someone you know because film is already a medium of collaboration, and to go into it from the beginning, from the story level as a collaboration, I think is really great." The Northman is now available on Amazon Prime. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Robert_Eggers_and_Sjon_for_The_Northman_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 2:05pm PDT |
Fri, 21 October 2022
Based on the true story of Mamie Till, Till follows Mamie as she seeks justice for the brutal lynching of her son, Emmett Till. When asked about how she chose to capture Mamie's spirit on the page, Chukwu says, "It's not just resiliency; it is survival, it is an active suppression of certain emotions that Black women are constantly put in a position of having to do; it is a difference between the public and the private self. Mamie was acutely aware of that... when I'm constructing scenes, I am always thinking about masks - who are they when they're all alone? ... Who is Mamie when she's by herself?" Chukwu goes on to discuss coping with the weight of telling such heavy stories: "Writing these stories that I've written so far, when I write it in a deeply spiritual, all immersive process... I live, breathe, dream whatever it is that I'm writing, and that takes a deep emotional and spiritual toll, and I'm not really good with self-care when I'm writing... Prioritize your own self-care as well - in the writing and in the aftermath." Till is now playing in theaters. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Chinonye_Chukwu_for_Till_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 12:59pm PDT |
Mon, 10 October 2022
From Little Fires Everywhere writer Raamla Mohamed, Reasonable Doubt follows Jax Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi), a fearless defense attorney in Los Angeles who bucks the justice system every chance she gets. Mohamed comments on how the show deals with its deeply complex protagonist: "The show is through Jax's eyes and her experiences and what she's doing, and as you can see, she has different relationships with different people, so people are getting parts of her. But [in] the show... we get to see all the parts." Mohamed goes on to discuss her choice to have an all-Black writer's room for the show: "95% of my characters on the show are Black, and they're all different types of Black, and I realized I need to be able to have conversations without having to explain to one half of the room what we're talking about - let's just cut the shorthand so that we can actually have conversations... [about] relationships and traumas and love and work and pressures and microaggressions... I was trying to just make it more comfortable and easier." You can catch new episodes of Reasonable Doubt Tuesdays on Hulu. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Raamla_Mohamed_for_Reasonable_Doubt_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 1:24pm PDT |
Wed, 21 September 2022
From Insecure alumni Jean Elie and Mike Gauyo, Send Help follows a first-generation Haitian American (Elie) struggling to overcome the challenges in Hollywood while coming to terms with a recent family tragedy. Gauyo shares his thoughts on how partnering with the Allblk [All Black] Channel benefited their overall storytelling process: "At the core of it, we didn't have to negotiate our Blackness or our culture in order to make the show... There was already a baseline of understanding of why our characters acted the way that they did or did the things that they did; it didn't have to be explained." Elie goes on to share how the series came together in the first place: "The pandemic happened, and [Mike and I] were talking on Clubhouse about Haitian creatives and how stories get told, and how we need to not just be in front of a camera but behind the camera in order for our stories to be told in a way that feels real to us... A couple of weeks later, we got an email talking about 'How much you think you need to make the show?'" Send Help is now streaming on the Allblk Channel and the Roku Channel. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Jean_Elie__Mike_Gauyo_for_Send_Help_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 3:44pm PDT |
Fri, 2 September 2022
Based on writer-director Adamma Ebo's 2018 short film of the same name, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. follows Trinitie Childs (Regina Hall), the first lady of a prominent Southern Baptist Mega Church, as she attempts to help her pastor-husband, Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown), rebuild their congregation after a scandal. Adamma shares how a visit from writer-director Damien Chazelle and editor Tom Cross during her time at UCLA influenced her decision to film a short as a proof of concept for the feature: "...they talked about how they made Whiplash as a short as a proof of concept, because in actuality, the movie is a thriller about jazz musicians, and you're like, 'What does that mean?' It's easier to show than tell... I knew it was going to be a pretty tough elevator pitch, and so I was like, 'I need to make something to show for it.'" Adamma's sister, Adanne Ebo, serves as a producer on the film; when asked what advice she would give to aspiring writers from a producer's perspective, she said, "Read as many scripts as you can. I didn't go to film school… I learned how to write just by working with Adamma... even if you don't go to school for it, even if you don't go about it the institutional type of way, reading scripts will always make you a better writer." Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is now playing in theaters and on Peacock. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Ebo_Sisters_for_Honk_for_Jesus_v2_mixdown_1.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 12:24pm PDT |
Thu, 25 August 2022
Starring Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg, Me Time follows a stay-at-home dad (Hart) who joins an old friend (Wahlberg) on a wild birthday adventure while his family is away. Writer-director John Hamburg discusses his approach to balancing character and laughs in a comedy: "I really do aim to keep the characters grounded and to treat them as human beings. Frankly, even in a movie as absurd as Zoolander, we tried to give an emotional arc to Derek Zoolander and to Hansel, and it's no different with this movie that takes place in the real world." Despite having hugely impressive titles like Zoolander and Along Came Polly under his belt, Hamburg still experiences insecurity as a filmmaker: "...it took me a while to stop [comparing myself to others], and I fall into that trap today, having been in the business for more than two decades... I think the advice I would give a younger, more naïve John Hamburg is, 'Just focus on yourself and listen; watch stuff, and get inspired.'"
