Scriptnotes Podcast

John welcomes back Phil Hay (Destroyer, The Invitation) to ask, how do you get a movie made with independent financing? They look at how indie movies get made, where you get the money, deciding when to go indie, and whether streamers complicate the picture.
We also follow up on testing movies with focus groups and answer listener questions on how to navigate the editing room, daily routines, and what to do when your story has too many themes.
In our bonus segment for premium members, we look back on what Phil learned about D&D from his documentary The Dungeon Masters.
Links:
Phil Hay
Scriptnotes Episode 244, Episode 377, and Episode 505
The Dungeon Masters
The Answering Machine Meltdown from Swingers
John's daily to-do template
Pamela Ribon's One Act documentary
Petey USA's The Yips
KOXY College Radio
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John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Craig Good (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.
Email us at [email protected]
You can download the episode here.

John and Craig welcome back Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) to explore the timely questions about art and human labor posed by her long-awaited sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2. We'll warn you now: Spoilers ahead!
We also look at what AI knitting podcasts can tell us about the future of industrially-produced slop, and answer a listener question on how to approach the engine of a TV show.
In our bonus segment for premium members, what would a hypothetical Scriptnotes Screenplay Club look like? Aline weighs in to make sure the design is impeccable.
That's all.
Links:
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Aline Brosh McKenna on Instagram and IMDb
The Sheep Detectives
Knitting Bullshit by Kate Davies
Inception Point AI
How many E's are in Seventeen? on YouTube
Inserting yourself into Game of Thrones on Instagram
One Move God Mode vertical by NetShort
New York Times Issues Stern Warning to Its Freelance Writers About AI Use by Maggie Harrison Dupré for Futurism
Jared Freid on TikTok
The Feed Is Fake by Lane Brown for New York Magazine
Indigo Girls
Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book!
Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription
Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
Follow Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok
John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Eric Pearson (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.
Email us at [email protected]
You can download the episode here.

John and Craig go back to the beginning to examine the mechanics of the flash-forward opening — or as it's known on this podcast, the "Stuart Special." They look at what makes a strong flash-forward, when to avoid them, and how to pay back the narrative debt they incur.
We also follow up on the Scriptnotes survey and answer a massive grab-bag blitz of listener questions including the potential pitfalls of child protagonists, "unfilmable" elements, and how to end a scene.
In our bonus segment for premium members, how do you socialize at Hollywood parties? We've made all the mistakes so you don't have to.
Links:
The script for episode one of Chernobyl
Scriptnotes episode 493: Opening Scenes
Greta Gerwig's Little Women screenplay
The Sheep Detectives
Scriptnotes episode 731: Avoidance and Other Anti-Quests
Sorkinisms – A Supercut by Kevin T. Porter
My journey to the microwave alternate timeline by Malmesbury
Solasta 2
Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book!
Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription
Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
Follow Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok
John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Nick Moore (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.
Email us at [email protected]
You can download the episode here.

John and Craig welcome back Katie Dippold (Widow's Bay, Ghostbusters) to ask, what advice would you give to your younger self? They revisit the writers they used to be, offer specific guidance to each one, and demystify everything from "Why isn't a producer calling me back?" to "Should I join that sorority?"
Most importantly, we look at how Katie turned her former writing sample into the hilarious and spooky new show, Widow's Bay. We also answer listener questions on calling out stolen ideas and how to pitch yourself when your past work doesn't line up with your voice.
In our bonus segment for premium members, with the rise of AI, will there still be be movies and TV shows in ten or twenty years? Our best guesses lie just behind the paywall.
Links:
Widow's Bay on AppleTV
Katie Dippold on Instagram and IMDb
Scriptnotes listener survey
Katie as the Babadook
The last time Katie was on Scriptnotes, Episode 272
The Sheep Detectives
Wolf's Belly Publisher's Weekly starred review (preorder the book here!)
Oscar Rule Changes by Clayton Davis for Variety
Weekend Read 2
Watch Haley Z. Boston read her script for Something Very Bad is Going to Happen
Captain Disillusion
Homemade Heating Pad
This Treatment Could Reverse Osteoarthritis Joint Damage With a Single Injection by Javier Carbajal for Wired
Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book!
Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription
Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
Follow Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok
John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Eric Pearson (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.
Email us at [email protected]
You can download the episode here.

John welcomes five-time Emmy-winning writer Ali Barthwell (Last Week Tonight) to ask, can writers learn to be funny? Drawing from her time as a teacher at The Second City, they look at what writers can learn from sketch and improv, and how to reliably find ways to make an audience laugh.
We also celebrate the WGA membership's ratification of the 2026 MBA, the educational future of the Scriptnotes book, and answer listener questions on the first scene of a comedy and when to stop taking assistant gigs and bet on yourself.
In our bonus segment for premium members, Ali shares how she built a thriving writing career without ever having to live in New York or LA.
Links:
Ali Barthwell
Preorder Ali's new book, Reality TV for Snobs
The Second City
Pre-inked star stamps
The Padilla Pause: How the Breakout Star of SNL Nails Comic Timing by Jason Zinoman for NYTimes
Funnier by Anne Libera
Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book!
Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription
Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
Follow Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok
John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Matt Gillespie (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.
Email us at [email protected]
You can download the episode here.