Scriptnotes Podcast

John welcomes writer-directors Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh (Two People Exchanging Saliva) to ask, what happens when your short film is nominated for an Oscar? They look at each step from their initial idea to awards season to see how they positioned their short to be considered for an Academy Award.
We also reflect on the lessons learned from short films, and answer listener questions on how to give actors your script and finding representation after your Oscar heat has cooled.
In our bonus segment for premium members, we turn up the contrast on the many reasons for shooting in black and white.
Links:
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Taika Waititi's Two Cars One Night
Andrea Arnold's Wasp
Martin McDonagh's Six Shooter
Damien Chazelle's Whiplash short film
Jim Cummings' Thunder Road short film
David F. Sandberg's Lights Out short
Troy by Mike Donahue
The New York Public Library's Picture Collection
ReMarkable tablet
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John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Nick Moore (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our Director of Photography is Jonathan Pope.
Email us at [email protected]
You can download the episode here.

John and Craig gather our listeners' favorite news articles and ask, How Would This Be a Movie? Stories include an underground network delivering menstrual supplies in Minneapolis, a millennial travel group, how the US hacked ISIS, and a fake college squash team.
But first we follow up on modern comps, email issues, teaching screenwriting, and what it means to be undeniable. We also answer listener questions on querying reps with a published book and whether writers really need to repeat the plot for a second-screen audience.
In our bonus segment for premium members, what do we do with all our old CDs and DVDs? We weigh the pros and cons of physical media.
Links:
How an errand for a 12-year-old immigrant in Minneapolis became an underground operation by Jasmine Garsd and Sarah Ventre for NPR
I Went on a Package Trip for Millennials Who Travel Alone. Help Me. by Caity Weaver for The New York Times
How the US hacked ISIS by Dina Temple-Raston for NPR
Whitman College: The Best College Squash Team in History by James Zug for Squash Magazine
Shipping Out by David Foster Wallace
Email deliverability tester
Disempowerment patterns in real-world AI usage by Cornell University and Anthropic
The world's greatest song that simply shouldn't exist
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
Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok
John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Gloom Canyon (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 writer and director Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value, The Worst Person in the World) to ask, how do you introduce your characters and their world to the audience? Using the screenplay for Sentimental Value, Joachim lays out how he sets up his themes, characters, conflicts and narrative authority in the first few pages.
We also look at Joachim's process of developing stories with his co-writer Eskil Vogt, and answer listener questions on endings, casting, and work-life balance.
In our bonus segment for premium members, Joachim and John flip through how we present screenplays on screen, why Joachim translates his scripts in pre-production, and the one little detail you might not have noticed in Sentimental Value.
Links:
Sentimental Value | Screenplay
Joachim Trier
Notorious (1946)
The Lindy Effect
Chris Ware
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware
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
Scriptnotes on Instagram
John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Jeff Hoeppner & Richard Kraft (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 ask, what makes a useful comp? Writers often use comparisons when pitching or discussing projects, but what separates good comps from bad comps, why do we use them, and when do comps hurt more than they help? Basically, it's The Studio meets My Dinner with Andre.
We also follow up on orality and "film by" credits, answer listener questions on getting AI feedback and attaching an actor to a microbudget feature, plus bring you another installment of John Recently Learned.
In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig are having weird issues with their email servers and need your help!
Links:
The Sheep Detectives trailer
The Great Gazoo
Ben Turpin
The Party (1968)
Fulla Regrets on Instagram
Kitty Carlisle
Bobbie Wygant interviews Jodie Foster by Jack Plotnick on Instagram
Catherine O'Hara dies via Variety
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
Scriptnotes on Instagram
John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Pete White (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 ask, are screenwriters just oral storytellers who happen to write things down? They compare the literate and oral markers of the medium, how it separates screenplays from other literary forms, and consider whether screenplays are just one long pitch.
We also look at the upcoming WGA member meetings, follow up on having enough time in the edit bay, Steve Jobs, Eva Victor, justifiable Dad pride, and answer listener questions on deliverables and what makes a script "undeniable."
In our bonus segment for premium members, we look at the incredible slate of upcoming movies and make predictions for the 2026 box office.
Links:
Steve Jobs' email to himself
How Will the Miracle Happen Today? by Kevin Kelly
Havelock's orality tester
Quantum computing for lawyers by JP Aumasson
Swoop
Inhibiting a master regulator of aging regenerates joint cartilage in mice by Krista Conger
The Sheep Detectives trailer
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
Scriptnotes on Instagram
John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Jennifer Lucy Cook (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.