The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Despite being a multiple Academy Award winner, celebrated producer, and feature/TV director, Jodie Foster is still aiming for a singular goal: to tell truthful stories. On today's show, we discuss how Jodie processes her work, how she collaborates with others, and what Robert De Niro taught her on the set of Taxi Driver.Join Our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though she got her start in multi-cam sitcoms, it was a bold sci-fi dramedy rom-com that made Pixar interested in hiring Brenda Hsueh to co-write Elemental. On today's show, Brenda discusses how her voice has evolved as a writer over the course of her career, how she brought her own experience into her work as a writer for Elemental, and how she has learned to elegantly argue for what she believes in when collaborating.JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/SCREENWRITERS and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With hits like BRING IT ON and STICK IT, writer/director Jessica Bendinger is known for her subversive and surprising takes on female girlhood, using archetypes in a way that audiences have celebrated. Today what discuss what archetypes are, how we can use them, and what the future of our industry looks like.FOR JESS' BOOK/PODCAST: http://www.jessicabendinger.com/TO JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi all! Today, Savana and Jeff revisit their conversation from part one of their conversation about SET! Today we discuss some of the most essential vocabulary and set dynamics that you need to understand before you take the plunge!For internship inquiries, email thescreenwriting@gmail.com with the subject line INTERN, and include a cover letter and resume. Please note that we are only considering credit-eligible students!To join our Patreon: www.pateron.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We bring our "beginning" miniseries to a close with this instant TSL classic, wherein Meg gives many pep talks.JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/TheScreenwritingLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our continued conversation about where and how to begin as a screenwriter, we take your (excellent) questions! We talk about outlining, cards, character development, and how to quiet our inner critic.TO JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/TheScreenwritingLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So you want to be a screenwriter. Now what? Today we discuss some of these important questions to ask before you jump into a draft - questions that are JUST as valuable for emerging writers as they are for professionals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emmy-winning TV super-producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach is back. This time, he chats about his wonderful essay "WHAT I DO ON THE PAGE." clarifying that ultimately, the basic mechanics or writing are also the advanced mechanics of writing.HERE is the essay we're discussing: http://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/script_essay.pdfHERE is Javi's first appearance on our show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/46-writing-great-tv-characters-w-javier-grillo-marxuach/id1501641442?i=1000522797405HERE is our patreon: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Podcasts are one of the fastest growing mediums today (see THIS SHOW), and they can take on many forms. Today, writer/director Susan Busa Leshner discusses her podcast series THE AMERICAN IMMORTAL, and how she turned it from an idea into a quickly growing audio drama with multiple episodes, a completed first season, and a second season on the way!TO LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN IMMORTAL FOR FREE: https://theamericanimmortal.com/TO BECOME A PATRON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karyn Kusama is known for film classics like Girlfight, Jennifer's Body, The Invitation, and a NEW TV classic, Yellowjackets, which she executive produces.Karyn's work is celebrated for its thoughtfully subversive approach with feminist themes across multiple genres, and today she discusses HOW she uses her body as a barometer to seek truth in her work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices