Scriptnotes Podcast

Scriptnotes Podcast

John August and Craig Mazin

Episodes 20
Avg. Duration 1h
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.8 (2,434)
Since Nov 2025
Latest Episode Mar 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
100%
Hosting
scriptnotes.libsyn.com

Contact & Outreach

About This 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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Recent Episodes

S15E730 730 - A Frank Conversation About Screenwriting

Mar 31, 2026 49m

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,…

S15E729 729 - Endings Compendium, Part II

Mar 24, 2026 1h 4m

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…

S15E728 728 - Beats to Scenes with Drew Goddard

Mar 17, 2026 58m

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…

S15E197 197 - How do bad movies get made? (Encore)

Mar 10, 2026 1h 5m

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…

S15E727 727 - Free Work

Mar 03, 2026 56m

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…

S15E726 726 - So you've been nominated for an Oscar

Feb 24, 2026 1h 4m

John welcomes writer-directors Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh (Two People Exchanging Saliva) to ask, what happens when your short film is nominated for an Oscar? They look at each step from…

S15E725 725 - Torn from the pages of Squash Magazine

Feb 17, 2026 56m

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…

S15E724 724 - Introductions with Joachim Trier

Feb 10, 2026 50m

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…

S15E723 723 - Blank Meets Blank

Feb 03, 2026 1h 3m

John and Craig ask, what makes a useful comp? Writers often use comparisons when pitching or discussing projects, but what separates good comps from bad comps, why do we use them, and when do comps…

S15E722 722 - Orality, or Writing to be Spoken

Jan 27, 2026 53m

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…

S15E721 721 - Preparing to Direct (with Eva Victor)

Jan 20, 2026 58m

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…

S15E720 720 - Watch Your Tone

Jan 13, 2026 1h 3m

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…

S15E719 719 - When Good Enough Isn't Enough

Jan 06, 2026 1h 10m

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,…

S15E718 718 - No Worries if Not

Dec 30, 2025 1h 6m

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…

S15E717 717 - The Screenwriting Life: The Craft Lessons That Matter Most

Dec 23, 2025 54m

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…

S15E716 716 - Personality Typologies

Dec 16, 2025 1h 7m

John and Craig welcome back screenwriter Mike Makowsky (Death by Lightning, Bad Education) to ask, how do you dramatize a historical event that no one's heard of? They look at the dramatic engine…

S15E715 715 - The Book Launch, Live!

Dec 09, 2025 1h 8m

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…

S15E714 714 - Three Page Challenge Live in Austin 2025

Dec 02, 2025 53m

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…

S15E713 713 - Your First Produced Film

Nov 25, 2025 1h 3m

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…

S15E712 712 - Something Wicked This Way Comes

Nov 18, 2025 1h 8m

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…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Scriptnotes Podcast have?

Scriptnotes Podcast has published 20 episodes since November 2025.

Is Scriptnotes Podcast still active?

Scriptnotes Podcast is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 1h.

How do I contact Scriptnotes Podcast for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Scriptnotes Podcast, including email and social media links.

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