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Drew Marquardt

The One vvith Robert Eggers

Episode - 674

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February 4, 2025 Scriptnotes, Transcribed

Hearken well! John sitteth in discourse with the learned Robert Eggers, weaver of dreadsome visions (The Witch, The Lighthouse), whose latest labour bringeth forth Nosferatu from the mistes of antiquity. Together, they dost unravel the craft of breathing newe life into the ghastly count of olde, how Robert didst hone his vision through toil and cunning in his firste labours, and the summoning of terror moste unholy upon the silver’d screen.

We do also taketh to hand the queries of our faithful listeners on the perils of o’ermuch detail in one’s scribings, on what may be done when one doth feel oneself a dullard, and whether those who spin tales be ill-fitted for matters of courtship and love.

In our boon segment for those of premium patronage, Robert doth speak of his fervent love for the wheeled steed and pursuits beyond the shaping of moving pictures.

Links:

  • Robert Eggers
  • Nosferatu | Screenplay
  • Robert Eggers’ shorts Hansel and Gretel and The Tell-Tale Heart
  • The Girl with the Needle
  • Making School Cafeteria Pizza from the 1980s & ‘90s
  • Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
  • Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
  • Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
  • Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram
  • John August on BlueSky, Threads, Instagram, and Mastodon
  • Outro by Guy Fee (send us yours!)
  • Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt with help this week from Zoe Black, and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-5-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Featured Friday: 90’s Maximalism

January 31, 2025 Weekend Read

Weekend Read, our app for reading scripts on your phone, features a new curated collection of screenplays each week.

This week, we look at those over-the-top explosive epics of the 90’s that pushed the limits of the form (and good taste), wore their hearts on their sleeves, and made movies bigger in every way.

Our collection includes:

  • Armageddon by Robert Roy Pool
  • Con Air by Scott Rosenberg
  • Face/Off by Mike Werb & Michael Colleary
  • The Fifth Element by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen
  • The Rock by David Weisberg & Douglas Cook and Mark Rosner
  • Titanic by James Cameron
  • Total Recall by Ronald Shusett & Dan O’Bannon
  • Wild Wild West by S. S. Wilson & Brent Maddock and Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seama
  • William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet by Craig Pearce and Baz Luhrmann

Read these and other featured collections only on Weekend Read 2, available on all Mac and iOS devices. Download for free!

Structure, and How to Enjoy a Movie

January 28, 2025 Scriptnotes, Transcribed

Structure is the fundamental skeleton of every story ever told, so why does it flummox so many writers? John and Craig outline what structure really is, ways to find it in your story, and how to keep it from tying your brain in knots.

We also look at ways to find nuance in our appreciation of movies, follow up on erotic fiction, and answer listener questions on how to work with a director and point of view shots.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig measure the helpfulness of their wearable body monitors.

Links:

  • Weekend Read on the App Store
  • Oscar nominations 2025
  • IVF Mixup movies: Parallel Mothers, Maybe Baby, Good Newwz, Daughter from Another Mother
  • Manhunt
  • The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
  • How to like everything more by Sasha Chapin
  • Growing a Human: The First 30 Weeks by Maggie Appleton
  • 2024 Player’s Handbook
  • Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
  • Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
  • Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
  • Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram
  • John August on BlueSky, Threads, Instagram, and Mastodon
  • Outro by Guy Fee (send us yours!)
  • Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-4-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Featured Friday: And the Nominees Are…

January 24, 2025 Weekend Read

Weekend Read, our app for reading scripts on your phone, features a new curated collection of screenplays each week.

This week, we feature every script nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 97th Academy Awards.

Our collection includes:

  • A Complete Unknown by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
  • A Real Pain by Jesse Eisenberg
  • Anora by Sean Baker
  • Conclave by Peter Straughan
  • Emilia Pérez by Jacques Audiard
  • Nickel Boys by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
  • September 5 by Moritz Binder and Tim Fehlbaum
  • Sing Sing by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
  • The Brutalist by Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
  • The Substance by Coralie Fargeat

Read these and other featured collections only on Weekend Read 2, available on all Mac and iOS devices. Download for free!

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