Submit questions for the September Live Q&A!

Got any tips for a dad who wants to desperately tell his kids good night stories, but is terrible at improvising?

If you had to pick one animation film to be remade into a live action film, which would it be and who would you like to see directing it?

This is a question for Tricia; I've recently gotten my first job as a screenplay judge for a festival. Do you have any advice for judging scripts, especially when you have to read so many at once?

How do you choose the title for your scripts?

Are there any particular lessons you have gotten from foreign cinema that you felt you couldn't get from Hollywood cinema?

I am someone who, upon reading McKee's 'Story', felt really prepared with a full toolkit and with tons of insight. Yet I also felt there were so many rules and boundaries that felt, at times, rigid. Like there was almost too much of a formula to produce a script. Rules are obviously really helpful for the screenplay process. But how many exceptions to rules do you allow for? Do you disagree with anything McKee has said or discovered something different for yourself?

I just want to know how you so thoroughly read my mind to see that The Prestige was the one topic you could choose to be Patron-only that would finally push me over into signing up. What kind of witchcraft is that?

What makes a music video good in your opinion, do you have examples? (Additionally: Would you ever consider making a video on a music video?)

What themes are you seeing most commonly explored in modern cinema that excite you and why? Which ones so you think need to be put to rest for a while or are over done?

Nathan Lawrence

Do you wish the American film industry would choose more geographically diverse settings and filming locations instead of constantly having so much media based in LA and NYC? Do you think having more geographic diversity, in say the south or mountain west, might help facilitate creative experimentation?

Eddy Torres

What are your thoughts on separating the artist from the work? (example: Roman Polanski's work vs. his criminal history). Do you think this is case by case or there is a tangible line that can be crossed? You all touched on this lightly in The Shining and Apocalypse Now episodes, regarding an unsafe/abusive working environment during filming but was curious if context like this affects you all for certain films. Great podcast! :)

Thoughts on studying specifically screenwriting compared to a general film course for tertiary education? What are the pros and cons of each option?

Olivia Siggers

Do you think the screenplay of a film can be presented to viewers substantially differently depending on how the subtitle designers choose to alter text? When I read the screenplay to Parasite, I noticed a lot of dialogue was very different than what I read during the movie. I also heard that a Korean university was changed to "Oxford" in the English subtitles by the subtitle designers, and an app popular in Korea was changed to "WhatsApp." I also remember Chinese censors altering subtitle text to change a character's backstory in Skyfall (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinese-censors-clamp-down-skyfall-413140). These are the only examples I'm familiar with, but it seems like it would have huge implications for how a writer's work is presented internationally that is beyond their control. Is this something you ever have concerns about with your own work? Thanks for hosting such a lively and joyful podcast where your chemistry and friendship is very tangible. It's been uplifting and energizing for me in a time where I have substantially less human interaction than ever before. Haha.

What's the most powerful/affecting or true-to-life moment of racism in film? I don't want to biased you towards the US or police interactions but I'm English, white and living in (mostly) gunless London and the scariest thing for me in film is when a black person gets pulled over in America. The best and most recent example I can think of was Queenie & Slim; just terrifying.

Have any of you had a particularly meaningful narrative experience in virtual or augmented reality before? Can you describe what made it special?

Are there any films where the premise excited you but the result fell short? Can you talk about how the film you imagined would have been different? (also would be happy to hear the same discussion about books, TV shows, video games, virtual reality, etc :) )

I know Michael is a big fan of film noir (as am I) so I’d love to hear each of your picks for your favorite classic noir, neo-noir, or noir-genre mashup.

I see the movie pulp fiction receive nothing but praise, any criticisms?

Any suggestions/gateway films to helping someone appreciate cinema that aren't just "movies", but "films"? Obligatory pretentious eye roll 🙄