Episodes
Hi there. This is Agent Nick. You might also remember me as Intern Nick. I have taken the extraordinary measure of recording this episode on my own, because I need to find Nathan and Ryan immediately. Listen to this episode and you'll understand why. Ryan and Nathan, if you see this episode, please contact me. After you listen to it. Right after.
Published 05/27/19
Nathan and Ryan reveal that they’ve been asked by several deep-pocketed backers to open and manage their own cafe—and they’re doing it. They’ve decided to call it Café Screenplay. They are giving up the screenplay scene for the time being—likely forever. The plan? They're headed away for the next 11 weeks, during which time they’ll be totally unreachable as they tour the finest coffee plantations and farms in Central and South America, sourcing the highest quality beans for Cafe Screenplay....
Published 05/07/19
Nathan and Ryan reveal a few devastating obstacles they've been confronting and explain why their podcast episodes illogically jump from 91 to 99. The screenplay writing app they’ve been developing has been shelved, after they received multiple cease and desist orders from gigantic companies. Their junior producer Jack un-greenlit the two screenplays they thought were being produced. Clearly it’s a really low time for them—”all is lost” you might say. They dissect "The Avengers: Endgame" in...
Published 04/30/19
When someone has feedback on your screenplay, you best listen. It's called criticism, and often it contains something useful or insightful. At the very least, it's fuel for your fire, inspiring you write more and achieve great things that the criticizer could never dream of. The guys do script surgery on "Fighting with my Family," and Nathan pitches "The Red Pen From Beyond the Grave" in Logline Cage Match."
Published 04/18/19
Financing is very important when it comes to taking screenplays to the big screen. Nathan and Ryan talk about their recent adventures in financing, having a noted and notable junior-producer-slash-financier named Jack greenlight two of their screenplays with sudden financing from independent means. The guys do script surgery on “Us,” the new Jordan Peele picture, which was fantastic and engaging, despite the short title. Ryan pitches “Means of Independence“ in Logline Cage Match.
Published 04/10/19
In the midst of recording a much-requested episode about sound, Ryan and Nathan get a call from their friend Jack, a junior producer, who needs screenplays to park some money in, stat. They get a few ideas greenlit, which Jack is going to start junior-producing. The guys note that the incident was an example of a Hare’s Rule: when a completed screenplay meets a phone call, that’s good luck.
Featuring Jack Hauen as the junior producer.
Published 04/02/19
Nathan and Ryan talk about the many features and benefits of the screenplay-writing app they're building from scratch. It comes with 20 of the guys’ screenplays pre-loaded on the app for users to edit and use, a value of around $1,000,000. They do script survey on Lego 2 and Ryan pitches his idea “Meccano“ in Logline Cage Match.
Published 03/28/19
Nathan and Ryan talk about monologues and why you should avoid them at all costs as a screenplay writer. Hint: It’s so that actors’ egos don’t get out of hand with all they attention monologues give them. They do script surgery on “Glass” and Ryan pitches his idea “The Unlicensed Dentist” in Logline Cage Match.
Published 03/22/19
Nathan and Ryan talk to Nathan’s friend, (unlicensed) Dr. Graeme, who makes a stunning announcement you'll have to hear to believe. They all talk about the importance of the CTP principle, which stands for ‘combining the passions.’ Ryan and Nathan give the unlicensed doctor helpful life advice.
Featuring Graeme Achurch as (unlicensed) Dr. Graeme.
Published 03/12/19
Whether your screenplay needs CGI (computer-generated imagery) when it hits the big screen really depends on your imagination. If you have a huge imagination, you might need CGI. Nathan and Ryan talk about the screenwriting app that they’re starting to create from scratch. They do script surgery on “Alita: Battle Angel,” and Ryan pitches his idea “The Startup Chronicles” in Logline Cage Match.
Published 03/06/19
Nathan and Ryan analyze in great detail the 2019 Oscars, which will go down in history as one of the Oscars most engaging ceremonies.