Direct download: Write_On_-_John_Hamburg_for_Me_Time_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 12:48pm PDT |
Fri, 29 July 2022
2017 Big Break Category Winner Kevin Bachar stopped by the Write On podcast to discuss his new feature, The Inhabitant, starring Dermot Mulroney and Leslie Bibb. "It's a relative of Lizzie Borden set in modern times," says Bachar, "and she starts experiencing visions of Lizzie Borden, starts getting feelings of hurting her family. The question is, is this a sort of demonic possession? Is it schizophrenia? What's going on here?" Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Kevin_Bachar_for_The_Inhabitant_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 3:17pm PDT |
Mon, 25 July 2022
Thor Odinson makes his triumphant return to the MCU with the franchise's latest installment, Thor: Love and Thunder, once again starring Chris Hemsworth in the titular role alongside Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, and writer-director Taika Waititi. Waititi's co-writer, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, discusses the process of landing her first Marvel gig: “My journey with Marvel has been long; I pitched on Black Widow, I pitched on Hawkeye, I pitched on Captain Marvel 2, so I pitched on several different films. Kevin [Feige] is so specific and such a genius when it comes to putting the right person on the right project… and Kevin was like, ‘This is not the right thing for you, but we’re going to put you on Thor...' and then a week later, I was in a room with Brad [Winderbaum] and Taika talking about the lore and coming onto the project.” Robinson goes on to share the importance of pushing yourself and not being afraid to make mistakes: "Don't let the fear of the thing being bad or wrong or weird get in the way of you doing it... If you mess up, if you fail like I've failed, it's fine... you just have to blindly believe in yourself because no one is going to care about you as much as you. No one is going to believe in you as much as you." Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters.
Direct download: Write_On_-_Jennifer_Kaytin_Robinson_for_Thor_Love_and_Thunder_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 4:36pm PDT |
Tue, 19 July 2022
Created by Bisha K. Ali, Ms. Marvel follows Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old superhero fan who's just trying to get through high school when she discovers she has powers of her own. Ali discusses how she put together the writer's room for the MCU series: "I had a room that [reflected] the experience of the characters that we're talking about... We had to have authentic writers; we had to have writers who understood what intergenerational trauma is, what it is to be an immigrant, what it is to be a second-generation immigrant, what it is to be an outsider... in order to get this arc that I wanted to get." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Bisha_K._Ali_for_Ms._Marvel_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 4:14pm PDT |
Tue, 12 July 2022
Based on true events, Black Bird follows Jimmy Keene, a prison inmate who cuts a deal with the FBI to befriend a suspected serial killer in exchange for his freedom. Famed crime novelist and series creator Dennis Lehane discusses where he places his focus to make every project of his stand out: "Every single thing comes down to the characters - every single thing. I've always been character-centric, but never as much as when I started to really get into TV, because that's what it is... that's what people watch TV for... They watch it for an emotional journey of the main characters." Lehane goes on to share his process for adapting source material for the screen: "My job is to be absolutely as true to the spirit of the novel as I can be. You should be able to read the novel, look at the TV show, and go, 'Oh, wow, it's the same thing...' It reaches the same conclusions about the human beings in the story, about humanity." Black Bird is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Direct download: Write_On_-_Dennis_Lehane_for_Blackbird_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 3:42pm PDT |
Wed, 6 July 2022
Based on the viral YouTube short from 2010, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On follows Marcel (Jenny Slate), a 1-inch tall shell who lives a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie (Isabella Rossellini) and their pet lint, Alan. When asked about creating and writing for such a unique protagonist, the original video's creator Dean Fleischer Camp says, "I think the thing that's always appealed to me about Marcel is he doesn't think of himself as small or weird or a talking shell or anything, and the film itself does not treat him with anything less than 100% dignity as a documentary subject and doesn't freak out over the fact that he's a talking shell." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Nick_Paley__Dean_Fleischer-Camp_for_Marcel_The_Shell_With_Shoes_On_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 3:07pm PDT |
