logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2020
45m 57s

3 | What Actually Is THEME In Your Scree...

MEG LEFAUVE & LORIEN MCKENNA
About this episode

Theme is the essence of good storytelling, but what does it actually mean, and how does it play into screenwriting? Meg and Lorien deep dive today, and answer your questions, here on The Screenwriting Life!

Welcome to The Screenwriting Life. Join us as professional screenwriters, Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna, whose combined credits include writing and production on such films as Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur and Captain Marvel discuss the craft, journey and business of writing for the screen. From dialogue to delivery, Meg and Lorien will guide you through the process, offering inside tips and tricks to help you become the best writer you can be. And now Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna.

Up next
Yesterday
266 | Emmy-Winner Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere) on the Myth of the “Big Break”
JOIN TSL WORKSHOPS: https://tslworkshops.circle.so Meg was already a fan of Jeff Hiller from his Emmy-winning performance in SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE, but after listening to his moving and hilarious memoir Actress of a Certain Age, she fell completely in love with his honesty, humor, a ... Show More
50m 41s
Oct 2
265 | KPop Demon Hunters Directors: Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans on Balancing Heart, Humor & Music
JOIN TSL WORKSHOPS: https://tslworkshops.circle.so This week, we’re joined by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the writer-directors of KPOP DEMON HUNTERS, to unpack the craft behind one of the year's biggest movies. From finding the emotional core of their story to shaping "Golde ... Show More
50m 36s
Sep 25
264 | Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, I Am Legend, Star Trek): Turning Writing Into a Job (and a Life)
JOIN TSL WORKSHOPS: https://tslworkshops.circle.so We’re thrilled to welcome Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsman for a masterclass on making writing sustainable. For Akiva, the real “tragedy” is living in the anxious space between drafts. His cure? Treat writing like a job: set hours, cl ... Show More
57m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
The Screenplay Outline Workbook: Prepare To Write Your Best Script - Naomi Beaty
The video version of this interview here on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acy5KxytQBA&t=17s 0:00 - Why Outlining Is Essential In Screenwriting 13:52 - Simple Ideas Make Great Movies 22:50 - A Writer Has 4 Pivotal Reasons To Write A Screenplay 35:08 - 3 Words That Make ... Show More
2h 14m
Jan 2021
Inside Out with Meg LeFauve
Pixar movies are always emotional journeys – quite literally in the case of Inside Out. Having sent audiences into the cosmos with Wall-E and into the clouds with Up, the revered animation studio went for a more introspective approach in 2015 with this heartwarming story set enti ... Show More
1 h
Oct 2019
Megan Martin, Diane Ademu-John, Ian Deitchman
What does it take to run a writers' room? Megan Martin (creator, Apple+'s Brie Larson CIA show; Animal Kingdom); Diane Ademu-John (Empire; The Originals); and Ian Deitchman (Carnival Row; Suits; Parenthood) talk show-running and transitioning from features to TV to streaming.LIST ... Show More
1h 4m
Jan 2024
Write On: 'Miller's Girl' Writer/director Jade Halley Bartlett
“Personally, I think writing is bleeding. It's blood magic. It's very hard to do,” says writer/director Jade Halley Bartlett of the new Southern gothic romance, Miller’s Girl. Bartlett started her career as an actress, but it was an unexpected journey that led her to Los Angeles ... Show More
41m 29s
Apr 2024
TV Secrets Revealed!
Race Across The World is back on our screens but what production secrets make the show work so well? Alan Carr’s Interior Design Masters, if all goes wrong who puts it right? Plus intimacy in films, what is the role of an intimacy co-ordinator? Those and many more of your questio ... Show More
32m 22s
Sep 2017
Pitching Do's and Don’ts: How to Get Your Film Funded
This week’s guests have heard over 10,000 pitches between them and, in this episode, they reveal what works and what doesn't when you're trying to raise money for your films. No Film School’s Liz Nord is joined by Molly O’Brien (Chief Business Development Officer of Fork Films), ... Show More
35m 7s
May 2024
From First Draft to Film-Ready: Perfecting Your Screenplay
In this episode of the Filmmaking Stuff podcast, host Tom Malloy explains the often misunderstood process of screenwriting. Dispelling the myth that a screenplay is ready after the first draft, Malloy tells new screenwriters that industry executives demand polished scripts reflec ... Show More
4m 57s