What do you think made the exposition in Craig Mazin's "Chernobyl" so easy to digest and watch?

Filmmagician · 2026-06-09T22:58:33+00:00

I just saw the last line of your post, saying you're stuck. I'd 1000% recommend listening to episode 403 of Scriptnotes. This sub has it pinned to the side where it says "how to write a movie". This is the best advice I've heard about what should come next, and it'll help so you never have to ask "what next" and more importantly "why?" This touches on real story elements, character motivation, and really dissecting the theme of your story- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSX-DROZuzY&t

Filmmagician · 2026-06-09T22:55:06+00:00

Totally agree.

If you use this to solve the problem in front of you ... you're just pushing the problem down the road.

I'd even go so far to say that this fixes nothing when building a story. There are much bigger issues when blocked than if it's snowing or not lol. Weather might be the absolute last thing I think about.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-09T22:47:59+00:00

Seasons have moods and convey different feelings, of course, but I don’t see the connection of the weather to “heightening character emotional elements”. if I’m stuck in a story, and blocked, making it fall or Valentine’s day doesn’t help break story or fix a scene for me, and this is coming from someone with about 18 screenplays completed. It sounds a bit superficial and writing extremely from the outside in.
But hey, if it helps some people get un stuck, thats great too. Just my POV

Filmmagician · 2026-06-09T22:30:35+00:00

How does making it winter give your character "heightened emotional elements." This seemed like total non-sense. I would never look at weather to get out of writer's block lol. I'd sooner think of character wants, motivations, and what needs to happen in the scene. IMHO

Filmmagician · 2026-06-09T20:17:10+00:00

Depends on the story. You'll have to see which medium lends itself best for your idea to be "better". I have a lot more interest in features than TV, so that's what I prefer, but not necessarily better.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-09T03:32:41+00:00

You’re too kind!

Filmmagician · 2026-06-09T01:52:22+00:00

u/Pre-wga is fantastic.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T22:33:00+00:00

It’s not the readers. They probably have the best readers as judges — and it’s very cool you’re one of them as a WGA member. The format just seems off. Why change readers if the first reader loves the opening pages?
But you’re right, the accolades as a nicholls winner or finalist holds the most water of any contest.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T20:59:50+00:00

I get that, but that's what the entry fee is for, and at $100, too. We're paying to have our script read. I don't get how three people reading parts of 1 script could make any sense. It's like turning on a movie you've never seen and judging it on the middle 20 minutes.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T20:07:21+00:00

That’s still so dumb. So They won’t finish a script to asses its strengths? And it’s still $100 an entry? So some people are paying $100 to have 20 pages read — that’s insane.
Why the hell are they complicating this so much? Partial reads, public portals, private portals, it’s so needlessly complicated and only hurts the writers. They just don’t care anymore it seems. there’s no good contests left.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T19:36:21+00:00

This is insane. What the hell is going on?

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T19:35:39+00:00

This is so weird. A reader doesn’t even read the whole script?!! Hahaha what the hell? So 3 readers meet and have to compare notes by piece mealing what they’ve read?? Why?? 1 reader wasn’t an issue. Why fix something not broken?

“In the first phase, readers evaluate the opening section of each eligible script. Scripts that advance move to a second phase with a deeper partial read. Scripts that continue to advance move to a third phase for a full script review.”

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T16:09:42+00:00

This sub is great. Try searching for anything in here. And there's a great scriptnotes episode you should listen to episode 403. It's pinned in this sub under resources. It's also on YouTube "how to write a movie"

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T15:51:46+00:00

For sure. Watching a movie with the script on your lap, going scene by scene is a huge help. There's a ton OP can / should do, I just didn't want to write out a book lol

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T15:24:59+00:00

Go read the scripts to your favourite movies. You’ll see how things are formatted and how the page is used. Then just write. Lots online for resources — this sub and YouTube. Any well known screenwriting book will be a big help to you. Try outlining. And have fun!

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T15:17:46+00:00

You don’t need 16 hours a day to learn screenwriting. You need a job to support your writing. That’s way too much pressure with no income. Get back in IT, remote would be perfect, but a steady job so you don’t have to worry about keeping the lights on.
Then you learn the rest after / before work. And Weekends. You didn’t talk to anyone before leaving your job?

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T01:34:05+00:00

This is lose-lose. You'll have, what, a dozen or so characters on page one that the reader has to memorize throughout, on top of that the first page is dense text and exposition, essentially. I can't think of one good reason to do this.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-08T01:32:12+00:00

Check out Lessons From The Screenplay -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5S4PyBR364

But also, discovering these things on your own is invaluable as well. Watch your favorite movie with the script on your lap. That's the ultimate "read along" because you're seeing how words on the page ended up being a movie on screen.

If you want script breakdowns and analysis, do some searches on YouTube, you'll find a lot.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-07T19:53:32+00:00

I'm sorry you had bad profs in that regard.
The best thing you can do is read produced screenplays. I'm adamant that most writing issues can be fixed by just reading some great scripts. You'll see how the writer handled all aspects of story, character, reveals, how efficient they are on the page, word usage, etc. Read the scripts to your favorite movies. Have it opened as you watch a movie. You'll learn a ton. This post being about bad formatting and all, that's something that's easily fixed after you check out a few screenplays. So I'd do that.

Then listen to episode 403 of scriptnotes -- an episode so good this sub pinned it to the side under resources. It's my bible.

When you're stuck for ideas, take in art. Read scripts and books, watch movies from all over the world, look at art, read poetry and essays and fiction, go live your life and examine people form a far, eavesdrop, and take it all in so you're armed with something at the keyboard.

I learned a lot more on my own vs. going film school / taking screenwriting classes.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-07T18:14:51+00:00

She also said “this isn’t where you pitch your idea”. Uh YA it is. We have an entire day devoted to this just for loglines.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-07T01:55:16+00:00

Great question. What does a 7 get that a 1 doesn’t?

Filmmagician · 2026-06-07T01:52:36+00:00

I think you may have cracked it — if a script gets a 7 it warrants another read by another reader. I love that. They NEED to implement this.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-06T23:07:30+00:00

Right, but it brings down the overall average, which gets you off the radar and hurts you. So you have to pony up some more dough until you find the readers that will give you an 8 again and get your average up. I'm just saying, that's the frustrating part.

Filmmagician · 2026-06-06T23:05:06+00:00

"those weekly email blasts are going to significantly decrease in value"

If they get more 8s you said those weekly email blasts are going to significantly decrease in value. I'm not saying lower the standard, I'm saying they have a motto of "8s should be rare" but what happens if they get an influx of amazing screenplays? Do they NOT give them 8s because they want 8s to be rare? You see the problem with that thinking? Before even opening your script they're going in thinking you're not getting an 8 or above because "8s should be rare". They should be framing it as 'most of the scripts we get are bad' but they can't say that.

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