Buckle up! John and Craig discuss the elements that make up a classic road movie. They cover the quintessential scenes, common pitfalls, and the economic quandaries you'll find in the genre.

They also answer listener questions about editing novels (versus screenplays) and the aesthetics of outlines and breakdowns.

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, John and Craig talk about their own memorable road trips.

Links:

• Wolf's Belly
• Bronson Watermarker Pro
• Carl Rinsch
• Kathy Bates Scene from Rat Race
• John's Wondery Podcast, "Launch"
• It's 10pm Do You Know Where Your Children Are?
• Prop House Auctions
• Lords of Waterdeep

Get your copy of The Scriptnotes Book and become a Scriptnotes Premium member today! For more content on the craft of writing check out Inneresting our weekly-ish newsletter about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our Coordinator is Lauren Loesberg. Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

John and Craig welcome Curry Barker, the writer-director behind this summer's surprise blockbuster, Obsession. It's a rom-com, a horror film and a great example of trusting your audience.

We discuss Curry's roots, his writing process, learning from YouTube, as well as the pressure to follow up a hit.

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, John and Craig pose the #1 most important question for all filmmakers to consider: What will the popcorn bucket be?

Links:

• Aaron Sorkin Masterclass
• The Chair by Curry Barker
• Milk & Serial by Curry Barker
• Humans Veer Left by Rachel Nuwer (NY Times)
• The Case of the Golden Idol
• Members Only Jackets
• 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
• Follow Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok
• John August on Bluesky and Instagram
• Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our intern is Lauren Loesberg.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

John and Craig sit down with Ryan Condal, showrunner of House of the Dragon, just as its third season airs.

They dive into Ryan's late start in Hollywood, spec scripts, the anatomy of a writers room, and thinking as a product of movement. They also answer a listener question about the mechanics of writing a sequel.

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, John, Craig and Ryan discuss perhaps the most popular fictional creatures ever: dragons!

Links:

• I Solved My Mystery Fatigue with AI by Amy Deng
• Myst by Cyan, Rand Miller & Robyn Miller
• Dimhaven by Zadbox Entertainment
• NordVPN
• yU+co – Title sequence designers
• 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
• Follow Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok
• John August on Bluesky and Instagram
• Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our intern is Lauren Loesberg.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.