Behind-the-Scenes of the Business and Craft of professional Screenwriting.
Episodes
Sunday Feb 21, 2021
Sunday Feb 21, 2021
In this Fireside Chat, join hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman in discussing three real-life stories from Screenwriters this week -- A new writer who has sent loglines to a studio executive and hasn't heard back, a mid-level writer who is struggling with endless free rewrites, and an advanced writer who failed to deliver a solid draft and left his producer in a bind.
Questions/comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com - the Act Two Podcast is edited by Paul Lundquist and music is by 414beg.
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
A Hufflepuff and a Slytherin examine the first act that started it all: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE! Harry Potter is one of the greatest and most influential film franchises of all time. It effortlessly brought us into a magical world that felt grounded and introduced an unsung hero. If you're world-building, write fantasy, or have that unassuming hero... grab your butterbeer and get ready. Questions/comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com - the Act Two Podcast is edited by Paul Lundquist and music is by 414beg.
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
You have to learn the rules before you can break them. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss why Three Act Structure is important and they break down some of the most popular structure guidelines out there, including Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" model. They also discuss how to avoid becoming a slave to structure guidelines, and how to instead use them as a valuable tool in your writing tool chest.
Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by Paul Lundquist
Music by 414beg
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
"Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night." - General Laia, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Hope is what every Screenwriter's dreams are built on, and it is also the hardest thing to sustain during the dark nights of your career. In this unique episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman illustrate the importance of hope in the Screenwriting journey through the inspirational origin stories of two now famous Screenwriters who lost all hope right before they achieved massive success -- Sylvester Stallone and George Lucas.
Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by Paul Lundquist
Music by 414beg
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Becoming a member of the Writer's Guild of America is an important milestone for every Screenwriter, and a significant hurdle in accessing a consistent and successful career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Screenwriter and WGA Captain Ben Shiffrin to discuss the basics of WGA membership, the pitfalls of a non-WGA deal and how to combat them, and the myriad of helpful resources available to Screenwriters that few even know exist (whether you're a member or not!).
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Sunday Jan 17, 2021
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
Pixar storytellers are some of the best in the history of our business. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman walk through a viral Twitter feed where former Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coates posted Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling, and they talk about how those rules can be applied to your screenwriting in very real and practical ways.
You can find the original post here -- https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-22-rules-of-storytelling-according-to-pixar-5916970
Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by Paul Lundquist
Music by 414beg
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Pitching is terrible. But one of the biggest ways to set yourself up for success is by adding visuals to your pitch presentation. So whether you're pitching over Zoom, or you're back in a room with real humans, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss all the different ways to use visuals to great effect in your pitch.
In addition, Act Two has a fantastic and talented in-house layout designer to help you with all your lookbook and pitch presentation needs if doing your own visuals just isn't your thing. Check out professional layout designer Katie Olsen's visual pitch portfolio for Screenwriters at LuckyDelaney.com
Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by Paul Lundquist
Music by 414beg
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
Fellowships have become a formidable way to jumpstart (or restart) your Screenwriting career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with bRock Newell, winner of the 2018 Screencraft Fellowship to chat about what exactly the Fellowship entails, why he refused a free hotel stay in LA, and the incredible effects the Fellowship has had on his career.
Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by Paul Lundquist
Music by 414beg
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
Sure, New Year's Resolutions suck and never work. But, what if your writing resolutions DID work? What if by Dec. 31st of next year, your career looked vastly different? It can happen. You (and only you) have the power to progress your career over the next year.
In this special End of Year episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk in detail about how they make writing goals, their tricks on how to keep them, and how to wield those goals into real actionable, career-changing steps. Next year, take control of your career.
Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by Paul Lundquist
Music by 414beg
Sunday Dec 20, 2020
Sunday Dec 20, 2020
There is a legend among Screenwriters that Shane Black wrote LETHAL WEAPON right out of college, sold it immediately, and that his first draft was what went into production. Tearing down that myth are hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman, with Special Guest David Levinson, who go behind the scenes of how this holiday action movie really came to be. The truth is nowhere close to mythic, and much closer to the hard reality of what it takes to get a movie made. Hint: Shane Black wasn't the only writer!
It is an Act Two belief that the best writers never stop learning -- so the Breakdown Series will take an in-depth look at the writing of some of the most influential stories of our time, including the behind-the-scenes of how these scripts came together. Sit back, grab a drink, and let's see what we all can learn!
Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by Paul Lundquist
Music by 414beg