Tue, 28 June 2022
Based on George Saunders' short story Escape from Spiderhead, the Netflix adaptation follows inmates at a state-of-the-art penitentiary who volunteer as medical subjects to shorten their sentences. Paul Wernick describes the moment he and co-writer Rhett Reese were introduced to Saunders' story: "Jeremy Steckler was the executive [at The New Yorker] at the time. He put it in front of us when it first was printed about ten years ago, and we fell in love with it. We said, 'We're doing it. We have to write this.' We were so passionate about it... George had laid out what was the makings of a movie, but we had to expand it out."
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Rhett_Reese__Paul_Wernick_for_Spiderhead_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 4:49pm PDT |
Tue, 21 June 2022
Created, written, and directed by Nida Manzoor, We Are Lady Parts follows a British punk rock band consisting entirely of Muslim women as they strive for musical success. Manzoor discusses the pressure of feeling like she was representing an entire community and how she ultimately decided to write from her own experience: "I'd had a few meetings as a new writer where I was sort of being asked to write about the suffering of being a Muslim woman or to portray it as being a victim, [which] didn't reflect my experience or the women I knew, and so I found that frustrating. I was like, all right, if I was going to examine this aspect of my identity, how would I do it? ... The frustration pushed me into developing something which is my dream show to make." Manzoor goes on to describe her connection to the story itself and how that ties into her creative roots: "I grew up in a very creative household old - a very musical household - which is why the show is sort of about a band, so I think music was my first passion. But then after doing a degree in politics, I realized very quickly I didn't want to have anything to do with politics; I wanted to be a filmmaker… and, you know, Lady Parts was really my first foray into writing and directing something that was really kind of myself and true to the kind of work I wanted to make." We Are Lady Parts is now streaming on Peacock.
Direct download: Write_On_with_Nida_Manzoor__mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 9:24am PDT |
Thu, 16 June 2022
Inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive, Netflix's Maid follows Alex (Margaret Qualley), a young mother who escapes an abusive relationship and gets a job cleaning houses in order to provide for her daughter. Showrunner Molly Smith Metzler recalls the moment she knew she had to adapt the memoir for TV: "[John Wells] handed me the book, and I went home, and I read it that weekend, and I was like, 'Oh, no, I have to do this.' I say 'Oh, no' because I knew it was going to be very hard. It's an incredible memoir, but not a natural fit for television... I knew it was going to be hard to adapt, but I also couldn't picture anyone else doing it." Maid is currently streaming on Netflix. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Molly_Smith_Metzler_for_Maid_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 1:57pm PDT |
Tue, 14 June 2022
Based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name, Moon Knight follows Marc Spector / Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), two alters of a man with dissociative identity disorder (DID) who gets drawn into a deadly mystery involving Egyptian gods. Head writer Jeremy Slater discusses the series' approach to featuring a protagonist with DID and the creative challenges it posed: "It was the biggest creative opportunity and also one of the hardest things about the show. It's actually surprising how few characters we have in the show; it's really kind of only three. It's just that Oscar Isaac is doing so much as Mark and as Steven and commanding the screen as both sides of that system... on screen, it's just the actor, and they have to convey who's in charge and what's going on." Slater goes on to share what drew him to adapting this particular Marvel story and bringing a brand new character to the screen: "One of the reasons I gravitated towards Moon Knight was because he didn't have that former baggage... No one knows who the hell Moon Knight is; no one knows what his powers are; no one knows who his villains are. So for me, I view that as really creatively liberating, because we can come in here and put our own stamp on this." Moon Knight is now streaming on Disney+. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Jeremy_Slater_for_Moon_Knight_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT |
Sun, 12 June 2022
Based on the novel Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s by Jeff Pearlman, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty chronicles the 1980s Showtime era of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team featuring notable NBA stars Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Series co-creator and showrunner Max Borenstein describes the challenges of having to imagine what certain moments and conversations looked like without having been in the room: "Our role is to take the things we know - I look at it as the tip of the iceberg... the role of the drama is to then imaginatively reconstruct what might have been or could have been underneath the surface, and oftentimes.. you're imagining your way into that room where you have no idea exactly what was said." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Max_Borenstein_for_Winning_Time_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT |
Fri, 10 June 2022
Based on the novels by Julia Quinn, Bridgerton follows eight members of a powerful family in Regency-era England as they attempt to find love. Series creator Chris Van Dusen describes the pressure he felt writing season two after the overwhelming success of the first season: "There were a lot of expectations that were put onto it after it became Netflix's most-watched English language series ever, and it was embraced in such a huge way around the globe. I think going into season two, it [was] a very different thing from creating and producing and writing the first season of an unknown show." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Chris_Van_Dusen_for_Bridgerton_mixdown_1.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 11:53am PDT |
Mon, 6 June 2022
Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air is a re-imagination of the beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, following a young Will Smith (Jabari Banks) as he makes his journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated communities of Bel-Air. When asked how he got his start in filmmaking, series creator Morgan Cooper says, "I didn't grow up around filmmakers. I didn't know filmmaking was a career, a possibility. I didn't go to college; I didn't go to film school. I was 18. I had to just figure it out, and so I bought a little Canon T2i. After two days of spending time with that camera, I fell in love with it. I really caught the bug and I said, 'This is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. There is no plan B.' And with that camera, I built my career."
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Morgan_Cooper_for_Bel-Air_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 3:47pm PDT |
Thu, 2 June 2022
Featuring an all-star cast including Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, and Renée Elise Goldsberry, Girls5eva follows a one-hit-wonder 90s girl group as they try to reignite their pop star fame while simultaneously having to navigate their grownup lives. Series creator Meredith Scardino shares how she prepared for pitching the series to NBC: "I tried to watch as many things and listen to as many things as I could about pitching. I ended up watching Shonda Rhimes' masterclass on pitching, and something that she said put me more at ease when she was just like... 'You're a writer. They know you're not an actor... you don't have to be this incredible, incredible pitcher. You can just try really hard to convey what you want people to know about the show." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Meredith_Scardino_for_Girls5Eva_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 3:22pm PDT |
Fri, 27 May 2022
Starring Academy Award® winners J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek, Amazon Prime's Night Sky follows married couple Franklin (Simmons) and Irene York (Spacek), who discover a portal in their backyard that leads to a deserted planet. Series creator Holden Miller speaks on why he decided to use the sci-fi genre as a vessel for such an intimate character-driven story: "The story really takes on a life of its own, and all the themes that were of interest to me, like mortality and aging and enduring love - to tell that story about these characters seems to demand this science fiction aspect that could add a different level of grandeur and mystery and epicness to this very intimate story."
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Daniel_C._Connolly__Holden_Miller_for_The_Night_Sky_mixdown_v2.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 1:33pm PDT |
Wed, 25 May 2022
Disney+ is taking us back to a galaxy far, far away with its upcoming limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi, with Ewan McGregor reprising the titular role alongside Hayden Christiansen's Darth Vader. Star Wars superfan Joby Harold explains what drew him to writing the six-episode series for Disney and Lucasfilm: "I always thought [Obi-Wan] was this great, unexplored character when it came to canon because there is that gap between what Ewan had done with the character and what sir Alec Guinness did with the character... I was just, as a fan, eager to see what they were going to do. When I got to sort of be a part of it and figure out what they had done and what they were looking to explore, it just seemed like a really exciting opportunity." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Joby_Harold_for_Obi-Wan_Kenobi_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 4:24pm PDT |
Mon, 23 May 2022
Commonly described as "anti-historical" historical fiction, The Great follows the comedic rise of Empress Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) and explores her marriage to Emperor Peter III of Russia (Nicholas Hoult). Series creator Tony McNamara shares how watching the show as it's being made affects his writing process: "I don't write the whole season. I write about half of it, which puts a lot of pressure on me as a writer. I've learned to watch the show and watch what's happening between characters while we shoot, and then that starts to be reflected in the writing." McNamara goes on to discuss the challenges of finding your voice and shares his tips for burgeoning writers: "I think you’re going to imitate who you like when you start writing, and there’s nothing wrong with that – that’s why you’re drawn to certain things… I think you imitate for a while and then you slowly lose that a little bit. I always think it’s too much pressure to [find] ‘your own voice…’ I think as much as finding your voice, you’ve got to find your process and then you’ll find your voice as well." Season 2 of The Great is now streaming on Hulu. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Tony_McNamara_for_The_Great_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 4:17pm PDT |
Wed, 18 May 2022
MST3K is back! Originally running from 1988 to 1999, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was revived in 2017 due to a crowdfunding campaign led by the show's creator, Joel Hodgson. The show follows a human test subject who is forced to watch "B" movies by evil scientists alongside a group of captive robots who provide colorful commentary on the films. Hodgson explains, "We have kind of a unique relationship with the audience because it's a unique format, and it behaves differently than most shows. For some people, that's very disorienting, and for what we call the 'right people,' it just totally makes sense." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Joel_Hodgson_for_Mystery_Science_Theater_3000_mixdown_v2.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 4:35pm PDT |
Mon, 16 May 2022
Based on the incredible true story, Pam & Tommy tackles a major landmark in the early days of the Internet: the leak of Pamela Anderson's (Lily James) and Tommy Lee's (Sebastian Stan) sex tape. Co-showrunner D.V. DeVincentis discusses what surprised him the most while researching the backstory of the case: "Something that continued to come up was... how well [Pamela] dealt with it, considering she's obviously very upset by it. I would have completely lost my mind, and she really kept it together. That was surprising to me - the inner strength of this person that is most often not given a lot of credit." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Robert_D._Siegel_and_D.V._DeVincentis_for_Pam__Tommy_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 5:15pm PDT |
Thu, 12 May 2022
Starring Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul, Dual follows a woman (Gillan) who has to fight a clone of herself to the death after she unexpectedly recovers from a terminal illness. Writer-director Riley Stearns discusses how he crafted the film's out-of-this-world sci-fi premise while staying grounded in reality: "I didn't want the world to feel like this futuristic sci-fi space. I wanted it to still feel like we could relate to it... It's like another alternate reality where everything's the same except for this... How do people interact with each other in a world where this procedure exists?" Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Riley_Stearns_for_Dual_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 4:30pm PDT |
Mon, 9 May 2022
Based on the insane yet shockingly true story, Gaslit, starring Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, delivers a modern take on the Watergate scandal that shines its light most prominently on Arkansan socialite Martha Mitchell (Roberts). Showrunner Robbie Pickering discusses what audiences can expect to take away from the series: "We made it for people who aren't necessarily Watergate geeks. It's really about the human dynamics and the scandal and the ways people destroy their own lives... and [become] complicit in dirty deeds for somebody in power." Robbie goes on to discuss what he learned as a first-time showrunner: "It's a lot harder [than directing]... but through trial and error, I had learned how to be a better leader, how to come into a room knowing that if you're the showrunner, you set the tone... when I went to become a showrunner, it was an easier transition than I thought, and being a staff writer had allowed me to let go of my ego in a way that directing really hadn't." Gaslit is now available to stream on Starz.
Direct download: Write_On_-_Robbie_Pickering_for_Gaslit_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 1:10pm PDT |
Fri, 6 May 2022
Coming off of an enormously successful eight-season run on ABC, Black-ish follows Andre 'Dre' Johnson (Anthony Anderson) as he tries to create a sense of cultural identity for the members of his family while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood. Showrunner Courtney Lilly discusses the expectations of being a showrunner: "Your job when you're running a show is essentially accountability; that's it. Whether it's the story, whether it's the budget, whether it's casting, the buck needs to stop with you. And you say, 'Here's what we're doing, this is why you're paying me this money. This is my job, and this is how I know how to do it.'" Courtney goes on to discuss his hope for similar shows to be made in the future and the impact the series has had on the world of television: “People have a lot going on, and they want to laugh, they want to get to know characters, and my hope is that… there’ll be a moment where everybody will recognize that [Black-ish is] actually just traditional in the way that people want to watch television, and we'll see more stuff like what we’re doing now.” Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Courtney_Lilly_for_Black-ish_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 9:45am PDT |
Tue, 22 March 2022
Inspired by the true story of Michelle Carter's unprecedented "texting-suicide" case, The Girl from Plainville starring Elle Fanning is a Hulu miniseries that explores Carter's relationship with Conrad Roy III and the events that led to his death. Show creator Liz Hannah (The Post, Mindhunter) talks about tackling the true crime case: "I think the reaction from the media, the reaction from the general public towards Michelle and towards the case was very vitriolic, very much making her the villain... I'm very interested in the gray area of people and morality and ethics... as you start to peel away the layers, you realize just how little was talked about of what actually happened in this case, and what actually happened between these two people and the sort of mutual toxicity between the two of them." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Liz_Hannah_for_The_Girl_from_Plainville-new_outro_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 12:30pm PDT |
Tue, 15 March 2022
Based on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria that resulted in her husband, Russ' conviction, though he insisted he did not kill her. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp, played by Renée Zellweger. Creator/Showrunner Jenny Klein talked to Write On about bringing this true crime story to life: "We had a heavy research phase, and talked to as many of the real-life people as possible. And of course, this is a dramatic retelling, and some elements were fictionalized like timelines or composite characters. But we really did need to understand the facts to the best of our ability." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Jenny_Klein_for_The_Thing_About_Pam_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 3:07pm PDT |
Fri, 11 March 2022
King Richard tells the story of how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard Williams, played by Will Smith. Academy Award® nominated screenwriter Zach Baylin talked to Write On about getting the depiction of Richard Williams right for this biopic: "Richard was just such a dynamic guy. It was what you look for in any kind of protagonist. [He had] had a very distinct voice… really driven, had very clear goals that he wanted to achieve. But he could be incredibly self-defeating and self-sabotaging, and he could get in his own way and in other people's way... that just felt like such a compelling character to me." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Zach_Baylin_for_King_Richard_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 9:39am PDT |
Mon, 7 March 2022
Winner of the Robert Altman Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, Mass is the story of the aftermath of a violent tragedy that affects the lives of two couples in different ways. Writer-Director Fran Kranz talks to Write On about his inspiration for the film: "It was the day of the Parkland shooting, where I got so overwhelmed. You know, this sounds like a strange thing to say, but there was a kind of timing to it, sort of a perfect timing of a vulnerability where I was just kind of a freaked out dad... feeling anxieties and concerns and fears that I had never felt before… and worried about the kind of country and things that she [my daughter] was going to growing up into. So I went down kind of a rabbit hole that started just mostly because I was sort of this concerned parent." Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!
Direct download: Write_On_-_Fran_Kranz_for_Mass_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 10:29am PDT |
Thu, 24 February 2022
Nominated for three Academy Awards®, Flee tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time. Filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen talks to Write On about the process behind making the documentary/animated feature: “It is about finding out when we go into the memories, which ones do you really want to see. Which one of those are kind of scenic? And when is it more about the emotion? It's really about trying to show as much as you can instead of just telling it.” Jonas goes on to give advice to not only other creatives but also himself: “I would definitely say that I should trust my voice more. Not try to look too much at what other people do, but really trust what I have inside. And then just to surround yourself with people that could challenge you in a good way.”
Direct download: Write_On_-_Jonah_Poher_Rasmussen_for_Flee_mixdown_no_trailer.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT |
Thu, 17 February 2022
Promised Land is an epic, generation-spanning ABC drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California's Sonoma Valley. Showrunner and creator Matt Lopez tells Write On: “The show… tackles immigration, assimilation, what it means to chase the American dream, what it means to achieve the American dream, and the costs that are sometimes extracted from us when we try and achieve it or maintain it.” Matt goes on to talk about how a writer’s room works and gives advice to up-and-coming TV scribes: “I would say the most frequent advice I give to writers is... if you haven't already developed a thick skin, develop one. The barriers to entry in screenwriting, television writing - they're extremely high, and it can be hard to bust in. But if you keep working and keep at it, I do believe eventually your talent will get recognized.”
