When a reader says “I don’t connect with your character,” the real problem isn’t necessarily the character. Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down the five notes hiding behind it, the questions to ask the person who gave it, and how to fix it on the page.

It’s our annual Halloween episode, and friend of the podcast Dave Levinson (Welcome Home) is back to talk about the 1980 original Friday the 13th.

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman take a listener's questions about adapting an audio drama: Where to Start, How to Adapt a Series to a Feature, How to Approach Action Scenes, and How to Build a World Without Getting Overwhelmed.    Questions/Comments: [email protected]  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman kick off their new World-Building Series by discussing how to build your world within scenes. Whether writing high fantasy or just building tension, how you introduce or describe a scene and how your characters approach that scene can have a trickle down effect from engaging studio readers to steering production. Let's talk about that! TWIW: Josh visits a studio film set; The greatest compliment-insult Tasha has ever received; Resident Evil and video game adaptations.   Questions/Comments: [email protected]  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the Act Two of Steven Spielberg & David Koepp's Jurassic Park. What can a perfect Act Two teach us about tension, transitions, creating setups and building to better payoffs, and how to craft turning points that propel your movie forward in seamless and engaging ways.    Questions/Comments: [email protected]  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss their favorite tips on how to build more unique action sequences that feel essential, tell story and character, and make your screenplay standout. Whether you write in the action genre or not, these storytelling do's apply to all Screenwriters who sometimes find themselves stuck in a cliche.   Questions/Comments: [email protected]  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss two real-life notes given to a TV writer: "After reading your pilot, I don't know what your series is about" and "You should start your story later". What do those notes actually mean and how do you address them?   Questions/Comments: [email protected]  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down and go in-depth on screenwriter Tom Vaughan's viral post about the 10 random things he learned about having a Screenwriting career after 29 years of writing movies.   Questions/Comments: [email protected]  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo & Josh Hallman talk about their hot takes on this Summer's blockbusters and how this massive Summer for theatrical releases is actually a lesson in writing originals.   Questions/Comments: [email protected]  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

In honor of the recent announcement about Christopher Yost showrunning Dungeon Crawler Carl, we're sharing this great interview with him! Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with one of the great adaptation writers in our business, Christopher Yost (THOR: RAGNAROK, COWBOY BEBOP), about how he approaches adaptation, how it differs from original writing, and how the tough choices of writing an adaptation are unique. He also discusses his path to writing some of the biggest movies in our industry, and how his latest original movie SECRET HEADQUARTERS (playing now on Paramount+) came to be.   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg