Scriptnotes #403: How to Write a Movie[1], where screenwriter Craig Mazin (Chernobyl, The Hangover 2/3) meticulously lays out one approach to crafting a screenplay around thesis and antithesis. (TLDR: put your characters through agony.)

It’s the most impactful episode this year because I’ve been keeping these ideas in mind lately whenever I’ve watched a movie, and it has really given me a different way to understand what’s going on.

1: The episode itself requires a premium subscription by now, but the transcript is still free to read: https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-403-how-to-write-...