Act Two Podcast

When a reader says “I don’t connect with your character,” the real problem isn’t necessarily the character. Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down the five notes hiding behind it, the questions to ask the person who gave it, and how to fix it on the page.

It’s our annual Halloween episode, and friend of the podcast Dave Levinson (Welcome Home) is back to talk about the 1980 original Friday the 13th.

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman take a listener's questions about adapting an audio drama: Where to Start, How to Adapt a Series to a Feature, How to Approach Action Scenes, and How to Build a World Without Getting Overwhelmed.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman kick off their new World-Building Series by discussing how to build your world within scenes. Whether writing high fantasy or just building tension, how you introduce or describe a scene and how your characters approach that scene can have a trickle down effect from engaging studio readers to steering production. Let's talk about that!

TWIW: Josh visits a studio film set; The greatest compliment-insult Tasha has ever received; Resident Evil and video game adaptations.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the Act Two of Steven Spielberg & David Koepp's Jurassic Park. What can a perfect Act Two teach us about tension, transitions, creating setups and building to better payoffs, and how to craft turning points that propel your movie forward in seamless and engaging ways.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss their favorite tips on how to build more unique action sequences that feel essential, tell story and character, and make your screenplay standout. Whether you write in the action genre or not, these storytelling do's apply to all Screenwriters who sometimes find themselves stuck in a cliche.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss two real-life notes given to a TV writer: "After reading your pilot, I don't know what your series is about" and "You should start your story later". What do those notes actually mean and how do you address them?

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down and go in-depth on screenwriter Tom Vaughan's viral post about the 10 random things he learned about having a Screenwriting career after 29 years of writing movies.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo & Josh Hallman talk about their hot takes on this Summer's blockbusters and how this massive Summer for theatrical releases is actually a lesson in writing originals.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

In honor of the recent announcement about Christopher Yost showrunning Dungeon Crawler Carl, we're sharing this great interview with him! Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with one of the great adaptation writers in our business, Christopher Yost (THOR: RAGNAROK, COWBOY BEBOP), about how he approaches adaptation, how it differs from original writing, and how the tough choices of writing an adaptation are unique. He also discusses his path to writing some of the biggest movies in our industry, and how his latest original movie SECRET HEADQUARTERS (playing now on Paramount+) came to be.

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg

After last week's episode where Kevin Shabel mentioned networking as key to building your career, we’re reposting an episode about that very topic! The favorite thing a screenwriter can do is to Network! Not really. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman dive into all things networking and what that means for a screenwriter. We discuss the dos and don'ts when you're forced out of your comfort zone and find yourself trying to make new connections.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com -- Edited by Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk with Kevin Shabel, Tasha's Showrunner's Assistant on Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (Netflix) and the Writer's Assistant for The Mighty Nein (Amazon). He talks about how he got the job, how he excelled, the challenges of the job, and how he leveraged it into co-writing an episode in Season Two.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the top screenplay hacks according to NoFilmSchool.com, with examples of how and when they use those hacks in their own professional writing, and also when to leave a hack on the cutting room floor.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Lists on how to write a "great" screenplay are practically useless when sitting down before a blank page. But hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how to use lists and tips in the REWRITE process to help hone your decent script into a great one.

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down Structure for a feature-length story to its basics. What are each of the turning points, when should they fall in your movie, why are they important, and what effect should they have on your story.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman share five concrete tips for nailing your TV writers' room interview - how to read the room's energy, why having an opinion on the material matters, and the resume detail that helped Tasha land her first staffing job.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Portal A producer, Jacob Motz, to talk about the business of quality filmmaker-driven short form content, and how it's an exciting outlet for all Screenwriters and aspiring Writer-Directors, regardless of level or representation.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

There are many ways to stay proactive in your writing life. If you're sitting on a script you're passionate about, there are (creative) ways to get it into the world. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about the different outlets screenwriters have and ways to be an advocate for yourself.

Edited by the great Paul Lundquist

Music by 414beg.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman field Listener questions.

Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Screenwriters Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman share their wild stories about how they got their first Manager and Agent, and talk through the many ways you can get representation. Everyone tells you to get repped, but why do you even need a rep, and what the heck do they do anyway?

This is the Act Two Podcast, where hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman demystify what it means to be an everyday working Screenwriter.

Questions/Comments: Tasha.Huo@acttwowriters.com

Music by 414beg.