Act Two Podcast

This Week in Writing

A busy week of A-list writer meltdowns, reps pushing us to be selfish jerkoids, organization coming back to haunt us, and one TV writer’s tirade against film school — Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman dish on their This Week in Writing, in the life of a professional Screenwriter.

Edited by the great Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

How to Stay Organized

In this Screenwriter-nerd episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman get specific about how they and other professional Screenwriters organize their files. Easy and clear organization becomes extremely important as you receive notes that could take you through years of development on the same project. A clean organization of your documents will allow you to refer back to single scenes from months ago, easily call back old drafts that suddenly become relevant with new producers, or for any number of unexpected reasons that come up when you're a working Screenwriter. Do you have a unique way of organizing your drafts and notes? Let us know! 

 

Edited by the great Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

This Week in Writing

A busy week of new discoveries, bizarre meetings and franchise opportunities -- Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman dish on their This Week in Writing, in the life of a professional Screenwriter.

 

Edited by the great Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

The Art of Adaptation with Special Guest: Evan Spiliotopoulos

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with screenwriter and master of the adaptation Evan Spiliotopoulos (Snake Eyes, The Huntsman: Winter's War, Beauty and the Beast) to discuss how he approaches adaptation vs. an original idea, and how his latest film, the horror movie THE UNHOLY, based on the novel "Shrine" by James Herbert, was a unique adaptation experience. Evan also opens up about what it's like to be a Screenwriter making his directorial debut (and during a global pandemic!). 

Edited by the great Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Film Writing vs. TV Writing with Special Guest David Levinson

This was the description I wrote — Writing for the small screen is not the same as writing for the big screen. They are completely different skills. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with feature writer David Levinson -- who is currently writing his first TV pilot -- to discuss the growing pains between writing for Film vs. TV, how each requires a different way of thinking about story, and how they've approached adapting their screenwriting skills to the small screen.

 

Edited by the great Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

 

 

Fireside Chat: This Is Us

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the personal stories they consider turning points in their Screenwriting careers. 

 

Edited by the great Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Pitching Is Terrible: The Series (Part 4 -- The Ten Minutes After You Pitch)

It turns out there is a crucial moment after you pitch -- the ten-minute window when the pitch is finished. In part four of this multi-episode series hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss this moment and how it can make or break your pitch. It's important and pitching is the greatest/worst!!! 

 

Edited by the great Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

The Note Taker's 10 Commandments

To have a sustainable Screenwriting career, you need to know more than just how to write a brilliant screenplay. Eventually, every Screenwriter is asked to revise. But taking notes and executing them effectively is a whole other part of the brain and a different skillset than simply writing a genius spec. For that reason, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman kick off their Notes Series with the “10 COMMANDMENTS FOR NOTE TAKERS”, a handy how-to-guide for Screenwriters on how to think about notes like a professional, and set yourself up for continued success.

 

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com -- Edited by Paul Lundquist -- Music by 414beg 

WHY MOVIES WORK: Nobody, Mortal Kombat and The Mitchells vs. the Machines

In this inaugural edition of WHY MOVIES WORK, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss three recently-released movies — NOBODY, MORTAL KOMBAT and THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES — and, more specifically, why these movies work on a screenwriting level. *Do be warned — SPOILERS AHEAD*

 

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com -- Edited by Paul Lundquist -- Music by 414beg 

Development Hell

Development Hell is part of every Screenwriter’s career, great and small. In this first in an ongoing series about real-life development stories, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman kick things off with a break down of just how a writer gets caught in Development Hell, what exactly that means, and even tell a few epic stories of how some hellish development stories have produced movies we all know and love.

 

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com -- Edited by Paul Lundquist -- Music by 414beg