Scriptnotes Podcast (John August & Craig Mazin)
Screenwriting insights from two of Hollywood's most accomplished writers
Overview
Scriptnotes is hosted by screenwriters John August (Big Fish, Charlie's Angels) and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl, The Last of Us), who discuss screenwriting craft, the entertainment industry, and the creative process. The show has been running since 2011 and has built a massive archive.
Episodes cover topics like story structure, dialogue, character development, and the business of screenwriting. The hosts regularly do live script reads and provide feedback on listener-submitted pages.
How It Works
While aimed at writers, actors gain enormous value from understanding how scripts are constructed and what writers intend. This knowledge directly improves cold reads, script analysis, and audition preparation.
Free on all podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
Who Uses It
Essential listening for actors who want to become better script analysts. Understanding the writer's perspective on character and dialogue elevates your audition preparation and scene work significantly. John August and Craig Mazin are among the most respected working screenwriters in Hollywood, and their willingness to discuss the craft and business of writing with complete transparency has made Scriptnotes one of the most influential podcasts in the entertainment industry. The show has been running since 2011, producing an archive of over 600 episodes that constitutes one of the most comprehensive free resources on screenwriting and storytelling available anywhere. For actors, the show provides a crucial window into how the stories you inhabit are constructed, which transforms your understanding of character, dialogue, and narrative structure in ways that directly improve your performance work.
Pricing & Plans
Scriptnotes is free on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, though the most recent episodes may be available on a slight delay on free platforms while premium subscribers through services like Stitcher Premium get immediate access along with the complete back catalog. The free tier provides access to current episodes and a substantial portion of the archive, offering more than enough content for most listeners. The show occasionally produces live episodes and special episodes that are also freely available. John and Craig also maintain a website at scriptnotes.net with show notes, links, and supplementary resources for each episode. For actors seeking to understand the screenwriting process, the free episodes alone represent hundreds of hours of invaluable educational content.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
Scriptnotes' greatest strength is the combination of its hosts' professional credentials and their ability to make complex storytelling concepts accessible and immediately applicable. John August's experience writing studio films and Craig Mazin's work creating prestige television provide complementary perspectives that cover the full spectrum of professional screenwriting. The show's regular segments — including Three Page Challenge, where the hosts provide feedback on listener-submitted script pages — demonstrate the analytical process that writers use to evaluate material, which is exactly the kind of analysis actors should apply when breaking down scripts for auditions and performances. Episodes that discuss character construction, dialogue technique, and the relationship between text and subtext provide actors with insight into what writers embed in their scripts for performers to discover and bring to life. The show's frank discussions about the business of screenwriting, including compensation, credits, and the writer-producer relationship, help actors understand the industry ecosystem they work within.
What Could Be Better
Scriptnotes is a screenwriting podcast, and its primary audience is writers rather than actors, which means some episodes cover topics — formatting rules, industry negotiations, software tools — that have limited relevance to actors' specific needs. The show's intellectual, analytical approach can feel dense for listeners who prefer lighter, more conversational content, and some episodes require focused attention to fully absorb the storytelling concepts being discussed. The premium subscription model for full archive access means that some of the show's most valuable historical episodes may not be freely available to all listeners. The show's focus on film and television writing means it provides less coverage of playwriting, sketch writing, and other forms of writing for performance. John and Craig's perspectives, while expert, are shaped by their careers in studio film and prestige television, which may not fully represent the diverse landscape of professional writing.
Our Recommendation
Every actor should listen to Scriptnotes, as understanding how writers construct stories, develop characters, and craft dialogue is one of the most valuable skills you can develop for your performance work. The show transforms your script analysis from surface-level reading to deep structural understanding, which directly improves your audition preparation, scene work, and ability to collaborate with writers and directors. Actors who also write should consider Scriptnotes essential listening, as it provides professional-level writing education from two of the most accomplished screenwriters working today. If you find the writing-specific business content less relevant, focus on episodes that discuss character, dialogue, story structure, and the Three Page Challenge segments, which provide the most immediately applicable insights for performers.
Pro Tips
Listen to Three Page Challenge episodes with particular attention, as the hosts' analysis of how character is established through action and dialogue demonstrates the exact skills you need when breaking down audition sides — notice what they identify as effective character introduction, how they evaluate dialogue authenticity, and what they say about subtext. When the hosts discuss how writers construct scenes, apply their frameworks to your own scene work — understanding the scene's turning point, the characters' objectives, and the intended emotional arc from the writer's perspective gives you a structural foundation for your performance choices. Study episodes about dialogue to develop your ear for how writers create character through speech patterns, vocabulary, rhythm, and what is left unsaid, as this understanding helps you honor the writer's intentions while making the language your own. If you write or develop your own material, use Scriptnotes as your primary writing education resource alongside your acting training, as the combination of performance skill and writing knowledge creates the hyphenate career that is increasingly valuable in the modern entertainment industry. Share relevant episodes with scene partners before working on material together, as a shared understanding of scriptwriting principles creates a more productive collaborative environment.