Behind-the-Scenes of the Business and Craft of professional Screenwriting.
Episodes
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Monday Nov 13, 2023
This Week in Writing includes why relationships are key to the Hollywood long game, signs you may need to restructure your spec, and why the simple act of reading a comic can be so creatively refreshing. Plus, Josh breaks through with a new idea to avoid extensive, unpaid rewrites!
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Writing a first draft is tough. But writing a second draft can be tougher. Tasha and Josh discuss best practices for tackling the deceptively difficult second draft, be it going scene-by-scene, starting anew, or ignoring a note to find the real note lurking underneath.
TWIW: Why staying active with programs and competitions keeps you going. Should an agent ask for your resume? Style lessons from the Barbarian screenplay. And a friendly reminder that public domain is a proven place to mine IP. Plus, Josh and Tasha both finished drafts of their specs!
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Monday Oct 30, 2023
What makes a horror film truly terrifying? Tasha and Josh, along with special guest and horror aficionado Dave Levinson, break down their favorite horror films and what makes them so frightening that even decades later just the thought of the film sends a shiver up our spine.
TWIW: Josh is shocked by the discrepancies between a pilot script and a finished pilot episode. Tasha gets to the root of the simplistic genius behind Netflix’s Fall of the House of Usher.
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Getting repped may seem impossible, but there are actually many different paths to representation. Tasha and Josh break down what worked for them and what they’ve seen work for others. (Spoiler: the best way is to write a good script!)
TWIW: Josh finished a pilot with his wife and celebrated with a bottle of rosé and Taylor Swift. Tasha celebrates an Act Two mentee getting repped! Plus, how long does it take to write a feature screenplay?
How Professional Screenwriters Outline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAY5Y9XWu4I
The Rep Thread: https://x.com/tclairsmith/status/1711126582549447165?s=46
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist
Monday Oct 16, 2023
Monday Oct 16, 2023
There’s no wrong way to be inspired, but finding inspiration can oftentimes prove elusive. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss various techniques they use when they need a burst of creative inspiration, be it in nature, nostalgia, or an engaging museum plaque.
TWIW: Josh and Tasha fear AI becoming a creative crutch, but admit that it can be a helpful tool when creating perfect imagery for look books (but shh! don’t tell anybody!!).
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist
Monday Oct 09, 2023
Monday Oct 09, 2023
Take a break! Eat dinner with your family! Hangout with that friend! We promise you’ll still get your writing done. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the importance of self-care in a post-strike world, and the various strategies they use to relieve the ever-present pressure of work work work. Step one: acknowledging that you need self-care in the first place!
TWIW: Josh experiences notes in real time. Tasha feels pressure to make her next spec definitive while also finishing her short story five years in the making.
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist
Monday Oct 02, 2023
Monday Oct 02, 2023
Writing a Pilot is one of the more difficult undertakings of a Screenwriter. It must set up an entire series without revealing too much of the series journey, engage the audience with questions, but not leave enough questions to be confusing. A great pilot starts with a great outline. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how TV Pilots are broken and outlined in a professional writer's room, and how to take those lessons with you to your own personal pilot process.
TWIW: the Writer's Strike is over! A new series is coming to the Act Two Podcast. Tasha was on a panel at the Netherlands Film Festival! Josh broke his ankle, which has ripple effects to the upcoming Patreon. Tasha's TOMB RAIDER teaser came out!
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist
Monday Sep 25, 2023
Monday Sep 25, 2023
A great villain is the hero of their own story. Search for their humanity and discover what makes them your hero’s shadow self.
Plus, Elemental and the lost art of word of mouth marketing.
TWIW: Josh achieves #couplegoals. Tasha struggles to finish her short story, but finds hope in her calendar of all places.
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist
Monday Sep 18, 2023
Monday Sep 18, 2023
Why is IP important? Do you need it to make a sale? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down an article by Steven Hartman, the pros and cons of working with IP, and rethinking how to approach adapting one.
TWIW: Goal Buddies keep us on track and motivated to solve Act 1 problems, and why you should sit on notes for a day (even if you agree with them).
Link to article: https://screencraft.org/blog/is-this-the-end-of-existing-ip-domination/
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist
Monday Sep 11, 2023
Monday Sep 11, 2023
There are 5 (Emotional) Stages a Screenwriter goes through in writing their spec. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down the writer brain at each stage, and how to power through to get that spec done.
TWIW: pitching safely vs. pitching for the win, being a Machiavellian writer to avoid notes, and would TAKEN be as iconic without *that* scene?
Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist