Write Your Screenplay Podcast

Jacob Krueger
  • 4.8 (292)
  • TV & FILM
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
Write Your Screenplay Podcast Podcast

Rather than looking at movies in terms of "two thumbs up" or "two thumbs down" Award Winning Screenwriter Jacob Krueger discusses what you can learn from them as a screenwriter. He looks at good movies, bad movies, movies we love, and movies we hate, exploring how they were built, and how you can apply those lessons to your own writing. More information and full archives at WriteYourScreenplay.com

  1. SEP 12

    The Bear Season 3 and Furiosa: The Past is Prologue

    “This week, we are going to be looking at The Bear, Season 3, and comparing it with potentially the most unlikely movie: Mad Max: Furiosa.This might seem like an odd pairing, but actually both of these sequels are struggling with the same problem. Both of these sequels are living in the past. Screenplays for the most successful movies and TV shows don’t live in the past. They live in the present.That’s what made Mad Max, Fury Road so successful, and that’s what made The Bear, Seasons 1 & 2 so successful.When movies and TV shows spend their focus thinking about what happened up till now or what happened before, rather than what the characters want now and what's driving the story forward now, we lose the narrative drive that makes us so compelled.And of course that’s true in your life too.When you don't have clear, strong wants and clear, strong obstacles, when you don't have dream and love and desire at the center of the piece that you are writing, then you are a hundred percent dependent upon your craft as a writer to hide what is missing. And there are moments where the writers of The Bear, Season 3 and Mad Max: Furiosa are just so good that they transcend the incredible challenge that they've created for themselves.  But it’s widely agreed that both The Bear, Season 3 and Mad Max: Furiosa fall short of the stories that preceded them.In this podcast, you’ll learn why, and how to apply those lessons to your own writing, as well as: * The Series Engine of both The Bear and the Mad Max franchise and why both recent installments BREAK that engine. * How to build clear wants and obstacles for your characters * How to write sequels and prequels * How to balance internal character development with external dramatic conflict to keep your screenplay engaging. * How to maintain narrative momentum in later seasons of a TV show or sequels of a Feature Film. * How to find your character motivation * How to evolve a story engine after the “best thing” has already happened * How to adapt character arcs across multiple seasons or sequels * How to balance character introspection and plot progression * How to create fresh narrative drives in established universes * How to build emotional transactions between characters * And much more… Join Jake for free every Thursday night at Thursday Night Writes, RSVP here and check all of our classes! a href="https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/protrack-one-on-one-screenwriting-mentorship/" target="_blank" rel="noreferr...

    24 min

  2. SEP 4

    Deadpool vs Wolverine: Action Movie Structure and Set Pieces

    “…Action movies are actually built like musicals. They are built to serve the “arias” of the action sequences in the same way a musical is built to serve the musical numbers.  And just like the songs in a successful musical, what’s happening during the best action sequences is not just a bunch of spectacle taking place within a really cool set piece. Rather, just like the songs of a musical, the action sequences of your action movie must drive the story forward. That means when you're writing your action sequences, you have to think of them as dramatic sequences.  This is especially true on the page. On the screen, a great director can make a scene in which not a lot is going on look so beautiful and exciting that we forget nothing is happening dramatically. On the screen, sometimes the spectacle just carries us away.  But on the page, it is impossibly challenging to capture the full spectacle the way it will look on a giant movie screen. That means we actually have to write better than the writers of these blockbuster action franchises like Deadpool & Wolverine, who are writing for producers who already trust them, audiences who already love them, and directors who are already attached to direct them. There are lots of techniques we use on the page to help convey the feeling of how it will look on the screen. If you're one of my students, you know about Isolating Visual Moments of Action. You know about the many techniques that we can use to hypnotize our readers and allow them to ”see” what’s on the page in their mind’s eye.  But even with all of those techniques, what we can put on the page is never going to capture the full spectacle of what happens on the screen when it’s fully brought to life. What that means is on the page, it's even more important to have a dramatic underpinning to our action sequences. In other words. There needs to be an emotional transaction happening inside of your action sequence..." In this podcast, you’ll learn from Deadpool & Wolverine what a Set Piece is in an action movie, and how to get the most out of the Set Pieces in your own writing, plus: * The structure (and structural challenges) of Deadpool & Wolverine. * How the Engine of the Deadpool franchise works, and how it changes in Deadpool & Wolverine compared to the earlier installments. * How to build an engine for your own action franchise.  * How to craft compelling action sequences by treating them as dramatic scenes with emotional stakes. * How to use unifying themes to balance multiple plotlines in your screenwriting. * How to create unique, visually stunning locations for your scenes. * How to write action on the page that captures the spectacle and drama of your script. * How to balancing spectacle and emotional stakes * How to handle producer notes and development feedback * How to write action sequences with emotional depth * And much more! Join Jake for free every Thursday night at Thursday Night Writes, RSVP here and check all of our classes! a href="https://www.

    39 min

  3. AUG 26

    The Boys, Season 4: The Series Engine

    “...If Season 1 of The Boys is about the corporatization of America and the effect of misinformation on our society, and Season 2 is about the resurgence of white nationalism, and Season 3 is about the de-mythologization of America’s past, then what is Season 4 going to be about? When he gets to Season 4 of The Boys, there's not a lot left in showrunner Eric Kripke's pocket. We've been through three seasons, we know exactly who Homelander is, at least as Eric Kripke sees him. As brilliant as it is as an allegory, it creates a challenge in the engine of The Boys, because every season of The Boys has been built around the idea that we know what “good” and “evil” are… and then exploding those ideas.  Sowhat Eric Kripke does as a showrunner is go back to theme. And this time, in Season 4 of The Boys, he chooses a much more personal perspective on right and wrong.. In Season 4 of The Boys, we're not dealing with our nation's past. We're dealing with our personal past. Each character, nearly every main character in the piece, (and there are a lot of them now), is now dealing with the past. Not our national past, but their personal past. Each character is now having to look at the question: are we actually heroes? Or have we actually done things along our path to becoming the kind of heroes we want to be that cannot be forgiven? That cannot be escaped? He's asking the question of how do we, as a nation, deal with that. How do we heal from the trauma of the past that we have all just been through together? And how do we as individuals heal from the traumas of our individual pasts now?...” In this episode, through a deep script analysis of Season 4 of The Boys, you’ll learn how to build a series engine across multiple seasons of your own TV series, plus: * Theme-driven storytelling in television * Character evolution across multiple seasons * Allegorical storytelling in TV writing * Crafting socially relevant narratives * Maintaining narrative tension in long-running series * Balancing genre elements with character depth * Writing complex villains in TV series * Adapting storytelling techniques for different seasons * Exploring personal vs. societal themes in screenwriting * Creating multi-layered character arcs * Integrating current events into fictional narratives * Developing consistent yet evolving story engines * Writing morally complex characters in TV series * Crafting emotional payoffs in long-form storytelling Join Jake for free every Thursday night at Thursday Night Writes, RSVP here and check all of our classes!

  4. AUG 17

    Longlegs vs Hereditary: Character Wants

    In this episode of the Write Your Screenplay podcast, we compare and contrast two spine-chilling hits: Oz Perkins' Longlegs and Ari Aster's Hereditary. We’ll start by dissecting the power of a great first image. You’ll learn how both Longlegs and Hereditary use framing techniques to immediately set the tone and play with our perceptions.  It's not just about what we see, but what we don't see that keeps us on the edge of our seats. We’ll dive deep into the psychological complexities of these films, showing how Longlegs starts strong but stumbles when it breaks away from its main character's perspective. It's a masterclass in maintaining tension and avoiding the dreaded "spoon-feeding" of information to the audience. We’ll learn about the importance of clear, human motivations – even for our villains, and understand the ways Hereditary succeeds where Longlegs falters, by giving every character, no matter how twisted, a relatable want. It's not just about creating monsters; it's about creating monsters we can understand. We’ll explore the intriguing theory that Longlegs might be an allegory for childhood sexual abuse, showing how subtext and metaphor can add layers of meaning to a horror story. And we’ll also learn why the execution of the screenplay for Longlegs loses sight of its theme in ways that Hereditary doesn’t, by getting lost in convoluted plot elements that don't serve the core theme. You’ll also learn how more about the “bones” on which the screenplay for Longlegs is built, other classic thrillers like Seven and The Silence of the Lambs, demonstrating how these films maintain focus on their main characters' journeys, even amidst the most gruesome plot twists. The takeaway? Whether you're crafting a blood-curdling horror, a heart-pounding action flick, or a tear-jerking drama, it all comes down to one simple rule: know what your characters want. It's this fundamental principle that keeps your story focused, your audience engaged, and your themes resonant. Lessons from this podcast cover: • The importance of the first image in screenwriting • Character perspective and point of view in scripts • Psychological complexity in horror screenplays • Balancing exposition and experience in storytelling • Character motivation in genre films • Simplifying complex themes in screenwriting • Metaphor and allegory in horror scripts • Character wants and desires in screenplays • Comparing and contrasting successful films for writing insights • Theme development in horror screenplays • Avoiding clichés in genre writing • Creating unreliable narrators in scripts • Balancing mystery and revelation in storytelling • Crafting compelling villains in screenplays • Streamlining plot elements in horror scripts So, whether you're the next Ari Aster or Oz Perkins in the making, this podcast is your ticket to crafting horror that goes beyond the jump scares. It's about creating stories that dig into the human psyche, play with perspective, and leave your audience questioning long after the monster's been defeated. Tune in, take notes, and prepare to take your screenwriting to spine-tingling new heights!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Join Jake for free every Thursday night at Thursday Night Writes,a href="https://www.

    42 min

  5. AUG 1

    Is It Time to Quit?

    If you’re a screenwriter there’s a good chance this extremely unhelpful question is probably on your mind most of the time. Is it time to quit?  Is it time to quit? This incredibly unhelpful question has a nasty little stepbrother that runs around with it: Am I good enough?  In fact the inside the minds of most screenwriters is a constant litany of these kinds of questions: Should I quit? Am I good enough? Am I ever going to make it? What if I don’t have what it takes?  With these questions drowning out everything else in your head every time you sit down to write, no wonder it’s so hard to find motivation as a writer, to connect to your characters, to find your own voice, to even know what you want to say!  There are some writers, however, who are not plagued by these doubts and questions. And it’s not because they have a magical ability or a secret talent that you that you don’t have.  How nice would it be if you didn't have these questions in your mind at all? If you knew when it was time to quit, and also knew when it was time to continue, and no longer had to wrestle with these voices in your head every time you sat down to write?  How nice would it be if there was no such thing as wondering am I good enough? If you didn't even wonder about it. If the place that used to occupy that part of your mind was now just like an empty space. It didn't exist anymore. You could barely even recall. What was that question again? How nice would that be? How nice would it be if you didn't constantly have to be at war between the part of you that wants to pursue your passion and the part of you that wants to quit? If there wasn't even a war?  What if you didn't even think about quitting or what if you knew exactly, without a doubt, that if there ever was a time when it was time to quit you would know… and that until that time you're not doing it? How nice would that be? In this podcast (excerpted from of one of my most popular Thursday Night Writes classes) you’ll learn to find that place of peace in yourself. You’ll learn how to know when to quit, and how to know that it’s time to redouble your efforts. And most importantly, you’ll learn some life changing techniques you can use right now to silence those doubting questions in your head. Join Jake for free every Thursday night at Thursday Night Writes, RSVP here and check all of our classes! ...

    28 min

  6. JUL 11

    The Fall Guy Part 2: Write For Hollywood Without Selling Out

    This episode, we are going to be continuing our discussion of The Fall Guy (check out Part 1 of The Fall Guy Podcast). Now, you're probably wondering, why does this silly blockbuster movie get a two-part podcast installment? There are a couple of reasons for that: First, if you remember from last week, we're in a pretty interesting conversation about subtext. We talked about the three different levels of subtext and how that related to metafilm, which is a concept that we haven't discussed a lot on this podcast. So I'm excited to take a little bit of extra time to look closely at these concepts. Second, it’s valuable to get a little deeper breaking down a light, superficial Hollywood popcorn movie like The Fall Guy because it is representative a lot of the “work for hire” projects we writers are going to be presented with in the industry.  There’s a belief among many writers that “in order to succeed, you have to sell out.” But Drew Pearce’s writing on The Fall Guy shows us that, even within the container of a Hollywood popcorn movie, you can still bring your voice and your artistry to the writing process.  One of the things that I appreciated about The Fall Guy was that the writer Drew Pearce is working inside a framework which is probably not a writer's dream.  He’s adapting an 80s silly TV series. Everything's got to be light. It's a huge $150 million budget so he has to make sure that doesn’t alienate anybody and that everyone leaves feeling good. Everything's got to work out at the end.  So how do you actually perform as an artist inside of a container like that? Usually, the way you break into the industry is either with a really great script or a really great indie film. Usually, we're breaking in with our disruptive content- content that maybe isn't going to make a trillion dollars, but is going to move people and grab people.  And then suddenly you’ve “made it” and you are getting these work-for-hire assignments where you start to wonder, "I can make them happy, but is it going to make me happy?" One of the things I find interesting about Drew Pearce's script for The Fall Guy is that even though he's working inside of the framework of what the studio wants, he's also finding opportunities to show you who he is as an artist, to say something, to have some fun, and even to poke some fun in a metafilmic way at exactly the container that he's been put into. For all of these reasons, we are going to look at part two of The Fall Guy. We're going to continue our discussion of subtext, but we're also going to get a little bit deeper into the concept of metafilm and into another really important concept related to building a marketable screenplay: how do you make things worse and worse and worse for your characters? How do you attack the character at, in this case, the action level, but also how, at the same time, do you attack them on the relational level? Often in movies, we end up having lots of different threads, and sometimes it feels like those threads are separate from one another. But one of the things The Fall Guy does really well is bringing all of those threads together at the worst possible moment. Today we're going to look at the “split-screen” sequence of The Fall Guy really deeply. We're going to talk about how the scene works structurally, relationally, and meta-filmicly. And we’re going to talk about how pressure is loaded and loaded and loaded onto the character.

  7. JUN 26

    The Fall Guy: 3 Levels of Subtext

    Hello, I'm Jacob Krueger, and this is the Write Your Screenplay Podcast. This week, we're going to be talking about The Fall Guy by Drew Pearce. This is a remarkably silly movie based on the old, equally silly '80s TV show. At the center of the film are two scenes that we're going to look at over the course of two podcast episodes. We’ll explore some interesting concepts you don't expect to see in an action-comedy like The Fall Guy. By analyzing two of the most successful scenes in The Fall Guy, we will learn about metafilm – how the movie comments on itself – and subtext – how to capture the unsaid intentions of your character in your dialogue.  We'll also explore how The Fall Guy writer Drew Pearce grounds his scenes, chooses locations, and uses other techniques that can be valuable to your writing, whether you're working on an action-comedy or something completely different. You can feel pretty safe listening to this podcast even if you haven't seen The Fall Guy yet. There are going to be very minor spoilers, but nothing you wouldn't get from the trailer… Let's start by grounding ourselves in what The Fall Guy is actually about. Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, a top-of-the-line stuntman or "fall guy." In many ways, the film is an homage to stuntmen – an underappreciated art form that makes so many movies possible. The film is directed by David Leitch, a former stunt performer. It's jam-packed with fresh action, including a badass garbage truck chase scene and another sequence which broke the Guinness Record for most car cannon rolls. If you're a director interested in how to craft incredible action, it's worth watching for that alone. But we're not going to talk about The Fall Guy just to discuss the action movie elements. We're going to talk about something deeper. One of the things that makes the script for The Fall Guy so successful is the relationship and the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s characters: Colt Seavers and Jody Moreno. Jody is a director longing for her shot at the big time when we first meet her. Colt is a top-shelf stuntman for the nastiest, most successful action movie star in the world: Tom Ryder, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Tom, of course, is an idiot, and Colt, of course, is a great guy. Jody and Colt, of course, are madly in love with each other. But during the opening sequence, Colt suffers an injury that he blames on himself, shattering his self-confidence. During his recovery, he not only gives up on his career but also on Jody. She wanted to show up for him and he wouldn't allow her. None of this is played for drama. It's all played for comedy. This is not a movie designed to make you cry (or even feel). This is not a film designed to go deep. We're not talking about Lars and the Real Girl here. It’s not a film that uses comedy to go deep into human emotion.  The Fall Guy is designed to make you laugh and be entertained by visual spectacle, some light self-criticism, and satire of the film industry. But that’s not really what allows us to connect to the film. We're not actually connecting to The Fall Guy because of the stunts, even though they're a big part of the genre elements we came for. We're connecting to The Fall Guy because we’re connecting to the characters. We’re connecting to characters in The Fall Guy on two different levels: the way the characters are changing through the choices they're making,

  8. JUN 3

    Baby Reindeer: Writing the True Life Story

    This week, we're going to be talking about Baby Reindeer, the hit limited series on Netflix, written, created by and starring Richard Gadd.  We're going to use Baby Reindeer to talk about how to adapt a true story into a limited series, into a feature film, or into a TV show.  You would think that we fully understand our own stories better than anybody else’s. But the truth is you are the hardest person to write because you are the hardest person to see.  You can see everybody else. But your own life is processed mostly internally. And that's the opposite of the way that screenplays work. Screenplays externalize those internal feelings.  So we're going to be talking about how to get yourself on the page: how to tell your true story in whatever form you want to. And we're going to be looking at the structure of Baby Reindeer and how Richard Gadd does it in this fantastic little limited series. Before we get started, I do want to warn you there are going to be some spoilers of Baby Reindeer ahead. I can't talk about it in an effective way without sharing some of the details of the script. So if you have not yet seen the show, I will warn you before we get to the big stuff. If you've listened to my podcast on Beef, you've probably recognized that the structure of Baby Reindeer and the structure of Beef are basically the same.  Baby Reindeer and Beef are both essentially “two-handers.”  “Two-hander” is a term from playwriting, where the story is almost exclusively driven by two main characters. I’m using that term a little loosely when it comes to Baby Reindeer and Beef, but nevertheless, both limited series focus almost entirely on the escalation between these two main characters.  Baby Reindeer and Beef are about two characters who at any point could end the escalation that's happening between them, but who keep making choices that drive the escalation forward. In this way, the game of both the Baby Reindeer and Beef is basically the same:  You keep giving the main character a way out, and you keep watching them not take it.  Now why would the writers of Baby Reindeer and Beef construct a show this way? Well, it's one of the profound ways to deal with the lies that your character is telling themselves. Every character lies to themselves. Every person lies to themselves.  We don't lie to ourselves on purpose. We lie to ourselves because we have identities.  We lie to ourselves because there are things that we don't want to look at.  We lie to ourselves because we want to see ourselves in certain ways.  We lie to ourselves because there are mythologies that have been foisted upon us since we were children, that we've internalized, and that change the way that we see ourselves in the world.  There are all kinds of reasons that we lie to ourselves, but some characters' primary problem is that they are not being honest with themselves. If we look at Walter White in Breaking Bad, for example, his primary problem is he's telling himself a story that he's created a crystal meth empire just because he wants to leave something to his family, to protect them.  But since he keeps getting a way out, we realize this is not about his family. It’s not until the final episode that Walter's actually going to be truthful...

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Rather than looking at movies in terms of "two thumbs up" or "two thumbs down" Award Winning Screenwriter Jacob Krueger discusses what you can learn from them as a screenwriter. He looks at good movies, bad movies, movies we love, and movies we hate, exploring how they were built, and how you can apply those lessons to your own writing. More information and full archives at WriteYourScreenplay.com

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