Published 02/26/19
Who will win at the Oscars next Sunday. Nathan and Ryan run down nearly every category. You may be surprised by what they have to say, but you'll have to download this episode and listen to it to find out.
Published 02/19/19
Nathan and Ryan talk about the surprising lack of challenges they experience crossing the border despite being prolific screenplay writers. They never get asked for their business Visas, which they have dutifully acquired. The guys do script surgery on "Poppins Returns” and Ryan pitches “Solo 2: Falcon Rises: Mechanic’s Dream” in Logline Cage Match.
Published 02/12/19
Distribution is critical when it comes to screenplays. Otherwise, how will anyone see your pages? The guys do script surgery on “Roma” and Nathan pitches “The Lightning Soldier” in Logline Cage Match.
Published 02/05/19
At some point, every screenplay writer asks her or himself, or her or him friends, “What about festivals?” In episode, we answer that question. The guys do script surgery on “Shoplifters” and Ryan reads his idea for a skiing comedy mystery, “The Skiing Bandit,” in Logline Cagematch.
Published 01/29/19
Writing effective phone calls in a screenplay is the calling card of a successful screenplay writer. With the popularity of phones these days, you simply can’t avoid developing this skill. The guys do script surgery on “Bumblebee” and Ryan pitches his idea “The Neverending Conversation” in Logline Cage Match.
Published 01/22/19
Why are table reads so important to the screenwriting process? Because they present a rare opportunity to bring the cast together around one huge table—and around the screenplay. (Note: The best table reads are done around oval tables.) The guys do script surgery on “Welcome to Marwen” and Ryan pitches his idea “Frosty the Hitman” in Logline Cage Match.
Published 01/15/19
Nathan and Ryan check in with their new manager, Nick, who recently became a manager. They chat about all the progress he’s made managing their screenplay writing career. Big things ahead!
Featuring Nick Zarzycki as Manager Nick.
Published 01/08/19
Nathan and Ryan reach out to Double Agent Nick—one of their new year's resolutions—to find out what he’s been up to over the past 30 episodes. Turns out he wants to become a manager. They run their idea “Snorkelman” by him and he likes it, and becomes their manager.
Featuring Nick Zarzycki as Manager Nick.
Published 01/01/19
It’s Christmas day! Happy Christmas. Nathan and Ryan are gathered around the fire with close family, recording a holiday podcast about their movies of the year—past and present. They also do script surgery on "Aquaman" and Ryan pitches his idea "Snorkelman" in Logline Cage Match.
Published 12/25/18
Fight scenes are so important to most action movies. The thing you need to think about when you’re writing them and filming them is how to capture them on the page and on the screen. The guys do script surgery on “Creed 2” and Ryan pitches his idea “Boxer Jumper” (working title only) in Logline Cage Match.
Published 12/19/18
Writing for kids is something every screenwriter does at one point in her or his career. Nathan and Ryan talk about the keys to making your script work for this genre and audience, including two essential Hare’s Rules: You gotta dumb it down, and kids don’t get references. They do script surgery on Ralph Breaks the Internet (Wreck-it Ralph 2), and Nathan pitches his idea “Kid Tax” in Logline Cage Match.
Published 12/11/18
The meet cute is an essential scene that appears in most genres. It's the moment the main character meets his or her romantic love interest. Most effective meet cutes involve the throwing or dropping of paper, or the meeting of in-laws. Nathan and Ryan do script surgery on "Widows," and Ryan pitches his new idea “Burger Time” in Logline Cage Match.
Published 12/04/18
If you’ve written or read a screenplay lately, you’ve probably come across parentheticals. They’re those bits of direction before dialogue that inform directors what the heck to do. Without them, directors wouldn't have a clue—and for that reason they're among the top seven things to master when writing screenplays. The guys do script surgery on “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” and Nathan presents “Nathan Canadian” in Logline Cage Match.
Published 11/27/18