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PopCraft: Screenwriting - Podcast

PopCraft: Screenwriting

 Carl Albert

Let's autopsy the screenplays of your favorite films and TV shows. We'll talk the craft you can learn from their concrete examples, as well as the underlying theories and philosophies behind their storytelling structures. Hosted by Carl Albert.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tv & Film Writing Film
Update frequency
every 8 days
Average duration
48 minutes
Episodes
21
Years Active
2021 - 2022
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Shutter Island: Open With Your Twist

Shutter Island: Open With Your Twist

Sorry about the sound issues! I've been having some tech problems, but they'll be fixed for next episode.


In this episode, Carl discusses the power of an opening image and just how to make a twist wo…

00:23:42  |   Wed 09 Nov 2022
Halloween (1978): Slasher Structure and Stakes

Halloween (1978): Slasher Structure and Stakes

In this episode, Carl discusses Slasher Structure and the power of suspense.


Get $30 off Arc Studio Pro @ https://arcstudiopro.com/popcraft


Contact Carl @ [email protected]


Patreon: https://www…

00:25:13  |   Wed 26 Oct 2022
Rings of Power vs House of the Dragon: Pilot Episodes

Rings of Power vs House of the Dragon: Pilot Episodes

In this episode, Carl introduces the new PopCraft Versus segment and talks about how Lord of the Rings: the Rings of Power and House of the Dragon compare using the MICE Quotient.


Get $30 off Arc Stud…

00:44:12  |   Wed 12 Oct 2022
Everything Everywhere All At Once: 3 Act Structure and Unlikeable Protagonists

Everything Everywhere All At Once: 3 Act Structure and Unlikeable Protagonists

In the season 2 premiere, Carl and Naomi Beaty discuss unlikeable protagonists and how Everything Everywhere All At Once grounds the viewer's experience with a traditional 3 Act Structure.


Get $30 off…

01:01:02  |   Wed 28 Sep 2022
Spider-Man: Adaptational Approaches and the Power of Change

Spider-Man: Adaptational Approaches and the Power of Change

In the season finale, Carl and Austin talk about the different ways filmmakers have approached Spider-Man and why they made the decisions they did.

Contact Carl @ [email protected]

Patreon: htt…

01:18:58  |   Fri 04 Mar 2022
Arcane: Seeding Structures

Arcane: Seeding Structures

In this episode, the holy trinity of C's -- Carl, Chasey and Caroline -- reunite to talk the (un)usual structure of Arcane Season 1. What worked, what didn't, and why is Carl such a hater?

Contact Car…
00:59:17  |   Fri 28 Jan 2022
PopThoughts: What's in an Adaptation?

PopThoughts: What's in an Adaptation?

In this episode, Carl argues that adaptations should be considered separately from their source material.

Contact Carl @ [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popcraftscreenwriting
…
00:23:34  |   Fri 21 Jan 2022
The Witcher: The Difference Between Mystery and Vaguery

The Witcher: The Difference Between Mystery and Vaguery

In this episode, Carl and Luke talk THE WITCHER 2x01, how mystery and suspense work in tandem, and the mistake of being too vague.

Full season 2 spoilers start 31:45 and end 43:45.

Contact Carl @ popcr…
00:48:08  |   Fri 14 Jan 2022
Deep Dive into Plants and Payoffs

Deep Dive into Plants and Payoffs

In this episode, Carl dives deep into the different kinds of plants and payoffs in storytelling.

Contact Carl @ [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popcraftscreenwriting
Discord:…
00:35:14  |   Fri 17 Dec 2021
Succession: Character-Driven Pilots and Procedurals

Succession: Character-Driven Pilots and Procedurals

In this episode, Carl and Chasey Ridgley talk the best show on TV -- SUCCESSION -- and what it has in common with procedurals. 

Contact Carl @ [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com…
01:03:06  |   Fri 10 Dec 2021
The Wheel of Time: When Is Fridging Not Fridging?

The Wheel of Time: When Is Fridging Not Fridging?

In this episode, Carl and his red-headed Aiel siblings Luke and Kathryn talk the new hit fantasy series, THE WHEEL OF TIME.

Contact Carl @ [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/po…
00:59:43  |   Fri 26 Nov 2021
Intolerable Cruelty: Melodrama Is Good, Actually

Intolerable Cruelty: Melodrama Is Good, Actually

In this episode, Carl brings on Intolerable Cruelty's writer Robert Ramsey to talk melodrama,  noir, and the Coen Bros. 

Contact Carl @ [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popcra…
00:46:35  |   Fri 19 Nov 2021
Dune (2021): Character Arcs and Active Protagonists

Dune (2021): Character Arcs and Active Protagonists

In this episode, Carl brings on two fellow screenwriters and USC alums, Caroline Puts and Chasey Ridgley, to talk about the good, the bad, and the Duncan Idaho of Dune: Part 1. 

Contact Carl @ popcraf…
01:10:40  |   Fri 12 Nov 2021
Dune (2021): Adapting the Unadaptable

Dune (2021): Adapting the Unadaptable

In this episode, Carl breaks down how Dune shares exposition and adapts the first part of a so-called unadaptable novel.

Contact me @ [email protected] 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popcraf…
00:39:23  |   Fri 05 Nov 2021
Parasite: Staircase Structure and Subverting Your Expectations

Parasite: Staircase Structure and Subverting Your Expectations

In this episode, Carl brings on Namir Khaliq from Imagine Entertainment to talk about midpoints, story structures, subversion, and how Parasite remains utterly traditional.

Patreon: https://www.patreo…
00:57:00  |   Fri 22 Oct 2021
Midnight Mass: Monologues and Main Characters

Midnight Mass: Monologues and Main Characters

In this episode, Carl brings on fellow screenwriter/podcaster Al Horner to discuss who the real main character of Midnight Mass is and why Mike Flanagan gets away with subversive storytelling.

Patreo…
00:49:33  |   Fri 15 Oct 2021
PopThoughts: This Movie Is Objectively Bad

PopThoughts: This Movie Is Objectively Bad

In this episode, Carl discusses how writing can be both a craft and subjective at the same time. He also loses his mind.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popcraftscreenwriting
Discord: https://discord…
00:32:00  |   Fri 08 Oct 2021
The Haunting of Hill House: Terror, Trauma, and Timelines

The Haunting of Hill House: Terror, Trauma, and Timelines

In this episode, Carl and Hannah talk scares, suspense, heartbreak, and how to make multiple timelines more than a gimmick.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popcraftscreenwriting
Discord: https://disco…
00:59:08  |   Fri 01 Oct 2021
The Empire Strikes Back: Plot Your Character Arc

The Empire Strikes Back: Plot Your Character Arc

In this episode, Carl brings on the show's first guest, Hannah Ceselski, to talk romance, character arcs, and fuck-off hermits.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popcraftscreenwriting

Discord: https://…

00:57:42  |   Fri 24 Sep 2021
Return of the Jedi: 3 Act Structure

Return of the Jedi: 3 Act Structure

In this episode, Carl explains Hollywood's 3 Act Structure and how Star Wars fits into it.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popcraftscreenwriting

Discord: https://discord.gg/Q3e3WHdA

Instagram: https://…

00:39:02  |   Fri 24 Sep 2021
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