Direct download: Write_On_-_Matt_Lopez_for_Promised_Land_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 5:28pm PDT |
Tue, 15 February 2022
When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, a wild card CIA agent joins forces with three international agents on a lethal mission to retrieve it, while staying a step ahead of a mysterious woman who's tracking their every move in this action thriller directed by Simon Kinberg. Co-Writer Theresa talks about transitioning from playwriting to screenwriting: "I think you really have to have tremendous respect for the form of a screenplay. It's different from theatre in that… language needs to do less. One of the things you have to figure out is how to deliver character and movement of emotion in gesture." Theresa goes on to discuss what it’s been like for her working as a female writer: "I started at a different time where, as challenging as it can be to be a woman in this industry, it was considerably worse. You felt, a lot of times, that you didn't have any options, you just had to put up with it, and it was extraordinarily painful and spiritually challenging, and I feel like the consequences of that stay with you longer than you think they will."
Direct download: Write_On_with_Theresa_Rebeck_for_The_355_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 3:06pm PDT |
Wed, 9 February 2022
Cyrano is a musical drama starring Peter Dinklage based on screenwriter Erica Schmidt’s stage play of the same name. Erica talks to Write On about transitioning from writing for the theater to screenwriting: "It was challenging because I didn't know the form, and I had to really learn the form. It was really exciting as well; I love movies, I've always loved movies, and I never would have started out with something so big so it was kind of a great way to jump off the board and into the pool." Erica goes on to talk about the involvement of the band The National in contributing music for the project: "I listened to [The National's] music over and over again as I was writing the play, and that kind of necessitated making the language less and less to allow the music to be the heartbeat of the piece, but then when it was going to be a screenplay, I had a lot more freedom."
Direct download: Write_On_-_Erica_Schmidt_for_Cyrano_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 4:38pm PDT |
Thu, 3 February 2022
Directed by Denzel Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan, A Journal for Jordan is based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a soldier deployed to Iraq who begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Screenwriter Virgil Williams tells Write On: "It's really quite a remarkable love story… I used to say to Denzel [Washington], 'Look at us. We're doing all this work, all because these people loved each other.' That's astounding to me.” Virgil goes on to give advice on forging a screenwriting career: "Work on your craft all the time. Make it part of what you are, and it doesn't mean that you're sitting at the keyboard all the time; the better part of writing is listening - listening to the way that people talk… listening to your director, listening to your instinct, listening to your story because your story will tell you what it needs and wants."
Direct download: Write_On_-_Virgil_Williams_for_A_Journal_for_Jordan_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 8:22pm PDT |
Fri, 28 January 2022
The hit Netflix horror series is adapted from a found footage horror podcast about ritual, stories, and sound. Showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine talks to Write On about the adaptation process: "In terms of adapting something, you just have to crack it wide open, and we diverge in many places, and in many ways, it's very different from the podcast. In many ways, it has the same spirit but we definitely made a lot of changes… but a lot of that was adapting to the television format and the visual way of telling stories." Rebecca goes on to talk about what advice to take as a writer: "Sometimes you take a note, and then you're sorry you took the note. In terms of writing, I think there's a balance between believing in what you're doing and listening to other people's thoughts… I have this tendency - I think a lot of women do - to want to be a good student and take all the notes, and sometimes you just can't do that."
Direct download: Write_On_-_Rebecca_Sonnenshine_for_Archive_81_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT |
Wed, 19 January 2022
The acclaimed British screenwriter, showrunner and producer breaks down writing the haunting Princess Diana biopic for director Pablo Larraín (Jackie): "The instruction I gave to myself is that because this is a princess and it's a castle, it's a fairy tale, and I think most fairy tales are horror stories with a happy ending… I wanted to go there to make this a fairy tale, and it does have a happy ending, but along the way, it's a princess who's held captive in a haunted castle." Steven goes on to give advice about hooking the reader in the first ten pages of your screenplay: "Don't think that there is a 'right' way of doing this… The thing that writers should try to do - especially those first ten pages - is make it as unlike anything that anybody's ever seen because we all know that the people who are going to read the script have read a thousand scripts that month and have seen it all, know it all, but if something happens when they're reading it that they weren't expecting, you have attention.
Direct download: Write_On_-_Steven_Knight_for_Spencer_mixdown.mp3
Category:screenwriting -- posted at: 3:33pm PDT |